Uchiha Patriarch !

From the very beginning, Sōgen sensed a subtle dissonance about the assassination attempt targeting Yagura Karatachi. The radical faction of the Hidden Mist, dissatisfied with Yagura's disastrous rule, initiated the assassination, which, on the surface, seemed perfectly justified. 

However, the timing was off. 

Instead of waiting for a moment when Yagura's forces were weakened, they launched the attack just after he had returned at the head of his army. Was the mastermind behind this operation not thinking straight? Or perhaps... the assassination was merely a ruse, with the attackers harboring a different objective. 

Sōgen's thoughts stalled at this point. He was certain his deduction was correct, but he still hadn't figured out what the attackers' true goal was. 

"What can a few small fry really do?" 

Sōgen glanced at the Mist ninja emerging from the dense fog, their bodies covered in explosive tags already triggered. It was likely another water clone. With a casual flick of his flame-patterned fan, infused with only a small amount of chakra, he summoned a gust of wind that easily dispersed the fragile water clone. The flames from the exploding tags were blown back toward their source by the gust. 

Yet, the trouble with these "flies" was that they kept coming, relentless and hard to swat. 

Relying on a mass of explosive tags to clear a path, the attackers forced the Leaf ninjas back, creating a narrow lane that led straight to Sōgen. As wave after wave of Mist ninja, both water clones and real bodies, rushed at him, blood and water splattered across the already pockmarked battlefield. 

This only deepened Sōgen's confusion. 

Why sacrifice lives like this? What was their true purpose? 

As another Mist ninja charged at him, Sōgen, almost out of instinct, swung his flame-patterned fan. The fierce wind scattered the water clone but failed to disperse the gleam of a blade, bright as moonlight. The blade, wrapped in wind chakra, sliced through the broken water clone and cut through the gusting wind. 

A diminutive assassin, standing less than 1.5 meters tall, seized the moment when Sōgen's defense was open to make a desperate, all-or-nothing stab. It was a suicidal strike, but Sōgen was unfazed by the sudden attack. This was what he had been expecting all along! 

A sense of relief washed over him, as though the other shoe had finally dropped. 

He wasn't afraid of tricks—only of tricks that were hidden, like a thorn stuck in his throat. Now that it was out in the open, he could deal with it. 

"Your blade isn't fast enough!" 

Though he couldn't pull back his fan in time to fend off the assassin, Sōgen still had his left hand. Drawing the long sword from his left side, the blade burst into flames as it left the scabbard. Fire met wind, and the two blades clashed in midair. 

Uchiha Style: Great Flame Sword! 

Elemental advantages weren't absolute. 

Fire may counter wind, but if the wind is strong enough, it can still extinguish a small flame. Unfortunately for the assassin, the breeze he summoned was no match for Sōgen's roaring inferno. 

Boom!!! 

It was as if a dozen explosive tags had gone off at once. Instead of extinguishing the flames, the wind blade only fueled Sōgen's Great Flame Sword. The surging fire consumed the assassin instantly, his body reduced to a charred husk in an instant. 

Even the cold-blooded Mist ninja hesitated momentarily when they saw their comrade's gruesome fate. That brief hesitation was enough for Sōgen to pinpoint their positions. He sheathed his sword and waved his fan, sending a violent gust that dispersed the fog, revealing two Mist ninja using Earth-style jutsu to sneak up on him. 

These two were clearly more skilled than the previous attackers, likely not just cannon fodder. Their hardened bodies indicated a high level of mastery in jutsu, suggesting they were notable figures in the Hidden Mist. 

But as soon as they emerged, Sōgen's flame-wreathed skeletal hand struck them with lightning speed, flinging them like rag dolls. Unable to change their hand seals in time, they were forced to endure the crushing force with only their hardened bodies to protect them. Their bones groaned under the strain before they finally gave out. 

The searing pain shattered their consciousness, and they plunged into darkness, knowing nothing more. 

"If you want to watch, then open your eyes wide." 

Enveloped in the protection of his deep-crimson ribcage, Sōgen's thoughts wandered. A sudden idea struck him: perhaps the Mist ninja's goal wasn't to assassinate Yagura or even him. 

Maybe this was all just to test his strength! 

Looking back on the sudden assassination attempt, the Mist ninja's focus had shifted more and more toward him rather than Yagura. But trying to kill Sōgen with such a small force was a fool's errand. The mastermind behind this attack couldn't be that naive, so the most likely explanation was that this was just a probe. 

Of course, if it was a probe, it was an overly dramatic one. That's why Sōgen hadn't considered this possibility earlier. But now that he had, he was more than willing to show the Mist ninja the true power of the Uchiha! 

One of his reasons for coming to the Hidden Mist was to instill fear. 

To remind these Mist ninja, who had long been isolated and grown arrogant, that they were the descendants of those who had once been defeated by the Senju and Uchiha, driven from the mainland and forced to huddle together for survival. Even though the Leaf had lost the glory of the Senju... 

The Uchiha's fire fan emblem had not been tarnished! 

No matter who you are—a Kage, a Jinchūriki, or a tailed beast—you will submit to the might of the Uchiha. 

"Not bad!" 

A grin spread across Sōgen's lips. He was actually enjoying this peculiar "welcoming ceremony." In the spirit of reciprocity, he figured he should give them a return gift. "Well, then... consider this my gift for visiting the Land of Water for the first time!" 

The left hand of his Susanoo rose, three deep-crimson magatama spinning in its palm. This was the Yasaka Magatama, a technique capable of rivaling a tailed beast's bomb, used by all who had awakened the Mangekyō Sharingan and summoned Susanoo. 

The magatama were hurled. 

In the next moment, blinding light erupted from the port, followed by an earth-shaking explosion. Like ripples from a stone dropped into a pond, shockwaves tore through the area, shredding nearby Mist ninja—whether real or clones. Without powerful defenses, none could withstand the Yasaka Magatama's onslaught. 

When the dust settled, there wasn't a single person left standing. 

...A kilometer away from the port, Ao stood atop a residential building, groaning in disbelief. His hands were clasped in a seal, and the veins around his right eye bulged like small snakes. Though covered by a black eye patch, his Byakugan saw everything. 

Seeing through objects was just one of the Byakugan's basic abilities. 

Since the beginning of the assassination attempt, Ao had been stationed here, observing Uchiha Sōgen on behalf of Master Gen, who was too old and frail to move. His mission was not to interfere but to observe the leader of the Leaf delegation: the young head of the Uchiha clan, Uchiha Sōgen. 

Just as Sōgen had suspected, this was indeed a test. 

But it wasn't orchestrated by Master Gen. The unrest in the Hidden Mist was real. Yagura's harsh, blood-soaked policies had given rise to numerous rebels like Zabuza Momochi. Even Gen, with his immense prestige, couldn't control everyone. 

"Is this... Susanoo?" 

Ao muttered the name Master Gen had told him, staring at the monster that had yet to reveal its full form but had already unleashed power comparable to a tailed beast. He struggled to maintain his composure, biting down on his lip to calm the turmoil in his heart. 

"So this is what Master Gen wanted to see... This kind of power..." 

It was clear now: the current Hidden Mist was no match for the Uchiha.