Clan Relocation

"Aozora!"

Someone suddenly called his name from behind. Uchiha Aozora quickly turned around.

He saw the two Uchiha clan members he had met yesterday walking over side by side.

Ever since Uchiha Yūichi had learned that he was Shisui's younger brother, he had been indifferent toward him. Today was no different. Relying on the fact that he was taller than Aozora, he kept looking down his nose at him.

Uchiha Sosuke, on the other hand, might have had a poker face, but he stepped forward and greeted Aozora.

"First time attending a gathering?"

Aozora nodded. "Yeah. I only graduated this year, after all."

Uchiha Sosuke said, "Don't worry. There aren't many rules at a clan meeting. If you're nervous, you can sit beside me later."

"..."

As the two spoke, a commotion suddenly rose from the crowd, only for everyone to fall silent at once.

Following everyone's gaze, Aozora saw a group of Uchiha clan members wearing ninja vests making their way toward the Meeting Hall.

The man at the front had short black hair and wore no forehead protector. Distinct tear troughs lined the corners of his eyes, giving him an imposing air.

Keeping in step with the other clan members, Aozora bowed. "Greetings, Clan Head!"

Uchiha Fugaku crossed his arms as he passed through the crowd and opened the doors to the Meeting Hall.

"Come in!"

Only after hearing the Clan Head speak did Uchiha Aozora follow the others inside.

Upon entering the Meeting Hall, Uchiha Aozora was rather surprised.

The meeting hall of the mighty Uchiha clan was unexpectedly simple and plain. The spacious room did not contain a single piece of furniture.

Uchiha Fugaku sat alone against the wall, while everyone else sat cross-legged casually before him.

They were generally seated according to strength, with Jonin in the front rows and Genin in the back.

At Sosuke's invitation, Uchiha Aozora sat beside him, right in the middle of the crowd.

Once everyone had settled down, Uchiha Fugaku directly announced, "Everyone, it has been nearly a year since the Nine-Tails' Rampage. Konoha has already weathered its most difficult period, and revival is imminent. At such a critical time, the village has decided to launch the Revitalization Plan."

Upon hearing that, quite a few clan members asked in confusion, "The Revitalization Plan?"

"Yes, the Revitalization Plan. Taking this opportunity to rebuild, the village has decided to further plan out Konoha's territory. The Konoha Military Police Force was attacked during the Nine-Tails' Rampage. Though it was repaired afterward, it is still somewhat dilapidated, so the village has decided to help us rebuild it."

At that point, Uchiha Fugaku paused.

Among the crowd, reactions varied between joy and sorrow.

Some Uchiha were overjoyed, believing that the village was finally going to reconcile with the Uchiha.

Others sneered repeatedly, believing it was merely poison wrapped in honey.

However, they had all overthought it.

The next moment, Uchiha Fugaku's words filled every Uchiha present with boundless fury. "The new Konoha Military Police Force headquarters will be built beside Mount Kaen, along the Naka River. After the Konoha Military Police Force relocates, we will also move nearby to protect it."

"What?!"

The moment Uchiha Fugaku finished speaking, an uproar erupted below.

"How can the village do this?"

"Does that place even count as Konoha anymore? Are they relocating us or exiling us?"

"Clan Head, you didn't agree to this, did you?"

"Why?"

"..."

Uchiha Yūichi beside him was undoubtedly the most agitated. Neither Aozora nor Sosuke could hold him back. In his anger, he stood up directly and said, "This is the higher-ups' conspiracy! They want to keep us away from the center of Konoha!"

"Quiet!"

Uchiha Fugaku had been in power for many days. Whether in strength or prestige, he was the Uchiha's unquestionable choice.

At his shout, Uchiha Yūichi reluctantly sat back down, and the other clan members could not help but stop arguing as well.

But the fire in the clan members' hearts had not been extinguished. Many had bloodshot eyes from rage, and no one could imagine what might happen in the next moment.

Under the burning stares of the clan members, Uchiha Fugaku said expressionlessly, "This is a clan meeting, not a gathering of shrieking women making trouble. It is not the loudest person who is right!"

"I am not a dictator. If you have any opinions, you may voice them."

Uchiha Fugaku pointed at Uchiha Yūichi. "What objections do you have to the village's orders?"

Uchiha Yūichi lowered his voice somewhat. "Clan Head, this is the higher-ups' conspiracy. They want us to leave the center of Konoha and completely lose control over Konoha."

Listening to Uchiha Yūichi, Aozora mocked inwardly, Control? Did the Uchiha even have control over Konoha?

The other clan members immediately echoed him.

"Exactly!"

"Yūichi is right!"

"Konoha is afraid we'll seize power!"

"..."

Following Uchiha Yūichi's remarks, numerous Uchiha clan members chimed in. Radical clan members kept standing up and calling for the relocation to be refused.

Listening to his clan members, Uchiha Aozora gained an even deeper understanding of their baffling confidence.

At the same time, he found it strange that there were no moderates. He quietly asked Sosuke, "Brother Sosuke, didn't you say there were different factions in the clan? Why is everyone so radical?"

Uchiha Sosuke turned his head and told him, "Most clan members who support the village have gone to reinforce the Kumogakure Border. The remaining moderate clan members are leaderless."

Aozora nodded in agreement. The border was indeed in urgent danger now, and most Uchiha who supported Konoha had gone to provide reinforcements.

As Aozora and Sosuke exchanged their thoughts, the atmosphere in the Meeting Hall grew increasingly heated.

The two young Police Force Captains seated in the front row spoke one after another.

Uchiha Yashiro said, "The reason we Uchiha were not mobilized during the Nine-Tails incident was because they feared we would use the Sharingan to control the Nine-Tails, wasn't it?"

Uchiha Inabi also spoke up. "It's more than that. There are even people in the village who say that it was one of us Uchiha who caused the Nine-Tails incident.

"Driving us into a corner of the village is meant to restrict our movements. When all is said and done, ever since the Second Hokage's era, we have been gathered in a corner of the village, practically isolated. This time, they are driving us even farther away. Clan Head, the village has always suspected us!"

With the words of those two prominent figures, the radical clan members became even more fired up.

"Exactly, the village has never trusted us!"

"Clan Head, we can't agree to such a relocation!"

"That's right, we should firmly oppose it!"

"..."

Everyone spoke at once, and the Meeting Hall once again seemed as though a pot of boiling water had been poured into it.

Uchiha Aozora did not watch the clan members' reactions. Instead, he shifted his gaze to Uchiha Fugaku.

While the clan members below debated fiercely and passionately, Uchiha Fugaku had actually closed his eyes.

Seeing Uchiha Fugaku remain as immovable as a mountain, Aozora knew the outcome of this meeting had already been decided.

The first burst of energy was strongest; the second weakened; by the third, it was exhausted.

Though Uchiha Fugaku had never heard that saying, he certainly understood the principle.

The radicals' best opportunity had been right after Uchiha Fugaku announced the "Revitalization Plan."

Unfortunately, Uchiha Yūichi had been too agitated and stood up to speak first. With his relatively low prestige, Uchiha Fugaku had silenced him with a single shout.

Next, as long as Uchiha Fugaku defused the second "riot," the clan members' fighting spirit would crumble.

While Aozora was observing Uchiha Fugaku, Uchiha Fugaku was also observing everyone.

As he watched the clan members' reactions, Uchiha Fugaku noticed an odd one out in the crowd: the exceptionally calm Uchiha Aozora.

Suddenly, an idea formed in his mind.