"Don't glare at me like that—those eyes won't kill me. So, are you in or not?"
Ichiro took a sip from the tea he'd poured himself.
"If not, I'm leaving."
He stood up as if ready to walk out.
"Wait—are you really willing to withdraw from the clan head race and support me in becoming the leader of the Uchiha?"
Though Fugaku still burned with the urge to kill Ichiro, he hesitated. What if Ichiro was actually serious and not just messing with him?
After all, Ichiro had already taken Mikoto—there was no going back. At this point, giving her up might not make any real difference anymore. Even if Ichiro was playing him, he had nothing left to lose.
"I've said what I needed to. Whether you believe it or not is up to you. If you don't trust me, no amount of reassurance will change that."
Ichiro's tone was straightforward—it was all up to Fugaku.
Fugaku's expression flickered. He couldn't fully trust Ichiro, but the idea of stepping down and backing Fugaku was certainly enticing.
"Why would you support me as clan head? There's nothing in it for you, right? Don't tell me it's just for Uchiha Mikoto."
It didn't make sense. There were no benefits, only downsides. Fugaku refused to believe Ichiro would give up power just for a woman. If it were him, he'd never agree to such a lopsided deal.
Let's not forget—Ichiro was the one who indirectly caused the death of Fugaku's father, Uchiha Gen. And now he had also taken his fiancée. The grudge between them was absolutely irreconcilable.
"There's no real gain for me—but no loss either. Even if you become clan head, do you really think I'd have to obey you?"
Ichiro's words made Fugaku stiffen.
Yet that very bluntness made him believe Ichiro just a little more. Maybe he truly did intend to back off.
"Fine. I accept."
In the end, Fugaku agreed.
He'd already lost everything there was to lose—what did it matter anymore?
『Ding! Successfully tempted Uchiha Fugaku to trade his fiancée for power. Acquired: Dojutsu - Amaterasu. Evil Points +30,000』
Trading a woman for glory… well, even if she was technically just a fiancée, it counted.
"I figured there'd be a reward, but I didn't expect it to be this generous."
Ichiro grinned in satisfaction. He was here for the reward anyway—the bigger, the better.
His smug expression made Fugaku furious.
"You're happy about this?" he asked coldly.
"Of course! Why wouldn't I be? Hahaha!"
Ichiro burst into unrestrained laughter—he was even more over-the-top than a villain from a drama.
The louder Ichiro laughed, the darker Fugaku's expression grew. His joy came at Fugaku's expense—how could he feel anything but hatred?
"Just wait. Once I become clan head, I will eliminate you."
Fugaku swore to himself, though Ichiro didn't hear it. And even if he had, he'd probably just smile and find a way to crush Fugaku even harder.
"I'll be waiting for your good news tomorrow."
Ichiro patted Fugaku on the shoulder and strolled out.
He hadn't claimed his reward yet. Back home, he activated the system.
The Mangekyō Sharingan technique—Amaterasu—was instantly absorbed into his eyes. A cool, refreshing sensation swept through him.
"My ocular power just got stronger."
Besides gaining the technique, he also received a slight boost in his visual prowess—a pleasant bonus.
Before achieving Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan, his ocular power was extremely valuable.
"A pity though. I ended up with Amaterasu."
Ichiro had been hoping for Kamui, or perhaps Kotoamatsukami. But Amaterasu? Its battle record was laughable—he couldn't care less.
Especially when he already had Ryūjin Jakka. Why would he even look at Amaterasu?
"System, can you generate a full status panel for me?"
The system didn't reply, but a full attribute screen immediately appeared before his eyes.
[Uchiha Ichiro]
Age: 19
Strength: Peak Kage-Level
Kekkei Genkai: Mangekyō Sharingan
Dojutsu: Tsukuyomi, Time Stop, Amaterasu, Susanoo
Ninjutsu: Rasengan, Lightning Style: Chidori, Fire Style: Great Fire Annihilation, Great Fire Destruction, Fire Style: Dragon Flame Jutsu…
Genjutsu: Demonic Illusion: Shackling Stakes, Sharingan Genjutsu, Demonic Illusion: Tree Binding Death, Temple of Nirvana Technique…
Taijutsu: Uchiha Style Taijutsu, Leaf Style Taijutsu
Kenjutsu: Uchiha Sword Style, Iaido
Weapon: Ryūjin Jakka
Very thorough—nearly all of Ichiro's abilities were listed.
"Peak Kage-Level already? I only recently broke through to Kage-level."
Then again, with Mangekyō Sharingan alone, that kind of power made sense.
If he used Ryūjin Jakka, his combat strength would surpass even the standard Kage level.
The issue, however, was the limited duration of Ryūjin Jakka's Shikai. He needed more chakra. Too bad he didn't have the Sage Body.
Even a basic Sage Body—not just Hashirama's perfect one—would grant an enormous chakra boost.
At that level, it wasn't chakra anymore—it was "chakr-tons."
The Uchiha already had decent chakra reserves. But compared to someone with a Sage Body or insane innate talent, they were lacking.
So there were only two ways to fix his chakra issue: buy a Sage Body or become a Jinchūriki.
Of the two, Ichiro preferred the first.
But Sage Bodies were expensive. And Ichiro had no interest in the cheap ones—he wanted Hashirama's perfect version.
With that, he'd never need to worry about chakra again.
Unfortunately, the perfect things were also the priciest—and he wasn't ready to splurge.
He still wanted to save up for the Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan.
Compared to the Sage Body, the Eternal Mangekyō was his top priority. With it, he could fully unleash his ocular powers without any restraint.
Only then could he awaken the Complete Body Susanoo—and reveal its true destructive potential.