He took a deep breath and spoke.
"Everyone of the same clan as Uchiha."
His voice was calm, but it reached everyone's ears clearly.
"I am Uchiha Shaoyu. A few years ago, I left Konoha with eleven clan members and defected to Kumogakure."
There was a low commotion in the crowd.
"I know that in the eyes of many people, I am a traitor." Shaoyu continued.
"Defected Konoha, defected to the enemy village, abandoned the land of our ancestors, if you want to scold me, you can scold me now."
No one spoke.
Shaoyu waited for a while, and when no one spoke, he continued.
"But today, I'm back."
His eyes scanned every face.
"Not as a traitor."
He said, "It is as the elder Kumogakure, as the winner, and as the person who comes to pick you up."
There was an even bigger commotion in the crowd.
"Pick us up?" Someone couldn't help but ask, "What do you mean?"
Shaoyu looked at the man. He was a middle-aged ninja. He remembered that he had trained with him back then.
"It means-" Shaoyu's voice was steady, "Now, as long as you are willing, you can follow me."
"What?!"
The crowd exploded.
"Follow you? To Kumogakure?"
"Are you kidding? We have been living in Konoha for generations!"
"Shaoyu, what do you want to do?"
"But I think going to Kumogakure is a good choice."
"Yes, yes, Konoha is so repulsive to us."
"That's right, I think it's good to go to Kumogakure."
There were all kinds of voices, and the martial arts arena became a mess.
Shaoyu didn't explain, just stood quietly, waiting for them to finish arguing.
At this moment, a deep voice sounded from the crowd.
"That's enough."
The crowd fell silent instantly.
A man walked out of the crowd, his face was ashen, his eyes were sharp, and his whole person exuded a kind of suppressed anger.
Uchiha Fugaku.
Current Uchiha Clan Head.
He walked up to Shaoyu and stared at him.
"Uchiha Shaoyu." His voice was cold, "Are you here to confuse people?"
Shaoyu looked at him, the corners of his mouth raised slightly.
"Fugaku Patriarch, long time no see." His tone was flat, no emotion could be heard, "Am I deceiving people? I just told them a choice."
"Choice?" Fugaku sneered, "Let them betray Konoha and follow you, a traitor. Is this called a choice?"
Shaoyu was not angry, just looked at him.
"Fugaku, let me ask you a question."
Fugaku said nothing.
Shaoyu asked, "How has Uchiha been living in Konoha these years?"
Fugaku's expression changed.
He knew that Uchiha Shaoyu was going to attack his heart.
"Have you ever been ostracized?"
Shaoyu continue to ask.
"Have you ever been monitored? Have you ever been treated as a factor of instability? Have any of your tribesmen been looked at in a strange way when they were performing tasks outside? Have your children ever been scolded as 'evil Uchiha' in school?"
Every word pierces Fugaku's heart like a knife.
He was speechless.
Because he knows that what Shaoyu said is true.
Shaoyu looked at him and smiled.
There was no sarcasm in that smile, only a touch of compassion.
"Fugaku, do you think I don't know how you got here during this time?"
He said, "You think I don't know the words you say to the clan members every day at clan meetings - 'Be patient', 'Look at the overall situation', 'Konoha will understand' - you think I don't know how aggrieved you feel when you say these words?"
Fugaku's body is shaking slightly.
"But do you think that all Uchiha are like you, can you bear it?"
"What happened some time ago, did you get any benefits by bowing down to Shimura Danzō?"
Fugaku's face turned pale.
There was no way he could deny this.
But he really just wants to be good for Uchiha.
At this moment, an old voice came from the side.
"Fugaku, get out of the way."
Uchiha Setsuna leaned on crutches and walked slowly to Fugaku.
Fugaku looked at him, his eyes full of pain.
"Elder Setsuna..."
He knew that he might not be able to stop Uchiha Shaoyu today.
Uchiha Setsuna didn't look at him, just turned to the tribesmen.
"I have lived for seventy years."
His voice was hoarse, but it reached everyone's ears clearly.
"I have seen too much in my life. I have seen Uchiha at its most glorious, and I have seen Uchiha at its most depressed. I have seen First Hokage and Uchiha Madara fighting side by side, and I have also seen Konoha look at us with strange eyes."
He paused.
"I am old and have only a few years to live. But I am not blind or stupid."
He looked at Shaoyu.
"You all know whether what Shaoyu said is true or false. You have all experienced what Konoha has done to us over the years. You have been excluded, monitored, and guarded against."
"What have we done wrong? We have shed more blood than any other clan. We have made greater contributions than any other clan. But what have we gained?"
Some people in the crowd lowered their heads.
Someone clenched their fists.
There were tears in someone's eyes.
Uchiha Setsuna continued.
"When Shaoyu left, I knew that he was not a traitor. He was going to find a way out for us, Uchiha, to find a way to survive."
He turned around and looked at Shaoyu.
"Fugaku, there's nothing you need to do, you can't stop it."
Fugaku said nothing.
He just looked at those people, those tribesmen he worked hard to protect, those family members he fought hard to protect, those compatriots he thought would always follow him.
One, two, three...
More and more people are going to Shaoyu.
There are young people, middle-aged people, children, old people with their grandchildren.
They walked up to Shaoyu, some nodded silently, and some stood directly behind Shaoyu.
Soon, there were people standing behind Shaoyu.
The crowd was overwhelming, occupying nearly two-thirds of the entire martial arts arena.
As for Fugaku, there are only two hundred people left.
They are all old and weak people who are accustomed to living in Konoha, as well as some old people who have deep feelings for Konoha.
One of them, an old man with white beard and hair, stood next to Fugaku, his face ashen.
He is the father-in-law of the third elder, Uchiha Kazumasa, Fugaku, and the father of Mikoto.
He looked at those people walking towards Shaoyu, and then looked at Shaoyu, his eyes full of anger.
"Uchiha Shaoyu." His voice was hoarse, "You... you are dividing the family!"
Shaoyu looked at him and bowed slightly.
"Elder Kazumasa, you don't have to speak so harshly. I respect you as an elder, so I won't do anything."
His tone was calm.
"I didn't split the family. I just gave my people a choice. Those who choose to stay, I respect. Those who choose to follow me, I will lead them to a better life."