White Dove, I Have a Dream!

The Uchiha Clan Compound!

Every Uchiha turned to look in the direction of the voice.

Tap, tap!

A handsome, cool-looking youth in a blue, high-collared clan uniform slowly approached Uchiha Fugaku, protected by several Uchiha wearing combat flak jackets.

The newcomer was none other than Uchiha White Dove!

Facing the Uchiha, whose expressions were agitated but who hadn't made a sound, he called out:

"Today, the Konoha High Command must give the Uchiha an explanation about Shisui. If it's confirmed that the village leadership really was behind this, then blood debts must be repaid in blood!"

Before he'd transplanted the Mangekyo, he definitely wouldn't have gotten involved in this mess.

But now that he'd already had it transplanted, of course he had to step forward.

If he didn't, Fugaku would drain the Uchiha of every last bit of spirit.

"Well said!!"

Uchiha Setsuna's eyes shone as he looked at White Dove with great admiration. His displeasure with White Dove for starting the "New Uchiha" instantly vanished.

"Uchiha White Dove, I'm the head of the Uchiha Clan!"

Fugaku was somewhat annoyed.

He'd finally managed to calm the clan members, but White Dove had to jump out and stir them up. Wasn't that going to undo all his efforts?

Besides, without Shisui, even if they really did rebel, they had no chance of winning. Biding their time and building their strength was the best choice. Why couldn't White Dove understand that?

"Sorry, I'm the head of the 'New Uchiha.' What gives you the right to expect me to recognize you as clan head? What contributions have you made to the Uchiha?"

White Dove gave Uchiha Fugaku a verbal beatdown.

He'd always looked down on this so-called clan head.

A coward to outsiders, but all fists when dealing with his own!

He was the very model of a "deadweight teammate."

If you'd just shown a little more backbone, do you think the village leadership would dare bully the Uchiha like this?

As the strongest shinobi clan in Konoha, all they had to do was act like they were ready to go down fighting. The High Command would be the ones panicking. They might even try to placate the clan, instead of steadily weakening and suppressing them like they were now, never giving them a moment to catch their breath.

The night before last, White Dove hadn't been strong enough, so he'd spoken somewhat "politely." Even when he'd talked about starting the New Uchiha, he hadn't attacked Fugaku much, merely pointing out his mistakes.

But now?

This was practically a personal attack.

Still, it wasn't entirely Fugaku's fault. He'd made too many decisions that screwed over the Uchiha. The most infuriating part was that, despite having a Mangekyo, he'd watched that White-Eyed Wolf slaughter the clan just to save his two sons.

Disgusting!

Absolutely disgusting!

If Fugaku had taken even one member of the village leadership down with him, White Dove would have respected him. But because it was his own eldest son who'd done the killing, he'd simply offered his neck to the executioner. What was the point of being clan head, then?

They'd made you clan head to protect the clan. What the hell were you protecting?

Well, ever since he'd transmigrated and become an Uchiha, he'd only grown more fed up with this clan head. Now that he was strong enough, of course White Dove was going to "speak his mind."

If I have to act meek before I'm strong, and still act meek after I become strong, what's the point of getting stronger?

"..."

Uchiha Fugaku fell silent.

He thought it over and realized that, ever since becoming clan head, he really hadn't done anything significant that benefited the Uchiha.

On the contrary, the Uchiha had suffered plenty of losses because of his decisions as clan head.

"Uchiha White Dove, how dare you defy your superior!"

Uchiha Yakumi, the clan head's loyal dog, stepped forward. He wouldn't allow anyone to insult his clan head.

Smack!

Amid the sharp sound of a slap, White Dove struck Uchiha Yakumi hard across the face.

"I already told you I'm the head of the New Uchiha. I don't recognize Uchiha Fugaku as clan head. Are you Doldoron or something?"

The name New Uchiha meant that although they were still Uchiha, they could do what the Uchiha didn't dare to do and take charge of what the Uchiha didn't dare to touch.

The New Uchiha also didn't recognize Uchiha Fugaku as their clan head.

And it wasn't just White Dove. Any Uchiha who joined the New Uchiha could ignore Fugaku as clan head. You're the head of the "Old Uchiha." You have no authority over us New Uchiha.

That was the crucial point!

In other words, as long as they joined the New Uchiha, Uchiha Fugaku would lose the moral high ground to stop them from settling the score with Konoha's leadership.

Well... of course, the "New Uchiha" wasn't something just anyone could start.

First, it had to win broad recognition from the clan. Otherwise, a handful of people would just be a joke.

Then, it needed strength—enough strength to make the clan head acknowledge it.

So only White Dove could pull this off. Uchiha Setsuna, the second elder, couldn't.

Might makes right!

That principle was woven into every aspect of the Uchiha.

"You...!"

Uchiha Yakumi was at a loss for words.

Because White Dove was right. The New Uchiha had been acknowledged by their clan head. He couldn't say one thing and then take it back the next moment, could he?

"What do you mean, 'you'? Call me 'Clan Head White Dove'!"

White Dove had no idea what it meant to "let bygones be bygones." Yakumi was Uchiha Fugaku's confidant, which meant there was no chance of winning him over, so White Dove had no reason to be polite.

"That's enough, White Dove. What are you trying to do?"

Uchiha Fugaku interrupted him. He was sure White Dove had some ulterior motive for stepping forward at a time like this.

"Didn't I already say? I have only one goal..." Facing the clan members, White Dove raised his right hand and struck his chest, shouting, "Blood for blood!"

At his words, the Uchiha, who had been silent until then, suddenly roared in response.

"Blood for blood!"

They were like a volcano erupting, their eyes blazing with fervor.

Some of the Uchiha's Sharingan even began to change.

And not just one or two!

The Uchiha had been bottling up this resentment for far more than a day or two. Ever since the Nine-Tails' attack, they'd faced the village's exclusion and suspicion, its suppression and hatred. They weren't blind. How could they fail to see it?

Yet all Uchiha Fugaku ever did as clan head was tell them to endure, again and again. Their resentment and anger had been building for far too long.

Now that White Dove, a powerful figure with no small amount of prestige, had stepped forward, how could they not be excited? How could they not be fired up?

The Uchiha had no cowards!

You could call them coldhearted or arrogant, but you couldn't call them weak.

They'd held back before because Uchiha Fugaku, their clan head, had kept them in check. Now someone had stepped forward to lead them, like a volcano finally given a way to erupt.

Seeing the clan members' reaction, Uchiha Fugaku was stunned. But he quickly came to his senses, stepped forward, and growled at White Dove:

"Uchiha White Dove, you've gone mad! Do you know what you're doing?"

He was panicking.

In the current situation, one wrong move could spark a war with the village. With their strength, they couldn't have beaten Konoha even when Shisui was alive, let alone now.

"Of course I do!" White Dove faced the Uchiha, his calm tone at odds with their agitation and fury. "You mean going to war with the village, don't you?"

His words left Uchiha Fugaku stunned. He'd assumed White Dove didn't understand the consequences. He hadn't expected him to know. Fugaku instinctively asked:

"Then why are you still..."

But before he could finish, White Dove cut him off, his tone resolute:

"What, going to war with the village? The entire Uchiha Clan isn't afraid. From beginning to end, the only one who's afraid is you, the clan head!"

That was right. The Uchiha Clan truly had no fear of death.

Especially in the Shinobi World, a place as cruel as this. Anyone who was truly afraid of death had long since died.

After giving Uchiha Fugaku a piece of his mind, White Dove turned to the Uchiha lining the street and shouted:

"I have a dream!"

"I dream that one day, an Uchiha will become Hokage!"

"I dream that one day, our clan members will live in a village free from oppression, where the elderly can enjoy their twilight years and children can play wherever they like!"

"I dream that one day, we'll be able to live in peace with everyone else!"

As White Dove spoke, the Uchiha, who had been so fired up and agitated, fell silent. But the longing and hope shining ever more brightly in their eyes proved just how deeply his words had moved them.

The Shinobi World had never stood a chance against a speech like "I have a dream."

"However..."

When White Dove said those two words, he was finally getting to the real point.