A Different Uchiha Mikoto

The Uchiha clan head, deeply feeling the rapid shift in the situation, felt a headache coming on.

He looked toward Uchiha Fugaku, who appeared calm and possessed the demeanor of a great general—this composure, which remained steady regardless of the circumstances, would normally have brought him comfort.

However, upon noticing the exchange of glances between Uchiha Ren and Uchiha Mikoto, and seeing his own blockheaded son remaining so calm, he suddenly felt an inexplicable sense of agitation.

This child, what on earth is he thinking? They are launching an offensive right in front of you, why are you just standing there like a statue? At the very least, nod your head and offer some congratulations!

The clan head, who understood social nuances better, sighed inwardly as he watched Uchiha Fugaku, who seemed even more composed than himself.

Forget it. If Fugaku doesn't strive for himself and lacks the capability, then the position of clan head would be a curse rather than a blessing for him.

While we three old bones can still hold on for a few more years, let us observe a little longer.

Regardless of their individual stances, Uchiha Setsuna, Uchiha Koh, and even he himself always placed the glory of the clan above all else.

Moreover, this position of clan head had essentially fallen into his lap, so he felt no psychological burden regarding the idea of stepping down for a more capable successor.

The Uchiha clan head gave a light cough, drawing the attention of the Uchiha members present.

"There are two main things to announce regarding the purpose of this clan meeting."

The old clan head got straight to the point.

"First, the Hokage Building requires our clan to dispatch at least ten jonin squads immediately to the eastern coastal border to guard against Kirigakure ninjas, who are restless and have likely already crossed the sea."

A standard full-strength jonin squad consisted of one jonin and three chunin; at this moment, besides the Uchiha, there was no other clan in all of Konohagakure that could produce ten such squads at once.

As for the Hyuga?

Suppressing their numerous branch family members while protecting the few members of the main family led to such distorted development that it was not only difficult for them to produce Kage-level powerhouses, but even jonin were pitifully scarce.

The Hyuga clan shouted their slogans loudly, but their actual utility was merely that of scouts.

"Second, based on war contributions, the Hokage has promised to open up as many jonin positions and Anbu slots to our clan as possible."

As the old clan head finished speaking, reactions in the hall varied; some faces showed joy, while others could not hide their dissatisfaction.

As everyone knew, having the strength of a jonin did not mean one held the status of a jonin.

In Konohagakure, setting aside other benefits, every jonin possessed the right to vote and the right to be elected.

Yet, in the entire Uchiha clan, there were no more than fifteen jonin affiliated with Konohagakure.

Most of them held the status of Konohagakure jonin by virtue of being captains of the Military Police Force, while the rest were clan ninjas not affiliated with the village.

The Uchiha's registered jonin could not make a splash among the more than two hundred jonin in Konohagakure.

But if the numbers increased, the situation might change—though, having said that, more people did not necessarily guarantee a different outcome.

The most important thing was the quota for the Anbu, the Hokage's personal guard, formally known as the "Special Assassination and Tactical Squad." This was what truly delighted most of the clan head's faction and the dove faction, as they all felt that the high-level officials of Konohagakure were extending goodwill toward the Uchiha.

Being able to protect Konohagakure while simultaneously gaining the Hokage's trust.

This win-win situation prompted Uchiha Fugaku to speak immediately.

"I am willing to lead a squad to the front lines to drive back Kirigakure!"

Uchiha Yakumi and Uchiha Shisui also spoke up, each taking command of a squad.

After they finished speaking, the atmosphere in the temple suddenly fell silent.

Logically speaking, the dove faction of the Uchiha should have followed suit, and this eerie atmosphere caused Uchiha Fugaku to furrow his brows.

His gaze first landed on the serene face of Uchiha Mikoto, who merely returned a polite and distant smile.

This perfunctory response gave Uchiha Fugaku an ominous feeling.

His gaze quickly swept past the silent dove faction members behind Uchiha Mikoto, his brows furrowing deeper until they formed a deep crease.

What do they mean by this? Do they want me to fill all ten squads by myself?

If I can use this to achieve immense merit and exchange it for the clan's status in Konohagakure, that wouldn't be impossible.

Either way, the Uchiha need to risk their lives, so it doesn't matter who does it.

As this thought surfaced in his mind, Uchiha Fugaku could not help but look toward the head of the hall.

This look left the Uchiha clan head confused at first, but then he saw his son gesture, and immediately, a jonin from his faction spoke up to fill the vacancy.

The old clan head, realizing what was happening, felt a surge of stifled anger in his chest and wished he could slap this spendthrift son of his right then and there!

And in the time it took to be stunned, another member of the clan head's faction raised their hand.

"The Uchiha are about to step onto the battlefield to fight to the death against Kirigakure, one of the Five Great Shinobi Villages."

"In a situation like this, even Kage-level figures can die if they aren't careful; this isn't some lucrative mission with little risk!"

The stifled old clan head immediately raised his hand to draw attention. Seeing the hawk and dove factions remaining indifferent, as if waiting for something, he spoke up immediately.

"Ren, Mikoto, do you two have any thoughts?"

With the two new faction leaders not speaking, their respective subordinates naturally remained silent.

They watched the clan head's faction, which had occupied half of the ten squads in the blink of an eye, with strange expressions in their eyes.

War is not child's play; people are going to die!

"We are all Uchiha, and we are all part of Konohagakure. Why is it that only Brother Fugaku is willing to volunteer? Has Sister Mikoto changed? And what is Brother Ren thinking?"

Feeling the gazes of both the hawks and the doves, Uchiha Shisui felt incredibly uneasy.

It was as if a complete family had been forcibly torn into three pieces, with the love and trust between kin shattered into dust.

He looked at the still-gentle Uchiha Mikoto, then at the calmly smiling Uchiha Ren, recalling the words the other had spoken during the clan meeting, and waited quietly for what would come next.

"Clan Leader, the Uchiha are a part of Konohagakure. Fighting for the village and defending the Land of Fire is only natural, but Mikoto has a small question."

Uchiha Fugaku and the others were delighted to hear this, but the old clan leader's heart skipped a beat.

Bathed in the light spilling from the atrium, Uchiha Mikoto stood with her back straight, raised her head with composure, and her clear voice resonated throughout the great hall.

"It is our duty for the Uchiha to fight for Konohagakure, but why does Konohagakure always adopt such a condescending attitude, treating the credit and rewards we deserve as if they were charity?"

She paused slightly, her gaze sweeping across the room before finally settling back on the direction of the clan leader. Her tone was gentle and crisp, yet every word was like a blade.

"As ninjas, we accept missions, complete them, and finally receive our mission compensation."

"May I ask, Clan Leader, is there anything improper about that?"

"Or is it that you, as our Clan Leader, have a fundamental problem in your communication with the Konohagakure leadership?"

This sentence was like a ladle of ice water in the middle of winter, splashed directly into the faces of Uchiha Fugaku and the others, and the old clan leader's expression turned to one of utter astonishment.