Have You Heard My Story Too?

Come to think of it, the Great Elder's proposal was actually quite sound.

Though it was just empty talk, it was highly feasible—at the very least, it was far better than Fugaku's "bloodless revolution."

From the god's-eye view of Uchiha Kazuhiko:

Konoha at this moment was undoubtedly in a period of extreme weakness.

The Third Hokage was old and decrepit, while Kage-level ninjas like the Fourth, Might Duy, and Hatake Sakumo were all dead.

Orochimaru had defected, and Jiraiya and Tsunade were nowhere to be found.

If the Uchiha really seized this opportunity and threw the strength of the entire clan against Danzo and the Third, who in all of Konoha could stop them?

Relying on the Third?

Aside from the Dead Demon Consuming Seal, what else did he have to show for himself?

What else was he?

Relying on such a "Strongest Hokage" to block an Uchiha clan possessing the Mangekyo Sharingan?

He didn't have the ability, you know.

"Fierce Eye" Fugaku, with his hidden Mangekyo Sharingan, possessed solid Kage-level strength.

If he had truly listened to the Great Elder's command, the Uchiha would never have reached the point of being wiped out by those two traitors, Itachi and Obito.

However, this plan held too many variables for Kazuhiko, so he could not support it.

The limited-edition ninjas "Kotoamatsukami Shisui" and "Loyal Itachi" had not yet been fully cultivated.

Whoever dared to change the timeline at this moment, I, Uchiha Kazuhiko, would end their life!

Thump, thump, thump!

"Silence!"

Amano struck his cane, and the entire ancestral hall fell quiet once more.

As the last remaining elder of the Uchiha clan, Amano held direct control over two-thirds of the Police Force ninjas, and his prestige within the Uchiha was unmatched.

"Clan Head Fugaku, what is your take?"

Fugaku crossed his arms, his tone low:

"The Hokage has reappointed the Uchiha to the Anbu; this is a gesture of goodwill toward us, so we must send troops for this war against Kumogakure. Furthermore..."

Fugaku paused, looking at his clansmen.

"Killing Danzo would be confirming the charge of an 'Uchiha rebellion,' admitting that we were the culprits behind the Nine-Tails Incident and sought to overthrow Konoha. Therefore, he cannot be killed."

Fugaku's words caused many Uchiha to nod in agreement.

"It makes sense; we cannot let the 'Nine-Tails Incident' be pinned on the Uchiha clan."

"Shisui has been transferred to the Anbu and can bring back secret intelligence; it shows the Hokage is still willing to treat us Uchiha well."

"I support Clan Head Fugaku!"

"We Uchiha fear no war; a mere Kumogakure can be wiped out with a flip of the hand."

"..."

The "appeasement" faction led by Clan Head Fugaku, while a minority within the Uchiha, generally possessed formidable strength.

They believed:

Moving to the suburbs, being assigned high-difficulty missions, and being monitored by Root and the Anbu were actually good things!

As everyone knew, most Uchiha ninjas were arrogant by nature and disdained bullying ordinary people.

When it came to weak ninjas, the Uchiha generally only looked at them with their nostrils.

Therefore, living on the outskirts of the village actually reduced contact with weaklings—out of sight, out of mind.

Moreover, the greenery around the clan grounds was top-tier, there was no urban noise, and one didn't need to take the long way to the main gate to leave the village; just hopping over the wall was perfectly fine.

High-difficulty missions were even more welcome.

The Uchiha wouldn't even be happy doing simple tasks.

Any mission involving chasing cats or dogs could just get lost—the further, the better. Who cared for such trash missions?

You actually dare to assign a C-rank mission to me?

Speak! Are you looking down on us Uchiha?

When weak clansmen died inexplicably during missions—

Heh, if you don't have the diamond drill, don't take on the porcelain work. If you're weak, train more.

As for being monitored and such, look at it from another angle—

Aren't the Root and Anbu just the most loyal audience for our Uchiha clan?

If we show off our skills during missions and there are no Anbu or Root ninjas around, wouldn't our strength go unnoticed?

Their logic was a perfectly closed loop, flawless and unassailable.

"Bullshit! Good intentions? Joining the Anbu and sending large numbers of Uchiha clansmen to the battlefield is what you call good intentions? That monkey Sarutobi Hiruzen is just numbing us, cutting our flesh with a dull blade, draining the blood of the Uchiha clan bit by bit!"

Great Elder Amano slammed the table and rose to his feet again, his voice full of vigor; one could hardly tell he was an old man who had survived the Third Shinobi World War.

He stood in the VIP seat, pointing at Fugaku's nose, spittle flying as he spoke:

"By the time our Uchiha jonin are all dead or wounded, we won't even have the ability to resist! Fugaku, you trust that monkey too much. In the world of shinobi, power is the only absolute truth!"

Fugaku countered tit for tat, refusing to yield an inch:

"Well said! Power is indeed the absolute truth!"

"With me here, who would dare lay a hand on our Uchiha clan?"

To be the clan head, Fugaku naturally had his own set of skills.

At this moment, the strongest person within the Uchiha clan was none other than the "Fierce Eye" Fugaku.

Many speculated that he had already touched the threshold of the "Kage" level and would become the anchor that stabilized the Uchiha.

This was the main reason Fugaku became the clan head and enjoyed the support of his clansmen.

As long as the Uchiha produced a Kage-level powerhouse, no one would dare to continue targeting or persecuting the shinobi of the Uchiha clan!

Fugaku's gaze was firm as he scanned his surroundings, looking over his territory like a lion.

"With me and all of you jonin here, no one dares to touch the Uchiha! Whoever wants to smear the Uchiha, I, Uchiha Fugaku, will be the first to refuse!"

Finally, Fugaku spoke each word with exceptional confidence.

"If you want to harm the Uchiha, you'll have to step over my dead body!"

"The Third Hokage has summoned the Uchiha to participate in this war—who is in favor? Who is against?"

His dominance was on full display.

Kazuhiko silently gave Fugaku a thumbs-up.

A real man, living up to his own words.

When the Uchiha clan was wiped out, Itachi did indeed step over your dead body.

Third Elder Yutaro had something to say at this moment:

"The Uchiha can certainly talk, and we can love Konoha, but the prerequisite is that everyone must be treated as equals!"

Yutaro rose and walked toward the seating area, facing the gathered Uchiha with a sincere tone:

"Everyone, the Third Shinobi World War has ended. We Uchiha have bled for Konoha, suffered wounds at Kannabi Bridge, and performed meritorious service for successive Hokage. And what have we received in return? Suspicion, surveillance, and persecution!"

Kazuhiko's expression turned strange.

Why is he saying all my lines?

Uchiha Shota leaned into Kazuhiko's ear at this moment and whispered:

"That's my great-uncle. He's also coming today to witness me awakening the Sharingan."

Kazuhiko suddenly understood.

So Elder Yutaro had also heard my stories; my apologies for the disrespect.

"It is fine for the Hokage to summon Uchiha shinobi to war, but we cannot accept unfair treatment!"

Yutaro looked into the distance, lost in memory:

"Over several shinobi world wars, we Uchiha have sacrificed countless shinobi to protect Konoha. Aside from the Senju clan, which other ninja clan can claim they sacrificed more than we did?"

"The answer is: none!"

"The moment the war ended, we Uchiha became the prime suspects for the Nine-Tails Incident! The Konoha high-ups believe we are the culprits, implementing policies of isolation, surveillance, and restriction without rhyme or reason. Was our blood shed in vain?"

"Therefore, we must fight! We must take back the power that belongs to our Uchiha from Konoha!"

"If they want us to send troops, fine—but once the war ends, we must immediately impeach Sarutobi Hiruzen from his position as Hokage, restart the jonin council to elect a new Hokage, and thoroughly investigate the true culprit of the Nine-Tails Incident to clear the Uchiha's name!"

[World line expanding...]

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