Chapter 65: Foreseeing the Future
At this point, Shisui's chakra and ocular power were nearly depleted. He couldn't unleash the same finishing move he once used against Yusuke—Yasaka Magatama—and instead opted for a slightly weaker attack: Susanoo: Ninety-Nine.
Countless emerald-green energy arrows burst forth from the glowing magatama embedded in his Susanoo's chest.
Fugaku could only control his own Susanoo to defend.
Under the relentless barrage of arrows—fast, dense, and powerful—Fugaku's Susanoo armor and muscle began to disintegrate at a visible rate. In mere moments, only the skeletal frame remained, struggling to hold on.
Sensing that he was on the verge of breaking through, Shisui let out a loud shout and summoned the last dregs of power from his Sharingan.
Crimson blood streaked down both cheeks as his vision collapsed under the strain.
The arrowstorm intensified—the air now swarmed with even more of those piercing projectiles.
At the same time, Shisui hurled his Susanoo's spiral sword directly at Fugaku.
With a thunderous crash, the spiral blade struck Fugaku's Susanoo, exploding in a massive shockwave of green energy.
As Shisui's chakra and ocular power finally gave out, his Susanoo slowly faded away.
Fugaku's Susanoo was also shattered, vanishing completely under the final impact.
Though utterly spent, Shisui had won—by a single move.
Fugaku, clutching a bleeding wound in his abdomen, remained standing through sheer will.
His chakra and Sharingan still held some reserves, but he hadn't dodged the final arrow in time—his abdomen was pierced straight through.
The injury wasn't fatal, but it was enough to leave him incapable of continuing the fight.
"Lord Fugaku," Shisui said quietly,
"I won this fight with no honor… but for the village's future, I had no choice."
Shisui knew full well that, in terms of raw strength, Fugaku had the upper hand.
But worried about Danzō, who stood watching silently nearby, Fugaku had held back, afraid to overuse his chakra or Sharingan.
That caution proved fatal.
"Even a lion must go all out to hunt a rabbit," Shisui thought grimly.
Fugaku's conservatism gave him the narrow opening he needed to unleash a killing blow.
"History is written by the victor. There's nothing more to say," Fugaku muttered.
"But to think… our clan would fall not to outsiders, but to one of our own.
I regret… not listening to what Yusuke warned us about back then."
He let out a bitter laugh, then coughed violently—blood gushed from his mouth.
Shisui approached slowly, short blade in hand.
"You're wrong, Lord Fugaku.
The Uchiha didn't fall to me…
We fell to the tide of history…
To the 'Will of Fire' passed down through Konoha's generations."
He looked into Fugaku's eyes—steady, solemn.
Then, Shisui raised his blade.
"Watch out!"
But just at that moment, Fugaku suddenly shoved Shisui away.
Shisui, caught off guard, instinctively dodged to the side—only to see a bandaged hand swipe past his face. A fingernail grazed the bridge of his nose, drawing a splash of blood.
It was Danzō, launching a sneak attack while Shisui's attention was focused on Fugaku.
He had attempted to steal both of Shisui's eyes in one swift move.
As the Uchiha clan leader, Fugaku harbored deep hatred toward the practice of seizing a clansman's eyes.
Even if Shisui was his enemy, Fugaku couldn't stand by and let Danzō succeed—his warning and shove were instinctive.
But with the ambush foiled, Danzō quickly followed up by spitting out several high-pressure wind bullets—Wind Style: Vacuum Bullets—directly into Fugaku's body.
The attack was fatal.
Fugaku dropped to the ground, blood pouring from his mouth.
"Father!"
Itachi arrived at that very moment, just in time to see Fugaku fall under Danzō's assault.
Rage filled his eyes. He immediately took down the Root ninja maintaining the barrier and rushed to Fugaku's side, lifting him up.
Upon seeing several bloody holes punched through his father's body by the wind bullets, tears welled up in Itachi's eyes, unstoppable.
He wanted so badly to say, "You'll be alright."
But logic—so deeply ingrained in him—told him the truth: there was no medical ninja nearby, and wounds like this would only allow a few more minutes of life at best.
"Itachi…" Fugaku rasped,
"Don't grieve. It was my failure. As a father and as a clan leader… I've let you down."
"The clan is at its most perilous moment. By tomorrow, the Uchiha may cease to exist.
If you get the chance—don't hesitate. Run."
Hearing that, Itachi wiped away his tears. His gaze hardened.
"No, Father. I won't run. I'll save Mother, Sasuke… and everyone in our clan.
The Uchiha will rise again. I promise you!"
A faint smile curled on Fugaku's lips.
"You've always been my pride, Itachi.
Let me use the last of my vision…
To see the future of our clan."
Itachi was stunned for a moment.
Until today, he'd only learned that his father had awakened the Mangekyō Sharingan after tracking his movements through a crow-clone.
He'd seen from afar how Fugaku used Susanoo in battle with Shisui.
But now, he realized that Fugaku's Mangekyō ability was far more terrifying—he could see the future.
Fugaku's eyes, which had faded from Mangekyō form, reignited once more.
In that instant, his vision flooded with vivid images—like a slideshow—showing the fate of the Uchiha clan's future.
Unlike the Great Toad Sage of Mount Myōboku, whose foresight was vague and fragmentary, Fugaku's Mangekyō Sharingan could foresee complete chains of events—entire scenes and consequences.
But this power came with a cost: it could only be used once.
That was why, until now, Fugaku had never activated it.
Suddenly, Fugaku laughed—loudly.
But it wasn't the mad laughter of despair or the manic hysteria of a dying man.
It was genuine, joyful, relieved.
His laughter drew the attention of everyone present. All eyes turned to him.
Then, cough cough—
Fugaku, with his lungs pierced, broke into a fit of coughing. A rush of blood flushed to his face—his body had reached its limit. This was a final burst of vitality before death.
"Father…" Itachi whispered, gently patting his back, trying to offer comfort.
But Fugaku raised a hand to stop him.
"Itachi… my time is up. But the clan—the clan will survive."
"From this moment forward… your teacher, Yusuke, is the Uchiha Clan's new leader."
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