"The evidence is right here. Still trying to deny it?"
Without another word, Goro struck.
Knowing he had been framed, Uchiha Daita refused to go down without a fight and immediately fought back.
As Goro and Daita clashed, Ken kept his eyes locked on Fugaku and the others, making sure they didn't interfere.
"Ichiro, how dare you frame Daita!"
"You keep saying I framed him—do you have proof? If not, then it's slander. Fugaku, you still owe us an apology. Will you do it yourself, or shall I help you?"
Ichiro slowly drew Ryūjin Jakka.
In that moment, the atmosphere turned razor-sharp. Both sides stood at the ready, blades drawn.
The neutral clan members, caught in the middle, didn't know whether to stay or flee.
"Fugaku, don't escalate this."
The Great Elder stepped forward to intervene.
A fight would benefit no one. The real loss would be the Uchiha clan's strength. Worse, internal conflict could cause their decline.
Even war hadn't broken the Uchiha. But if they fell to infighting, they'd become the laughingstock of the shinobi world.
Fugaku stared at the elder coldly. He had once trusted him, but now he wasn't so sure.
Given what was going on between Mikoto and Ichiro, Fugaku suspected the Great Elder might be helping Ichiro in secret.
He even began to wonder if the elder had a hand in the deaths of the Second and Third Elders.
Just yesterday, he and the Great Elder had tried to buy their loyalty with heavy bribes. Perhaps the elder had seen their defection and immediately tipped off Ichiro to have them eliminated.
"Move aside."
Fugaku shoved the Great Elder aside and began forming hand seals.
"Fire Style: Great Dragon Fire Jutsu!"
"You never learn."
Ichiro sneered as he formed hand seals faster than Fugaku.
"Fire Style: Great Fire Destruction!"
A massive sea of flames swallowed the dragon-shaped fire attack in an instant and surged straight toward Fugaku.
The area covered by Great Fire Destruction was immense. It wasn't just Fugaku in danger—anyone nearby could be hit.
"Not good!"
Behind Fugaku, Uchiha Rin and Uchiha Takeshi paled.
"Use Earth Style: Earth Wall, now!"
Two elite jōnin, together with several more jōnin, barely managed to erect an Earth Wall to shield against the flames.
Fugaku broke out in a cold sweat. He had clearly felt a deadly threat just now.
If not for Rin and Takeshi's quick response, he wouldn't have had time to escape. He would've died on the spot.
"Watch out, young lord!"
BOOM!
A figure burst through the broken Earth Wall. A flash of cold steel. Blood sprayed.
Fugaku's body fell straight backward, a deep, bone-revealing gash stretching from his right shoulder to his left hip.
"You falsely accused me. Death would be too easy. Here's a little punishment."
Ichiro slowly sheathed his blade.
He had shown mercy—if he hadn't held back, he could've cleaved Fugaku in two with a single slash.
"You injured the young clan head! You're dead!"
Seeing how badly Fugaku was hurt, Takeshi snapped. Gripping a kunai, he charged Ichiro, slashing toward his throat.
Crack!
Ichiro grabbed Takeshi's wrist and crushed it with a twist, then sent him flying with a brutal kick.
When Takeshi tried to get up, a blade was already at his throat—Ken stood over him, cold and expressionless.
"Try anything, and I'll take your head off."
The fight ended almost instantly. Rin had no choice but to slowly put away his kunai, warily watching Ichiro.
Too strong. Ichiro had completely overwhelmed Fugaku and Takeshi, both elite jōnin. He truly was the Uchiha's top powerhouse.
Compared to Ichiro, Fugaku simply fell short.
Even if Fugaku became the clan head, there was no way he could command Ichiro.
On the other side, Daita had already been subdued by Goro. Though they were both elite jōnin, there was still a gap in strength.
Goro, though younger, had been personally trained by Ichiro. Among elite jōnin, he was one of the best.
Still, even if he had the upper hand, it wasn't easy to fully defeat Daita right away.
Shunk!
A kunai suddenly flew out from the shadows and pierced Daita's abdomen, opening a hole in his gut.
Goro took the opportunity to press his kunai against Daita's throat. With death hanging over him, Daita dared not move.
The one who had thrown the kunai was, of course, Ichiro.
Ichiro walked up to the fallen Fugaku and placed a foot on his arm.
"An apology—or a hand. Your choice."
Fugaku wanted to resist, but Ichiro's cold, merciless eyes made him give up the idea.
A ninja must endure what others cannot.
"…I'm sorry. I misjudged you. The elders' deaths had nothing to do with you."
"Not bad. You know when to yield. I'll give you that."
Ichiro removed his foot, then delivered a vicious kick that sent Fugaku flying.
"Take him to get treated. Let's not have him bleed out and die."
Seeing Fugaku lying there like a beaten dog, many who once supported him as clan head began to waver.
Beaten this badly, and forced to grovel for forgiveness… was this really someone fit to lead the Uchiha?
Disillusioned, some were already preparing to shift allegiances.
Rin hurriedly carried Fugaku away for treatment. The wound was deep and wide—if not tended quickly, he'd die from blood loss.
"Take those two to the Police Force interrogation room."
Ichiro ordered his men to haul away Takeshi and Daita.
『Ding! Framed Uchiha Daita. Gained: Evil Points +3000』
Not much, but better than nothing. Little by little, the rewards would add up.
"The culprits behind the deaths of the two elders have been caught. Everyone, disperse. I swear I won't let their killers go unpunished."
Ichiro waved the gathered clan members away.