"With war imminent, whether they sought victory or mere survival, every major shinobi village was racking its brains and exhausting every means at its disposal. Since the Uchiha Clan was willing to share the collective burden and shoulder such a heavy responsibility, it naturally had to mobilize one hundred percent of its strength... At this critical moment of life and death, no one should undermine Konoha's internal unity."
Uchiha Yuan never once looked toward Sarutobi, yet every word he spoke was barbed, aimed squarely at the Third Hokage's selfish motives!
In truth, who among those present could not see that the Uchiha Clan intended to use this opportunity to carve out its own territory?
The problem was that these people were also the prominent leaders of the Land of Fire's major shinobi sects. Thus, when it came to "curbing the feudal lords," everyone's stance was remarkably consistent—be wary of the Uchiha, but guard primarily against the Hokage faction!
As a result, the decisions surrounding many issues became exceedingly delicate...
"Clan Head Yuan's words are rather extreme. No matter what, the village's fundamental system must still be upheld. That is both an obligation and a responsibility... But then again, extraordinary times call for extraordinary measures. The village's continued existence is currently under grave threat from the Northern Alliance. If rigid adherence to the system conflicts with Konoha's fundamental interests, I believe no one would object to adapting as circumstances require, within appropriate limits."
"..."
With more onlookers below the stage trying to smooth things over and tilt the scales, Uchiha Yuan immediately put on a grim expression, his stance becoming even firmer!
That change instead pushed Sarutobi Hiruzen, after a long time, back into the eye of the storm...
Unlike the course of history in the original work, in this current