The Uchiha Clan's Shifting Thoughts

Balance will eventually be broken, because according to the laws of development, anyone can enter a period of prosperity, and at the same time, anyone can enter a period of decline.

Once power reaches a certain level or declines to a certain level, some people will feel they are back in the game, or some people will feel they are about to fail.

The choices of these two types of people afterward will be particularly unified, which is to seek external conflict to extend their period of prosperity or to delay their period of decline.

To put it bluntly, those who are capable will use their advantages to gain a longer period of prosperity, and those who are not will gamble, going all out.

Thus, the Third Hokage, having received Jiraiya's reply, felt he was back in the game and it was time to go all out.

He made his move, the first move, the center.

Family affection is always the best means to restrain people. Let the major and minor branches of the Uchiha clan, with their uneven strengths, liven things up.

Standing in the Hokage Building, the Third Hokage gazed in the direction of the Uchiha clan's territory. Although there was a sealing jutsu that prevented him from seeing anything, a playful amusement could be seen in the Third Hokage's eyes.

Several months had passed since leaving the Uzumaki residence. Fugaku had been in a state of turmoil.

That day, Fugaku, who had been anxiously waiting at the Uzumaki residence, finally met Minato. Unfortunately, he couldn't get any information. The Hokage had issued a gag order, and Minato, who already had a negative opinion of the Uchiha, was naturally willing to fully comply with the Hokage's orders.

"Go home and ask Uchiha Kei about his good deeds!" This was Minato's only reply.

Lord Fugaku, the Uchiha clan head, had been given a rather cold shoulder.

Fugaku, sensitive to the change in attitude of a strong contender for Hokage, felt it but did not understand why.

Returning home dejectedly, Fugaku finally learned that Uchiha Kei had not left the village with a few dozen people without orders, but had relocated his entire lineage.

Only then did he somewhat understand what had happened.

Fugaku was surprised but not shocked by this. Life in Konoha was not easy, and housing prices were quite high. The Uchiha could no longer afford the housing demand brought about by population growth.

He was not the Hokage, so he had no right to arbitrarily allocate land to his own clan. Land had to be purchased. Therefore, Uchiha Kei leading his clansmen back to their ancestral land was an unexpected yet reasonable event.

However, what had happened in between? What caused Minato's attitude towards the Uchiha to change so drastically? Fugaku, relying on his intelligence network, couldn't find out.

This was not normal.

Kei and Danzo met, and then what? What happened between them? Why was there no news at all?

Should I talk to Kei, or should I continue to play it safe and wait for Uchiha Kei to talk to me first?

After all, I am the clan head. Can't I get some respect from anyone?

Fugaku fell into a state of indecision. He was not a decisive person to begin with.

This indecision lasted for a long time, so long that he overlooked the undercurrents within the Uchiha clan.

During this period, the various branches of the Uchiha clan were constantly interweaving and colluding.

Each elder had received vague promises from the Hokage, and each promise was different and highly targeted, aimed at each elder's preferences, secrets, and weaknesses.

The elders could no longer remain calm.

The timely conditions offered by the Hokage made these old men realize that the Hokage knew them inside out and could manipulate them at will. They had no choice but to accept the benefits or have their secrets exposed.

Who among those in high positions has a clean slate? Moreover, they were being offered benefits. For that, why not betray that brat who was lorded over them?

And so!

After a long period of pleasantries, the eldest among them finally lost his patience.

Uchiha Kaku put down his wine cup and sighed.

"Alas, our lives are not what they used to be. Ever since that brat named Kei gathered a group of people of unknown origin from somewhere, we have to be so secretive even for a small gathering. You know, we never had a tradition of letting a child ride on our heads before."

Before he could finish, Uchiha Yawei, the representative of the Uchiha doves, spoke. He was a loyal follower of Fugaku and naturally followed Fugaku's lead in everything.

"Lord Kaku, speak with caution. That is indeed a Sharingan. They are Uchiha, and that cannot be denied."

"Hmph, a bunch of disobedient Uchiha, are they still our Uchiha?" Uchiha Setsuna impatiently tapped his wine cup on the wooden table. His ambition was to consolidate all the Uchiha's strength and make the Uchiha glorious again.

Of course, this was all under his leadership.

Uchiha Yawei fell silent. It was meaningless to try to persuade such a person.

Kaku, however, chuckled and raised his wine cup again.

"You two have received promises from the Hokage, haven't you?"

Each of them knew in their hearts, but they didn't know who else knew this secret that Kaku had revealed.

The remaining two did not respond, but stared at Kaku. Setsuna had even formed a hand seal.

The atmosphere became tense.

Kaku, however, was not nervous at all. He had once followed Madara and was a capable subordinate in Madara's later years. Their combined strength was no match for Kaku.

Moreover, he had enough leverage to persuade them.

"I don't know what promises the Hokage made to you, but they were not easy conditions to refuse!" Kaku stood up, turning his back to them to show his complete sincerity, and continued.

"It doesn't matter what the promise is. We just want to give that junior a fair trial. This is our right as a clan, and we are righteous."

"He has been bullying us with his strength for long enough these past two years."

After finishing, Kaku waited for a moment to let the two of them digest his meaning, then suddenly turned around and braced his hands on the wooden table.

"Think about it. Since that child rose to power, how long has it been since we've had a say at the clan meetings? Are you content with this?"

Uchiha Yawei remained silent, drinking and pouring for himself, but Setsuna could not hold back any longer; his face flushed red as if he had drunk too much.

He was a man with an extreme lust for power; having his authority diluted was more painful to him than being killed.

"Hmph, what does it matter if we aren't content? We can't beat his subordinates. Even someone as strong as you, Kaku, can only handle one or two of the standouts under Kei."

Kaku gave a contemptuous smile. "What about Lord Uchiha Madara? Didn't he end up leaving alone? When a wall is about to collapse, everyone gives it a push; no one will follow a man who has been abandoned by all."

He then casually used his chopsticks to pick up a piece of sashimi, demonstrating how easily he could grasp what he wanted.

"This time is just like that time. We only need to turn him into a lone wolf as well. You are both smart men, and smart men should stand on the side of the victor. You should know what that child is about to face."

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, aren't there orphans in the clan that Kei didn't take with him? Let them lure Uchiha Kei out. That brat's subordinates are formidable, but his own strength is mediocre. If we can kill this fellow in one fell swoop, we can take his head and offer amnesty to his former subordinates. The three of us can divide them up, and our influence will be incomparable to what it is now."

Kaku tentatively laid out his plan.

"That guy is always surrounded by people whenever he goes out; how could he be so easily lured?" Setsuna was clearly dissatisfied with the plan.

"As long as there is a will, there is a way. There are always things that are inconvenient to bring people along for, such as an invitation from a pair of sisters." Kaku continued to refine his plan.

"What do you mean?"

"Youth is naturally drawn to beauty. Even we old guys can't resist the temptation of twin sisters, let alone a hot-blooded kid."

Seeing Kaku's greasy smile, the two seemed to understand what kind of benefits this guy had secured.

Setsuna was tempted, but Yawei still held no expectations.

"What if it doesn't work? Kaku, you're being a bit wishful. Just because you would fall for this doesn't mean he will!"

"Then there's no other way; we'll just have to follow the Hokage's wishes." Kaku rolled his eyes. Twin sisters were a man's dream—who could refuse that? But he couldn't refute Yawei.

After all, he hadn't heard any rumors about Kei's love life in the past two years; perhaps a child with no one to teach him simply didn't understand such things.

"What do you mean?"

No plan is foolproof; multiple contingencies are the mark of a good strategist, and Kaku was clearly of that mind.

"The Hokage's intention is to have the Uchiha take the lead and call upon all members of the clan to expel Kei, who is attempting to split the Uchiha, under the guise of a protest march. This would create internal instability between him and his clansmen, even if it only fools a small portion of them. It would be best to cause a bloody conflict within the Uchiha, giving the Hokage a sufficient excuse to intervene personally."

Hearing Kaku say this, the two exchanged a glance, thinking about how they would respond if they were in that position, only to realize they had no way to counter it.

None of the three believed that among the thousands of Uchiha, there wasn't a single person harboring resentment toward Kei. As long as they raised the banner of justice, they could incite a few irrational people.

After all, Kei did indeed lead people away!

With that, the three suddenly raised their cups and clinked them together.

Cackling laughter echoed through Yating.

The atmosphere of the three men's drinking party reached a climax, and they had already begun discussing how to spend Uchiha Kei's inheritance.

An order from the Hokage reached the Uchiha clan, making the three feel that the situation was settled and their futures were boundless.