Why the Uchiha Clan Declined

"Does everyone know why the Uchiha Clan has been growing weaker and weaker?"

No one had expected Zhengye to begin with that, and they all unconsciously sat up straighter.

Zhengye raised one finger. "A hundred years ago, before Konoha Village even existed, the number of Uchiha combatants had once reached two thousand."

"But toward the end of the Warring States period, after Uchiha Madara became clan head, that number gradually declined, eventually falling to around three hundred, until we made peace with the Senju and founded Konoha Village."

Zhengye had not made up those figures. After coming to this world, he had specifically investigated the Uchiha archives.

Yet most of those seated here belonged to the younger generation, and most of them did not enjoy reading. They were completely bewildered by this information.

Even Elder Tenghong did not understand why Zhengye was bringing this up.

After considering it, he asked in a low voice, "Is there a problem with these figures?"

Zhengye was not surprised that someone had responded.

"What I mean is that war has cycles. By the end of the Warring States period, the living strength of most ninja clans had basically been exhausted."

"In truth, every ninja clan wanted to recuperate and rebuild."

"However..." He raised his voice.

"At the time, Clan Head Uchiha Madara acted willfully and continued fighting Senju Hashirama, causing the Uchiha Clan to suffer many unnecessary casualties."

Elder Tenghong pondered for a moment, then slowly nodded.

"That is indeed true. Toward the end of the war, most of our clansmen no longer wanted to fight. Some even surrendered outright after defeat."

"I was already on the battlefield when I was young. We did not dare disobey Lord Madara's orders, but far too much of our clansmen's blood was spilled."

The elder had been born near the end of the Warring States period and had already gone to war back then. Though more than fifty years had passed, those scenes remained vivid in his memory.

"The Uchiha Clan's decline is closely connected to all this."

"As everyone knows, Uchiha Madara was a battle maniac who knew nothing about politics."

"To him, power meant being the head of a village—the position of Hokage."

"After learning that he had no way to compete for the position of Hokage, he left the Uchiha Clan on his own."

"Not knowing that the Uchiha had already fallen into the trap woven by Senju Tobirama."

"The moment Konoha established the Police Force and handed it to us Uchiha, the conspiracy against us began."

"The Police Force? No matter how nicely it is dressed up, isn't it just responsible for public security?"

"What are we Uchiha best at? Slaughtering enemies on the battlefield, fighting amid spraying blood!"

"But what about now? Every day, we expend our energy on trivial matters like villagers losing cats such as Zhao Gou, or neighbors getting into arguments."

"After living like this for so long, how much of the Uchiha's edge remains?"

Fugaku looked at Zhengye hesitantly. "Zhengye, are you saying... we should abandon the Police Force's authority?"

Zhengye shook his head. "Not at all. When a cake is small, we should not give it up—we should make it bigger!"

Everyone looked at Zhengye with partial understanding, so Zhengye could only break it down and explain it piece by piece.

"The Police Force has always been our territory, so we alone have had to take full responsibility for these neighborhood disputes in the village. That has greatly drained our energy."

"We should bring in members of other ninja clans, such as the Hyuga Clan and Ino-Shika-Cho."

"We Uchiha only need to handle arrests and combat. As for investigation and judgment, we can leave those matters to members of other ninja clans."

"That way, the other ninja clans gain authority, while we Uchiha conserve our energy. It benefits everyone."

Seeing everyone sink into thought, Zhengye continued.

"Of course, this is merely a probing move. The main purpose of sharing out some authority is to bind the Uchiha Clan together with the other ninja clans."

"When we become a community of shared interests, the moment our interests are harmed, the other ninja clans will immediately step forward to help us!"

Yashiro frowned. "Bring in outsiders? Then will the Police Force still be our Uchiha Police Force?"

"Once authority is handed out, it cannot be taken back."

Zhengye smiled. "Lord Yashiro, the cake is only so big. Even if we keep it all to ourselves, we only get this much. But if we make the cake bigger and share out a portion, what remains will still be more than before."

"Besides..." He lowered his voice. "Once the other ninja clans accept our benefits, if the Third Hokage wants to touch the Police Force in the future, they will be the first to object."

Yashiro froze, then his eyes lit up.

Fugaku asked somewhat hesitantly, "Then how do you plan to do it, Zhengye?"

After a brief pause, Zhengye said, "At tomorrow's meeting, I will propose expanding the Police Force and adding 'village internal defense coordination authority.'"

"That way, even if outsiders are brought into the Police Force, our influence will only grow stronger."

Internal village defense had always been handled by the ANBU, whose elite members were selected from each clan.

Their main duties were capturing infiltrating spies and handling external defense.

If the Police Force were merely neighborhood police, then those responsible for internal village defense would be the criminal investigators and special forces.

So-called "village internal defense coordination authority" meant that the Police Force would have the right to participate in Konoha's internal counterespionage patrols, the guarding of important facilities, and the coordination of ANBU operations during emergencies.

Once the Uchiha could get involved, their influence would naturally rise with the tide.

"Will the Third Hokage agree?" Fugaku's expression held some doubt.

It might only be the addition of the seven words "village internal defense coordination authority," but with it, their power would undergo a qualitative leap.

Zhengye turned serious.

"Fugaku, you have misunderstood one fundamental thing."

"It is not the Uchiha who need power. Konoha needs the Uchiha."

"During the Third Shinobi World War, the Uchiha suffered the greatest losses. More than three hundred combatants died."

"That was the highest number among all ninja clans in the shinobi world."

"We are Konoha's greatest trump card. There is no need for us to be so meek and submissive."

"If we left Konoha, Hidden Stone and Hidden Cloud would be crying and begging us to join them."

Zhengye was not wrong at all. Though the Uchiha had lost many combatants during the Third Shinobi World War, the other villages had also suffered devastating losses.

But in another ten years, a new generation of Uchiha children would grow up. With the clan's foundation, they would once again become a force that could not be ignored.

Hearing this, everyone present showed agreement.

After pondering for a long time, Fugaku could not help sighing inwardly.

Zhengye truly has remarkable foresight. I am inferior to him.

At this point, he adjusted his attitude and asked in the manner of speaking to an equal, "Then, Zhengye, what comes next? Do we use this to pry open the village's power structure?"

Yet Zhengye unexpectedly shook his head.

"No. After binding our interests to those of the other ninja clans in the village, we Uchiha will merely have ensured a more secure position in Konoha."

"But that does not mean we must serve the Third Hokage to the death."

Zhengye tapped the tatami. "Over the years, what the Uchiha have contributed to Konoha has been completely disproportionate to what we have gained."

"We excel at fighting, yet we have been trapped in Konoha playing political games with Sarutobi Hiruzen."

"Because we have been too obedient, we have repeatedly been sent to the front lines to be worn down."

"The Battle of Kikyo Mountain. The border stalemate in the Land of Rain... When were the Uchiha not the ones charging at the very front?"

"After the fighting ends, others take the credit, while the casualties are our own."

"This is also one of the reasons for the Uchiha Clan's decline."