"What did you just say!?"
"Lord Byakuya defeated Fugaku… and had him locked up…"
Upon hearing this report, Uchiha Gen, the current patriarch of the Uchiha clan, was momentarily speechless. His hand trembled slightly as he leaned on his cane.
"Fugaku… imprisoned by Byakuya?"
"Chief, we know how it sounds—but we saw it with our own eyes," one of the clan members reported solemnly. "Byakuya's strength was overwhelming. Fugaku stood no chance."
"Impossible…!" Uchiha Gen coughed violently, his aged frame shuddering from the shock. "Fugaku… he was my chosen successor! I entrusted him with stabilizing the clan's relationship with the Hokage!"
Fugaku, a cautious but capable shinobi, was the one Gen believed could bridge the growing rift between the Uchiha and the village's upper ranks. Byakuya, on the other hand, was too radical, too unpredictable—a powerful ninja with a dangerous charisma, but no regard for the Will of Fire.
"That brat… how could he have bested Fugaku?" Gen rasped. "Is the clan going to collapse from within before the village even turns on us?"
"Chief, what should we do now?" one of the Uchiha asked nervously. "Captain Fugaku is still being held."
Gen's gaze sharpened despite his failing body. "Take me to the interrogation room. I will see for myself what Byakuya is plotting."
In the Interrogation Room
Uchiha Fugaku stirred, bruised but conscious. His eyes narrowed at the sight of Byakuya standing before him.
"Uchiha Fugaku," Byakuya said coldly, his Sharingan calmly active. "You attacked a fellow Uchiha without cause. That's tantamount to treason. I suspect you're planning to defect to the Hokage's side permanently."
"You bastard… You're twisting everything!" Fugaku snapped, struggling against his restraints. "You won't get away with this! The Hokage will—"
[Ding. Detected anger from Uchiha Fugaku. +300 negative energy. Illusion proficiency +20.]
Byakuya smiled inwardly. Yes, keep getting angry. That's more energy for me.
"You're not going to cooperate? Fine. En, I'll leave this one to you. Show him what happens to traitors."
"Yes, Lord Byakuya." Uchiha En cracked his knuckles and approached Fugaku.
Before the first blow could land, the door slammed open.
"Enough!" Uchiha Gen shouted as he stepped into the room.
En froze mid-strike. Fugaku looked up weakly, surprised. Even Byakuya raised an eyebrow.
"What is the meaning of this?" Gen demanded. "Beating your own kin? This is a disgrace to the Uchiha name!"
Byakuya turned slowly. "Ah, the clan leader himself. I wasn't expecting you here, given your condition. You should rest… the stress might be fatal."
"Don't patronize me, Byakuya," Gen said harshly, though his voice lacked the strength it once held. "You may think you're acting for the good of the clan, but abducting the Hokage's son and imprisoning your own captain is reckless. You'll start a war we can't win."
"I know exactly what I'm doing," Byakuya replied flatly. "According to my intel, Sarutobi Shinnosuke was involved in espionage against the Uchiha. And as for Fugaku… he drew his blade on me first. I merely defended myself. Are you saying I should have let him strike me down?"
Uchiha Gen's eyes narrowed. "You're exploiting the rift between the Uchiha and Konoha for your own gain. This path leads to bloodshed, not justice."
Byakuya didn't flinch. "The clan's been living in the shadow of Konoha's suspicion for too long. If we don't assert ourselves now, we'll be slaughtered in silence. I won't let the Uchiha fall without a fight."
The room grew quiet.
Uchiha Gen sighed. "If you truly care for this clan, you'll stop acting like a lone wolf. Otherwise, you'll destroy everything you claim to protect."
"Uchiha Fugaku attacked fellow Konoha shinobi and appears to be conspiring to betray the village."
"I was conducting a formal interrogation," Byakuya said coldly, his tone unwavering.
"Ridiculous!"
"Release him at once!" Uchiha Gen barked. "How could the Hokage's son possibly be plotting against Konoha?"
"If this spreads, how do you expect the Hokage to view the Uchiha clan?"
Uchiha Gen gave the order directly.
Byakuya narrowed his eyes. "And if I refuse…?"
"Uchiha Byakuya, have you forgotten yourself?!" Gen's voice rose sharply. "I am the head of the Uchiha clan. Are you defying your clan leader now?"
As he spoke, Gen activated his Sharingan. The triple tomoe whirled with authority as pressure burst from his chakra, pressing toward Byakuya.
Though once considered quasi-Kage level, Uchiha Gen had suffered a grievous injury on a past mission. Now, his power was far beneath that of an elite jōnin.
Byakuya, who had awakened the Mangekyō Sharingan, stood unflinching in the face of the pressure. Even at his peak, Gen would have posed no threat to him.
"Sarutobi Shinnosuke confessed under interrogation," Byakuya stated. "Uchiha Fugaku raised a blade against a fellow shinobi. The signs of treason are unmistakable."
"And now, the clan head orders their release? Are you defending traitors... or are you one yourself?"
"You dare accuse me of treason?!" Gen shouted, coughing violently from the strain. "You've gone too far!"
Struggling to contain his fury, Gen released a genjutsu aimed directly at Byakuya. As a veteran Uchiha, his illusions were formidable—even in his weakened state.
But Byakuya's Mangekyō easily dispelled it.
"Tch. Illusion? That won't work on me."
A sudden pulse of chakra surged from Byakuya's eyes. "Genjutsu reversal."
The illusion rebounded instantly.
Gen clutched his head as if struck by a hammer. His knees buckled, and he collapsed to the ground, disoriented.
Byakuya looked down coldly. "You've made your choice, clan head. You're siding with those who betray Konoha."
He turned to the other Uchiha present. "Restrain the clan leader. This matter will be judged by Konoha's law."
No one moved at first. The silence was suffocating.