October 15 was a special day for the Uchiha.
On this day, the midmonth clan gathering was held. Everyone could attend, young or old, male or female.
For ordinary people, it was a get-together where everyone could catch up, chat, and shoot the breeze.
But for the Uchiha leadership, there was much more to consider, including but not limited to—
Reporting on their respective achievements, then lambasting Konoha's bureaucracy.
Commending outstanding members of the Police Force, then lambasting the bureaucracy of Konoha's civil servants.
Proposing important resolutions and work plans, then lambasting the relevant Konoha leaders for doing nothing and shirking their responsibilities.
A summary speech from the Uchiha's top leader, clarifying goals and passing resolutions.
Finally, time for everyone. Any Uchiha could take the stage to voice their opinions and make requests.
(Parentheses: You could freely lambast anyone. End parentheses.)
The proceedings were tense and thrilling, with not a dull moment.
In the end, the midmonth clan gathering concluded perfectly.
That was Kazuhiko's summary of the specific proceedings of the midmonth clan gathering.
He had personally attended three clan gatherings, and every one of them followed the same pattern.
As for higher-level leadership meetings and shrine meetings, ordinary Uchiha had no right to attend.
Embarrassingly, Kazuhiko had grown up without ever seeing the legendary Naka Shrine.
After washing up and eating breakfast, Eri's family headed to the clan ancestral hall in the residential district, all together, to attend the midmonth clan gathering.
The ancestral hall stood at the very center of the clan grounds, where memorial tablets honoring generations of Uchiha were enshrined.
Dawn had yet to break, but candles brightly illuminated the inside and outside of the hall, and people streamed about.
Inside the shrine, directly beneath the memorial tablets, the white-haired clan elder Uchiha Amano leaned on his cane, dozing with his eyes closed.
The nearly seventy-year-old man had witnessed the entire history of the Uchiha, from the Warring States period to the founding of Konoha. He was known as a "living fossil of the Shinobi World."
Though his strength had faded since his prime, he remained the undisputed authority in the Uchiha Clan.
At the head of the left row—
First Elder Shio sat with bated breath, Second Elder Yuichi sat with his hand on his sword, and Third Elder Yutaro was engrossed in Uchiha Weekly.
At the head of the right row—
Clan head Fugaku sat with a furrowed brow, while Fourth Elder Yashiro wore an impassive expression.
Uchiha Shisui sat among the guests behind Fugaku, with Itachi and three-year-old Sasuke farther out.
Most of those seated among the guests were Jonin of the Uchiha Clan, along with Police Force captains and officers of various ranks.
Today's clan gathering was clearly different. All the prominent figures of the Uchiha Clan had shown up.
Nearly thirty Jonin were seated among the guests. Every Uchiha Jonin in the village was present for this midmonth gathering.
Eri and Hideki were seated among the guests, while Kazuhiko had it rough—he was stuck at the children's table.
"Kazuhiko!"
"Kazuhiko!"
Shota and Moe greeted him enthusiastically.
Kazuhiko smiled and nodded.
Nearby, Itachi was coaxing little Sasuke and didn't say a word.
You tsundere. Pretending not to see me, refusing to show me any respect, huh?
Hmph, just you wait!
Today you ignore me; tomorrow I'll be out of your league.
You're seven and still haven't awakened your Sharingan. How are you going to protect your foolish little brother?
"So you're Kazuhiko?"
"Hm?" Kazuhiko glanced sideways.
Was some kid at this table really trying to challenge him?
Did he, Uchiha Kazuhiko, look like an easy target?
"You're the one who put out the mission asking for a non-Uchiha ninja to teach you genjutsu, right?"
The Uchiha brat across from him glared at Kazuhiko, his face full of anger.
"You're a disgrace to the Uchiha Clan!"
How was that a disgrace?
Kazuhiko was baffled.
He was charming beautiful women from other clans and getting the best of both worlds. Which Uchiha wouldn't give him a thumbs-up if word got out?
They'd praise him for bringing honor to the clan!
Seeing someone disrespect Kazuhiko, Shota couldn't hold back.
"Who are you?"
"I'm Uchiha Yuto, and this is my little brother, Yuji!"
Why drag me into this when you're picking a fight?
Yuji felt utterly humiliated. He covered his face and lowered his head, speaking in a hushed voice.
"Big brother, watch where we are. If you cause trouble again, it'll be more than just a trip to the Police Force office!"
"I'm just telling the truth. What do I have to be afraid of? In a minute, I'll make him—"
Thump! Thump! Thump!
Clan elder Amano opened his eyes and tapped his cane, signaling that the meeting was about to begin.
"Before the clan gathering officially begins, there's some confidential intelligence from the Anbu that needs to be discussed. Shisui, tell us about it."
Called on by the clan elder, Shisui stood and began to speak:
"Lord Hokage is preparing to dispatch a large force of ninja to the border, to bring the war with Cloud Village to a decisive end."
Twelve-year-old Shisui spoke steadily, with the bearing of a strong shinobi. His words were clear and calm.
"A large number of Uchiha ninja will be conscripted as well and sent to fight on the front lines."
After Shisui finished, the clan gathering fell briefly silent.
By this point, the Third Shinobi World War was essentially over.
There was no fighting around the Land of Fire. The conflict between Konoha and Cloud Village was mainly due to clashes along the border.
The Land of Lightning was mountainous and poor in resources. Kumogakure had long coveted the northeastern plains of the Land of Fire and had been eyeing expansion for some time.
The root of all this, in fact, was the death of the Fourth Hokage.
Konoha still bore the reputation of being the foremost ninja village, but lacked the strength to live up to it.
Three years later, the shadow of the Nine-Tails Incident still hung over Konoha and the Uchiha like a dark cloud.
First Elder Shio slammed the table and rose to his feet:
"The Uchiha's chance has come! We refuse this conscription. While Konoha is weak, we take out Root Headquarters and seize control of the Konoha High Command! The Third Hokage indulges Danzo. Rather than go to the front and be watched, persecuted, and inexplicably stabbed in the back and assassinated, we should blow them all to hell!"
The moment First Elder Shio spoke, the Uchiha below erupted into an uproar.
One person after another chimed in. They had clearly had enough of the unfair treatment they suffered in Konoha.
"First Elder is right! Once we succeed, I propose making the clan elder Hokage and First Elder the Hokage Advisor!"
"Let's blow them to hell! I've had people spying on me for ages. They think my Sharingan is blind? I'll slaughter every last one of those Root bastards!"
"Conscripting so many of us to leave the village? A conspiracy! It has to be a conspiracy targeting the Uchiha Clan!"
"Why is the Third Hokage so awful? He's always scheming to weaken the Uchiha."
"Something's not right. We need to stay alert! Maybe the message Shisui brought back is something the Konoha High Command deliberately wanted us to hear, so they can wipe out the Uchiha!"
"..."
Shisui's expression didn't change, but inside, he was unsettled.
As a double agent for both the Uchiha and the Hokage, he was sweating bullets.
The Third Hokage had approved the very intelligence Shisui had brought back and "leaked."
Wiping out the Uchiha was certainly not the goal. They really did want the Uchiha ninja to contribute their strength.
As for whether Danzo would cause trouble, only the heavens knew.
Sitting at the children's table, Kazuhiko had no say in the matter. All he could do was watch the enraged clansmen fire off whatever they pleased, enjoying their freedom of speech, and feel envious.
Once we succeed, the Uchiha will rule; five damn seconds a second; the Uchiha conspiracy; the Uchiha crisis...
Heroes under heaven really were as numerous as carp crossing the river.
Our Uchiha truly had sages in charge and talent in abundance.
Not only were the plans they proposed constructive, but they even saw right through the Third Hokage's scheme!
The people were ready to be rallied, the people were ready!
Once I had all the power in my hands and ruled with an iron fist, what great undertaking could the Uchiha fail to accomplish?
A note from the author: Please follow and vote with your monthly tickets. These stats are very important during the new-book period.
Of course, just asking for support with words alone wouldn't be sincere, so let's do it this way—
During the new-book period, every hundred follows earns an extra chapter; every hundred monthly tickets earns an extra chapter.
Current follows: 40
Current monthly tickets: 3
(Note: The author gets free monthly tickets for updating every day. Those don't count as votes from you, so don't include them.)
Before you continue