Taking the Top

Uchiha Ao's speech didn't seem all that impressive, even to him.

Shisui had told him that other people had proposed these same ideas at clan meetings before.

But because they weren't particularly strong, they had never attracted the clan's attention.

Ao was different. He had Sister Izumi's Mangekyo as a deterrent.

If anyone refused to listen, he'd bring Sister Izumi out. One Mangekyo genjutsu would be enough to make them fall right into line.

"Right now, we're like beasts trapped in a cage!" Uchiha Ao continued.

He was here to become clan head, not to be just another clan member giving a speech.

Uchiha Ao continued, deliberately letting his voice tremble with a hint of hoarseness. "But if all a beast knows how to do is roar, it'll eventually rot away in its cage!"

He suddenly kicked over the wooden table beside him, sending splinters flying everywhere. "I don't want to be a caged beast! I want to be the one who opens the cage!"

Before he'd even finished speaking, someone in the crowd sneered, "You sure talk big. What makes you think you can open the cage? Your sister's Mangekyo?"

They admitted that there wasn't a single thing wrong with what Uchiha Ao had said.

But a nine-year-old kid wanted to become the head of the Uchiha Clan?

How could that be possible?!

Hearing the jarring sneer, Uchiha Ao's lips curled in amusement.

There were many ways to judge a ninja's strength.

Their skill in ninjutsu, the power of their taijutsu, the subtlety of their genjutsu...

But chakra reserves were often overlooked.

In the Shinobi World, aside from a very small number of people, most people had roughly the same amount of chakra.

They didn't have chakra measured in tons.

There was a huge difference between an ordinary amount of chakra and chakra measured in tons.

Take Wood Release, for example.

When Yamato used it, he could only summon a small tree. When Hashirama Senju brought his hand down, an entire forest sprang up.

A powerful surge of chakra suddenly erupted around Uchiha Ao, and the noisy crowd fell silent in an instant.

What had they just seen?

How could a nine-year-old kid have so much chakra?

Was he really one of the Uchiha Clan, or had someone from the Uzumaki Clan snuck in?

Ignoring everyone's astonishment, Uchiha Ao flashed forward. The next second, he was in front of the burly Uchiha who had sneered. He lashed out with a kick.

The Uchiha had been startled by the boy's sudden burst of chakra, but he was older and more experienced. As Uchiha Ao closed in, he instinctively crossed his arms to block.

But instead of feeling the strength of an ordinary child, he was hit by a force like a landslide, which traveled up from Ao's leg and slammed into his face. He flew backward like a kite with its string cut, crashed through a wooden screen at the back of the shrine, then rolled several times across the dirt before finally coming to a stop.

A deathly silence fell over the crowd.

"Do you still think I'm just relying on my sister's Mangekyo to throw my weight around?"

The clan members exchanged glances, each hoping someone else would step up and teach the kid a lesson.

But every one of them knew the truth.

The Uchiha who'd just been sent flying was already one of the strongest among them.

"Hmph. Kid, let me see what you've got." A deep voice came from the back of the crowd. A burly man pushed his way through the people and stepped forward.

"Kid, your Uncle Tekka's going to teach you a lesson." The Three-Tomoe Sharingan quickly appeared in the man's eyes.

"The Uchiha Clan relies on the Sharingan!" Uchiha Tekka had no intention of using taijutsu or ninjutsu. He went straight for a genjutsu cast through his Sharingan.

There was no way another Mangekyo user could just appear!

Uchiha Tekka's Three-Tomoe Sharingan spun rapidly. He suddenly formed Hand Seals and shouted, "Kasegui no Jutsu!"

The world in Uchiha Ao's eyes changed in an instant.

"Kid, can't move, can you?"

Uchiha Ao's lips curled into a cold smile.

He looked at the confident Uchiha Tekka. "What if my Sharingan's ocular prowess is greater than yours?"

The next moment, the black chains that had been binding Ao rang out with a piercing clang.

In the blink of an eye, the black chains had somehow reversed direction and shot toward Uchiha Tekka at lightning speed.

Tekka's smile froze. His Three-Tomoe Sharingan spun furiously, but he could only watch as his genjutsu rebounded against him.

"H-how is this possible..." Bound by the chains, Tekka stared at the boy in disbelief.

In the real world, Uchiha Ao folded his arms and strolled toward Uchiha Tekka, who was immobilized by the backlash of the genjutsu.

When he reached him, Uchiha Ao suddenly raised his right leg and kicked Tekka hard in the stomach.

The force sent Tekka hurtling upward along a stone pillar.

But it also broke him free of the genjutsu.

Tekka slumped amid the rubble, his chest heaving as blood spilled from the corner of his mouth.

He struggled to raise his head and look at Uchiha Ao, whose oppressive chakra radiated around him. The defiance and shock in Tekka's eyes gradually gave way to resignation.

Maybe having him as clan head wouldn't be so bad.

He'd still be better than that coward Fugaku.

Tekka braced a bloodied palm against the ground, not even noticing the rubble digging into his skin. He watched the red clouds on the boy's hem flutter in the wind, then let out a laugh punctuated by coughing. "Fugaku's always thinking about swallowing his pride, but you..."

He struggled to push himself upright, his eyes alight with madness and hope. "You've got the ruthless streak our Uchiha Clan needs!"

Uchiha Ao looked down at him as the light in his Sharingan slowly faded.

Tekka struggled to remove the Forehead Protector marking his status as a jonin, then shakily held it out. "From this day on, I, Uchiha Tekka, recognize you as... cough..."

Blood dripped from the corner of his mouth, smearing the red "Fire" character on the Forehead Protector. "I recognize you as the one who can lead the clan in tearing down this cage!"

Gasps rose one after another from the crowd.

Several young clan members clenched their fists. The Uncle Tekka they remembered—the man who had slaughtered countless enemies on the battlefield—was now bowing his head to a child.

Fugaku stood on the raised platform as the phantom of Susanoo silently disappeared.

"Ao," Fugaku's voice suddenly rang out, making the crowd hold its breath.

He looked at Uchiha Ao, his black robe fluttering behind him. "Do you understand that the position of clan head carries more than just honor?"

"I understand."

Uchiha Fugaku silently stepped down. His meaning was clear.

"What are you all standing around for?" Tekka suddenly turned and shouted at the clan members, who stood frozen in fear. The shout made his wound bleed again. "Can't you see your future clan head standing right here?!"

His roar shattered the silence. A few scattered claps rose from the crowd, then swelled into thunderous cheers.

After the clan meeting, Uchiha Fugaku stood outside Naka Shrine, watching the clan members walk away.

The Mangekyo in his eyes turned slowly.

"Maybe I really am not suited to being clan head."

In the future he had seen, the Uchiha Clan would suffer terribly under his leadership.

But now, he could no longer see what would become of the Uchiha Clan.

Still, that was a good thing, wasn't it?