The 180 Steps of Naka Shrine (Please Recommend!)

The question of which deity Naka Shrine actually enshrined had puzzled Sōken for a long time during his childhood. As a public venue the Uchiha Clan used for family gatherings, the shrine was also considered one of the clan's private properties. Unlike the clan compound, which had been relocated several times, however, Naka Shrine had always stood in a corner of the village.

Come to think of it, after two relocations, the Uchiha Clan Compound had actually ended up closer to Naka Shrine.

"Sōken, I remember when you were little, you ran all over the place trying to investigate the identity of the deity enshrined at Naka Shrine. You climbed up and down around this shrine every day, annoying the old man guarding it so much that he was always complaining about how bothersome you were." Standing beneath the shrine's torii gate, Uchiha Arashiyama looked over the ancient building weathered by time and spoke with deep emotion.

Perhaps staying quietly in a corner of the village was not such a bad thing.

At the very least, Naka Shrine had not been affected at all during the Nine-Tails' Rampage.

"Unfortunately, I still haven't figured out which deity Naka Shrine enshrines." Sōken, too, recalled that happy stretch of childhood. Before he had been sent to the battlefield, his childhood had been rather carefree and free.

In order to maximize the power of the invisible Noble Phantasm, [Knight of Owner], he had led Uchiha Chihaya, Uchiha Futaba, Uchiha Jun, Uchiha Hokuto, and other friends around his age in treasure hunts, dreaming of uncovering hidden treasures within the Uchiha Clan Compound.

Naturally, it had all been a waste of effort.

With Sensor Ninja who were practically human radar around, any treasures would have been found long ago. There was no way anything would have been left for him to pick up.

Yet during those treasure hunts, the question of what kind of deity Naka Shrine enshrined had somehow taken hold of Sōken. It had perplexed him for a long time, and even now he had no answer. Though Naka Shrine was a shrine, at some point in time, all of its enshrined statues had been destroyed and disappeared.

He had once asked Grandfather, "Why doesn't the shrine enshrine a deity?" Only to receive the dismissive answer, "The shrine has always been like this!" Deeply dissatisfied, Sōken had even searched through the clan library's records. But the Uchiha Clan had no shortage of cold-blooded killers, and aside from large numbers of outdated, old ninjutsu scrolls, there were hardly any proper history books at all.

"Sōken, ever since you were young, you've always noticed things that no one else ever did. If you hadn't asked why there was no deity enshrined in the shrine, I probably still wouldn't think there was anything strange about Naka Shrine," Uchiha Arashiyama said with a smile.

"That's because none of you have any curiosity."

"Curiosity? Perhaps you're right! I really have no interest in the deity enshrined in the shrine."

"You really are old-fashioned."

"Say what you like. I think people should live honestly and steadily."

"You're only eighteen this year, Arashiyama. Why do I feel like you're an eighty-year-old man?"

"If I could live to eighty, that would be a future I could only dream of!"

As the setting sun sank behind the mountains, from the one hundred and eighty steps of the shrine's Approach Path, they could see the cooking smoke over the Uchiha Clan Compound gradually fading away.

"It's about time."

Uchiha Arashiyama pulled himself together.

Whether it was tradition or something else, Uchiha Clan gatherings were always held in the evening after dinner. Perhaps that was when everyone was free? No one could answer Sōken's question. The clansmen only knew to obey the rules and traditions; few ever studied why those rules and traditions existed.

"Oh! I can already see people."

Figures had appeared on the stone steps below along the Approach Path.

"They came fast." Sōken sighed, then looked at Uchiha Arashiyama beside him. "I've noticed that the clansmen seem especially fond of gatherings. Every time there's a meeting, the ones forced to stay behind and guard the compound look so gloomy, like they've stepped in dog shit."

"You're asking me? I don't know either. Go study these strange questions yourself! I can't answer them."

Uchiha Arashiyama spread his hands.

He truly did not know. Sōken had been clever since childhood, and he was famously strange within the clan. It always felt as though he could never think along the same lines as the other children. He constantly raised bizarre questions that made people feel baffled, yet unable to answer.

Sōken did not press the matter, because the figures climbing the steps had drawn near.

"Arashiyama, Sōken, you two got here early!"

A clansman who had climbed up from below waved as he greeted them.

"Uncle Yashiro, you're here pretty early too."

Sōken curled his lip. He had not expected the first person they encountered to be Uchiha Yashiro, Fugaku Uchiha's diehard supporter. As a veteran Jonin of the clan, Uchiha Yashiro possessed not only formidable strength that could not be underestimated, but was also deeply trusted by the clansmen in the Police Force due to his extensive experience.

He was most likely one of the obstacles at tonight's gathering.

"Sōken, let me offer you some advice. Don't take the reputation outsiders praise you for too seriously. You're still too young. If you want to lead the clan forward, give it another ten years and I'll definitely support you. But for now... Fugaku is more steady, more reliable..."

"Uncle Yashiro, I've already made up my mind. Please don't waste any more breath."

Before Uchiha Yashiro could finish, Sōken firmly refused him.

Uchiha Yashiro did not get angry. To earn the trust of so many clansmen in the Police Force, his temperament was not so shallow that he would lose his temper over something so trivial. Seeing how stubborn Sōken was, he simply gave up trying to persuade him and headed straight for the Secret Chamber beneath the shrine's main hall.

After that, The clansmen gradually came up the steps along the Approach Path. Whenever they encountered supporters who had already been won over, Sōken and Arashiyama would go up and exchange a few words with them, strengthen their relationship, and confirm that their stance remained firm before letting them enter the Secret Chamber.

When they encountered people who hemmed and hawed or lacked resolve, they did not resort to force and still let them pass. However, once those people left, Arashiyama would immediately make a mark in his notebook.

"Arashiyama, how does it look?"

Once most of the clansmen attending the gathering had entered the Secret Chamber beneath the shrine's main hall, Sōken glanced at the now-empty stone steps and resumed the conversation. "How many supporters do we have?"

"It's a little delicate."

Arashiyama flipped through the notebook in his hand. "Even with Elder Jun's people choosing to support us, compared to Clan Head Fugaku's supporters... it's about even. We haven't opened up enough of a gap for everyone to be convinced and accept the result. We were still too hasty. If we had a little more time, even just one more week..."

"The problem is that we don't have that much time."

Sōken sighed. A coup really was not so easy. He had originally not intended to use overly harsh methods to achieve his goal, but... judging by the situation, it seemed unlikely he would get his wish. "So... in the end, we'll still have to use force!"

"I suppose it can't be avoided."

Uchiha Arashiyama scratched his head and said seriously, "Sōken, that might not necessarily be a bad thing. The clansmen worship the strong. As long as you can use force to subdue the most adamant opponents, once you become clan head, you won't have to worry about anyone causing trouble for you."

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