The Clan's Decision

I just don't know whether Shōji had considered this aspect, or whether he simply wanted the clan to gain more recognition and trust.

Fugaku looked at Shōji standing tall in the distance and silently pondered to himself.

But no matter what.

Shōji's words had indeed shattered Fugaku's previous mental limitations.

The same went for the eight elders.

They could also distinguish what mattered most. Among the ordinary clansmen, those who were slightly older, more experienced, and had interacted more with members of the village's other Ninja Clans could more or less understand the weight of Shōji's words.

Uchiha clansmen like Yashiro, Tekka, and Daolin, all past thirty, looked at Shōji with a faintly strange expression at that moment.

"Clan Head, if you agree, I am willing to be the first to respond!"

Shōji did not know how much effect his words would have. As for what kind of ninja clan the Uchiha Clan was, Shōji, who possessed memories from both his past and present lives, understood it extremely well. If the Uchiha Clan used voting to decide every major clan matter,

Shōji could be certain that his proposal would never pass.

It was not that those opposed would make up the majority.

Rather, the largest group would be those who remained silently neutral.

In such a situation, silence was another form of rejection.

The proud, stubborn, and traditional Uchiha Clan could easily make such a choice.

Fortunately, within the Uchiha Clan, the clan head held considerable authority. Under normal circumstances, the clan head's decision was the shared will of the entire clan!

Thus, from the beginning, the person Shōji had intended to persuade was Uchiha Fugaku alone!

Shōji believed that Fugaku at this point still possessed a certain degree of independent decision-making ability!

Most importantly.

Fugaku's way of thinking should have been somewhat similar to the Third Hokage's.

He wanted to resolve every conflict through peaceful negotiations whenever possible. This could be seen from Fugaku's series of actions in the Original Work.

You could call it enduring humiliation for the greater good, or you could call it weakness born from not daring to shoulder responsibility. How one viewed it depended on one's position and perspective.

For Shōji.

His words were not entirely an act.

In terms of sincerity, it was half and half. If possible, Shōji naturally did not wish to use brutal means to resolve the Uchiha Clan's current crisis. No one was born loving slaughter, and the Uchiha Clan was no exception.

Shōji had said before that of his two plans, the first was to peacefully resolve the conflict between the clan and the village from within, while the second was to use brutal methods from the outside to save the clan from the crisis of annihilation.

And no matter which plan he chose, these words were a stepping stone!

Because these words were not merely meant for the Uchiha clansmen present. They were also meant for the Third Hokage, through Shisui Uchiha, who was standing beside Shōji at this very moment!

Killing two birds with one stone!

To solve a problem, one had to get as close as possible to the problem itself—or rather, its source.

The Uchiha Clan would ultimately be wiped out.

There were reasons of their own, but there was also oppression from the higher-ups.

Shōji hoped to address the issue from both sides at once. The former was easier to deal with, but for the latter, gaining a certain degree of trust required paying an equal price and taking corresponding risks before there was even a chance of success.

His own actions.

Shisui's words.

These were important components of the matter.

I hope I can take this step smoothly!

Shōji's expression appeared unchanged, but deep inside, his heart had tightened sharply as he silently thought to himself.

After exchanging glances with several elders and turning his gaze back to Shōji, Fugaku spoke. "Mm, I understand what you mean. Sit down first, Shōji."

Without responding directly, he merely nodded, casually said, "I understand," and waved for Shōji to sit.

At first.

Shōji was slightly stunned and was about to say something more.

But as though he had thought of something.

After bowing, he silently returned to his seat.

"Does anyone else have any other thoughts regarding Shōji's proposal?"

Fugaku leaned forward slightly, his solemn gaze sweeping over the clansmen one by one. He deliberately emphasized the words "other thoughts."

Even the simplest clansman could immediately understand what their clan head meant.

To put it bluntly, Shōji's speech had indeed moved the clansmen, but as mentioned before, most of the Uchiha Clan were old-fashioned and traditional. Their perceptions limited their judgment.

For example, in this matter.

Even if they somewhat agreed with Shōji's view.

It was difficult for them to voice their approval.

Of course, the chances of outright rejection were not high either.

Silence.

It was a special form of expression for most of them.

Those clansmen who had fiercely spoken out against Shōji earlier also rarely said anything at this moment. Or more accurately, they had already said what needed to be said. The final decision still rested with Fugaku, Genran, Chie, and the other clan heads and elders.

This was the Uchiha Clan's usual way of deciding its most important affairs.

"Mm, then today's Clan Meeting will end here!"

After waiting for a minute or two and seeing that no clansman stood to speak.

Fugaku directly announced the end of the meeting.

The clansmen below rose one after another, long accustomed to this, and left in groups of two or three down the stone stairway.

Shōji rose as well. After taking one final deep look at his clan head and the elders who were clearly staying behind to continue their discussion, he turned and left.

Shōji knew clearly.

He had already said everything he needed to say.

At this stage, there was pitifully little he could do.

Fortunately, even if this step failed, he still had backup measures.

But I still hope I can take this step smoothly!

As Shōji walked out of the underground chamber and looked at the clear blue sky outside, he silently thought to himself.

"Shōji, would it be convenient to talk?"

Just as Shōji was about to head straight home.

From behind him.

A clear voice rang out.

When Shōji turned around.

A familiar figure entered his sight.