Family Meeting (6)

"Since the clan head wishes to know, then I'll begin."

"First, the ability to judge people."

Upon hearing this, everyone immediately thought of Itachi Uchiha, who had just been driven out, and all felt that Yushu's words made sense.

"I won't go into detail on this point. The most obvious example is Itachi Uchiha just now. After attending so many clan meetings, he had been silently observing us all along. At the very least, the higher-ups must already know our clan's strength like the backs of their hands."

"This means that the Third Hokage already has detailed records of how many jonin our clan has, what ninjutsu they specialize in, which clan members want a coup, and which want to integrate into the village."

Hearing this analysis, the surrounding clan members immediately understood what it meant. Some were already unable to control their emotions and activated their Sharingan.

"Second, the Nine-Tails Rebellion."

The Nine-Tails Rebellion was a taboo not only in Konoha, but also within the Uchiha Clan. It was after the Nine-Tails Rebellion that the Uchiha Clan's fortunes plummeted, becoming a target of universal condemnation. Since then, Anbu had surrounded the clan grounds day and night, watching them.

Fugaku Uchiha frowned deeply and asked, "What problem is there with the Nine-Tails Rebellion?"

"Hahaha! What problem? Tell me, what problem do you think there is?" Uchiha Yushu's gaze swept across every clan member's face.

In the end, he said disappointedly, "You're so adorably stupid. No wonder people keep targeting you!"

The surrounding clan members could not help feeling angry at those words, but no one impulsively stepped forward. They waited to hear what Uchiha Yushu would say next.

"The most obvious point is this: during the Nine-Tails Rebellion, Konoha lost the Fourth Hokage. The Third Hokage lost his wife. The village's jonin suffered heavy casualties, and every clan lost jonin. But what about the Uchiha Clan? We stayed quietly in the clan grounds. Not one person died, and not one was injured."

"The Uchiha Clan was unwilling to sacrifice for Konoha, so why should Konoha treat us well? If we weren't the ones being targeted, then who should be? The clans that suffered devastating losses among their elite?"

A clan member angrily spoke up. "Who says the Uchiha Clan was unwilling to sacrifice for Konoha? It was the clan head who wouldn't let us go out back then!"

Fugaku said, "The situation at the time did not permit our clan to mobilize."

"Why didn't the situation permit it?"

"The Sharingan in the Nine-Tails' eyes proved that it had been controlled by the Sharingan. To clear ourselves of suspicion, I ordered the clan members not to mobilize."

"Ridiculous. Since we were under suspicion, we should have mobilized even more. We should have charged to the front lines and made the greatest sacrifices. The people in the village weren't blind. If all they saw was the Sharingan in the Nine-Tails' eyes, but failed to see the entire Uchiha Clan fighting, then how could we possibly clear our names? That would have been the best way!"

"Yushu-kun, you were already ten at the time, but you didn't know that Danzo's Root had completely surrounded our clan grounds. They also carried an order from the Third Hokage forbidding any member of the Uchiha Clan from leaving..."

Fugaku explained once more.

"Hehehe, that explanation only proves your stupidity once again, Clan Head."

"May I ask, who gave the order back then? The Third Hokage or Danzo?"

"Danzo."

"What position did Danzo hold?"

"Leader of Root."

"Then what position did you hold at the time, Clan Head?"

"Chief of the... Konoha Military Police Force."

"Was Root a superior department to the Konoha Military Police Force? Did the Konoha Military Police Force need to obey Root's orders?"

"No. It didn't."

After their rapid exchange of questions and answers, Uchiha Yushu merely stood quietly and looked at Fugaku.

Those who had heard their exchange, especially the group who had already been jonin during the Nine-Tails Rebellion, including the clan elders, all fell into deep thought.

Why had we listened to Danzo back then?

That was the doubt in everyone's hearts.

Fugaku also sank into thought. Then he continued, "But Yushu-kun, the Third Hokage at the time..."

Uchiha Yushu interrupted Fugaku again. "What position did Hiruzen Sarutobi, the Third Hokage, hold at the time?"

"An elder of Konoha."

"Did the Konoha Military Police Force need to obey an elder's orders?"

"No... it... didn't." Fugaku had now recognized the problem.

"Who was Konoha's leader at the time?"

"The Fourth Hokage, Minato Namikaze."

"Did the Fourth Hokage demand that the Uchiha Clan stay behind closed doors?"

"No."

Fugaku looked somewhat dazed. Having never carefully considered these questions before, he realized the errors in his decisions.

Yushu spoke again. "Everyone, imagine this. If the entire Uchiha Clan had joined the battle back then, would the Fourth Hokage have died? And if the Fourth Hokage were still alive, would the Uchiha Clan's current situation be different?"

Many of the clan's ninja who had once fought alongside the Fourth Hokage recalled that golden figure with his warm, radiant smile.

If the Fourth Hokage were still here, the Uchiha Clan's situation would probably be much better.

That was what everyone thought. Unfortunately, it was all nothing but fantasy.

"Clan Head Fugaku, because of the major mistakes in your decisions during your tenure, our clan has been placed in such a passive position. Do you admit it?"

Seeing Fugaku being treated like this, a normally neutral elder, Uchiha Da, stepped forward and said, "This was not a decision made by Fugaku alone. It was a decision made after discussion with us elders."

"Elder Da, I remember that my grandfather believed we should mobilize and actively join the battle. But in the end, Clan Head Fugaku chose to follow your advice. What, is Clan Head Fugaku going to blame the elders for influencing his judgment?"

"Since when can elders make decisions? If elders can make decisions, then what is the clan head for?"

"This..." In the end, Uchiha Da had nothing to say.

The clan members had already begun quietly discussing the matter in groups of two and three with people they knew nearby, each expressing their own views. Yushu had not specifically arranged for anyone to secretly guide the direction of their discussions.

Because everyone actually knew these things already. No one had simply analyzed them thoroughly for them before.

In the ninja world, although ninja possessed extraordinary power, unfortunately, most of them did not read much. Even when they did, it was usually books related to the human body.

Everything was for the sake of defeating opponents more effectively. Many ninja had long since lost the ability to think independently. It was not that they were unintelligent, but that they were not good at thinking and were especially easily influenced by others.

The fact that a Will of Fire riddled with loopholes could make Konoha's ninja march one after another to their deaths made this clear. What was even more bizarre was that many ninja found even Danzo's Will of Root perfectly reasonable.

Uchiha Yushu had merely pointed out the basic chain of events and the key contradictions. The clan members quickly came to understand. They were indeed not good at thinking, but they were not brainless. Uchiha Yushu's arguments were logical and reasonable.

Therefore, although nothing showed on the surface, the scales in the clan members' hearts had already begun to tip toward Yushu.