A Shift in Thinking

Just as Uchiha Ren and Uchiha Mikoto were enjoying the beauty of their pure love.

On the other side, following behind Uchiha Fugaku, Uchiha Shisui furrowed his young brows—the conflicting ideologies of loyalty to the village and loyalty to the clan were turning his mind into mush.

The young Uchiha could not help but ask the broad back walking silently ahead of him.

"Brother Fugaku, what are your thoughts on what happened at the clan meeting?"

"Thoughts?"

Fugaku's footsteps faltered slightly, his broad shoulders appearing exceptionally heavy under the moonlight.

He took a deep breath, as if trying to exhale all the gloom pent up in his chest.

"From the perspective of the clan, what younger brother Ren said was absolutely correct..."

Fugaku paused, his voice growing deeper, "But from the perspective of the Konohagakure leadership, our entire Uchiha clan is guilty of heinous crimes."

"Then what exactly should we do?"

Shisui quickened his pace, closing the distance to press further, "Now that Sister Mikoto has also sided with Brother Ren, the combined strength of the two factions accounts for three-quarters of the clan's power."

"Coupled with Brother Ren's powerful execution, it is truly possible they might raid the Hokage Building and carry out the plan to assassinate the Hokage."

Nearby, Uchiha Yakumi, Fugaku's capable assistant, along with a dozen other Uchiha from their faction, turned their gazes toward them.

The statements made by Uchiha Mikoto and Uchiha Ren at the clan meeting were truly deafening.

From the perspective of ninjas and strength, it made them understand and seriously contemplate the relationship between the Uchiha and the Konohagakure leadership.

The small favors once exchanged for the wholehearted dedication of the Dove Faction and the Clan Head's faction to the Konohagakure leadership now seemed awkward no matter how they looked at it.

Was the Uchiha clan really lacking those petty gains?

Was the current Konohagakure leadership worth the effort of pressing their own hot faces against someone else's cold backside?

If things were as Uchiha Ren said, it would truly be better to unite as one, lay their cards on the table, and openly oppose the Konohagakure leadership; it might even be more comfortable and carefree.

The Uchiha of the Clan Head's faction were waiting for the young master they served to provide an answer.

Fugaku was not a simple fool; his thinking had merely fallen into a misconception.

This was a form of inertia born from years of living in an atmosphere that leaned toward compromise and closeness to the Hokage's line.

It was much like how, in the lives of men in China during his previous life, most men's thinking before and after marriage was centered on bearing the pressures of the family.

Because in their daily lives, they were constantly influenced by the idea that they should be good to their other half and that men were the pillars of the family.

It wasn't that there were no scumbags who committed domestic violence, but were there more of those scumbags, or more responsible, honest men?

This was almost like trying to find a normal person within the Uchiha clan.

Conversely, it could also be seen as trying to find an honest person among a group of black people.

"Does everyone remember another thing younger brother Ren said?"

Fugaku turned his head, looking at Uchiha Shisui and the others, answering his own question.

"The Konohagakure leadership is the Konohagakure leadership, and Konohagakure is Konohagakure. The enemy of the Uchiha is merely the pests left behind by the Senju Clan, not the entire village."

"Unite all forces worth uniting, strike at the enemies that must be eradicated—in the end, we must clearly recognize who our true enemy is."

Words that had once gone in one ear and out the other were becoming increasingly clear in Fugaku's memory now that the Hawk Faction's advantage was becoming more apparent.

Thinking entirely from the clan's standpoint, his younger brother's argument, while radical, was not without reason.

Shisui asked in confusion, "But Brother Fugaku, if the Konohagakure leadership cannot represent Konohagakure, are they still the Konohagakure leadership?"

"If the Uchiha clan head cannot command the Uchiha, is he still the clan head?"

Uchiha Yakumi, standing to the side, interjected abruptly.

"There is still strife within the clan; how could a ninja village jointly established by ninja clans and civilians not have factional disputes?"

Everyone's gaze shifted toward him. Under Fugaku's signal, Yakumi, who dealt with the Hawk Faction the most, analyzed calmly.

"Lord Ren once said that the primary contradiction within the village is between the old-established ninja clans and the increasingly powerful civilian ninjas."

"The fallen Senju Clan was devoured by Sarutobi Hiruzen and his ilk until they were dripping with grease; the scraps they inadvertently leaked were enough to make the civilian ninjas grateful to the Hokage."

"But as the number of civilian ninjas gradually increases and their overall strength grows, after securing the interests of the Hokage faction, they can only turn their blades toward the ninja clans within the village."

"And since our clan has deep conflicts with the leadership, controls the entire Konoha Military Police Force, and possesses vast assets, we naturally became the most ideal target."

The more Yakumi spoke, the more excited he became, his voice trembling with the weight of his epiphany.

"Driven by the Konohagakure leadership, the conflict between the Uchiha and Konohagakure has become the primary internal contradiction within the village."

Having laid out all his views, Yakumi felt refreshed and clear-headed, finally asserting with ironclad certainty.

"They want to step on the corpses of the Uchiha to seize everything we have!"

This series of analyses left Shisui, who had not yet fully grasped the situation, deep in thought.

Especially that last, resonant conclusion from Yakumi, which echoed in his heart for a long time.

Whether in the clan grounds or the Ninja Academy, the young children were taught mostly the methods of killing.

Next is loving the clan and loving the village, but why love them, and how should one love?

As ninjas who only know how to take lives, what could they truly understand?

Therefore, Shisui fell into confusion.

"Where the leaves of Konohagakure dance, the fire burns. The firelight will continue to illuminate the village and allow new leaves to sprout."

He muttered, "Is this wrong as well?"

"The words aren't wrong; it's the people who are," Uchiha Yakumi mocked.

"The two Senju brothers led from the front and fought on the front lines. Now look at Sarutobi Hiruzen and the others; they have become the 'sprouts' that grew while being illuminated by the firelight."

"No wonder Lord Ren looks down on them."

"Yakumi, we must maintain basic respect for the Hokage."

Fugaku glared at Uchiha Yakumi, then reached out to pat the younger man on the shoulder.

He valued this rising star of the clan very highly.

Furthermore, Uchiha Shisui was the descendant of Kagami Uchiha, one of the members of the Second Hokage's Hokage Guard Platoon, and served as a bridge between the Uchiha and the Konohagakure leadership.

Fugaku said in a deep voice.

"Shisui, don't overthink it."

"Just leave the choice of the clan's path forward to your older brothers and sisters."

The comfort from his elder brother allowed Shisui to barely pull himself together, and he forced a smile onto his lips.

"Brother Fugaku, I understand."

Fugaku nodded slightly and turned his gaze toward the Uchiha present.

"After everyone returns, rest if you need to rest and prepare if you need to prepare. At the same time, you all know what should be said and what should not."

"So, for the future of the clan and for a Konohagakure that belongs to the Uchiha, let us unite as one, crush Kirigakure, and return with glory!"