In Uchiha's shrine, Uzumaki Raiden looked at the gray-haired old man in front of him, wanting to ask about the curse seal and the specific reasons for his rebellion. However, at that moment, Raiden felt a deep hostility—not from the person in front of him but from elsewhere.
"Who?"
Raiden let out a low cry and quickly turned toward the source of the hostility—a high wall.
Without hesitation, he released a lightning arrow into the air, directly shattering the distant wall. But as the wall exploded, it revealed nothing but an open space. It was completely empty—no people, not even a ghost.
"..."
"They escaped!"
Raiden narrowed his eyes at the empty space and murmured. He was certain his perception was not mistaken. His Kagura Mind's Eye had been strengthened to an unprecedented level. Now, he could perceive his opponents without relying on Chakra but instead by detecting evil intent. As long as he was engaged in battle, his enemies had nowhere to hide.
Chakra signatures could be concealed through various means, but willpower could not. Under these circumstances, it was impossible for Raiden to have made a perception error. The only explanation was that the enemy had fled quickly.
"Their method of escape is likely space-time ninjutsu!"
Raiden frowned slightly. He had believed the two Uchiha elders were the greatest threats—defeating them would eliminate the hidden dangers in Konoha. However, an unknown adversary had slipped through the cracks, and this one was proficient in space-time techniques. A formidable enemy indeed.
"Who could it be? A new enemy... or someone I already know?"
"If they're still hiding in the village, I'll use my perception of malice to find and deal with them!"
Raiden was in a foul mood after letting such a significant foe escape. He no longer pressed the old Uchiha for answers. Instead, he quickly sealed the man's Chakra, handed him over to Fugaku for monitoring, and then turned toward Uchiha Kiyoshi's body. Kiyoshi had possessed the Mangekyō Sharingan, making his body of great importance.
However, as Raiden approached Kiyoshi's corpse, he suddenly realized the situation was more severe than he had imagined.
The body before him had blood-red skin, its blood vessels shattered from the previous attack, and its bones crushed. But what caught Raiden's attention the most was not Kiyoshi's lifeless face—it was the empty sockets where his eyes should have been.
Uchiha Kiyoshi's Mangekyō Sharingan was gone!
"Someone actually pulled this off right under my nose!"
Raiden clenched his fists tightly. He hadn't expected this to happen in the middle of battle. From the moment Kiyoshi was killed to capturing Uchiha Shin, less than five minutes had passed. Yet, in such a short time, someone had managed to steal Kiyoshi's eyes right under his nose!
At that moment, Uchiha Fugaku arrived, carrying two unconscious individuals. When he saw Kiyoshi's body and its empty eye sockets, he was visibly stunned. Subconsciously, he glanced at Raiden's hands.
Raiden's hands were clean.
Fugaku lowered his head and closely examined Kiyoshi's eye sockets. He noticed a significant amount of dust inside them. This ruled out the possibility of Raiden having taken the eyes himself.
Since Fugaku had arrived immediately after Raiden, if Raiden had stolen the eyes, the sockets would have been clean. The presence of dust meant only one thing—someone had taken the eyes the moment Kiyoshi was struck down!
Only at that precise moment would airborne debris settle into the sockets.
"Raiden, this..." Fugaku made his judgment and asked Raiden for confirmation.
"As you can see, someone has taken Uchiha Kiyoshi's Mangekyō Sharingan."
"This isn't over."
Raiden's voice was hoarse, his tone filled with gravity.
Just then, the sharp sound of movement filled the air as Konoha ninjas arrived, spotting Raiden and Fugaku. They rushed toward them, along with several Uchiha clan members who had not attended the high-level clan meeting.
"What happened here?" Uchiha Obito asked in a low voice, looking around in shock. He distinctly remembered this place as the Uchiha shrine. But now, it was barely recognizable—the ground had been flattened, and many surrounding houses were severely damaged.
To an outsider, it would look as if the Uchiha clan had been attacked by enemy ninjas.
"Obito, you came at the right time. Gather the clan members, clean up the battlefield, and collect all the bodies," Fugaku ordered before turning to Raiden.
"Raiden, what should we do with these two?"
"Hand them over to the Yamanaka clan. Let them extract information," Raiden replied with a casual wave of his hand.
"You handle things here. I have something to discuss with you."
Raiden turned and walked away. Many Konoha ninjas watched his retreating figure, but no one dared to speak. Some recognized the red-haired man, but none had the courage to approach him.
Fugaku quickly assigned several Uchiha to manage the battlefield. He placed a curse mark on Uchiha Shin's eyes, then handed the two captives over to a clan member, instructing him to take them away. Without wasting any time, he hurried to catch up with Raiden.
Many people had no idea what had transpired, but the Uchiha clan's ninjas swiftly cleaned the battlefield, paying no attention to the onlookers.
Among the crowd, a young man silently observed everything before slipping away unnoticed.
Uchiha Fugaku's Residence
Raiden and Fugaku sat on the corridor of the house, watching Naruto and Uchiha Sasuke practice shuriken throwing in the yard as they talked. The battle at the shrine had not drawn the attention of the two boys. Although the explosions had been loud, everything seemed fine, and neither of them had shown any curiosity to investigate.
"This battle has cost the Uchiha clan dearly. Aside from those with Sharingan, everyone else..."
"Raiden, this time, our Uchiha clan fears..."
Fugaku trailed off, his heart weighed with concern. The power of the Uchiha clan had plummeted, and as its patriarch, he was deeply troubled.
"What's done is done. Think about what comes next," Raiden said.
"Someone moved on the battlefield, avoided my perception, and took Uchiha Kiyoshi's Mangekyō Sharingan. It must have been them."
"This unknown enemy poses a massive threat. Be cautious."
"Mikoto told me about the conflicts between your clan and the village. Now that the opposition is dead, the problem is resolved."
"Your job as patriarch, Fugaku, is to find a way to reintegrate the clan into the village."
"I'm back this time, but I won't interfere too much in village affairs."
Raiden took a sip of his steaming tea.
(End of chapter)