The scoff was quiet, but Fugaku heard it clearly.
A flicker of displeasure crossed his habitually expressionless face.
He knew Xuanye had awakened the Three-Tomoe Sharingan and defeated Kakashi, but that gave him no reason to act so contemptuously at the Clan Assembly.
Still, Fugaku could understand how he felt. The thoughts of Uchiha clan members were sometimes remarkably easy to guess.
Young people who awakened the Three-Tomoe Sharingan tended to get a little too full of themselves.
"Uchiha Genya, is there something you'd like to say?"
Fugaku was clan leader for a reason. With one sentence, he silenced the commotion throughout Naka Shrine. Row upon row of red eyes turned toward Xuanye.
Xuanye glanced at Fugaku, then rose without hesitation. Facing the crowd of indignant Uchiha whose Sharingan had awakened, he declared:
"I'm laughing because every week, you people come to the Clan Assembly and argue for hours, but you never actually do anything."
"You argue day and night, as if talking long enough will make Sarutobi Hiruzen, Shimura Danzō, and the rest of the Konoha High Command who target us drop dead."
Silence!
Naka Shrine fell deathly still. Everyone stared in disbelief at Uchiha Genya, who had stood up and said something so outrageous.
Fugaku had only meant to embarrass the young man a little and teach him some respect.
Instead, Xuanye had said something explosive in front of everyone.
The Nine-Tails Incident had not happened yet, and the Uchiha clan grounds had not been forcibly moved outside the village.
So although most Uchiha had grievances against the village leadership, they were nowhere near the point of staging a coup.
It was only after the night of the Nine-Tails Incident that Konoha's hostility toward the Uchiha would reach an all-time high.
Only after the humiliating relocation of their clan grounds to the village outskirts, leaving the Uchiha pushed to the margins, would dissent spread through the clan and grow louder by the day.
But this was the first time anyone had openly said they wanted to take action and see Sarutobi Hiruzen and Shimura Danzō dead.
And such a treasonous idea had come from Xuanye, a newly promoted jōnin?
What was he trying to do?
Even the clan's hardliners felt Uchiha Genya might be going a little too far.
Uchiha Fugaku frowned and shot a displeased glance at Yashiro, who was sitting even straighter beside him.
Another clan member awakening the Three-Tomoe Sharingan was good news. But an extreme Uchiha like this would only tarnish the entire Uchiha Family's reputation.
Yashiro had no defense. He had never imagined Xuanye would say something like that at the Clan Assembly, when so many Uchiha were already fired up.
Was he trying to set off the whole powder keg?
And Yashiro had thought Xuanye was a clever boy who knew when to hold back. It turned out he was a hardliner at heart!
Concern crept into Shisui's eyes as he watched Xuanye.
He had thought Xuanye would be a promising junior, only to find he was the sort of clan member no one could control.
I hope this doesn't get out of hand.
But Xuanye was far from finished!
He climbed onto his chair, looked down at his fellow clan members, and shouted:
"My fellow Uchiha, we were one of the two families that founded Konoha, yet now the entire village has turned against us!"
"Is that our fault? No! It's Konoha's fault!"
"It's not just the Konoha High Command. Other ninja clans, even ordinary villagers, are hostile to us behind our backs!"
"The leadership has deliberately hidden our sacrifices and contributions in the Third Great Ninja War. They even keep delaying our compensation!"
"Can we stand for that? They've all forgotten that the emblem on Konoha's Forehead Protectors was modeled after our clan's Sharingan!"
Xuanye started with the Uchiha's present plight, then reminded them of their former glory.
Next, he stirred their emotions, telling them that the world's mistreatment of them was not their fault. It was the world that was wrong. He was not about to put any blame on them.
By the time he mentioned that the emblem carved into Konoha's Forehead Protectors resembled their clan's Sharingan, Xuanye had set the entire crowd alight!
Some older ninja even felt tears welling in their eyes. So a young person still remembered that.
For a moment, even Fugaku and Shisui were stunned by Xuanye's impassioned speech. Neither stepped forward in time to stop him from rousing the clan further.
Xuanye was doing this because the system had just issued another mission.
[Host detected attending an Uchiha Clan Assembly. Main Mission One issued: Clan Prestige] [Mission requirements: Gain sufficient standing and prestige within the Uchiha Family. Rewards upon completion will depend on the host's prestige within the clan.]
It was an open-ended mission. Xuanye could even complete it right now.
A jōnin with a Three-Tomoe Sharingan was rare, even within the Uchiha Family.
And because the Uchiha valued strength over seniority, Uchiha Genya, who had defeated Kakashi, stood below only the clan leader and the Elders.
Of course, if he completed the mission now, the reward would hardly be worth mentioning.
He needed to wait until his prestige reached its peak to get the most out of it.
His first mission had rewarded him with Musō Isshin, a divine weapon. Naturally, he had high hopes for what the system might give him next.
The best way to gain prestige was to win the clan's approval.
And everyone knew a speech was one of the fastest, most effective ways to win people over.
So Xuanye kept going on the Uchiha clan grounds.
As he spoke, he grew more and more impassioned, as though he were the hero everyone had been waiting for.
"The Konoha leadership's prejudice against the Uchiha Family is the reason all this has happened!"
"We can't keep coming to the Clan Assembly just to argue! We have to act. Envying others won't change a thing!"
"And for that, we need a great leader!"
Xuanye spread his arms as though embracing the sky.
At that instant, perhaps from sheer excitement, his Sharingan activated. Three tomoe appeared in each eye and spun rapidly.
By now, Xuanye was almost starting to believe his own words. His voice rose, growing more stirring with every sentence!
His heart beat faster, and excitement showed in every part of him.
Most of the clan had risen to their feet because of the young man's speech. They watched Xuanye expectantly, eager to learn who he believed could lead the Uchiha and change their fate.
"And the Uchiha Family's great leader has already appeared!"