Uchiha's Hope

"You seem to have forgotten what Yohei Uchiha's own attitude is!"

Fugaku Uchiha's words stunned all the Uchiha clan members present. In their view, wasn't obeying the clan's arrangements a matter of course?

"What, does that kid dare to oppose the family's decision? If he dares to utter a single word of dissent, I'll beat the shit out of him."

The Third Elder always spoke so rashly, which disgusted Fugaku Uchiha. He wondered how Fugaku had even become an elder in the first place.

However, at this moment, he could only conceal his emotions and said calmly to the Third Elder, "If you can beat him, you are welcome to try. It will also be a good opportunity for us to see whether the power of the Mangekyō Sharingan is still as strong as it seems."

After Fugaku Uchiha said that, the Third Elder remembered Yohei's achievements; he was also someone who could withstand Tailed Beast.

Although the Third Elder himself had never fought Tailed Beast, he knew that he was no match for Tailed Beast. Naturally, by analogy, he might not win against Yohei either.

Seeing the Third Elder speechless, Fugaku Uchiha continued his attack, "Besides, Yohei isn't alone. You all seem to have overlooked the fact that Yohei has Captain, and his Captain is named Taichi Matsushita!"

"White Reaper!"

"The Konoha Twin Terrors!"

As Jonin of the Uchiha Clan, they had naturally heard of the village's recently rising genius ninja. If Yohei was barely able to contend with the Tailed Beast, then Taichi Matsushita already had the feat of slaying Tailed Beast.

This ruthless man, despite his young age, is someone no one dares to offend. Moreover, Taichi Matsushita is not only incredibly strong, but his Medical Ninjutsu is also superior to his master's. Many Uchiha ninjas have been saved by him.

The Third Elder was now in a difficult position. He had made a careless remark and was now in an awkward situation, but he really didn't have the confidence to go and find Yohei.

Those who reach the level of Jonin are all merciful. If you really provoke Yohei or Taiichi, getting a beating would be the least of your worries.

As if that wasn't enough of a blow, Fugaku Uchiha added, "Taichi Matsushita a disciple of both Tsunade and Jiraiya. In terms of lineage, he's a grand-disciple of the Third Hokage. Don't forget that."

"Alright, Fugaku." The Great Elder spoke up, interrupting Fugaku Uchiha's attempt to continue attacking the Third Elder. He turned to a Jonin standing next to the Fourth Elder and calmly asked, "Shoyu, Yohei is your son. Don't you have anything to say? What exactly is his relationship with Taichi Matsushita?"

All eyes turned to the Jonin who had remained Jonin until now— Xiangyou Uchiha, who was also Yohei's father.

They all secretly regretted forgetting such an important figure; he was their biological father, and his influence on Yohei Uchiha must have been immense.

Their gazes toward Xiangyou Uchiha became increasingly fervent.

"Ah~ Haha, Great Elder, how am I supposed to put this? Yohei has basically been with Taichi Matsushita ever since graduation—"

Having gone through thick and thin together on missions, our bond is naturally unbreakable.

More importantly, I didn't teach Yohei much of his strength. Apart from the secret techniques of the Sharingan, almost all of his training was done by Taichi Matsushita.

Having said that, Xiangyou Uchiha stopped talking, and everyone probably understood what he meant.

The Great Elder nodded slightly, understanding Xiangyou Uchiha's meaning. He explained to everyone, "No matter what, we still need to remind him. The clan is also worried about his safety, but ultimately it depends on his own wishes."

"If he wants to continue serving the village outside, the family won't interfere, but if he wants to come back, we'll help him make arrangements."

No one present voiced any objection. Even the Third Elder muttered something in dissatisfaction, but no one could hear what he said.

The clan meeting ended in such an anticlimactic way, and after everyone else had left, only the clan head Fugaku Uchiha and the Great Elder Uchiha Amano remained in the hall.

"What, aren't you very unwilling to accept this!"

The Great Elder's calm voice echoed in the hall, but to Fugaku Uchiha blue.

Fugaku Uchiha suddenly turned his head to look at the elder, who was still sitting Great Elder drinking tea, and couldn't understand how the elder had seen through his thoughts.

"Don't be surprised. If I were in your shoes, I would be resentful too." The Great Elder put down his teacup, his tone still calm, but his words were much sharper. "This is reality. You've only been in power for a short time and lack prestige, so those powerful clansmen naturally won't submit to you. But if one day you also awaken your Mangekyo, see if anyone still dares to oppose you."

"The Great Elder is right, I was too hasty." After thinking for a long time, Fugaku Uchiha finally sighed, suppressed his resentment, and put on a poker face again.

"Madness!"

The Great Elder's angry rebuke completely stunned Fugaku Uchiha. He had already put aside his resentment and was preparing to wait it out, so why was he being scolded?

"Shouldn't you be impatient? If I were 10 years younger, I would have punched anyone who dared to treat me like this. Instead of trying to increase your prestige, do you want to wait a few more years and outlive these old guys?"

Fugaku Uchiha lowered his head in shame; that was exactly what he had been thinking. "Great Elder, what should we do?"

The Great Elder sighed. Fugaku Uchiha was good in every way. In terms of strength, he was the strongest among the younger generation. In terms of character, he could unite and love all the clan members. He could also handle clan affairs in an orderly manner.

However, there was one thing that gave the Great Elder a great headache: he lacked decisiveness and was always hesitant and indecisive.

Such a personality would be suitable as a leader who maintains the status quo when the clan is at peace, but it is somewhat inadequate given the current situation facing the Uchiha.

"Fugaku, how long has it been since you last fought?" The Great Elder suddenly changed the subject, asking about something completely unrelated.

"Well—I haven't been on any missions since I became the clan leader," Fugaku Uchiha replied after a moment's thought.

"Go to the front lines and lead a group of your people to earn enough merit. Firstly, it will help the village and give it an explanation. Secondly, it will also earn you enough prestige."

In the end, ninjas still rely on their strength to prove themselves!

The Great Elder's words hit the nail on the head, and even Fugaku Uchiha had to nod in agreement. He actually had the idea of going to the front lines to earn military merit, but he couldn't be distracted by matters of the clan. Now that he had the Great Elder's support, he could put this idea into practice.

"Great Elder, this is exactly what I hoped for, but it seems the village has no intention of drawing personnel from our Uchiha."

"Just because it's not happening now doesn't mean it won't happen in the future. The war has only just officially begun, and the real drama is yet to come. The village will eventually ask the major clans for help, so you need to be prepared to be the first to respond to the Hokage's call."

The Great Elder gazed into the void, seemingly foreseeing the future.

But Fugaku Uchiha heard another meaning in these words: what did he mean by "first to respond"? Was the Great Elder going to side with the Hokage? Wasn't he Neutral Faction?

"What is this?" Fugaku Uchiha asked tentatively.

The Great Elder withdrew his gaze and turned to look solemnly at Fugaku. "Times are changing. I originally thought that the Uchiha Clan would remain as it is, maintaining a balance between the Conservative Faction and Radical Faction while I live. Once I die, I'll just let you do whatever you want."

Unexpectedly, Yohei Uchiha and Taichi Matsushita appeared at this crucial moment.

The Great Elder smiled for the first time that day. "Fugaku, have you noticed anything about them?"

Fugaku Uchiha was deep in thought. He hadn't expected that the Great Elder had been so pessimistic about the future of the Uchiha Clan, but now he seemed to see hope in Yohei and Taiichi, which seemed to coincide with some of his own past thoughts.

"The Great Elder refers to Taichi Matsushita, who can represent the Hokage lineage in maintaining our relationship."

The Great Elder glanced at Fugaku with disdain, his gaze like that of someone looking at their own good-for-nothing child, filled with pain and helplessness.

"What you said makes sense, but have you noticed that Yohei Uchiha and Taichi Matsushita are very similar to Lord Madara and Lord Hashirama? They were childhood best friends, and both were incredibly talented!"

It was as if a flash of inspiration struck Fugaku Uchiha; indeed, the two did bear some resemblance.

The Great Elder, caught up in the conversation, then shared his thoughts with Fugaku Uchiha.

"Madara and Lord Hashirama founded Konoha. Even if Yohei and Taiichi are a little less capable, judging from their current performance, they have a great chance of creating a new order between the village and the Uchiha."

If that day ever comes, I'd be happy even if I died!

"Great Elder, can they really do that?" Fugaku Uchiha was somewhat incredulous. He thought that at most they could improve the relationship between the clan and Konoha through Taiichi's connections, but he never imagined that they could do it so thoroughly.

"You haven't truly witnessed the power of top-tier experts. At their level, all rules are within their grasp, and Taiichi and Yohei possess this potential."

Therefore, what we need to do is to protect and guide them before they fully mature.

"I understand, Great Elder." Fugaku Uchiha nodded heavily. Although he thought his Itachi was also a genius, he was still too young. He was only 4 years old now, and it would be too long before he grew up.

There are no secrets in the Ninja World, especially when someone is deliberately spreading rumors.

--

Not long ago, news broke that Konoha's Southern Camp had been ambushed by Cloud Village, suffering heavy losses.

Just a few days later, another piece of new news spread throughout the Ninja World.

The Cloud Ninja that had ambushed Konoha was intercepted and wiped out by Konoha's revenge squad on their way back.

It was truly a series of exciting events, with the twists and turns of the battle leaving all the ninja villages, large and small, completely stunned.

While everyone admired the Cloud Village's ingenious maneuver, they were also wary of Konoha's strength.

Although there was no concrete intelligence, the ability to organize manpower in such a short time to track down and retaliate is a feat that would be difficult even for a major ninja village.

This also raises questions about whether the first intelligence report, which stated that Miba suffered significant losses, was truly that severe.

Some are happy while others are sad. The most painful thing for the Cloud Ninja is naturally the Cloud Village itself, while the happiest people are the Iwagakure.

Both Konoha and Cloud Village are currently at war with Iwagakure. The fiercer the fight between these two, and the more people die, the happier Iwagakure will be.

I heard that after receiving this news, Ōnoki laughed for a whole day in his office, so much so that he twisted his back again from laughing.

I don't know how this news got out; maybe it was deliberately leaked by Iwagakure to annoy Cloud Village.

However, before this comment could subside, another, even more explosive comment emerged: Konoha had obtained all the supplies that Cloud Ninja had seized from the Land of Wind, greatly increasing its wartime strength. Already the number one power in the Ninja World, it became even more invincible after acquiring these supplies.

Now, everyone who had been watching the show fell silent. The greatest enemy had been strengthened again, and no one could laugh anymore.

Although it's obvious to anyone with eyes to see that this is definitely a ploy by the Cloud Village to sow discord, it must be said that the plan was very successful. Considering the previous rumor, the Cloud Village's words are most likely true, Konoha did indeed obtain that batch of supplies.

The most aggrieved party in this whole affair is Sunagakure. No matter who ends up with these supplies, they originally belonged to Sunagakure.

Two robbers disregarded the original owner and wantonly divided his wealth as spoils of war. How would the Sunagakure feel about that?

In short, the entire Ninja World was very lively during this period. Not only were the battles lively, but the verbal battles were also very lively. Everyone was blaming each other, and there was never a moment of peace.

As for Taiichi, after spending seven days leading the Medical Camp to treat all the wounded, he finally recovered and was able to relax.

But how could such a useful high-end combatant like him truly be idle? Before even a month had passed, a new transfer order was urgently issued to Taiichi.

The order clearly stated that he was to proceed to the Northern Camp within a week to participate in the battle against Cloud Village.

As for why they were in such a hurry, the reason is quite simple: A and Killer B, who were defeated by him and Minato, have finally returned to Cloud Village.

After being subjected to a loving beating by the Third Raikage, the two unfortunate brothers were once again sent to the front lines against Konoha, vowing to wash away their shame through battle against the Konoha.

This put the Konoha Ninja on the Northern Front in a difficult position. Both A and Killer B Orochimaru, and with their addition, Konoha, which had initially held the upper hand, was suddenly forced into a defensive posture.

In order to preserve his forces and buy time for Konoha's reinforcements, Orochimaru did not engage in a direct confrontation with Cloud Village. Instead, he used space to buy time, fighting and retreating simultaneously.

Therefore, the frontline Camp retreated again and again, and has now completely withdrawn from the Land of Land of Hot Water, re-establishing its camp on the border of the Land of Fire.

This was the limit Orochimaru could accept. Beyond that lay the territory of the Land of Fire, and he didn't want to bear the infamy of being the first Commander whose homeland had been invaded by an enemy village since the start of the war.

As a result, the number of casualties among Konoha Ninja suddenly increased.