Since You Don't Want Dignity, I'll Help You Get It

"I have a few hypotheses regarding Kekkei Genkai that require experimentation, and I would like to ask Senior Orochimaru for his assistance."

"Naturally, the Uchiha Clan will provide 100 million ryo in research funding for you to use as you please."

"I wonder if Senior Orochimaru is interested?" Masaki Uchiha said with a smile.

"Heh, Masaki-kun is truly generous. 100 million ryo in research funding is quite tempting; I have no reason to refuse." A light chuckle sounded from the small white snake. "However, I am curious: which Kekkei Genkai are these experiments involving?"

"I can only tell you now that one of them is the Byakugan. We can discuss the specific details when I come to see you tomorrow," Masaki Uchiha replied.

"Very well, then I shall await Masaki-kun at the usual spot tomorrow."

"Poof."

With a puff of smoke, the small white snake vanished.

Masaki Uchiha stretched, then muttered to himself, "It's time for the show to begin."

He stood up and walked out the door. Under the moonlight, a chilling, palpable malice emanated from Masaki Uchiha's body.

Inside the Uchiha Shrine.

"Uchiha Fugaku! Two weeks ago, you swore you were petitioning the Fourth Hokage to have the Anbu who attacked Uchiha Yohiro arrested and put on trial!"

"And now, two weeks have passed—where is the culprit?!!!" Uchiha Setsuna glared at Uchiha Fugaku with a face full of rage.

"This happened within our own village, perpetrated by the village's own ninja! If word of this gets out, it will be an utter disgrace to the Uchiha Clan!!!"

"Yes! Make them hand over the culprit!"

"If they won't hand him over, we'll go catch him ourselves!"

"Today they dare to attack an Uchiha in the village; tomorrow they'll dare to come into our compound to arrest us. Let's fight them to the death!"

"Everyone, calm down. The Fourth Hokage is not that kind of person; he will surely give us an explanation."

"That's right, the Third Tsuchikage and the Fourth Hokage would never ignore this."

At this point, the hawks and the doves among the clansmen began to bicker, and the murmurs of the other members rose in a cacophonous wave, growing louder by the second.

"Quiet!" Uchiha Fugaku roared.

The noise inside the shrine gradually faded away.

At this moment, Uchiha Fugaku still held significant authority.

He frowned slightly, his tone laced with helplessness as he spoke:

"Elder Setsuna, I told you before: because of Uchiha Yohiro's suspicious behavior upon returning to the village, the Anbu deemed him a spy from another village, which is why they attacked him. The Third Tsuchikage has already apologized to me regarding this matter and said he is willing to compensate Uchiha Yohiro. Furthermore, the Fourth Hokage has only been in office for a few months and hasn't finished the handover from the previous administration. He only controls a small portion of the Anbu right now. The Administration Department and the Medical Department are controlled by the two elders, and the Root only takes orders from Shimura Danzō and the Third Tsuchikage. However, rest assured, the Fourth Hokage has already promised me that such things will not happen again."

Upon hearing this, Uchiha Setsuna grew even more incensed, his words becoming increasingly sharp: "Does Sarutobi Hiruzen really not know whether he's a spy or not? A Three-Tomoe Sharingan Uchiha Jōnin, wearing the Uchiha crest, openly attacked by Anbu within the village—is that a spy? And now you've labeled Yohiro as 'behaving suspiciously' just because he wandered near the Forest of Death! That's suspicious?" He paused for a moment.

"In that case, can I send the Police Force to attack members of the Sarutobi Clan under the guise of catching spies?" The more he spoke, the more agitated Uchiha Setsuna became, slamming his hand hard against the table.

Uchiha Fugaku quickly stood up to soothe him: "Elder Setsuna, please be calm. Do not be impulsive. We have finally encountered a Hokage who treats us as equals; we must not destroy this hard-won situation."

"Well said!" a loud shout came from the door.

Before the person was seen, his voice was heard. It was none other than Masaki Uchiha and his followers, striding toward the center of the shrine.

"As expected of Clan Head Uchiha Fugaku, you have perfected the art of compromise."

"I completely agree with what Elder Setsuna just said! We Uchiha should return tooth for tooth and blood for blood. Otherwise, if other ninja clans find out, they'll think we're soft targets that anyone can squeeze."

Uchiha Fugaku looked at Masaki as he stepped forward, his expression grave: "Masaki Uchiha, why are you here? Do you know what you are saying?"

"I can't come here? Or did I come to the wrong place?" Masaki Uchiha looked at Uchiha Fugaku with a smile. "I heard what you said outside just now, and I thought I had walked into the compound of the Hyuga Clan."

As soon as the words left his lips, a boom erupted. Aside from Uchiha Fugaku's faction and the doves, the other clansmen present burst into raucous laughter.

Hearing this, Uchiha Fugaku's face grew increasingly dark. He growled, "What exactly are you trying to do?!"

"What am I trying to do?" Masaki Uchiha looked at Uchiha Fugaku with a playful expression. "I think the Uchiha need a new clan head!"

The words struck like a thunderbolt, leaving the entire hall in dead silence. However, Masaki Uchiha's followers stared at the others with blank expressions, clearly prepared for this.

The rest of the crowd looked at Masaki Uchiha in shock.

The position of Uchiha clan head had always been held by the capable, but ever since Uchiha Madara left the village, the seat had remained within Uchiha Fugaku's lineage.

Now, Masaki Uchiha was challenging for the position—a feat requiring both strength and prestige.

His prestige had been forged in the fires of the battlefield.

As for his strength, during the Third Great Ninja War, Masaki had marched north to suppress the Third Tsuchikage, defeated the Four-Tails and Five-Tails jinchūriki in succession, and intimidated the entire Land of Earth. He then marched south to defeat the Six-Tails jinchūriki and crippled the Seven Ninja Swordsmen, leaving the Land of Water in a state of terror.

Without a doubt, Masaki was currently the strongest in the Uchiha Clan; "Wicked Eye Fugaku" could not compare to him in raw power.

"Don't joke around! Masaki Uchiha, your thinking is too dangerous. I will never let you become the clan head!" Uchiha Fugaku shouted, his face twisted in rage.

"If you want to be the clan head, you'll have to step over my corpse!"

As he spoke, Uchiha Fugaku revealed his Mangekyo Sharingan.

"Let me show you the ultimate power of the Uchiha Clan!"

The other clansmen finally reacted, gasping in shock as they stared at the Mangekyo Sharingan in Uchiha Fugaku's eyes.

"Clan Leader Fugaku has actually awakened the legendary Mangekyo Sharingan."

"Those are the same eyes as 'that person'."

"I wonder if he can beat Lord Masaki Uchiha."

"The Mangekyo Sharingan is the ultimate power of the Uchiha clan; Lord Masaki Uchiha shouldn't be able to win."

The murmurs of the clansmen were endless. Uchiha Fugaku remained expressionless, but he felt a slight joy inside; it seemed the hearts of the people were his to command.

Hearing what Uchiha Fugaku had just said, Masaki Uchiha narrowed his eyes slightly and remarked, "Since you don't want to be decent, then let me help you be decent."