Clan Meeting

Bai Ye stood before the gates of the Uchiha Clan Grounds and looked up at the wooden plaque carved with the fan emblem.

The last time he had entered was two months ago, when he returned to his aunt's home to pack his belongings.

"Bai Ye?"

The clan member guarding the gate recognized him, a trace of surprise in his eyes.

"The clan head summoned me." Bai Ye kept it brief as he displayed a letter bearing the Uchiha Clan crest.

The guard glanced at it and stepped aside.

Bai Ye passed through the gates and entered the clan grounds.

The Uchiha Clan Grounds were neither particularly large nor small. The main family estate stood at the very center, occupying the most land and boasting the grandest buildings. Branch family residences spread out around it, becoming more cramped the farther they were from the center.

His aunt's home stood at the very edge of the clan grounds. As for his own home? Sorry, the clan had already taken it back.

His father had never been valued while alive. After his parents died in battle and his aunt left, Bai Ye moved in with Sakumo.

There had always been people in the clan gossiping about it.

"An Uchiha bloodline, running off to learn swordsmanship from the Hatake Clan?"

"So what if he awakened a one-tomoe Sharingan? His heart isn't with the clan."

Bai Ye sneered inwardly.

He had heard such idle gossip countless times and was long accustomed to it.

He walked at an unhurried pace. He occasionally encountered clan members along the way—some gave him cold looks, some pretended not to see him, while others studied him with curiosity.

Bai Ye did not care.

His gaze swept over the buildings marked with the Uchiha Clan crest as he considered the true purpose of today's clan meeting.

The clan head had called him back for far more than a formality.

The meeting was being held in the main hall of the primary estate.

By the time Bai Ye arrived, quite a few people were already seated inside.

The main hall was large enough to hold dozens, and the seating had been carefully arranged. At the head sat clan head Uchiha Masaki—a burly middle-aged man. He was the current head of the Uchiha Clan and Fugaku's father.

Fugaku sat to his father's left, his position second only to the clan head's.

Beside him sat several clan elders. Farther out were the Uchiha Clan's elite jonin and those holding important positions in the Military Police Force. Only then came the more prominent members of the branch families.

Someone like Bai Ye had no seat.

He knowingly took his place in a corner at the very back of the hall, leaning against the wall, silent as a shadow.

"Well, if it isn't that brat from the Hatake Clan?"

A voice came from beside him.

Bai Ye turned his head and saw a young man only a few years older than himself.

The young man gave a derisive snort and lowered his voice. "What's a chunin like you here to listen for? Acting as the Hatake Clan's ears?"

Bai Ye did not answer. He turned back and closed his eyes to rest.

The young man apparently found that boring. He snorted and looked away.

Bai Ye had dealt with this kind of routine probing too many times.

His gaze passed over the crowd and landed on Fugaku.

Fugaku was looking in his direction as well.

Their gazes met in midair for an instant.

Bai Ye read a trace of complicated, indescribable emotion in Fugaku's eyes.

The appointed time arrived.

Uchiha Masaki lightly tapped the table, and the hall immediately fell silent.

"Let us begin."

Masaki's voice was aged yet steady, carrying the authority unique to one who had held power for many years.

"The war is over. It is time to discuss the interests of our Uchiha Clan."

One of the clan elders spoke first. He was Fugaku's distant granduncle and held extremely high seniority within the clan.

His voice was not loud, yet the atmosphere in the entire main hall suddenly grew tense.

Bai Ye carefully observed everyone's expressions.

Most of the elders looked grave. The elite jonin frowned, while several Military Police Force officials whispered among themselves.

"The Military Police Force budget has been cut again," one jonin said gravely.

"The Hokage's intention is to reduce the Military Police Force's staffing. The excess personnel will be transferred into ordinary security forces."

This news was like a stone cast into a still lake, sending ripples across its surface.

Bai Ye analyzed the matter swiftly in his mind.

The Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, claimed on the surface that this was to "reduce military spending," but he was actually weakening the Uchiha Clan's monopolistic control over Konoha's security. Once the Uchiha Clan lost that monopoly, it would lose a political bargaining chip.

"Reduce our staffing?" Another clan elder sneered. "They're afraid we'll grow too powerful, aren't they?"

"Do not speak nonsense." A moderate elder immediately rebuked him. "Lord Hokage has his own considerations."

The two sides immediately split into opposing camps.

One believed they should argue their case and defend the Uchiha Clan's interests. The other believed they should obey the arrangement and avoid directly clashing with the Hokage.

The arguments gradually grew louder.

"What about the ANBU?"

A young jonin suddenly spoke, his three-tomoe Sharingan already gleaming in his eyes.

"Why can't Uchiha Clan members enter the ANBU?"

The entire main hall fell silent in an instant.

Those words struck at the heart of the matter.

The ANBU was a special force directly under the Hokage, the center of power. If Uchiha Clan ninja could not enter the ANBU, it meant their voice within the core decision-making circle was extremely weak.

"That goes too far," an elder reprimanded. "It's not that we can't enter, it's that..."

"That it's what?" the young jonin challenged.

The elder could not answer.

Because that was the truth.

The Uchiha Clan's talents had been excluded from core positions and could only go in circles within the Military Police Force.

Bai Ye's one-tomoe Sharingan quietly emerged in his eyes.

He silently memorized these people's faces, expressions, and positions.

At that moment, an elder suddenly turned his gaze toward the corner.

"Bai Ye."

Bai Ye raised his head.

"In this war, you earned no small amount of merit following Hatake Sakumo."

Every gaze in the hall turned toward the corner.

Bai Ye answered neither humbly nor arrogantly, "What are the elders' instructions?"

The elders exchanged glances.

A branch-family orphan who had learned swordsmanship from the Hatake Clan had nevertheless earned military merit using the Uchiha bloodline and Sharingan.

It was a delicate matter.

On one hand, Bai Ye's achievements were undeniable and could be counted as Uchiha Clan "battle records" when fighting for a share of the postwar benefits.

On the other hand, where did Bai Ye's loyalty truly lie—with the Uchiha Clan, or with the Hatake Clan?

No one dared guarantee it.

Clan head Masaki was silent for a moment before slowly speaking. "Bai Ye, you have rendered distinguished service. The clan will remember it."

He paused, his tone revealing neither pleasure nor anger.

"But remember this: Uchiha blood flows through your veins."

Bai Ye lowered his head. "Yes."

He felt the gazes coming from all directions—scrutiny, suspicion, indifference, and the curiosity of a very few.

Seated beside his father, Fugaku opened his mouth, but stopped himself.

His fingers lightly tapped against his knee, a habitual movement whenever he was thinking.

Bai Ye knew Fugaku was worried for him.

"Continue with the main matter." Masaki tapped the table. "Set Bai Ye's military merits aside for now. Let us discuss the Military Police Force first."

The discussions resumed.

An elite jonin proposed, "Since we cannot enter the ANBU, we can demand that our clan crest be added to Hokage Rock."

This proposal made Bai Ye frown slightly.

This was not seeking power. This was a provocation.

Fugaku finally spoke.

"No."

His voice was not loud, but it was exceptionally clear.

Everyone in the hall turned to look at him.

"Hokage Rock is the symbol of the village, not of any clan. Making such a demand will only make the other clans believe that we Uchiha Clan members do not know our place."

The elite jonin's expression darkened. "Young clan head, we only want them to show an attitude..."

"This is not how you demand an attitude." Fugaku's tone brooked no argument.

Bai Ye heard a trace of weariness in Fugaku's voice.

He knew what Fugaku was doing—using his status as young clan head to suppress the overly radical voices within the clan and prevent the Uchiha Clan from falling into deeper isolation after the war.

It was difficult.

Because facing Fugaku were elders decades his senior, the upper ranks of the Military Police Force who held real power, and one self-serving clansman after another.

And Fugaku's father, clan head Masaki, remained seated in the place of honor without saying a word.

Bai Ye suddenly understood something—Masaki was letting Fugaku speak first to delegate authority, but also to test him.

The argument continued for a long time without reaching any conclusion.

Fugaku was caught in the middle, pulled both ways.

He could neither entirely follow the elders' wishes and confront the Hokage, nor completely suppress the clan's demands.

He was searching for a balance.

But a balance was too difficult to find.

Bai Ye stood quietly in the corner, watching it all.

He noticed that the young man who had mocked him earlier was now studying him with an inquisitive gaze.

Bai Ye knew what they feared.

They feared that Bai Ye would tell Hatake Sakumo what had been discussed at the Uchiha Clan meeting.

They feared that Bai Ye would side with the Hatake Clan at a critical moment.

They feared that this branch family's branch family member would become a nail driven into the Uchiha Clan by outsiders.

But Bai Ye understood something else even more clearly: the Uchiha Clan needed his military merits now.

If the Uchiha Clan could count those achievements under its own name, it would have more bargaining chips in the postwar division of benefits.

But Bai Ye had been taught by Hatake Sakumo.

Did those achievements count as glory returning to the Uchiha Clan, or as borrowed light from the Hatake Clan?

The elders were conflicted over this.

They looked down on Bai Ye's status, yet could not bear to give up his military merits.

"Bai Ye."

The clan head's voice rang out again.

Bai Ye raised his head.

"You are an Uchiha ninja and a Konoha ninja. No matter from whom you learn ninjutsu, that will never change." Masaki's tone was neither heavy nor light, yet it carried pressure. "The clan will give you the treatment you deserve, but you must understand that your roots lie in the Uchiha Clan."

Bai Ye lowered his head again. "I understand."

What he understood was not the words themselves, but the meaning behind them—

The Uchiha Clan needed your military merits, but do not forget who you are.

Fugaku's fingers stopped tapping.

He looked at Bai Ye, a trace of complicated emotion flashing through his eyes.

He wanted to say a few words for Bai Ye. He wanted to say, "He isn't that kind of person." He wanted to say, "He is my friend."

But he could not.

He was the young clan head. Every word he spoke represented the Uchiha Clan's position.

If he openly favored Bai Ye, those who already doubted Bai Ye's loyalty would become even more suspicious.

If he openly fought for benefits for Bai Ye, the other branch-family members would demand equal treatment.

If he acknowledged Bai Ye as his "friend," Bai Ye would become a target for everyone.

Fugaku remained silent.

His silence was a form of protection.

It was also helplessness.

The clan meeting had nearly reached its end.

Masaki concluded, "I will personally speak with the Hokage regarding the Military Police Force. The clan will make proper use of Bai Ye's military merits. The meeting is adjourned."

The hall began to empty.

Just as Bai Ye was about to leave, Fugaku's voice rang out behind him.

"Bai Ye, wait."

Bai Ye turned around.

Fugaku walked toward him. The sternness of the young clan head was gone from his face, replaced by a faint hint of apology.

"Earlier... I didn't speak up for you."

Bai Ye shook his head. "I know. If you don't say anything, that means you're helping me."

Fugaku sighed.

"Has your training been going well lately?"

"It's been fine." Bai Ye paused. "Just take care of the clan's affairs. You don't need to worry about me."

Fugaku fell silent for a while, then suddenly smiled.

"If you have time, want to go get some barbecue together?"

Bai Ye looked at him and smiled as well.

"Yeah."

Their laughter was soft, quickly fading into the night of the Uchiha Clan Grounds.