You'll support me, right?

Amid the wreckage, Uchiha Nan kicked aside a charred branch while wiping blood from his hands with a torn piece of cloth.

The blood belonged to Kagami Uchiha, and the cloth had been torn from Kagami's own clothes.

This blood was a pain to clean off.

Just as he was about to complain, Uchiha Nan spotted a row of Uchiha clansmen already standing not far off, clearly drawn by the commotion of the fight.

Seeing this, Uchiha Nan made no attempt to hide anything. He walked straight toward them, a bright smile spreading across his face as he greeted them warmly.

The first rays of dawn cast a beam of sunlight that happened to fall on Uchiha Nan's face. His delicate features still carried a hint of youth, and he was confident his smile looked great right now.

Unfortunately, he had only thought to wipe the blood from his hands and had forgotten to clean the blood off his face.

The sunny smile dotted with flecks of blood looked especially eerie, leaving the Uchiha clansmen present at a loss for how to respond to his enthusiasm.

What kind of decent person smiles like that?!

"Just now, Kagami Uchiha was swayed by Hiruzen Sarutobi's instigation and came to ambush me. But I caught him in time, and he's already been subdued!"

Uchiha Nan casually fabricated an excuse, dumping another black pot on Kagami Uchiha. After all, Kagami was used to carrying black pots by now.

"What, you don't believe me?"

Uchiha Nan grinned, resting his hand on his still-dripping ninja sword. Seeing no reaction from the Uchiha clansmen before him, he thoughtfully asked again.

"We believe you!"

"We have to believe you! How could we not believe what the Captain says?"

"Kagami Uchiha is a complete ingrate!!"

"... "

The Uchiha clansmen quickly nodded, their mouths spouting agreement one after another, and some even started cursing Kagami Uchiha.

"Inohi, Tekka, you're here too. Inohi, go carry Kagami Uchiha to the clan's Medical Ninja. Don't let him die in front of my house."

"That would be bad luck."

Uchiha Nan noticed that the brothers Uchiha Inohi and Uchiha Tekka were also among the onlookers, so he simply ordered Inohi to take Kagami for treatment first.

Uchiha Nan's Medical Ninjutsu was mediocre. If he dragged it out too long, he was afraid Kagami might actually die.

"Oh, oh, got it."

Hearing Uchiha Nan's order, Uchiha Inohi hurried over to Kagami Uchiha, who was lying not far away.

Seeing Kagami's injuries, Uchiha Inohi couldn't help but suck in a sharp breath. A large wound was clearly visible on Kagami's stomach, the long gash crudely stitched together with black thread. The craftsmanship was frankly appalling—his intestines were still faintly visible, though the bleeding had been temporarily stopped.

Kagami Uchiha was now breathing out more than he was breathing in. If he didn't get treatment soon, he would really die here.

Involuntarily, Uchiha Inohi swallowed hard. Recalling Uchiha Nan's smile from just moments ago, it felt so unfamiliar—as if he was meeting Uchiha Nan for the first time.

It seemed he'd have to keep quiet around the Captain from now on. If he ever spoke carelessly again... Uchiha Inohi shuddered, not daring to think further.

Uchiha Inohi gently lifted Kagami Uchiha in his arms, careful not to use too much force for fear of making Kagami's blood spray out, and quickly hurried toward the clan's Medical Ninja's home.

The remaining Uchiha clansmen watched Kagami's half-dead state, then turned their heads to look at Uchiha Nan. His face still wore that familiar smile.

Fear!

Awe!

All kinds of emotions interwove in the Uchiha clansmen's eyes. They desperately wanted to leave, but since Uchiha Nan hadn't dismissed them, none dared to move a single step.

"Tekka, send someone to inform the Clan Head and the clan elders. I want to convene a Clan Meeting. Every Uchiha ninja must attend."

"Now that Konoha's Hokage is dead, the Uchiha are about to face a new opportunity. Maybe this time, the Uchiha can produce a Hokage."

"I think that Clan Head of ours can't quite grasp this opportunity. Maybe it's time to replace him with someone who can."

"I will lead the Uchiha to create a new era—a Konoha belonging to the Uchiha age will be born."

The moment Uchiha Nan finished speaking, the Uchiha clansmen's faces changed drastically. They understood his meaning even with their toes.

Uchiha Nan wanted to overthrow Uchiha Tomita and become the new Clan Head of the Uchiha!

Unfamiliar, too unfamiliar!

The Uchiha Nan before them was a completely different person from the one in their memories—domineering in tone, ambitious in spirit, a textbook Hawk Faction style.

"Lord Uchiha Nan, I support you!"

One Uchiha clansman shouted with fervent expression. Uchiha Nan remembered him—they had gone to the battlefield together in the same batch. His name seemed to be Uchiha Yota.

They weren't in the same squad, but they had fought side by side.

Uchiha Yota cheered loudly. Back on the battlefield, Uchiha Nan had charged alone into the enemy ranks. Wherever his ninja sword passed, blue light and blood intertwined, flesh and blood flying everywhere. Chunin and Genin were slaughtered before Uchiha Nan like chopping vegetables.

From that moment, Uchiha Yota had worshipped Uchiha Nan. A true Uchiha should be as powerful as Uchiha Nan.

Unfortunately, Uchiha Nan hadn't shown much ambition back then, only a look of being willing to go through fire and water for Konoha, which made Uchiha Yota feel it was a great pity.

Now Uchiha Yota was overjoyed. His idol was finally going to raise the banner. Screw Uchiha Tomita—he never had the guts to become Konoha's Hokage.

Uchiha Tomita, who usually maintained the balance between the Uchiha and the Hokage, was nothing but a coward in Uchiha Yota's eyes.

A seeded player for the Hawk Faction!

Uchiha Nan looked at Uchiha Yota's demeanor, admiration welling up inside him—this young man had a bright future.

Back when Tobirama Senju was around, one had to know when to lie low. Now that he was dead, it was time to get ruthless and embrace the Hawk Faction.

"Captain! I support you too!"

Uchiha Tekka quickly chimed in. He was a staunch supporter of Uchiha Nan—his younger brother's life had been saved by Uchiha Nan, and out of gratitude alone, Uchiha Tekka had to back him.

Uchiha Tekka's mind raced, connecting the dots to Uchiha Nan's actions yesterday.

He had obtained the news of Tobirama Senju's death before anyone else in Konoha, and his response had been so swift that he bypassed the Tomita Clan Head entirely to issue orders. It was hard not to let one's imagination run wild.

The captain from before was becoming more and more unfamiliar.

No way... Could it be that the captain's former demeanor was all an act?

Had the captain been a Hawk Faction member since childhood?

Uchiha Tekka couldn't help but suck in a sharp breath. Was there someone who could wear a mask from childhood all the way to now?

Was that even human?

Uchiha Tekka felt his speculation was too far-fetched, but his instincts told him that the current Uchiha Nan was the real one.

"Captain, I support you too!!"

Another Uchiha stepped forward, one who had fought alongside Uchiha Nan on the battlefield.

With two or three Uchiha taking the lead, the rest had no choice but to follow suit and shout their support. That was human nature, and the Uchiha were no exception—especially since making Uchiha Nan the clan head wasn't an unacceptable prospect.

Overwhelming strength, outstanding achievements, a handsome face—he had it all!