For Uchiha Xuanjing and the others, who had followed Shuoye across countless battlefields, witnessing him turn certain death into victory time and time again—
This duel was nothing more than a minor spectacle.
Shisui Uchiha was stunned.
Only now did he realize that the younger generation who followed Shuoye all carried an almost unconditional fervor toward him.
Across the field, Fugaku looked at the smoke-filled arena and exhaled, believing victory was already within his grasp.
He had no intention of killing Shuoye.
This battle was meant to reaffirm his authority.
He stepped forward—
Planning to confirm the outcome.
Then—
A voice descended from above his half-formed Susanoo.
"Fugaku… when did you start believing you had already won?"
Fugaku's head snapped upward.
Shuoye stood suspended in the air.
Like a god descending upon mortals.
His gaze was cold.
Absolute.
"Heavenly Burial."
"Shatter."
In the next instant—
Shuoye vanished.
He reappeared before the towering Susanoo.
Compared to the colossal avatar, he looked insignificant.
Yet the fist he drew back—
Made Fugaku's pupils contract violently.
Fear surged through him without warning.
In that single heartbeat—
The air collapsed.
Space fractured like glass.
A deafening sonic boom tore across the arena.
The ground split open, massive fissures spreading outward as debris and stone erupted into the sky.
Cracks spread visibly across the chest of Fugaku's Susanoo.
"This… impossible!"
Fugaku shouted in disbelief.
His Susanoo—
Shattered by a bare-handed strike?
What kind of power was this?!
Shuoye moved like thunder incarnate.
The Tremor-Tremor Fruit's force erupted from his body, splitting the very atmosphere.
"You don't understand the meaning of power."
His voice cut through the chaos.
Fugaku tried to resist—
But the vibration crashed over him like a tidal wave.
His consciousness drowned in darkness.
Across the field, the Great Elder muttered under his breath.
"Shuoye… has grown to this extent?"
Shock lingered in his eyes.
Yet beneath it—
A decision solidified.
Far away, within the Hokage's office, Hiruzen Sarutobi and Danzō Shimura both sensed the disturbance.
That overwhelming chakra surged like a violent ocean.
Hiruzen frowned.
"That chakra… from the Uchiha district?"
"Send someone to investigate."
Danzō remained silent, his visible eye narrowing slightly before he turned and departed swiftly.
Back within the Uchiha compound—
The battle had already ended.
As the smoke cleared—
Fugaku's figure appeared battered.
His Susanoo had collapsed, remnants of charred fractures fading into nothingness.
His face was pale.
Shock and confusion clouded his eyes.
"I… I haven't lost!"
His pride refused to yield.
He tried to summon Susanoo once more—
But the previous strike had nearly drained his chakra entirely.
Even standing became difficult.
"Don't embarrass yourself further, Fugaku."
Shuoye's figure appeared before him once more.
The Mangekyō Sharingan rotated steadily.
Radiant.
Unshakable.
Despair crept into Fugaku's heart.
His will faltered.
"How… how could this…"
His voice weakened.
Until finally—
He understood.
It was over.
"The victor has been decided!"
"The succession duel concludes! The winner—Shuoye Uchiha!"
The Great Elder's voice rang across the arena.
He cast a final, complicated glance at Fugaku before placing a hand lightly on his shoulder.
"From this day forward," Shuoye said calmly, his voice echoing across the field, "I will lead the Uchiha to reclaim our former glory."
Fugaku's gaze drifted across the crowd.
Those who once followed him—
Now looked upon Shuoye with reverence.
With zeal.
He had become a relic of the past.
"The first order," Shuoye continued evenly, his eyes sweeping the gathered clan members, "eliminate all external spies planted within the Uchiha."
The words chilled the air.
So soon?
Fugaku's heart trembled.
Shuoye's decisiveness was absolute.
The Uchiha's revival would begin immediately—
And he, Fugaku, would be remembered only as a stepping stone.
"What… should I do now?"
For the first time—
Fugaku had no answer.