As soon as Fugaku Uchiha finished speaking, low murmurs immediately rose from the crowd.
"Could this be related to the Nine-Tails?"
"It's possible."
"Lately, I've felt that the people from the village's other ninja clans have been looking at us strangely."
"The village higher-ups must be making another move."
"Damn it, I heard someone say that the Nine-Tails appeared that night because our clan's Sharingan controlled it."
"Someone's smearing mud on us!"
It had been a long time since the clan last held a meeting. This sudden gathering left many clan members with a bad feeling.
The timing was simply too perfect.
How long had it even been since Nine-Tails Night?
Holding a clan meeting now was obviously connected to Nine-Tails Night.
"Silence!"
Fugaku Uchiha gave a low shout. A crimson glint seemed to flash in his eyes, which had somehow already transformed into Sharingan. Three tomoe slowly rotated within them.
The hall fell silent.
Meeting Fugaku Uchiha's gaze, many people felt a chill run through their bodies and lowered their heads uncomfortably.
To be fair, as the Clan Head of the Uchiha Clan, Fugaku Uchiha was more than qualified in terms of personal combat strength. After all, he had already earned the title of Fierce Eye on the battlefield.
In terms of ocular power, his eyes undoubtedly surpassed those of everyone present by a great deal. Even among Three-Tomoe Sharingan, there were differences in strength.
Seeing that the atmosphere had returned to normal, Fugaku Uchiha's expression grew even more solemn. After taking a deep breath, he said in a low voice, "The Uchiha Clan has encountered a problem."
No one spoke, but many faces changed.
For the Clan Head to say something like that, the matter could not have been minor.
Sure enough, Fugaku Uchiha continued, "The village higher-ups have decided to relocate the Uchiha Clan to the western side of the village and designate an area there as our new clan grounds."
The people present seemed not to have processed it yet. Many still looked bewildered.
Relocate the clan grounds?
What an unfamiliar phrase.
They were Uchiha!
The Uchiha who had founded Konoha alongside the Senju!
How dared the village higher-ups?
"Impossible! Absolutely impossible!"
Someone leaped to his feet, his eyes blazing scarlet as he stared fixedly at Fugaku Uchiha.
"Clan Head, how could this be possible? We're Uchiha! How could the village higher-ups make such a decision?"
Someone else stood up as well, his face twisted with fury.
"Damn higher-ups! What are they trying to do? Why are they treating us like this?"
At once, the crowd erupted in outrage.
Every Uchiha present, whether those who usually acted mild-mannered or those who constantly spoke of Uchiha glory, found this impossible to accept.
"Yes, the village higher-ups must give us an explanation! What are they trying to do?"
"The Uchiha will never accept such humiliation!"
"That's right! At worst, we'll go to war with the village!"
"Exactly. The village higher-ups have always been restricting us. We might as well use this chance to let them know how formidable the Uchiha are."
They had also realized that the village higher-ups' targeting of the Uchiha was far too obvious—so obvious that no one present could accept it.
Fugaku Uchiha's expression was ugly, but he did not fly into a rage. Instead, he said with a dark face, "This was a resolution passed by the Jonin Squad meeting."
The shouting in the hall came to an abrupt stop.
The Jonin Squad held a special position in the village. It might not appear particularly prominent in ordinary times, but at crucial moments, it could play an enormous role.
For instance, the village's high-risk missions, such as A-rank and S-rank missions, generally had to be reviewed and approved by the Jonin Squad before they could be issued.
Then there was the Jonin Meeting, which could discuss and vote on Hokage succession and war mobilization.
Other important village matters also had to pass through the Jonin Meeting.
The Hokage usually held the village's highest decision-making authority and could decide ordinary matters with a single word. But to demonstrate fairness, some matters required the endorsement of the Jonin Meeting.
In other words, anything passed by the Jonin Meeting represented the approval of the vast majority of the village.
After all, every jonin either represented a clan or a household. The importance of the Jonin Squad, formed by so many jonin, went without saying.
That was why the Uchiha present fell silent as soon as they heard that the matter had been passed by the Jonin Squad meeting.
They clearly understood that it was no longer merely the village higher-ups targeting the Uchiha, but most of Konoha.
No matter how strong the Uchiha were, they did not dare claim they could suppress all of Konoha.
"Wh... why?"
Someone asked in confusion, his voice even stammering.
Fugaku Uchiha took a deep breath and said in a low voice, "Everyone is surely aware of the Nine-Tails' appearance that night. But you likely do not know why it appeared, or what caused it to attack the village."
Many people's hearts sank as a bad feeling arose.
Fugaku Uchiha continued, "The Nine-Tails was controlled by someone, and the one who controlled it was an Uchiha."
When those words fell, the hall became utterly silent. Even everyone's breathing could be heard clearly.
One man clenched his fists and spoke in a hoarse voice. "Impossible. That's absolutely impossible. That was the Nine-Tails! Who here could control a monster like the Nine-Tails?"
Quite a few people agreed with that.
But for some reason, someone turned his gaze toward Genkawa Uchiha in the corner.
Genkawa Uchiha, who had been watching the show, noticed the gaze and looked over, only to see Uchiha Yashiro, the man who had informed him of the meeting that morning.
"Why are you staring at your damn mother, you idiot?"
Genkawa Uchiha cursed as soon as he opened his mouth.
His voice was not quiet, instantly drawing everyone's attention.
Uchiha Yashiro's face twitched several times before he finally looked away.
The others were unwilling to pick a fight with Genkawa Uchiha, that oddball, at a time like this. They quickly turned their attention back to Fugaku Uchiha.
Fugaku Uchiha did not care about the interruption and said, "I understand that everyone finds this hard to believe, but... it is the truth. Many people witnessed it that night. The Third Hokage personally confirmed it as well, including... Genkawa Uchiha."
This time, everyone present looked at Genkawa Uchiha again.
Only then did they remember that the first person to encounter the Nine-Tails that night had been the young man sitting in the corner.
Previously, they had subconsciously ignored it... no! More accurately, they had deliberately ignored it.
Because Genkawa Uchiha had actually fought the Nine-Tails that night, and had driven it out of the village alone. That undoubtedly proved how powerful he was.
It was precisely because of that strength that most of those present were unwilling to acknowledge it.
After all, Genkawa Uchiha had always been an outlier within the clan, and their feelings toward him were extremely complicated.
"That's right. The Nine-Tails was controlled by an Uchiha. So, are you all pleasantly surprised?"
Genkawa Uchiha showed them no mercy. The corner of his mouth curled up in a confident smile.
"What's wrong? Usually, every last one of you is arrogant beyond belief. Every other word out of your mouths is 'Uchiha,' and you never stop talking about pride. Controlling the Nine-Tails—what an enormous honor that is. How impressive would it sound when spoken aloud? Why aren't you happy?"
Genkawa Uchiha simply stood up, walked to the center of the hall, and spoke again under everyone's gaze.
"Laugh. Why aren't you laughing? Don't you like laughing?"
If gazes had temperature, Genkawa Uchiha would probably have been melted by everyone's stares.
Every Uchiha clansman present looked at him as though they wanted nothing more than to skin him alive.
"Shut up!"
Fugaku Uchiha shouted, walking down from his seat at the front and stopping before Genkawa Uchiha.
"What are you trying to do? Hm?"
Facing the question, Genkawa Uchiha's smile did not change. "Nothing. I'm just letting everyone know that this is Uchiha glory. After all, that was the Nine-Tails, known as the strongest Tailed Beast. Being able to control it is pretty impressive."
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