The Uchiha of Unified Will

Compared to the Senju clan across the way, the Uchiha clan meeting was far more lively.

Starting with the Compromise Faction clan head, Uchiha Shikata, the Martial Faction elder Setsuna Uchiha, and the Conservative Faction elder Kaku Uchiha—three Kage-level powerhouses who determined the Uchiha's direction—all had their clothes torn and tattered.

"Ahem, I've received everyone's heartfelt opinions. Now, regarding Takeyasu's imminent return, we need to hash out a concrete result."

Uchiha Shikata sat at the head seat. On his left and right were the Martial Faction and Conservative Faction, while the Compromise Faction, which followed him, sat in the middle.

In terms of numbers, the Martial Faction occupied over half the meeting seats with more than forty members, followed by the Conservative Faction with over twenty, and finally the Compromise Faction, maintaining stability in the middle, with about ten people.

Nearly a hundred Uchiha jonin participated in the clan meeting, half of whom were active-duty jonin with voting rights in Konoha.

Of the other half, nearly a hundred Uchiha were Three Tomoe users, elite jonin-level Uchiha, plus three Kage-level fighters—their overall strength topped the entire shinobi world, making them the undisputed first great family of the ninja realm!

Precisely because of this, every single one was a proud and fierce warrior. Without a Mangekyo Sharingan, it was impossible to fully command their respect.

Moreover, with the former clan head, the Asura of the Shinobi World, Madara Uchiha, setting such a precedent, the vast majority of Uchiha jonin who had survived the Warring States Period found it psychologically difficult to accept the current clan head, Uchiha Shikata.

Most critically, the Second Hokage wasn't even an Uchiha clan head!

Seeds of discontent had long taken root in the hearts of the Uchiha jonin. As a result, after Madara Uchiha left, Uchiha Shikata, who was pushed forward as clan head, saw his authority and prestige as clan leader largely squeezed away by Setsuna Uchiha and Kaku Uchiha.

"That child, Lord Takeyasu, I watched him grow up."

"When he was young, I saw he had the makings of the Asura of the Shinobi World and kept investing in him. Now, sure enough, he's awakened the Mangekyo Sharingan and walked the same divine path as Lord Madara."

"This time, he even killed the Second Raikage. For all we know, Senju Tobirama might have been slain by Lord Takeyasu too."

Martial Faction elder Setsuna Uchiha smoothed the corner of his robe singed by Fire Release, his expression brimming with pride and joy. He dropped a bombshell directly: "I propose we appoint Lord Takeyasu as the Uchiha Young Lord, the next clan head, and fully push him to become the Third Hokage!"

Wanting nothing more than for the Uchiha clan to produce a Hokage and truly surpass the Senju of the Forest, Setsuna Uchiha's words carried no false sentiment. Many Uchiha powerhouses, even from the Conservative and Compromise Factions, looked with respect at this Martial Faction elder who had devoted his entire being to the Uchiha.

At the same time, Setsuna Uchiha ignited the passion in their hearts.

The Uchiha clan once again possessed a Mangekyo, while the Senju of the Forest had no Wood Release.

The era of the Uchiha clan was bound to return!

"I have no objection to appointing Lord Takeyasu as the clan's Young Lord."

Conservative Faction elder Kaku Uchiha, who had also followed Madara Uchiha and truly witnessed the might of the Mangekyo, brushed the dust off his clothes. Amid the delighted gazes of the Conservative Faction, he agreed with Setsuna Uchiha's opinion.

The Conservative Faction only wanted the Uchiha to maintain normal relations with the village and rise to the village's upper echelons through proper means and methods, not to clash and fight with the village, pushing things to outright opposition.

Now, seeing the Uchiha had earned the merit of killing the Second Raikage, and with Senju Tobirama dead in battle, this was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. The Conservative Faction weren't fools; they wouldn't let it slip.

(It's just a pity about Kagami. His child should be enrolling in the Ninja Academy around now.)

(And the Young Lord's killing intent is a bit heavy.)

Everyone smart knew what had happened in the forest on the front lines, so no one spoke of it. Kaku Uchiha shifted the topic.

"But pushing Lord Takeyasu to become the Third Hokage—isn't that a bit hasty? I recall Lord Takeyasu is only sixteen, right?"

"Lacking age means lacking experience and wisdom. When handling village affairs, there are bound to be some mistakes or oversights. If he's young and hotheaded, gets stuck in a rut, and brings losses to the clan and village, that wouldn't be good. In a worse case, he could even face impeachment."

Kaku Uchiha's words made many Uchiha powerhouses nod unconsciously—a beardless youth can't handle serious business. Elder Kaku's reasoning made sense.

"What's the problem with that?"

Setsuna Uchiha scoffed. "If the Young Lord makes mistakes, aren't we here?"

"Do you really think we elders would just watch the Young Lord blunder?"

"Back when Hashirama Senju was the First Hokage, Senju Tobirama basically handled all the administrative work and village development. If the Young Lord becomes the Third Hokage, we can just assist him fully from the sidelines."

"We need to understand: the Young Lord's youth is his greatest capital, and the Mangekyo Sharingan is his greatest deterrent. If he stays in the Hokage seat for forty or fifty years, just how far could the Uchiha clan develop?"

At these words, even Kaku Uchiha felt a stir, let alone the other Uchiha jonin.

Uchiha Shikata, seeing things nearly settled, had long since given up and coasted along, worn down by these people.

His usual routine was just to smooth things over. His current mindset was perfectly stable, even carrying a refreshing sense of impending relief.

After all, his son, Fugaku Uchiha, was only a year old, with no qualifications to compete with Uchiha Takeyasu for the clan head position. With his help in the future, becoming an elder of the Uchiha clan or a Konoha elder would be an excellent outcome.

High position, heavy authority, light responsibility—sometimes he could even spar with the clan head or Hokage and voice his opinions. That would be absolutely fantastic.

Though Uchiha Shikata felt a flicker of desire for the Third Hokage position, seeing Setsuna Uchiha and Kaku Uchiha made that desire vanish instantly.

No way—he didn't want to start a fight with those two bastards in the Hokage Building and burn the place down!

"Everyone has heard the views of the two elders. Now we'll vote by a show of hands."

With a clear mind and no desires, Uchiha Shikata said solemnly, "All in favor of Uchiha Takeyasu becoming the clan's Young Lord, raise your hands."

A rustle—unanimous approval!

"Now, all in favor of the Young Lord becoming the Third Hokage, raise your hands."

Another rustle—unanimous approval again!

"Excellent. A bright future beckons to us all."

Uchiha Shikata nodded slowly and delivered his concluding remarks. "From today onward, Lord Takeyasu is our clan's Young Lord, and we will fully push for him to become the Third Hokage."

"The Senju of the Forest are already bones in a grave, nothing to worry about."

Uchiha Shikata declared with soaring ambition, "The Uchiha clan will seize the position of Third Hokage by all means!"

"Everyone, prepare for the Young Lord's triumphant return. Let us show all of Konoha, and the entire shinobi world, what it means to be the first great family of the ninja realm, what it means to be the Uchiha clan!"

"Yes!"

Including the two elders, everyone bowed, their voices ringing through the hall and beyond.

For the first time since the peak of Madara Uchiha, the will of the Uchiha clan was once again unified!