Uchiha Nan stood there, his smile growing wider as he relished the crowd's cheers.
"Tekka, the clan meeting is set for tomorrow afternoon. We'll meet at the usual place, Naka Shrine."
"Yes!"
Uchiha Tekka nodded and agreed. Uchiha Nan waved his hand, dismissing everyone.
The news sent shock waves through the Uchiha clan in just one morning. The uproar was so great that, for a time, it threatened to overshadow the news of Tobirama's death.
Uchiha Nan was going to overthrow Clan Head Uchiha Tomita and take his place.
One juicy bit of gossip after another—the Uchiha hadn't had this much fun gossiping in ages.
What a thrill! What a thrill!
At that moment...
The spacious, well-lit living room in Uchiha Tomita's home was already starting to feel cramped. More than a dozen Uchiha sat facing him, their eyes fixed on him as he sat upright.
Uchiha Tomita's wife, Uchiha Miya, carried a tray of tea around, pouring cups for the Uchiha gathered there. The snacks she usually prepared for guests had run out, which left Uchiha Miya at a loss.
So many people had shown up all at once. She hadn't been prepared at all.
But none of the Uchiha present were in the mood to sip tea and enjoy snacks. As Uchiha Tomita's supporters, they were at a loss over everything that had happened in Konoha over the past two days.
First, Tobirama Senju had been killed during peace talks. They hadn't even fully come to terms with that shocking news.
Then Uchiha Nan, a genius of the clan, had shattered everyone's impression of him and directly challenged the Uchiha Clan Head. They'd even heard that he was the first to spread the news of Lord Tobirama's death.
They knew Uchiha Nan all too well. If he hadn't awakened the Sharingan, the Uchiha's signature ability, there'd have been nothing wrong with calling him a member of the Senju Clan.
Uchiha Tomita held a pipe in his hand and took one puff after another, trying to soothe his anxiety.
It wasn't just his subordinates who were bewildered. He was just as clueless. In only two days, the situation had changed as much as it might have over a dozen years.
Things had moved so quickly that Uchiha Tomita wondered if he was getting old and couldn't keep up with the times.
Just two days ago, Uchiha Tomita had been planning to demand more compensation from Tobirama once he signed the peace treaty.
To fight this war, they'd sent the clan's trained shinobi to the battlefield.
The weapons the clan's industry had supplied to Konoha—Shuriken, Kunai, and the like—were worth an astronomical sum.
And they'd provided countless Soldier Pills, too!
That was all money!
Shinobi risked their lives to earn a living. Wasn't money the whole point?
There were all kinds of compensation to settle, and Tobirama had kept dragging his feet. It would have taken plenty of arguing to get everything sorted out.
Then, just like that, it was all gone.
Tobirama was dead!
He'd died out of the blue, without giving them any warning.
The captain of the police force whom Tomita had promoted, Uchiha Nan, had gone mad for some reason. He'd thrown aside his usual manner and actually dared to try to overthrow Tomita and become the Uchiha Clan Head.
Before long, smoke filled the living room. Half the Uchiha there were longtime smokers. They'd originally planned to hold off until they left the Clan Head's home before lighting up.
But now that the Clan Head had started, they might as well join in.
One Uchiha blew a smoke ring. Seeing Uchiha Tomita still puffing away by himself, he could no longer hold back and decided to speak.
"Clan Head, what are we going to do about tomorrow afternoon's clan meeting?"
As soon as one person spoke, the others chimed in.
"That's right, Clan Head. Uchiha Nan must have been plotting this for a long time. He was the first to hear about Lord Tobirama's death."
Uchiha Tomita thought back on Uchiha Nan's past conduct. It was like he was a completely different person now.
Years of experience had made Tomita an astute judge of character. After more than a decade as Clan Head, he'd become very skilled at reading people, yet he truly hadn't seen through Uchiha Nan before.
What a disguise!
Could someone really keep up an act for so long?
The younger generation was truly formidable.
He'd only revealed his true colors after Tobirama's death. Uchiha Nan had wanted to become Hokage for a long time!
Uchiha Tomita admired Uchiha Nan. The boy truly was an Uchiha genius, with a top-notch temperament and strength.
This was indeed the moment when the Uchiha were closest to the Hokage Position. But there was one thing Tomita couldn't understand.
What did Uchiha Nan have going for him?
To be fair, Uchiha Nan was powerful. That very morning, he'd defeated Kagami Uchiha with ease. There were probably only a handful of people in the Uchiha clan stronger than him.
Even Uchiha Tomita wasn't sure he could beat Uchiha Nan. Perhaps Nan was already the strongest Uchiha in terms of combat strength.
But was raw strength all it took to be Clan Head?
Did he really think Tomita had spent all these years as Clan Head for nothing? Uchiha Tomita quickly surveyed the Uchiha in the room.
Nearly all of them had awakened the three-tomoe Sharingan. They were all Uchiha jonin, an elite squad led by Tomita. Together, they could even kill Tobirama Senju—though the cost would be more than the Uchiha could accept.
What good was being able to fight?
To make it in the world, you needed influence and connections!
Did Nan really think that Tobirama's death made Tomita an easy target? Without the Mangekyō Sharingan, there was no overwhelming gap in power between Uchiha.
"All right, enough complaining."
"Uchiha Nan is a genius of our clan. He's just come back from the battlefield, so it's only natural he's full of himself. We're family. After Lord Madara left Konoha, you all chose me as Clan Head."
"Since Uchiha Nan thinks he'd make a better Clan Head and has requested a clan meeting, then we'll discuss it there. Let the Uchiha see for themselves who's better suited to lead the clan."
Uchiha Tomita cut off the discussion. His face remained calm as he spoke, but the chill in his voice was clear to everyone present.
Uchiha Nan was in for a world of trouble this time!
"Clan Head, you know me. I'll definitely stand by you!"
"Me too! Me too!"
"That brat Uchiha Nan is far too arrogant. He has no idea what the Clan Head has done for the family all these years."
"We have to make Uchiha Nan pay!"
"..."
The Uchiha all began voicing their loyalty to Uchiha Tomita.
"All right. Whatever else you say, Uchiha Nan is a genius of our clan and a hero of Konoha. He's just young and cocky. When you were his age and as strong as he is, you might've been even more arrogant."
Uchiha Tomita cut them off and set the clan's position on Uchiha Nan. He was still willing to be lenient with him.
Geniuses were shown leniency everywhere.
Once Tomita grew a little older and Fugaku a little more mature, if that boy Fugaku proved unable to shoulder the clan's burden, Uchiha Nan would be a fine choice.
But not now. He could choose to step down as Clan Head, but he would never tolerate being forced out.
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