On the day of the Clan Festival, the air was filled with a sense of killing intent and solemnity.
At the central plaza of the Uchiha Clan Land, a dense crowd gathered. The clan members had various expressions: some expectant, some numb, some filled with a certain worry for the future.
Lin Yu, clad in dark clan attire, strode gracefully into the plaza.
"Look, that rebellious child is here too!"
"Hmph, he still has the nerve to show up. I heard he caused another big scene at the training grounds a few days ago, really P.O.-ed Zhèng Zhì!"
"Keep your voices down, don't let him hear. This lunatic is capable of anything!"
Whispers flowed like a tide, mixed with undisguised disdain and loathing.
Lin Yu acted as if he heard nothing, a playful curve even gracing his lips. Deep within his pitch-black eyes, however, burned the excitement of his plan about to be implemented, along with a trace of imperceptible trepidation.
He knew that after today, the sky of the Uchiha might change.
His gaze swept over the elders seated on the high platform before him. They looked arrogant, their eyes sharp as hawks, and were currently staring coldly at him, as if at a mere jester.
Lin Yu sneered inwardly. These old fogeys probably had no idea their doom was fast approaching.
The latest intelligence brought by that guy Zhèng Zhì had completed the final piece of his plan.
"Silence!"
A stern shout echoed. Elder Uchiha Shà, highly respected, walked to the center of the high platform. His voice was sonorous, carrying an unquestionable authority. "Today's Clan Festival is a significant event in the Uchiha's heritage, aimed at commemorating our ancestors, consolidating our clan's strength, and planning for the future…"
Lin Yu stifled a yawn listening to the lengthy and hypocritical opening remarks.
He glanced at Itachi beside him. His older brother remained as impassive as a still, ancient well, as if all the surroundings had nothing to do with him.
But Lin Yu knew that Itachi's heart was more invested in the Uchiha than anyone else's.
Just as Elder Shà was delivering his impassioned speech, reaching the part about "the clan's honor must not be tainted," Lin Yu suddenly took a step forward and declared loudly, "Elder, your words are inaccurate!"
It was earth-shattering!
The entire venue fell silent!
All eyes, including Itachi's, instantly focused on Lin Yu.
Elder Shà's words came to an abrupt halt. His face turned ashen, veins bulging on his forehead. "Lin Yu! How dare you! At the grand Clan Festival, how can you spout such nonsense!"
"Am I spouting nonsense?" Lin Yu scoffed, his voice suddenly rising, clearly carrying across the entire plaza. "I think it's some people who are guilty and afraid of me exposing their dirty secrets! I have irrefutable evidence proving that someone in the Elder Council has colluded with external village forces, secretly selling out the clan's interests, and intending to push the Uchiha into an abyss of eternal damnation!"
"Whoosh—"
The crowd erupted completely!
Shock, disbelief, and anger – various emotions intertwined on the faces of the clan members.
"Utter nonsense!" another elder, Uchiha Inabi, known for his genjutsu, suddenly stood up and shouted sternly, "Clan members, this child has been mad for a long time, deceiving the masses with his words and attempting to split our clan! Guards, seize this traitor of the clan and await judgment!"
Several members of the Military Police Force moved at the sound, their faces hesitant, but they still advanced towards Lin Yu.
"Seize me?" Lin Yu scanned his surroundings, fearless. "Elder Inabi, why are you so eager to act? Are you afraid I'll present the evidence?"
He suddenly pulled out a stack of scrolls from his robes and held them high. "Herein lies the irrefutable proof of your secret dealings with the dark side of Konoha—Shimura Danzō, selling out internal clan information, and even plotting to suppress fellow clansmen! Every transaction, every secret meeting, is clearly recorded!"
He unrolled one of the scrolls in public and read aloud: "Autumn of Year 47 in Konoha, Elders Uchiha Shà and Uchiha Inabi met secretly with Danzō at the Old Site of Naka River Shrine, promising to assist in suppressing the younger generation within the clan in exchange for Root's support for the Elder Council…"
Every word pierced the heart!
Elder Shà and Elder Inabi's faces instantly turned as pale as paper.
"Nonsense! It's all forged!" Elder Inabi roared hoarsely.
A wave of invisible mental energy suddenly spread out. Many clan members in the plaza began to look dazed, their faces showing anger and hostility towards Lin Yu.
"This trick again? Controlling minds, twisting black and white!" Lin Yu snorted coldly. He had predicted these old guys would lash out in desperation.
"Today, I will show you what true genjutsu is!"
Lin Yu's eyes suddenly sharpened, and a peculiar Chakra fluctuation spread out from him as the center!
It wasn't the pressure of the Sharingan, but a unique rhythm, like an invisible melody playing in the air—it was the "Illusionary Technique Defense Shatterer Melody" he had obtained as a System reward!
It was not an offensive genjutsu, but it was like a precise scalpel, instantly severing the genjutsu connection Elder Inabi had imposed on the clan members.
"Buzz—"
The controlled clan members trembled, their eyes regained clarity, and the lingering daze on their faces was quickly replaced by panic and lingering fear.
"What… what happened to me just now? I actually wanted to attack Lin Yu?"
"It was Elder Inabi! He used genjutsu to control us!"
"My heavens! Could what Lin Yu said be true? Did the elders truly betray us?"
The truth, like an peeled onion, was pungent and glaring, yet incredibly clear.
Elder Inabi staggered back as if struck by lightning, pointing at Lin Yu in disbelief. "You… this genjutsu of yours… how is it possible!"
"Nothing is impossible," Lin Yu retracted his aura, his gaze as cold as ice. "Elders, your play must end now!"
With concrete evidence, coupled with his public use of genjutsu to control the clan members moments ago, the Elder Council's credibility instantly collapsed.
The clan members' fury was thoroughly ignited, and they all turned their attention to the elders on the high platform.
"Hand over your power!"
"Punish the traitors severely!"
"The honor of the Uchiha must not be tainted!"
A fervent crowd, their voices like thunder.
Amidst this commotion, Lin Yu's gaze traversed the crowd, meeting Itachi's.
He saw a complex and unreadable light flash in his older brother's deep eyes – perhaps shock, perhaps relief, or perhaps a trace of imperceptible satisfaction.
Lin Yu slightly curved his lips.
Older brother, all of this has just begun.
For you, for the Uchiha, even if I become a universally condemned rebellious child, I will not hesitate.
The clamor gradually subsided. With the intervention of the clan head, Uchiha Fugaku, the elders with clear evidence of their crimes were temporarily detained pending further investigation.
A Clan Festival that should have been solemn and dignified had turned into a trial exposing darkness.
As night deepened, the clan members dispersed.
Lin Yu stood alone in the center of the empty plaza, the evening breeze rustling his hair, bringing a hint of coolness.
The hustle and fervor of the day seemed to linger, and a restless atmosphere still hung in the air.
He lowered his head and looked at his hands, hands that had stirred up the entire Uchiha's currents today.
However, this was only the first step. The real storm was yet to come.
He raised his head and looked at the crescent moon in the night sky, his gaze deep.
The downfall of the Elder Council had only cleared out the internal rot of the Uchiha. But the threat from the village's higher-ups, from the man named Danzō, and deeper-seated contradictions still hung over the Uchiha clan like a Sword of Damocles.
And he, Uchiha Lin Yu, what should he do next?