The Choice.

Uchiha Clan Meeting.

The ascension of the Fourth Hokage, Namikaze Minato, had eased the tensions between the Uchiha and the village, leading to fairer treatment in all aspects.

Namikaze Minato was a man of great charisma, possessing the strength to command the respect of the Uchiha.

Given time for him to fully consolidate power and for the Uchiha to integrate into the village, Konoha would become even more prosperous than it was during the prime of Sarutobi Hiruzen.

This was the consensus among all Uchiha.

Obito choosing to launch an attack at this moment perhaps took these considerations into account.

He understood his teacher too well; if he did not stir up trouble during the jinchuriki's childbirth, a flourishing Konoha would become the greatest obstacle to his Eye of the Moon plan.

Fugaku, sitting at the head of the table, wore a stony expression, though it was still better than it had been in the past.

Mikoto and Kushina shared a good relationship, and their "wife diplomacy" had yielded significant results.

Furthermore, by abandoning the pursuit of the Sharingan held by Kakashi and naming his own son Sasuke, he had signaled a desire for reconciliation to the village.

Sasuke was the name of Sarutobi Hiruzen's father; generally, descendants would name their children after their ancestors to show nostalgia or respect.

By doing this, Fugaku was essentially pledging his loyalty.

After Namikaze Minato took office, he had spoken with Fugaku about recruiting outstanding Uchiha youths into the Anbu, or even the Hokage's personal guard.

The subtext was clear...

The Uchiha clan now had a chance to compete for the next Hokage!

It was somewhat pathetic.

As one of the two founding clans, they now had to fight just for the qualification to compete for the Hokage position.

Fugaku looked toward Uchiha Sora and Uchiha Shisui, who were sitting in the back row, and after signaling for the clan members to quiet down, he said slowly:

"Shisui, Sora, I intend to recommend you both to the Fourth for the Anbu. What do you think?"

Compared to Uchiha Shisui, who had already begun to make a name for himself on the battlefield, Uchiha Sora only had experience with low-level missions.

Yet, he was two years younger than Shisui and was already a genius who had awakened the Sharingan. He possessed the strength to join the Konoha Military Police Force, held a good reputation, and was highly valued within the clan.

The Anbu, short for the Anbu Black Ops, was the armed force directly under the Hokage.

It could be said that they were the Hokage's direct subordinates.

The clansmen present showed joy, realizing the implications.

"Clan Head, is this the Hokage's intention?"

Fugaku squeezed out a smile and nodded: "Yes, Lord Hokage asked me to select a few outstanding clansmen to join the Anbu."

"Shisui's strength goes without saying; he is the strongest of the younger generation. Sora is also a genius and will be able to grow well in the Anbu."

This was where the Uchiha differed from the Hyuga.

Uchiha Itachi had already begun to show his talent, but Fugaku would not hoard this promotion opportunity for his own son, choosing instead the most suitable person for the current stage.

The clan was not a dictatorship under the Clan Head; the members were essentially on equal footing.

Even back in the day, not even Madara Uchiha would force his clansmen to follow him when he left the village.

Of course, every system had its pros and cons.

Fugaku's personality was indeed a bridge to the village during times of peace, allowing the Uchiha to integrate smoothly.

But after the Night of the Nine-Tails, he was no longer fit to be the Clan Head.

As the leader of a clan, he lacked the decisiveness to make hard choices, swaying between two factions and ultimately siding with whoever held the most power.

Shisui's face flushed slightly, and he shyly touched his nose: "Strongest or not... Sora's talent is better than mine; he will definitely surpass me!"

"I will follow the Clan Head's arrangements. Sora, what about you?"

A normal Uchiha, upon hearing someone call them the strongest, would likely puff out their chest and say, "You are correct."

Shisui was an anomaly among the Uchiha, a variant of a saint.

Uchiha Sora scanned the gazes of the many clansmen, seeing in their eyes a beautiful vision of the future.

It seemed that as long as the Uchiha joined the Anbu, they could become the Hokage's guard, then run for Hokage, and finally produce an Uchiha Hokage.

Too naive.

From the day Madara Uchiha failed to become Hokage, the Uchiha had been cut off from that position.

Madara Uchiha had seen it clearly long ago: the clans and civilian ninja within the village did not truly accept the Uchiha.

Even if he reached the point of running for Hokage, he would never pass the jonin vote of confidence.

It didn't matter.

The Uchiha never needed the approval of others.

Facing the gazes cast by his clansmen, Uchiha Sora braced his knees and stood up.

He spoke indifferently.

"Everyone present is my kin and elder, so I will speak plainly."

"Our current easing of tensions with the village is built upon our closeness to the Fourth Hokage."

"The Fourth has just taken office and needs our strength to support him; it is a mutually beneficial arrangement."

"However..."

"Have you considered what we should do if the Fourth's position stabilizes and his mindset changes—if he, like Danzo and his ilk, decides we are uncontrollable and rescinds those policies?"

Fugaku furrowed his brows and said in a deep voice, "Sora, you are overthinking this. Minato is not that kind of man!"

Most of the clansmen agreed with Fugaku. They had performed missions alongside Namikaze Minato; he was indeed a man worthy of trust who would not change his policies on a whim.

Uchiha Sora gave a faint smile.

"Setting aside whether he will change, what if... he dies?"

!!

"Insolent!"

Fugaku's brows furrowed even deeper as he sternly rebuked, "Lord Fourth has dominated the battlefield and earned the reputation of the Yellow Flash; how could he possibly die!"

"Keep such talk buried in your stomach next time; you must never say this outside!"

Uchiha Sora looked at Fugaku with a hint of disappointment.

In his view, a clan head shouldering the responsibility of the entire clan should consider every contingency, or at the very least, believe in his own ability to handle anything.

Instead of placing all his hope on an outsider.

"Anyone can die."

Uchiha Sora said slowly, "Even someone as powerful as Lord Madara met his end at the Valley of the End. The Fourth is not as invulnerable as you think."

Just as Fugaku was about to say more, an elder to the side spoke up first.

"Sora, you have always been silent at clan meetings. Now that you mention that person... what are you trying to express?"

This was the previous head of the Uchiha, Shenlan Uchiha.

Come to think of it, he and Uchiha Sora's grandfather were cousins.

Being of the same clan, one could always find some connection.

If one really had to calculate it, Fugaku was the son of the cousin of Uchiha Sora's second aunt.

If Uchiha Sora had said those words at a Konoha jonin meeting, even the Fourth Hokage couldn't protect him; he would have to spend time in the Konoha prison.

But in this clan meeting, no one would go and report him.

Well, the one who would report him hadn't arrived yet.

Shisui, influenced by his ancestor Kagami Uchiha, was close to the village, but he loved his clansmen just as much and would never stir up trouble.

Uchiha Sora shook his head; saying more now would be useless.

When the incident happened tomorrow, that would be the appropriate time.

For now... he was merely planting a seed.

Scanning the crowd, Uchiha Sora turned and walked toward the door.

Finally, he turned his head to look at Fugaku Uchiha.

"I hope you can make the right choice."