What was a clan head?
Simply put, the person in charge of the clan's affairs.
Depending on a family's history, culture, customs, and traditions, the clan head's authority varied. In the Uchiha Clan, however, the clan head was unquestionably the highest authority in the clan. In the past, he could decide any matter, large or small, with a single word.
But ever since Madara Uchiha, the clan head, had defected from Konoha,
the clansmen who refused to follow him had held several discussions and decided to limit the clan head's authority. They increased the elders' power to keep the clan head from ruling by decree and prevent anything similar from happening again. After all, Madara Uchiha's defection had nearly brought about the clan's destruction.
Tobirama Senju, who was not yet the Second Hokage at the time, had proposed wiping out the Uchiha Clan entirely. Fortunately, the First was kindhearted. He not only spared the Uchiha, but also praised them for refusing to leave Konoha with Madara Uchiha.
Even so, the elders of that generation had been scared out of their wits.
And so,
things changed.
The elders gained the authority to interfere with the clan head's decisions. In certain circumstances, if a majority of the clansmen agreed, they could even replace the clan head. Of course, that had never happened to date. After Madara Uchiha, there had only been two clan heads.
Fugaku Uchiha was the second clan head after that.
And as long as the clan head showed no clear signs of betraying the clan, no one dared replace him on a whim.
In the original history, even when the clansmen's rebellious intentions had reached a fever pitch, they hadn't tried to cast aside their indecisive clan head. Instead, they'd put pressure on him through a collective petition, forcing Fugaku Uchiha down the path of planning a Coup... Honestly, if they'd been able to get rid of Fugaku Uchiha as clan head, the Uchiha might still have been wiped out, but at least they wouldn't have gone down so pathetically!!!
"I didn't expect Hōmaru to support you too. That raises the odds of the plan succeeding by quite a bit!" An old Cherry Tree stood in the courtyard of Sōken's home. It was said that an ancestor of Sōken's branch had planted it when Konoha was first established. When the clan relocated its lands, they'd used Earth Style Jutsu to move the tree along with them.
A Green Stone Slab sat beneath the tree. Genji Uchiha sat on it with a bottle of his favorite Ruby Port Wine in hand, admiring the cherry blossoms as he drank.
"Half of the six elders support you: me, Ryūji, Hōmaru... And with the young people you've won over yourself, more than half the Jonin in the clan are on your side... Sōken, how much longer do you plan to prepare?"
"It won't take much longer."
Sōken had spread a felt mat on the grass a short distance from the tree. Sitting cross-legged on it, he kept his grandfather company as they admired the blossoms and plotted.
"This time, I turned down the Third's invitation. If I don't become clan head soon, I'll probably face another attack before long. Grandfather, honestly, I've even thought about pulling Toka out of school. Staying at the Ninja Academy just doesn't feel safe..."
"Don't worry about Toka. I've arranged for people to protect her. If you're really concerned, you can pick her up and drop her off yourself. But it's best not to withdraw her. You said yourself that the Uchiha can't wall themselves off from the world; they need to interact with other clans. The Ninja Academy is the best way to bring about that change. If Toka leaves, how do you plan to get the clansmen to send their children there in the future?"
"It's not like we have to send everyone. We can pick a few with good tempers and handsome faces... All right, I understand. I'll personally take Toka to and from school for a while."
"Don't spoil your sister too much. If you do, she'll become a handful, and you'll be the one dealing with it."
A breeze swept through.
The old Cherry Tree's branches trembled, and its beautiful blossoms drifted down like pink pastries, carried by the wind toward the bamboo grove nearby. It was as if a rain of cherry blossoms had begun.
After Genji Uchiha finished speaking, his gaze was drawn to the sight. He clapped his hands in admiration. "How beautiful!"
"She's a girl, after all. It's only right to spoil Toka a little," Sōken said with a chuckle. Meanwhile, he grumbled inwardly, You're the one who spoils your granddaughter the most. I didn't even know you'd assigned people to protect Toka... I never got that kind of treatment when I went to the battlefield to trade blows with the Mist Ninja!
Of course, he only thought it. His face didn't give a thing away.
"By the way, Sōken, what's going on with that boy Shisui? From what I saw last night, have you won him over?" After the shower of cherry blossoms had settled, Genji Uchiha reluctantly looked away and suddenly brought up Shisui.
Though "suddenly" wasn't quite right.
Sōken had been waiting for him to ask about this all along!
Uchiha Shisui might still be young—he was only fifteen, the same age as Sōken—but the name "Shunshin" Shisui was famous enough that even the Cloud Ninja and Stone Ninja knew of him. His influence among the clan's younger generation was nearly equal to that of "Camael" Sōken.
Besides, although Kagami Uchiha had died young, he still had a group of followers in the clan, including one of the elders.
So Shisui's attitude could certainly have a significant impact on Sōken's success or failure.
"You could say that."
Sōken nodded slightly and took a sip of tea. Ninja under twenty weren't allowed to drink alcohol, and the Uchiha Clan followed the same rule. Alcohol was poison to the guts, while lust was a blade that scraped the bones... For young ninja, both were more harmful than helpful.
To be precise, indulging in either was a bad idea at any age.
"Strictly speaking, Shisui chose to support me because, after seeing the harsh reality clearly, he realized there was no other choice besides me... He can only support me. Of course, he could try going it alone, but his personality makes that impossible."
"Don't get careless."
Genji Uchiha took a sip of wine, his cheeks flushed. He spoke with a slightly tipsy air. "When it comes down to it, your plan to save the clan doesn't absolutely have to involve you, Sōken. If Fugaku changes his attitude, his standing in the clan will make him very difficult for you to overthrow. Keep that in mind at all times. Don't let the prospect of success make you arrogant and careless."
"That doesn't worry me."
Sōken smiled breezily. "As the saying goes, it's easier to change mountains and rivers than one's nature. Our clan head has a habit of being indecisive and bending with the wind. That won't be easy to change. Besides, our Uchiha Clan ultimately worships the strong. As long as my fists are strong enough, the clansmen will know who to follow."
With that, he looked up at the sky and stood.
"Grandfather, enjoy the cherry blossoms at your leisure. I'm going to pay a visit to our clan head."
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