The Decision

The war ended with a great victory for Konoha over Kirigakure.

The Yellow Flash, Minato Namikaze, crushed Kirigakure's forces with overwhelming might, driving the troops that had entered the Land of Fire back out of the country.

Even the Third Mizukage was defeated, and in the end, he could only flee in disgrace alongside the remnants of Kirigakure's forces.

Of course, this only meant that the outcome of the main battlefield had been decided. A formal peace treaty had yet to be signed.

It could only be said that the large-scale fighting had ended; that didn't mean peace had arrived.

Konoha had yet to sign peace treaties with either Iwagakure or Kumogakure, both of which it had previously defeated.

Konoha had only beaten them on the battlefield. To this day, it was still clashing with both Iwagakure and Kumogakure in small-scale conflicts.

The fighting with Iwagakure was particularly intense. Konoha and Iwagakure were still engaged in small-scale battles within the Land of Rain.

Though no peace treaty had been signed, Konoha's main forces had already returned. Only a small number of ninja had been left behind to guard the front lines, just in case.

Konoha was bustling that day. Almost all the villagers had spontaneously lined both sides of the streets to welcome the returning heroes.

Uchiha Akira had come, too. He stood among the Uchiha Clan, watching the returning troops approach.

Third Hokage Hiruzen Sarutobi stood at the very front, with the two advisors, Utatane Koharu and Mitokado Homura, behind him.

Behind the advisors stood Jiraiya, his hair white, and Orochimaru, whose demeanor was cold and who rarely smiled.

The group stood before Konoha Gate, smiling as they watched the large force approach.

At the head of the returning troops was Minato Namikaze, followed by Uchiha Fugaku, Nara Shikaku, and the others.

As the crowd cheered, they beamed and waved in greeting.

That day, Konoha held a grand welcome celebration, and everyone was swept up in the joy.

That night, after the festivities,

many members of the Uchiha Clan who had returned from the battlefield gathered in the basement of the Uchiha Clan Shrine.

They weren't plotting a coup. The Uchiha Clan was dissatisfied with the High Command, but that was all; they were nowhere near wanting to stage a coup.

Holding meetings in the shrine's basement was simply an old tradition that had been passed down.

Someone looked excitedly at Uchiha Fugaku and called out, "Clan Head, are you going to run for Fourth Hokage?"

"We'll definitely support you with everything we've got. Our Uchiha Clan has earned great renown on the battlefield and made many contributions to the village. Surely you'll have a place in the race for the Hokage Position!"

"They're already choosing a Fourth Hokage. Isn't it about time the Uchiha Clan had one? We helped the Senju Clan establish the village, after all..."

"Exactly. The Hokage Position has been passed down through the Senju line for three generations. It's about time we Uchiha had a turn."

"Quiet!" Uchiha Fugaku raised a hand, signaling for everyone to settle down. Then he said in a low voice, "I won't run for Hokage this time. I'm still far behind the Yellow Flash and the Sannin."

At Uchiha Fugaku's words, the people who had been shouting fell silent.

The reputations of the Sannin and the Yellow Flash spoke for themselves. Even "Wicked Eye" Fugaku couldn't compare.

"Seriously..."

"Looks like we can only hope for the Fifth Hokage."

"The Fifth Hokage has to be from our Uchiha Clan. Our clan is full of geniuses. Shisui is only twelve now, so he'll be the perfect age to run for Fifth Hokage!"

"Akira, what do you think?" Uchiha Akira, immersed in the world of Sealing Jutsu, heard someone call out to him.

He looked up and saw Uchiha Tekka trying to strike up a conversation. The two were acquaintances, more or less.

Uchiha Akira shrugged. "I think we should focus on becoming stronger. As long as we're powerful enough, everything else will follow."

"Everything else is empty talk. Strength is what matters." Uchiha Akira smiled faintly. "If someone in our Uchiha Clan had strength on par with First Senju Hashirama, would we still need to think about the Hokage Position? We wouldn't even have to ask. They'd hand it over to us themselves."

Uchiha Tekka's mouth twitched. He said awkwardly, "Akira, you make it sound easy. Everyone knows strength is fundamental, but there's only ever been one Senju Hashirama in the Shinobi World."

"Even Uchiha Madara, who once had the strongest Tailed Beast—the Nine-Tails—at his side, was no match for First. To raise our strength to that level..." He shook his head helplessly.

Uchiha Akira shook his head, looking exasperated. He felt like the people in the Uchiha Clan all had rather simple minds.

They seemed to see everything in black and white, like a switch with only two settings.

He said helplessly, "I mean, if we raise the overall strength of our Uchiha Clan, we'll naturally get closer to the Hokage Position. We just have to wait."

"Right! The Hokage line can't always produce a suitable successor," Uchiha Tekka said, suddenly enlightened.

Uchiha Tekka looked at Uchiha Akira. "Our Uchiha Clan has Shisui, Clan Head Fugaku, and you. As long as our clan keeps getting stronger, the High Command will have to consider who should become the next Hokage!"

"Glad you understand." Uchiha Akira patted him on the shoulder.

His understanding wasn't quite right, but it was close enough.

After everyone had vented their frustrations, the shrine basement soon emptied out.

In the end, only Uchiha Akira, Uchiha Fugaku, and Uchiha Mikoto remained.

"Clan Head, Sister Mikoto," Uchiha Akira greeted them.

Now it was time to discuss the real matter.

"Akira, the Six-Tails has disappeared." Uchiha Fugaku didn't waste time, getting straight to the major news.

"Disappeared?" Uchiha Akira was taken aback.

"Yes, disappeared." Uchiha Fugaku nodded solemnly. "Our people found traces of the Six-Tails deep in the forest. It was as if it had flown away."

Of the Nine Tailed Beasts, only the Seven-Tails could fly.

"Could Uchiha Obito have made his move?" Uchiha Akira thought of Uchiha Obito.

With White Zetsu and Kamui, Uchiha Obito could capture the Six-Tails without anyone noticing.

"There were no signs of a struggle at the scene. The Six-Tails had no chance to resist," Uchiha Fugaku continued.

Uchiha Fugaku looked at Uchiha Akira gravely. "Akira, you've probably figured something out, haven't you?"

Uchiha Akira nodded. "The one who wiped out the Kirigakure ninja pursuing Kakashi and Nohara Rin had not only used Wood Release. He also had the Mangekyō Sharingan."

"Wood Release and the Mangekyō Sharingan in the same person?" Uchiha Mikoto looked shocked, finding it hard to believe.

Uchiha Fugaku glanced at her and said in a low voice, "It sounds absurd, but all the evidence points to it being true."

"I can't believe the Konoha High Command has not only regained control of Wood Release, but also the Mangekyō Sharingan." Uchiha Mikoto furrowed her brows. "Someone possessing both Wood Release and the Mangekyō Sharingan must be incredibly powerful!"

Uchiha Fugaku sighed and looked at Uchiha Akira gravely.

"Perhaps we need to put research into transplanting First Senju Hashirama's cells on the agenda!"