Thinking it over, the First Elder's proposal was actually pretty good.
Even if it was just talk, it was feasible—at least much more so than Fugaku's "bloodless revolution."
From Kazuhiko's god's-eye view:
Konoha was undoubtedly in an extremely weakened state at this time.
The Third Hokage was old and frail, and Kage Level ninja like the Fourth Hokage, Might Duy, and Hatake Sakumo had all died.
Orochimaru had defected, while Jiraiya and Tsunade were nowhere to be found.
If the Uchiha really seized this opportunity and threw the whole clan into a fight against Danzo and the Third Hokage, who in all of Konoha could stop them?
Rely on the Third Hokage?
Aside from the Dead Demon Consuming Seal, what else did he have left?
What else did he have?
Rely on this "Strongest Hokage" to stop the Uchiha, who possessed the Mangekyō Sharingan?
He just didn't have what it took.
"Fierce Eye" Fugaku, with his hidden Mangekyō Sharingan, had solid Kage Level strength.
If he really listened to the First Elder, the Uchiha would never have ended up being wiped out by those two traitors, Itachi and Obito.
But this plan was far too uncertain for Kazuhiko. He couldn't possibly support it.
The limited-edition ninja "Kotoamatsukami Shisui" and "Loyal Itachi" hadn't been raised yet.
Whoever dared change the world line at a time like this, I, Uchiha Kazuhiko, would end his life!
Knock, knock, knock!
"Silence!"
Amano rapped his cane, and the ancestral hall fell quiet once more.
As the sole surviving elder of the Uchiha Clan, Amano directly controlled two-thirds of the Uchiha Military Police Force ninja. No one could match his prestige among the Uchiha.
"Clan Head Fugaku, what do you think?"
Fugaku folded his arms, his voice low.
"Lord Hokage has reinstated the Uchiha in Anbu. This is a gesture of goodwill toward us, so we must send troops to this war with Cloud Village. And..."
Fugaku paused and looked at the clan members.
"Killing Danzo would make us guilty of 'Uchiha rebellion' and amount to admitting that we were behind the Nine-Tails' rampage and wanted to overthrow Konoha. So we can't kill him."
Fugaku's words won nods from quite a few Uchiha.
"He's right. We can't let the blame for the Nine-Tails' rampage be pinned on the Uchiha Clan."
"Shisui was transferred to Anbu, and he even managed to bring back secret intelligence. It shows that Lord Hokage is still willing to treat us Uchiha well."
"I support Clan Head Fugaku!"
"We Uchiha fear no war. Kumogakure is nothing—we could wipe them out with a flick of the wrist."
"..."
The "appeasement" faction, led by clan head Fugaku, was a minority among the Uchiha, but its members were generally powerful.
They believed:
Moving to the outskirts, being assigned difficult missions, and being watched by Root and Anbu were actually good things!
Everyone knew that most Uchiha ninja were aloof and disdained bullying ordinary people.
When it came to weaker ninja, the Uchiha generally just looked down their noses at them.
So living on the edge of the village meant less contact with weaklings—a case of out of sight, out of mind.
Besides, the clan grounds were surrounded by lush greenery, far from the city's hustle and bustle. And when they left the village, they didn't have to take a detour to the main gate. They could just hop the wall. Nice and easy.
The more difficult the missions, the better.
The Uchiha weren't interested in simple missions anyway.
They could shove those missions for cats and dogs right out the door. The farther away, the better. Who wanted that garbage?
"You dare assign me a C-rank mission?
"Tell me! Are you looking down on us Uchiha?"
When a weaker clan member died mysteriously on a mission—
Heh. If you weren't up to the task, you shouldn't have taken it on. If you're weak, train harder.
As for being watched, look at it another way—
Weren't Root and Anbu the Uchiha Clan's most loyal audience?
If we showed off our skills on missions, wouldn't the Uchiha's strength go unnoticed without ninja from Anbu and Root watching?
Their logic formed a perfect, airtight loop.
"Bullshit! Goodwill? Reinstating us in Anbu and sending Uchiha clan members to the battlefield on a massive scale is goodwill? That monkey, the Third Hokage, is trying to lull us into complacency. He's cutting us with a dull knife, bleeding our Uchiha Clan dry bit by bit!"
The First Elder, Amano, slammed the table and stood up again. He spoke with such vigor that you'd never guess he'd lived through three Shinobi World Wars.
He stood in the VIP heckling spot, pointed at Fugaku's nose, and spat as he shouted:
"Once our Jonin are dead or wounded, we won't even have the strength to resist! Fugaku, you trust that monkey far too much. In the ninja world, only strength matters!"
Fugaku met his challenge without giving an inch.
"Well said! Strength is what matters!"
"With me here, who would dare lay a hand on the Uchiha Clan?"
Fugaku clearly had what it took to be clan head.
At this moment, "Fierce Eye" Fugaku was the strongest member of the Uchiha Clan.
Many suspected he had already reached the threshold of the "Kage" level and would become the Uchiha's pillar of stability.
That was also the main reason Fugaku had become clan head and won the clan's support.
As long as the Uchiha produced a Kage Level powerhouse, no one would dare keep targeting and persecuting Uchiha ninja!
Fugaku's gaze was resolute as he surveyed the room, his eyes sweeping over his territory like a lion's.
"With me and all our Jonin here, no one will dare touch the Uchiha! If anyone tries to pin the blame on us, I, Uchiha Fugaku, will be the first to refuse!"
Finally, Fugaku spoke each word with extraordinary confidence.
"If you want to hurt the Uchiha, you'll have to step over my corpse!"
"This time, the Third Hokage has called the Uchiha up to fight. Who's in favor? Who's opposed?"
His domineering presence was on full display.
Kazuhiko silently gave Fugaku a thumbs-up.
A real man—he'd lived up to his own words.
When the Uchiha Clan was wiped out, Itachi really had stepped over your corpse.
The Third Elder, Yutaro, had something to say at this point.
"The Uchiha can negotiate, of course. We can love Konoha, too. But first, everyone has to be treated as equals!"
Yutaro rose and walked toward the assembled seats. Facing the Uchiha, he spoke with sincerity:
"Everyone, the Third Shinobi World War is over. We shed blood for Konoha, were wounded at Kannabi Bridge, and rendered service to generations of Hokage. And what did we get in return? Suspicion, surveillance, persecution!"
Kazuhiko looked puzzled.
Why were those all my lines?
Uchiha Shota leaned close to Kazuhiko's ear and whispered:
"That's my second great-uncle. He's here today to see me awaken the Sharingan with his own eyes."
Kazuhiko understood.
So Elder Yutaro had heard my story too. My apologies, my apologies.
"Of course the Hokage can call up Uchiha ninja to fight, but we won't accept unfair treatment!"
Yutaro gazed into the distance, lost in memory.
"In the many Shinobi World Wars, countless Uchiha ninja sacrificed their lives to protect Konoha. Aside from the Senju Clan, which ninja clan can claim to have sacrificed more ninja than us Uchiha?"
"The answer is: none!"
"The moment the war ended, we Uchiha became suspects in the Nine-Tails' rampage! The Konoha High Command decided we were the culprits and imposed segregation, surveillance, and restrictions without considering the facts. Was all the blood we shed for nothing?"
"So we must fight! We must take back the rights that belong to our Uchiha!"
"We can send troops, but once the war is over, Sarutobi Hiruzen must be impeached and removed from the Hokage Position. The Jonin assembly must be reconvened to choose a new Hokage, and the real culprit behind the Nine-Tails' rampage must be thoroughly investigated. The Uchiha must be cleared of all blame!"
[World line unfolding...] ... ... Author's note: Please keep reading and vote with your monthly tickets. These stats are very important for a new book. Of course, just asking for them isn't enough. Here's the deal— During the new-book period, if readership passes 100, I'll add a chapter; if monthly tickets pass 100, I'll add a chapter. Current readership: 40 Current monthly tickets: 3 (Note: The author gets free monthly tickets for updating every day. Those don't count as tickets from you, okay? Don't include those.)
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