Treading on the bluestone path leading to the core of Uchiha power, Kei's footsteps produced a steady and rhythmic echo.

On both sides of the street, the buildings and clansmen who usually ignored him seemed to come alive at this moment.

From the gaps in doors and windows, and from the corners of the street, came gazes mixed with awe, jealousy, curiosity, and scrutiny.

Most of the owners of these gazes wore the uniforms of the Military Police Force or ordinary clothes printed with the Uchiha fan crest.

They deliberately lowered their voices in conversation, but those fragmented words were still captured by Kei's keen hearing.

“It's him, Kei.”

“Awakened the Mangekyō Sharingan, for real?”

“That fellow Kenji was crippled by him with just a glance; he's still lying in the Medical Department talking nonsense.”

“A war orphan, how is it possible...”

Kei turned a deaf ear to all of this, his state of mind as calm as a deep pool.

These discussions were merely a true reflection of the clan's distorted internal values.

What they stood in awe of was not the person “Uchiha Kei,” but the power represented by the six characters of “Mangekyō Sharingan.”

Passing through the heavily guarded courtyard, the two members of the Military Police Force finally stopped before a simple and solemn shrine.

On the shrine's plaque, the two characters for “Naka” were written in ancient script; this was the sacred land of the Uchiha clan and the core of their power.

The leading Military Police Force member pushed open the heavy wooden door and stepped aside, his posture even more respectful than when they had arrived.

“Lord Kei, the Clan Leader is waiting for you inside.”

Stepping into the shrine, the light suddenly dimmed.

The air was filled with a heavy scent of ancient wood, incense, and the dust of ages, making one's breathing feel a bit heavier.

Following the deep corridor inward, they finally reached a set of descending stairs.

Walking down the stairs, a spacious underground secret room unfolded before his eyes.

Ever-burning lamps flickered on the walls, casting swaying shadows on the stone surfaces.

In the center of the secret room stood a massive stone tablet, covered with mysterious patterns; it was the Uchiha Stone Tablet that recorded the secrets of the Sage of Six Paths.

A tall figure stood with his back to him, almost enveloping the entire stone tablet in his shadow.

The man wore a dark top embroidered with the Uchiha fan crest; he was the leader of the Uchiha clan, Uchiha Fugaku.

He did not turn around, speaking only in a tone devoid of any emotional fluctuation, his voice echoing in the empty secret room.

“You've come.”

“Clan Leader,” Kei responded calmly, his footsteps stopping five meters away from Fugaku.

Fugaku was silent for a moment, as if organizing his words, or perhaps using this moment of silence to apply pressure.

Finally, he turned around, those eyes that also possessed the Three-Tomoe Sharingan flashing with sharp light in the gloom.

He didn't ask how Kei had recovered instantly from serious injuries, nor did he care about the beginning and end of that conflict; instead, he went straight to the point.

“Your eyes, what's going on with them?”

This question was both an inquiry and a test.

A clansman awakening the Mangekyō Sharingan carried too much information for him not to be cautious.

Kei met Fugaku's gaze frankly, without the slightest flinch.

He knew that any lie could be seen through by an experienced Mangekyō Sharingan owner.

More importantly, coming here today was not to explain, but to create a new situation.

“During the battle, due to a strong unwillingness regarding the clan's fate, they awakened,” Kei stated the “truth” closest to the facts in the simplest language.

The Three-Tomoe in Fugaku's eyes rotated slowly, as if discerning the truth of Kei's words.

After a long time, he spoke again, a hint of complexity in his voice: “The Mangekyō Sharingan is the Uchiha's strongest power and also its deepest curse. It will grant you unparalleled power, but it will also drag you into endless darkness. Kei, what did you see?”

He wasn't asking about abilities, but about the despair known as “fate” that belongs to the Uchiha, which every Mangekyō Sharingan awakener is bound to glimpse.

“I saw it.” Kei's answer was beyond Fugaku's expectations; instead of avoiding it, he took a step forward and looked directly at the mysterious stone tablet. “I saw Indra's Chakra wailing, I saw the tampered stone tablet, and I saw the blood shed by our clansmen behind the so-called ‘peace’.”

His voice wasn't loud, but every word was clear, like a heavy hammer striking Fugaku's heart.

Fugaku's body gave an imperceptible jolt, and a terrifying sharp light flashed in his eyes.

These words had touched upon the core secrets of the Uchiha.

Kei ignored Fugaku's shock and continued: “Clan Leader, my Mangekyō Sharingan did not show me a desperate fate; it only gave me two words: change.”

“Change?” Fugaku's voice became low, carrying a hint of danger. “How do you want to change things?”

Kei's gaze moved away from the stone tablet and fell back onto Fugaku.

He was not overwhelmed by the other's aura; instead, he shifted the topic and threw out a viewpoint that seemed completely unrelated to the current subject.

“Before answering that question, I want to say something else first. Clan Leader, the Taijutsu that our Uchiha clan takes pride in is, in my view, full of fatal flaws.”

This sentence was even more impactful than everything before it.

A young man who had just awakened the Mangekyō Sharingan was actually, in the center of Uchiha power and in front of the Clan Leader, completely negating the techniques the clan had passed down for centuries.

Fugaku's brow furrowed tightly; he didn't get angry immediately, but was instead intrigued by Kei's unconventional line of thought.

He wanted to see what this audacious young man was really up to.

“Go on.”

Having received permission, Kei began his discourse without hesitation.

He didn't use any flowery language, but analyzed every weakness of the Uchiha Style Taijutsu with the simplest, most direct, and yet sharpest words.

“Our Taijutsu relies excessively on the dynamic vision of the Sharingan, pursuing flashy movements and eerie footwork. A large number of rotations and rolls may look pleasing to the eye, but in reality, every redundant movement wastes a lot of physical strength and Chakra, and leaves countless openings that can be fatal when the center is wide open.”

As Kei spoke, he used his own body for simple demonstrations.

During a standard Uchiha Style side kick, he pointed out that at the moment of the kick, for the sake of height and aesthetics, the core area was completely exposed.

During a seemingly swift back-flip dodge, he pointed out that the center of gravity is unstable upon landing, creating a 0.3-second delay.

“This kind of Taijutsu can hold an advantage when facing ordinary Ninja whose reactions can't keep up with our eyes. But once we encounter true Taijutsu masters, like the Raikage of Hidden Cloud or Might Guy of Konoha, we would be unilaterally crushed.”

“Our fists should be as sharp as our eyes. But now, our fists are too soft and too flashy.”

Every word of Kei's was like a precise scalpel, cutting open the glamorous shell of the Uchiha Style Taijutsu and bloodily exposing the defects of sacrificing “practicality” for “looks” before Fugaku.

Fugaku's expression grew more and more solemn.

He was a Taijutsu master himself, so he naturally understood that what Kei said was not false.

It was just that for thousands of years, the Uchiha's glory had been built upon the Sharingan, with Taijutsu being merely supplementary; no one had ever thought of, nor dared to, question this point.

Kei stopped his discourse, and the secret room fell into silence once again.

He didn't ask for any resources, didn't demand any status, and didn't even offer any defense for the suspicion of seriously injuring a clansman.

He simply adopted the posture of an advisor, proposing a most fundamental yet subversive improvement plan for the clan's future.

He instantly elevated himself from a “person being scrutinized” to the height of a “strategist.”

Fugaku's tall figure was elongated under the lamplight; he stared at Kei, those Sharingan eyes seemingly trying to see through Kei's soul.

He was deeply shaken by Kei's courage and insight; the strategic vision and perspective shown by this young man were not at all like a boy who had just come off the battlefield.

He saw something different in Kei, a sharp edge that was not bound by tradition and dared to break everything.

This sharp edge reminded him of another person: Uchiha Madara.

But on the surface, he remained impassive; as the Clan Leader, he could not easily show his leanings.

This sleeping lion king's heart was already in turmoil, but he had to maintain his dignity.

After a long while, he finally spoke, his voice revealing no emotion.

“I have heard your thoughts. However, change is not something that can be achieved just by talking. The traditions of the Uchiha are not something you alone can easily shake.”

He neither agreed nor disagreed.

“Today's matter ends here. I will handle things on Kenji's side. You go back first and wait for my news.”

After saying this, Fugaku turned around again, facing that cold stone tablet once more, leaving behind an inscrutable back.

This was both an order to leave and a statement of position.

Kei bowed calmly and turned to leave.

Walking out of the Naka Shrine and bathing in the sunlight again, a nearly imperceptible curve formed at the corner of Kei's mouth.

He knew that he had already planted a seed named “change” in the heart of this man who once could have competed with the Fourth Hokage.

Although Fugaku's attitude was ambiguous, this in itself was a success.

Because the fact that he didn't negate it on the spot meant he was thinking and weighing it.

And as long as he started thinking, half of Kei's goal was achieved.

What exactly was this Clan Leader thinking?

Would he support his path of reform?