Deputy Clan Leader

Even Setsuna Uchiha did not know whether to laugh or cry.

Kazuna, why were you so outstanding? Even your insults were so fresh and refined.

He had said so much just now without using a single curse word, yet he had insulted Hiruzen Sarutobi from beginning to end, cutting straight to the soul.

And what he said could not even be refuted.

At the very least, the Uchiha could not refute it.

They were the victims!

Kazuna, were you really an Uchiha?

Why did you seem to have a bit of the Nara clan in you?

As Kazuna's biological grandfather, Setsuna truly did not want to think in a bad direction.

"What? Was I wrong?" Kazuna blinked and asked in confusion, "That grandson of Hokage-sama..."

"Enough, enough." Fugaku hurriedly cut him off. "Kazuna, we do not need to fight anymore, but I want to ask you one last question."

Using the Mangekyo came at a heavy cost. There was no need to waste it here.

"Exactly!" Setsuna could not help saying, "Why do you keep calling Hokage-sama that grandson?"

"Boom!"

At last, someone could not hold back their laughter.

Kazuna smiled and gestured to Fugaku. "Please, go ahead!"

Fugaku looked over the people present, his gaze lingering on Setsuna Uchiha for a long time. "Many in the clan want an armed coup, to use force to reclaim everything the Uchiha have lost. What do you think?"

"I'd watch it standing up. Surely I can't watch it lying down?"

"Kazuna!"

Fugaku's tone grew heavier.

He had no choice but to accept Kazuna's rise to power. Kazuna had the support of a large number of Jonin and was the grandson of the Hawk Faction's representative. More than half of the Uchiha's strength was in his hands.

He was called the Vice Clan Leader, but how was that any different from being Clan Leader?

Even so, Fugaku still wanted to ask one more question.

"Fine!" Kazuna shrugged. "I firmly oppose an armed coup. Whoever dares to launch one will be my enemy."

The moment those words were spoken, the atmosphere changed.

Some were dissatisfied, while others relaxed.

The dissatisfied ones made up the majority.

"Why?" Fugaku could not help asking. "Your strength is not inferior to mine. So many Jonin in the clan support you, and although more than ten Jonin did not attend the clan meeting, there must be people among them who support you. You already hold the Uchiha's voice in your hands."

"So that means I should launch an armed coup?" Kazuna asked in return.

"No, what I mean is..."

Fugaku hesitated.

Kazuna was Setsuna Uchiha's biological grandson. By all rights, he should have inherited Setsuna's will. Some of his actions had proven that much. Why, then, had he made a decision completely opposite to Setsuna's at this moment?

"A coup is the final path. Unless there is no other choice, I will not take it!"

Only an idiot would stage a coup!

How strong was Konohagakure?

During the Shinobi World War, it had fought four enemies at once. Even if the Uchiha were powerful, they would only smash themselves bloody if they charged headlong into it.

Besides, the other side had long since prepared for the Uchiha.

In the Original Work, Uchiha Itachi had been successfully brainwashed and turned into a sharp blade in their hands. Who could say there was only one such person in the entire Uchiha Clan?

Given Hiruzen Sarutobi and Shimura Danzō's style, there were definitely other pieces on the board, and more than one at that!

The other side knew your entire plan. What were you going to use for a coup?

They had not acted yet partly because of Hiruzen Sarutobi's indecisive nature, and partly because they simply wanted to eliminate the Uchiha with the smallest possible losses.

Now that Kazuna had taken over, the Uchiha Clan's strength had reached an unprecedented height, its strongest state since Madara Uchiha's era. Then let them play!

Let's see who could outplay whom!

Kazuna shook his head and said, "Use your brains. They guard against the Uchiha like thieves. A coup? Do you think the Anbu outside monitoring the Uchiha grew up eating shit?"

"With the other side prepared, and their strength nearly ten times ours, what are we supposed to use for a coup?"

An Uchiha from the Hawk Faction said coldly, "So what? We're not afraid!"

"Who said you were afraid?" Kazuna asked strangely. "Come on, step forward and point out who said you were afraid. I'll knock all his teeth loose!"

That Uchiha choked on his words.

Fugaku asked, "Then what do you intend to do?"

"That is for later!" Kazuna looked at Fugaku. "Clan Leader, it is time for you to make your choice."

Fugaku sighed. Looking at the surrounding Uchiha, he said softly, "I agree that Kazuna should become the Uchiha's Vice Clan Leader. At the same time, he will serve as Deputy Head of the Konoha Military Police Force."

The Konoha Military Police Force had been established specifically for the Uchiha by the Second Hokage Tobirama Senju. The Uchiha held full authority over appointments and dismissals; they only needed to report them to the Hokage.

However, Fugaku could already imagine the uproar Kazuna's appointment would cause once it reached the Hokage.

This was clearly sending a signal to the Hokage Faction... the Hawk Faction was about to take control of the Uchiha.

There was nothing he could do to stop it.

Kazuna had still left room for compromise. He only wanted the deputy position. If he had insisted on becoming Clan Leader, he might have achieved it today.

This was due to Kazuna's methods and strength, but was it not also because of the clansmen's disappointment and anger toward Fugaku?

Over the past few years, the clansmen's resentment and anger had long since reached their limit.

He had thought he could continue suppressing the clan with the Mangekyo. Who would have expected Kazuna to possess the Mangekyo as well, throwing all his plans into disarray?

He could no longer see what the future held.

Sigh...

Fugaku sighed inwardly, then said aloud, "Kazuna, say a few words!"

"Alright!"

Kazuna cleared his throat and pulled out a thick speech manuscript. Under everyone's somewhat stunned gazes, he spoke in a ringing voice, "First, I would like to thank the clan for recognizing and praising my abilities. I thank the clan leadership for their years of care and guidance. I thank all the clansmen present for your trust and support, for your understanding and tolerance, for your concern and assistance. I sincerely thank you all..."

Setsuna Uchiha rubbed his face.

He wanted to go up there and slap this grandson of his!

Yashiro also sighed helplessly. Was this guy really the one he supported and pledged loyalty to?

Tekka and Inabi's faces twitched.

"Ahem!" Sougi Uchiha coughed heavily and looked helplessly at Kazuna. "Kazuna, just tell us what you intend to do."

Kazuna looked pitifully at Sougi Uchiha. "Elder, I spent three days writing this speech. It's over a hundred thousand words. At least let me read the opening..."

Over a hundred thousand words?

Quite a few people's vision went dark.

"Vice Clan Leader!!!"

"Fine!" Kazuna pursed his lips. "First, the clan's sentries and patrols must be changed, and their numbers increased. The old arrangements have already been obtained by interested parties. If someone wants to do something, we will be left passive. Even the Barrier's operating method will be changed."

The Uchiha Clan Grounds had its own Barrier, so they had not put much thought into patrols and hidden sentries.

What a suicidal approach!

Why had Uchiha Itachi been able to accomplish the great feat of sending the entire clan back to the furnace by himself in the Original Work?

It was precisely because all of the Uchiha Clan's strengths had already been known to the other side. Under such circumstances, it was far too easy for them to do anything they wanted.

"How could it have been leaked?"

Fugaku was furious.

He loved peace and constantly compromised with the village, but that did not mean he was stupid. He still placed great importance on the clan's security. It was the clan's foundation.

"This matter must be thoroughly investigated."

Setsuna and Sougi also wore grim expressions.

Kazuna grinned. "I leaked it!"

"You..."

Damn it.

Fugaku still could not hold back and cursed inwardly.

"Don't get worked up!" Kazuna said with a chuckle. "The current Barrier has been operating for years. It is time to replace it. The same goes for the hidden sentries and patrols. After all this time, I am ninety percent certain that the other side already knows."

Fugaku and the others kept silent with dark expressions, tacitly agreeing with him.

"Changing the Barrier's operation will cost a great deal, and..."

"You do not need to worry about that. I have already prepared everything."

Kazuna cut Fugaku off with a smile.

"The Barrier's operating method will be known only to you, me, Elder Setsuna, and Elder Sougi. As for the sentries and patrol routes, only you and I will know. They will change every day and must not be revealed to anyone else."

A conservative elder said in dissatisfaction, "Does the Vice Clan Leader not trust us?"

"You really are a talent!" Kazuna looked curiously at the elder. "How did you know I do not trust you?"

As he spoke, triangular symbols appeared in his pupils once more.

Quite a few Uchiha felt as though the air around them was thinning.