Chapter 50: The Ruthless Fugaku, Shocking Everyone!

Almost in an instant.

Fugaku’s hand pressed against Shisui, sealing all his chakra and plucking out his eyes outright.

Then.

Only then did he begin sealing Sasuke’s chakra; five seconds later did Fugaku shut off his Mangekyo.

Even those mere five seconds left a bloody trace in Fugaku’s eyes, proving not only the power of this ocular technique but also the unimaginable drain on his own ocular strength.

“Fugaku, what are Itachi doing?”

Hiruzen Sarutobi roared in fury.

Shisui and Sasuke were his pawns—especially powerful ones—and now they were just crippled like this?

He leapt to his feet, smashing his desk with one palm, then tore off his Hokage robe to reveal the battle attire beneath.

At this moment, he was truly enraged!

Yet he did not strike, for Fugaku’s methods had frightened him.

Yes!

The abilities of the Mangekyo are countless; only a few, like Amaterasu and Kamui, are visible to outsiders—most operate silently and invisibly.

Like Tsukuyomi, only the victim can perceive it; no one else senses a thing.

Fugaku’s Mangekyo technique was the same—at least from Hiruzen’s perspective, Fugaku had calmly sealed Shisui and Sasuke’s chakra, then casually plucked out Shisui’s eyes.

Shisui and Sasuke stood as if stunned, offering not even basic resistance.

There was no way around it.

Fugaku’s ocular power was confined solely to Shisui and Sasuke themselves—this was the method requiring the least chakra expenditure.

Therefore.

Hiruzen could not perceive it—and that made him even more terrified.

He knew full well that if Shisui and Sasuke, both so powerful, could not resist, then he himself would likely be powerless too.

The thought that he, under Fugaku’s strange ocular technique, would be unable to lift a finger—easily skewered by a kunai—sent a chill crawling up his scalp, raising his dread of Fugaku to its peak.

“Elder, why?”

“Father, how could Itachi do this?”

Shisui and Sasuke spoke out together; their hearts held not only anger, but more so, confusion.

After all…

In their minds, Fugaku was never like this!

Such behavior was utterly unacceptable.

And yet,

Fugaku’s expression remained cold and unchanged as he spoke calmly.

“Jin-kun was right: no matter your thoughts, the Uchiha clan must never turn on itself!”

“On ordinary days, it wouldn’t matter—internal strife killing one or two would be negligible. But now, the Uchiha are on the brink of annihilation, and every clan in Konoha is watching us.”

“Our position is already precarious; if word spreads that the Uchiha are tearing themselves apart, other clans will only look down on us even more.”

“An Uchiha clan in civil chaos during a genocidal crisis—even if Jin-kun wins great victories later, no other clan will dare to ally with us.”

“Therefore…”

“This is precisely why Itachi two had to be brought back before we went to war with Danzo.”

“Of course,”

Jin-kun only wanted Itachi two to stay out of it—he never wished to imprison or seal Itachi, for he has absolute confidence in himself, certain that even if Itachi sided with Konoha’s high command, he could still defeat them.

“That is his belief—a path of invincibility!”

“Thus, he has always scorned deceit; from start to finish, he has used only open, undeniable strategy.”

“But I, Fugaku, am not like him!”

I was present during the Hokage’s final conversation with Jin-kun. Only after truly understanding the attitude of Konoha’s high command did I realize how wildly wrong I’ve been as clan head all these years.

“Had Jin-kun not appeared, the Uchiha would likely have been destroyed under my leadership!”

“So I must atone.”

“When Jin-kun refuses to act, I, Fugaku, will destroy Shisui and Sasuke—even if it costs me my reputation!”

“I cannot help Jin-kun in other ways, but this small task—I, Fugaku, can still accomplish.”

“As for Sasuke—my child!”

“As his father, I considered his youth and confined him at home to study. No one in Konoha can object.”

“As for Itachi—Shisui!”

“Though Itachi are not my son, I am your clan head.”

“The First Hokage, Hashirama, declared that Konoha must not interfere in clan internal affairs; as clan head, I have the right to discipline Itachi, and Konoha may not intervene under any pretext.”

“If Itachi choose to leave the Uchiha, Itachi must surrender your Sharingan as well.”

“That is clan law!”

“So, Shisui, I give Itachi a choice.”

“If Itachi choose to leave the Uchiha, I will find Itachi a pair of ordinary eyes, and Itachi may follow your Hokage.”

“If Itachi choose the Uchiha, return with me—I will give Itachi a pair of three-tomoe eyes to replace yours.”

Fugaku spoke coldly, explaining his reasons.

Yes!

Though the Uchiha once seemed disorganized, unlike the Hyuga, Ino-Shika-Cho, or other clans, the real reason was simply their arrogance—they scorned the use of authority.

Which faction to join? Entirely up to personal preference!

But in truth,

Clan law existed—and every clan had it.

When Root came to demand personnel from other clans, it was the clan head who decided who to hand over; the lower members had no say.

Konoha’s non-interference in clan affairs was a rule established personally by Hashirama when the village was founded.

Therefore,

Fugaku’s justification was absolutely valid!

Every clan must acknowledge this—Hiruzen Sarutobi could not refute it. On matters of clan internal affairs, his title of Hokage meant nothing.

If he dared interfere, the other clans would surely stop him!

So again: don’t underestimate the value of a bean bun!

Now that Fugaku has truly laid aside the Uchiha’s pride and acted as their clan head, he may lack power over village affairs—but over Shisui and Sasuke, he holds absolute authority.

Of course,

Fugaku’s actions now also reveal how profoundly Hiruzen’s true nature had shattered Fugaku’s worldview the last time.

Shisui stood frozen.

After listening to Fugaku, he fell silent for a long while, then sighed.

His earlier anger had vanished completely.

Though he wished to help the clan his own way, he still acknowledged his Uchiha identity—and he knew clan law must be obeyed.

Sasuke might choose Konoha outright, but Shisui was different—his heart held greater loyalty to the Uchiha.

These actions were meant to aid the Uchiha.

So… sigh.

With a helpless sigh, Shisui spoke: “I choose the Uchiha. I accept the clan head’s judgment.”