Clan Council

Cherry blossoms drifted down in tiny fragments.

The tea had gone cold.

Kazuna had left long ago.

Setsuna Uchiha still sat there, staring blankly at the petals that had landed in his palm.

"Elder!"

At the soft call, a middle-aged man in his forties appeared before Setsuna Uchiha.

"Sōta, what do you think..."

Setsuna Uchiha paused, then sighed helplessly. A trace of weariness appeared on his aged face. "I'm getting old! I look before and after every step I take now, unlike before. Sigh, I can somewhat understand Hiruzen Sarutobi now."

Hiruzen Sarutobi, the Third Hokage of Konohagakure, was known throughout the Shinobi World as the Shinobi Warlord and the Professor of Ninjutsu.

In his youth, he had both courage and strength.

During the Shinobi World War, Konohagakure had faced four enemies alone and fought them without hesitation!

Unlike now, even the Uchiha, who were not good at dealing with others, could sense the dissatisfaction of the village's shinobi clans, large and small.

When he had stepped down and allowed Minato Namikaze to become the Fourth Hokage, aside from his age, there had likely been some element of taking responsibility and resigning.

Konohagakure had clearly been the victor of the Shinobi World War, yet the treaty signed by the Third Hokage made them seem like the defeated side. They gained no benefits and had even given up quite a lot.

The shinobi clans that had made tremendous sacrifices could no longer endure it. One after another, they turned their spears toward the Third Hokage.

That was how the Fourth Hokage came to be.

Sōta Uchiha smiled faintly. "He is not your equal. The young master is exceptionally outstanding."

"Haha!"

Hearing that, the Uchiha elder famed for his ruthlessness burst into laughter, his expression full of pride.

"That brat is just a little unreliable!"

The gloom was swept away.

That was right!

Looking at Hiruzen Sarutobi's sons and grandsons, they were decent enough, but how could any of them compare to Kazuna!

During the Third Shinobi World War, there had been only two shinobi from Konohagakure who had terrified their enemies at the mere mention of their names.

The Yellow Flash and the Crimson Flame.

Those two had truly killed until their enemies trembled in fear.

If not for that incident, how could Shisui have had the chance to make a name for himself?

As for what that incident had been, everyone understood perfectly well. Shimura Danzō, Root of Konoha, the Darkness of Shinobi, surely had a hand in it.

Of course, it was highly likely that he had been involved as well.

Setsuna Uchiha's gaze turned icy.

Uchiha Shisui was Kagami Uchiha's son. In the eyes of the Hokage Faction, he could barely be considered one of their own.

And what about him?

He was the representative of the Uchiha Hawk Faction, a man who had rebelled years ago—the absolute enemy of the Hokage Faction!

They had pushed Uchiha Kazuna down and elevated Uchiha Shisui instead.

That not only suppressed the Uchiha Hawk Faction and weakened its influence, but also placated the other Uchiha.

Perhaps they even wanted to intensify the conflict between the Uchiha Dove Faction and Hawk Faction!

Of course, Fugaku Uchiha had also put a great deal of effort into it.

That damned bastard should never have been pushed into becoming Clan Leader in the first place!

Setsuna Uchiha raised his head. "Sōta, what is it?"

"The Tekka Uchiha brothers have requested that the Clan Council be convened!"

Setsuna Uchiha paused and muttered, "They're in such a hurry?"

Tekka Uchiha and Inabi Uchiha were two renowned and powerful Jonin of the Uchiha Clan.

They had originally belonged to the Clan Leader and were members of the Military Police Force.

For some unknown reason, they had later become Kazuna's eyes, to the point that people had once believed the two had fallen under genjutsu.

Now that these two were requesting the Clan Council, the influential figures of the three major factions would naturally know whose intentions this truly represented.

Sōta Uchiha chuckled. "Decisive and efficient—he has your style from back then!"

"Haha!"

Setsuna Uchiha could not help laughing again.

"Then let's go take a look and see just how far that brat can go!"

The core area of the Uchiha Clan Grounds.

The Clan Leader's House!

Fugaku Uchiha sat upright, calmly listening to his subordinate's report.

"This is too much!" Kuroko Uchiha said indignantly. "What right do Tekka and Inabi have to convene the Clan Council? And the other elders actually agreed to it?"

The requirements for convening the Uchiha Clan Council were extremely strict.

Only three people had the authority to convene it.

Clan Leader Fugaku Uchiha, Hawk Faction representative Setsuna Uchiha, and Dove Faction representative Sougi Uchiha!

Yet this time, the proposal from the Tekka brothers had passed smoothly. It undoubtedly represented someone's influence.

"Uchiha... Kazuna!"

Fugaku Uchiha murmured to himself.

As Clan Leader, he knew more than most.

He was not surprised that the Hawk Faction acknowledged Uchiha Kazuna, but Sougi Uchiha of the Dove Faction had passed the proposal without the slightest hesitation. That was beyond Fugaku's expectations.

Sougi should dislike Kazuna just as much as he did.

After all, Kazuna had perfectly inherited Setsuna's iron-blooded ruthlessness, which did not align with the Dove Faction's ideals.

Had something happened that I didn't know about?

He recalled receiving a report that Kazuna had recently visited Sougi Uchiha as well.

Fugaku pondered silently.

Beside him, Kuroko Uchiha was still chattering on. No matter how he looked at Tekka and Inabi, he found them displeasing, believing they had betrayed Fugaku.

They had clearly been the Clan Leader's staunch supporters. How could they change sides just like that?

"Clan Leader, those two have completely betrayed you. You must..."

The rest of his words were swallowed beneath Fugaku's calm yet imposing gaze.

"Who have they betrayed? They were members of the Military Police Force from the start. They are still loyal to the Uchiha and loyal to the village."

Fugaku Uchiha stood and said flatly, "Let's go. I also want to know what that man truly intends to do."

Naka Shrine.

When Fugaku Uchiha entered this secret meeting place, he happened to encounter Setsuna Uchiha and Sougi Uchiha.

After the three exchanged greetings, they looked toward Uchiha Kazuna, who was already seated and noisily sipping his tea.

He still wore that lazy expression.

Yet he sat directly opposite the Clan Leader's seat, and even as the three entered, he did not so much as raise his head.

Tekka and Inabi stood ramrod straight behind him like two spears, not sitting at all.

Aside from Setsuna Uchiha, the other two looked thoughtful as they silently took their seats.

The Uchiha Clan worshipped strength. Thus, clan members who possessed the Three Tomoe Sharingan automatically gained the right to attend the Clan Council.

The Three Tomoe Sharingan represented the strength of a Jonin.

Very soon, twenty-five people had gathered here.

This was the strength of the Uchiha Clan.

That was after excluding those currently on missions, patrols, and the like.

The actual total had already exceeded thirty, accounting for nearly one-tenth of Konohagakure's Jonin.

Moreover, the Uchiha's Jonin were more formidable in combat than ordinary Jonin.

That was why the higher-ups feared the Uchiha.

Whenever Kazuna thought of it, he could not help feeling deeply moved.

They possessed such formidable power, yet they had still been exterminated by others without those people suffering a single casualty. All he could say was that the two sides had cooperated far too well.

After everyone had taken their seats.

Fugaku looked at Kazuna and asked, "Why has the Clan Council been convened?"

He did not want to waste words. Since he knew Kazuna was behind this in secret, he might as well ask the man himself!

Why play so many twists and turns when they were Uchiha?!

"Slurp, slurp..."

Kazuna still did not raise his head.

Fugaku's brows furrowed slightly, and a fierce light gradually appeared in his eyes.

He was the Clan Leader. He possessed absolute authority and strength. Kazuna's status was inherently unequal to his, yet he still dared to ignore him?

"Ahem, I'll explain!"

A dry cough rang out, cutting into the tense atmosphere.

The representatives of the three major factions looked toward the speaker and were shocked once more.

Yashiro Uchiha!

Why was it him?

Even Fugaku could not help freezing as he stared blankly at the Uchiha seated beside him.

Yashiro Uchiha possessed exceptionally strong analytical and leadership abilities. He was an exceedingly rare talent, and he also served as a Squad Captain in the Konohagakure Military Police Force.

Even Fugaku held him in high regard and often had to consider his stance.

He was Kazuna's man?

Quite a few Uchiha looked as though their eyes were about to pop out.

They stared blankly at Yashiro, then looked at Kazuna.

Just how many people had this flirtatious Uchiha, who spent his days neglecting proper work, won over?