Chapter 40

That night, Kaito followed Uchiha Sō and the others towards the bamboo forest at the back of the Uchiha clan's territory.

This bamboo forest was quite large and not far from the clan leader's mansion. Most importantly, almost all of the blood elders lived in its vicinity.

Since Kaito had agreed to their request, it was natural for him to come, even though he was slightly surprised that Uchiha Sō was accompanying him. However, it wasn't a big deal.

Kaito knew that they had asked him to come over tonight likely to test his strength.

The Uchiha clan's reverence for power was a well-known fact, and the hardliners sought to seize control of Konoha through force.

To make them stand down, one would need to completely overpower them.

"I just wonder if there's any sort of a 'Banquet at Hongmen' in store for me here... if there really is..."

Kaito murmured to himself, even though he had been cautious, even to the point of not drinking a single sip of water since the morning. But as it turned out, his caution had indeed been excessive.

However, being constantly vigilant was an essential quality a ninja must possess.

Kaito had no intention of letting down his guard, especially when matters were yet to be completely settled, and given that he was currently in a precarious situation.

Before long, they arrived at a house on the outskirts of the bamboo forest, where Uchiha Naoki had been waiting for a while.

"Welcome," Naoki took a step forward and nodded at Kaito. His gaze then shifted to Mune, "Brother, glad you could join us."

"Enough chatter, let's go in," Mune shook his head and spoke directly, "Are they waiting for us inside?"

"No, they're in the back," Naoki's gaze once again met Kaito's, "Everyone's in the bamboo forest. Let's go."

Neither Kaito nor the Uchiha elders found Naoki's words strange.

They all knew what the theme of the evening was, and choosing a more open and concealed location was obviously the best choice.

Kaito nodded slightly, he naturally had no objections. Before long, they followed in Naoki's footsteps towards the bamboo forest.

The bamboo forest was lush and dense, its silver-gilded gloom under the moonlight giving it a cold and desolate air.

There was no firelight within the bamboo forest, lending it an eerie aspect.

Before long, they reached the center of the bamboo forest. It was here that Kaito could clearly see quite a few people standing.

However, these people seemed to maintain the characteristics of a ninja. They stood apart, all in the shadows, making it impossible for Kaito to see their faces.

But as soon as Kaito arrived, they all activated their Sharingan almost immediately.

The crimson glow flickered incessantly in the bamboo forest. The already eerie atmosphere seemed to reach its peak at that moment.

Yet, Kaito didn't show much of a reaction. He didn't believe that Naoki hadn't told them about what he had said earlier.

These people were obviously trying to intimidate him. After all, anyone would be irked if they felt threatened, regardless of their decisions.

Therefore, it was normal for them to do something seemingly outrageous. As long as these actions didn't pose a real threat, Kaito wouldn't be bothered.

"So you're Uchiha Kaito?" At that moment, an old but energetic voice rang out, "The prodigy of the clan, with a newly awakened Mangekyō?"

"I wouldn't dare to claim being a clan prodigy," Kaito replied with a light laugh, "As for whether my Mangekyō is newly awakened or not, it's not for you to judge."

He nodded towards Mune and then walked forward alone. As he moved, he continued speaking slowly.

"I must say, I'm a bit disappointed because your performance is quite different from what I had imagined.

But it doesn't matter, I know why you've asked me to come here – for the stability and future of the clan. So here I am.

Now, it's your turn to express your stance."

"It seems others have misunderstood you. I've always heard that you're the least like an Uchiha among all Uchiha members, but now it seems you truly are an Uchiha."

This voice echoed again, and this time, there seemed to be a hint of amusement in it.

"You're still that proud Uchiha, only you've hidden your pride. I like such pride!"

What a nutcase.

Kaito murmured to himself. Pride or no pride, when he initially arrived, he was indeed pretty pleased to be an Uchiha.

After all, apart from the thrill of racing in various senses, who doesn't dream of piloting a Gundam?

However, the plight of the Uchiha clan had given him quite a headache. He had wanted to change the Uchiha for quite some time, but unfortunately, he didn't have the decisive power in the past due to his lack of influence.

This was the reason for his reluctance to stay and his decision to run away. But now that he had the decisive power, he naturally wouldn't be polite to these people.

Yet his impoliteness was interpreted as a kind of pride, which left him rather bemused.

Apart from sighing that these folks were all 'shameless', he had nothing more to say.

Taking a deep breath, Kaito slowly closed his eyes. When he opened them again, they had transformed into the blood-red three-tomoe Sharingan state.

"You talk too much. I've said before, I know what the purpose of calling me here today is. I also just want to see exactly how strong the elites here are.

After all, you guys are the ones fantasizing about overthrowing Hiruzen Sarutobi's rule through force. You're the ones planning to make enemies of the entire Konoha."

As he said this, Kaito suddenly revealed a faint smile, a smile seemingly filled with mockery.

"I'm curious to see what kind of power you guys have to dare to do such a thing. After all, Konoha is waiting for you guys to seize the initiative so they can retaliate.

If you can't even get past me, then I would advise you to stop dreaming because this will only lead the clan to self-destruction."

Upon saying this, Kaito drew his ninja blade, swinging it at the bamboo around him.

In an instant, a bamboo stalk was chopped down by him, falling to the ground. After using his ninja blade to measure its size, he cut it accordingly.

Finally, he thrust his ninja blade into the ground, casually picking up the bamboo pole he'd just fashioned to match the length of his blade, letting out a soft chuckle.

"Come on, I'm ready. If you want to see my Mangekyou Sharingan, at least give me a reason to feel pressured to use it.

In the end, don't let me down. I hope you can entertain me..."

//

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