Impeach the current clan head for incompetence?
The clan members were stunned. Had anything like this ever happened in the history of the Uchiha Clan?
Even Madara Uchiha's position as clan head had only been relinquished automatically after he left Konoha. Still, given Madara Uchiha's strength, no one would have dared impeach him. The Uchiha weren't idiots. Arrogance and stupidity might sometimes amount to the same thing, but no one could ever afford to be arrogant in front of Madara Uchiha.
"Lord Sōken, impeaching the clan head... Do you understand what you're saying?"
One of the elders stepped forward.
The elderly man, his hair and beard white, was named Elder Shinzaburo Uchiha.
Of the six elders, he was the truly neutral one. He neither supported the clan head unconditionally nor had any particular ties to Sōken. Everything he said and did was guided by the clan's interests.
"Elder Shinzaburo, I know exactly what I'm saying. If the clan head weren't unfit for his position, if he had fulfilled the responsibilities expected of him, and if he hadn't made so many bad decisions in the past... why would I waste my time impeaching him?"
"Perhaps many of you think this is nothing but a power struggle. And, in truth, that's exactly what it is. But I can say with a clear conscience that everything I've done has been for the clan!!!"
Sōken's words rang out with conviction.
"Unfit for his position? I admit my abilities aren't especially impressive, but... Lord Sōken, you say I've made bad decisions time and again. I'd like to hear what, exactly, I did wrong." At last, Fugaku Uchiha stepped forward.
Being impeached and stepping down voluntarily were two different things.
If Sōken succeeded in impeaching him here, his standing in the clan would plummet.
Seeing Fugaku Uchiha speak up, Elder Shinzaburo said no more. He, too, wanted to hear what these bad decisions were. And he wasn't the only one curious; the clan members around them perked up their ears.
Only Elder Genshi, Elder Ryuji, Shisui, Arashiyama, and the others who had already heard Sōken's argument knew what was coming.
"The Nine-Tails' Rampage."
Sōken uttered the words.
Fugaku Uchiha furrowed his brow. "What was wrong with how we handled the Nine-Tails' Rampage?"
"Plenty!" Sōken frowned and raised his voice. "Why didn't we go to the Fourth's aid? Why didn't a single Jonin in our entire clan step in to protect the village that night? Honestly, haven't you all been complaining lately that the village is pushing us aside and suppressing us? If you ask me, we deserve to be ostracized and suppressed."
His gaze shifted from Fugaku Uchiha to the assembled clan members, especially those firmly on the "Coup" side.
As expected,
Many faces changed when they heard Sōken's biased argument, and the clan members looked at him with open hostility.
"What are you glaring at me for? What's wrong with what I said? If the Uchiha were too afraid to help when the village was in danger and hid in our compound instead, why should the village treat us as one of its own? Isn't being ostracized and suppressed a consequence we brought on ourselves?"
Sōken stared down the hostile clan members and gave them no quarter.
"Who says we were too afraid to help?" one hot-tempered clan member roared. "The clan head ordered us to stay in the compound and not go out!"
"The situation at the time didn't allow our clan to act rashly."
Before Sōken could respond, Fugaku Uchiha quickly explained, "That night, someone controlled the Nine-Tails with the Sharingan. Although the person controlling it wasn't one of our clan members, we were under suspicion that we couldn't dispel. On top of that, the Third ordered us not to leave, and a large force of Anbu surrounded our compound..."
"Lord Sōken, you were only ten at the time, but you should remember what the situation was like, shouldn't you?"
"Of course! I lived through it myself, so I know exactly what happened that night. That's why I can't understand why you followed the Third's orders, Clan Head. Wasn't the Fourth the Hokage in office? And if you understood that we were under suspicion, you should also understand that this was the best chance our clan had to clear its name!"
Sōken retorted sharply.
"At a crucial moment, you made the wrong decision, and our clan ended up completely cut off from the village. It wasn't just the Third and his faction. Every clan that lost members in the Nine-Tails' attack that night grew distant and hostile toward us. You, Clan Head Fugaku, brought about this alienation."
"Unfortunately, I had little influence back then. Even if I'd convinced Grandfather, it wouldn't have made a difference." Sōken sighed regretfully.
"Sōken, the decision to remain in the compound was one Fugaku made after consulting with us." Elder Shinzaburo felt he had to set the record straight.
"But Elder Shinzaburo, you're not the clan head. Fugaku Uchiha is, isn't he? The elders are responsible for offering advice. The clan head is the one who makes the final decision and bears the consequences. Isn't that what a clan head is supposed to do? Clan Head Fugaku, are you going to accuse the elders of misleading you?"
Sōken's words were barbed, leaving Elder Shinzaburo at a loss for words.
At the same time, Elder Shinzaburo suddenly realized he might have made a mistake. What he'd just said was practically an admission that the clan had made the wrong decision that night. Fugaku Uchiha's face had gone completely dark, too. Elder Shinzaburo had meant well, but his attempt to help had put Fugaku in an extremely difficult position.
Without Elder Shinzaburo's interruption, Fugaku could have continued arguing with Sōken over whether their decision that night had been right or wrong.
But now,
He was left with two choices: admit he'd made the wrong decision or accuse the elders of misleading him.
"Sōken, I meant that the decision that night was one the clan head and we made together. No, that's not right. I mean..." Elder Shinzaburo tried to salvage his mistake, but couldn't figure out how to explain himself.
In truth,
He couldn't help regretting it, either.
He had often wondered whether, if they'd intervened that night, the Fourth might have survived—and the clan might not have fallen to its current state.
"Elder Shinzaburo, I know you're trying to share the responsibility with Clan Head Fugaku, but this concerns the survival of our clan. This isn't the time to cover for one another. I hope you'll understand."
Sōken made full use of the quick tongue that came with youth.
His words left Elder Shinzaburo so frustrated that his neck stiffened, yet there was nothing he could do.
The clan members were also murmuring among themselves, quietly discussing and exchanging opinions. Uchiha Arashiyama drew Uchiha Akitaro, Uchiha Hokuto, Uchiha Jun, and the others into the conversations, subtly steering the clan members toward regretting that they hadn't stepped in to defend the village during the Nine-Tails' Rampage.
Honestly, they hardly needed any steering.
The Uchiha's pride made them look down on cowards who feared death. When it came to failing to act that night, many weren't glad they'd avoided the Nine-Tails' claws. On the contrary, they regretted missing the chance to show off their prowess in such a situation.
Besides,
They weren't mindless fools. They could judge for themselves whether Sōken's argument was sound or mere sophistry.
The hearts of the clan members,
Quietly began to change.
Please vote! Please invest! Please bookmark!!!
Before you continue