vstars Chapter 733 Candlestick
Chapter 733 Candlestick
He lit the candlestick in the center of the secret room, the faint light casting an intermittent glow. Fugaku took out the thick family genealogy from a locked box and carefully opened it. His fingers slid quickly through the densely packed names, first searching for the records related to Uchiha Mikoto. He wanted to know when such a "Zhang Hai" had appeared in her social circle, and why he was so close to a serious criminal.
Fugaku's gaze finally settled on the related records below Mikoto's name. He examined them carefully, trying to find any clues related to "Zhang Hai." However, he searched through Mikoto's relatives, friends, companions, and even her mentors' lists, but couldn't find the name that made him uneasy.
He broadened his search, looking for other Uchiha clan members who matched the description "Zhang Hai". Finally, his gaze settled on an old record—"Uchiha Zhang Hai". His heart skipped a beat when he saw the name. But then, he saw the two words written after the name: "Dead". Further down, the person who submitted the death report was—"Uchiha Mikoto".
"Dead... Mikoto reports..." In Fugaku's mind, the scene of Mikoto chatting and laughing with "Zhang Hai" in the cell flashed back instantly. That crisp laughter, that intimate gesture, and that face full of happiness, now felt like the sharpest blade, cutting into Fugaku's heart again and again.
The immense shock made Fugaku's breathing heavy. His eyes widened, the three-tomoe Sharingan within them spinning wildly, so fast it was almost indistinct, as if to tear the family tree before him apart. A burning pain shot through his eyes, followed by two streams of crimson tears that slowly trickled down his cheeks, dripping onto the thick family tree. "Drip, drip..." The blood fell onto the name "Uchiha Shokai," instantly absorbed by the yellowed paper, leaving a shocking patch of dark red.
Fugaku's body trembled with excruciating pain and rage; he seemed to hear the collapse of his inner world. Deception! Betrayal! He couldn't accept it all. The family he had painstakingly built, the marital bond he had so firmly believed in—at this moment, it all seemed to have become a colossal lie.
He slowly, yet resolutely, closed the family register and placed it back in its original position. He extinguished the candlelight with a single blow, plunging the secret chamber into complete darkness. In the darkness, only Fugaku's heavy breathing and his crimson Sharingan burned silently, reflecting the boundless rage and pain deep within his heart.
It was late at night when Fugaku returned home. He pushed open the bedroom door and saw Mikoto sitting on the edge of the bed, holding Sasuke, who had just fallen asleep, in her arms, her face filled with the tenderness and doting affection unique to mothers. It was a tenderness that felt completely unfamiliar to him, utterly different from the strict wife he remembered.
"Where did you go?" Fugaku's voice was as cold as ice, devoid of any emotion. He stood in the bedroom doorway, his figure elongated by the darkness, his tone filled with undisguised accusation, "Did you... go see your little lover behind my back?"
Mikoto, who had been immersed in her love for the baby, was jolted by Fugaku's sudden, cold question and insulting words. She jerked her head up, her doting expression freezing in place, replaced by disbelief and shock. Her lips trembled slightly as she looked at her husband, who had become so familiar yet so strange, unable to believe that such vicious words could come from his mouth.
Mikoto's arms tightened around Sasuke slightly, her eyes filled with hurt and shock. She had never imagined that Fugaku would use such vile words to humiliate her. Trying to calm her shock, she strained her voice to sound composed: "Fugaku, what...what are you saying? What little lover? What nonsense are you spouting!"
A cold, mocking smile appeared on Fugaku's face as he slowly entered the room, each step carrying an invisible pressure. "Nonsense?" he repeated Mikoto's words with a cold laugh, his tone filled with chilling malice. "I'm not talking nonsense. It seems you and that 'Zhang Hai' man have quite a deep relationship. Even in a place like that, you can chat and laugh so happily!" He deliberately emphasized the name "Zhang Hai," his gaze like a knife slicing through Mikoto.
Mikoto's face paled instantly. She hadn't expected Fugaku to know about Zhang Hai's situation. She opened her mouth, wanting to explain that her relationship with Zhang Hai was merely that of siblings, that she had visited him because his teacher had gotten into trouble and he had been wrongfully imprisoned… However, Zhang Hai's pleading eyes suddenly flashed into her mind. He didn't want to be associated with the family, didn't want to be looked down upon by his clansmen. If she revealed everything about him now, would she be going against his wishes? Mikoto's explanation caught in her throat, and she hesitated.
Seeing the hesitation on Mikoto's face, Fugaku's anger burned even brighter. He pulled a family genealogy scroll from his robes and slammed it onto the bedside table with a dull thud. "Since you won't tell me, then I'll help you remember!" Fugaku's voice was like a winter storm, carrying the power to destroy everything. He pointed to a spot on the genealogy scroll with his index finger and read out, word by word: "Uchiha Akira, dead. Reported by, Uchiha Mikoto!" He abruptly raised his head, his eyes fixed on Mikoto, and demanded, "Tell me, how could a 'dead' Uchiha clansman be laughing and joking with you in prison? Mikoto, what are you trying to hide?!"
Mikoto's heart skipped a beat. She saw the line on the family tree, and a thought flashed through her mind. Perhaps this was an opportunity, a chance for Zhang Hai to legitimately return to the Uchiha clan! She could use this opportunity to explain Zhang Hai's plight to Fugaku and have him reinstated by the clan. However, when she looked up and met Fugaku's eyes, filled with extreme anger, she was utterly shocked by what she saw, even gripped by fear.
Fugaku's eyes were no longer the ordinary three-tomoe Sharingan. In his eyes, the three tomoe connected, forming a strange and powerful pattern—the Mangekyou Sharingan! It was a dojutsu that only activated when a member of the Uchiha clan experienced immense emotional trauma, witnessed the death of a loved one, or felt extreme pain and despair deep within their heart. Those Mangekyou Sharingan radiated a suffocating pressure, seemingly able to see through all illusions and reach the depths of the soul. Mikoto had never seen Fugaku activate his Mangekyou Sharingan, and she didn't even know he had awakened this dojutsu. The destructive power and extreme pain contained in those eyes sent a chill down her spine from her feet to the top of her head.