Clan Head

"Yushu, is there anything else? Aside from Itachi Uchiha and the Nine-Tails matter, were there any other mistakes?"

Fugaku Uchiha stared at Yushu as he asked. He admitted that he had made mistakes regarding both Itachi Uchiha and the Nine-Tails, and now wanted to know whether there were other problems.

"Of course. Third: the Uchiha Clan Relocation," Uchiha Yushu answered directly.

Fugaku Uchiha shook his head. "That was right after the Nine-Tails Rebellion. All of Konoha was deeply hostile toward us, and the higher-ups used compensation for the clans that had suffered heavy losses as an excuse to move our clan to its current location. At the time, everyone in Konoha was targeting us. Other than obediently relocating, our only option would have been to fight to the death... With our clan's strength, we had no hope of victory."

"Clan Head Fugaku, this matter fully demonstrates your weakness."

Uchiha Yushu straightened his expression and continued, "Clan Head, back then, you chose forbearance and were unwilling to fight Konoha. Now, however, the voices supporting a coup within the clan are growing louder, and most clan members support it. Clan Head Fugaku, are you now willing to lead everyone in resisting Konoha?"

The surrounding clan members were also eagerly awaiting Fugaku's answer. After the Nine-Tails Rebellion, the higher-ups' endless suppression had driven even the originally neutral members and some who longed for peace into the coup faction. They wanted to know what their clan head thought.

Fugaku did not answer immediately. He carefully looked over every clan member present before finally saying, "I... am willing... to lead the clan in resisting."

Saying those words seemed to drain all his strength. Most of the clan members became exceptionally excited upon hearing his answer.

Among them, Elder Uchiha Qing, Shisui, and others who wholeheartedly longed for peace and wanted to integrate into Konoha wore deep concern on their faces as they watched the excited clan members.

"Foolish, weak, utterly incompetent!" Uchiha Yushu shouted angrily. He was not looking at Fugaku; he was addressing everyone.

"Yes, that's right. Not just you, Clan Head Fugaku, but all of you as well—my fellow clansmen. Such foolishness and weakness are simply unheard of!"

Yushu's words stirred anger in everyone. The power of indiscriminate condemnation was simply too great. The clan members all glared at him, waiting for an explanation.

Yushu did not keep them waiting long. He continued questioning Fugaku, "Clan Head Fugaku, after the Nine-Tails Rebellion and now, is Konoha stronger or weaker?"

"Stronger."

"What about the Uchiha Clan?"

"Weaker."

"Why didn't you resist before, when you at least had a reason? Now you want to resist, yet you cannot even come up with an excuse?"

"Yushu, before, every ninja in Konoha was hostile toward us. But now, as long as we defeat the Third Hokage and Danzo, we can seize the position of Hokage."

"Heh. Clan Head Fugaku, if the Hyuga Clan killed the Third Hokage tomorrow and Hiashi Hyuga became Hokage, would you obediently submit without resisting?"

"No."

"What if it were the Aburame Clan, the Inuzuka Clan, or Ino–Shika–Cho instead of the Hyuga Clan?"

"Still no."

"Then what makes you think that a coup now would not mean facing all of Konoha? Is it because our surname is Uchiha?"

Fugaku fell silent. The surrounding clan members fell silent with him. They could not help but wonder whether a coup now could truly succeed.

The Uchiha Clan members were arrogant and often believed their clan was the strongest under heaven, but they were not foolish to that extent. They had confidence in facing the Third Hokage, Danzo Shimura, and a few others, but if they truly had to face all of Konoha, no one believed the Uchiha Clan could win.

Some clan members who had initially been fired up by a few words from the coup faction and wanted a coup now calmed down, filled with lingering fear.

"Clan Head Fugaku, suppose the Uchiha Clan were extremely powerful and defeated Konoha's higher-ups and the many ninja clans. Could a Konoha with only the Uchiha Clan left still defeat the Hidden Sand Village, Hidden Stone Village, and Hidden Cloud Village?"

Fugaku wore a self-mocking smile. "No."

"Then why did you change your mind, Clan Head Fugaku? You supported peace merely because the voices for peace within the clan were louder than those for a coup back then, and now you support a coup because the voices for a coup are louder than those for peace. Clan Head Fugaku, are you the clan members' puppet, or are you the clan head?"

Fugaku merely remained silent and did not answer the question.

Yushu continued, "It is inevitable that clan members will have their own thoughts, but what a clan head must do is unify the clan's thoughts, not be led around by the nose by them! This is the best proof of your incompetence, Clan Head."

Then Uchiha Yushu walked to one side of the assembly hall, looked at the clan members present, and said, "Now, I, Uchiha Yushu, impeach the current clan head, Fugaku Uchiha, for incompetence and for being unable to continue leading the Uchiha Clan. I nominate myself as the next clan head. Those willing to support me, come stand in line before me!"

"Of course, those who wish to continue supporting Clan Head Fugaku may stand before him."

"Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!"

Not long after his words fell, Shisui, Xuanyue, Naoto, and the others who supported Yushu stepped directly in front of him. This was only the beginning. More and more clan members joined them.

Then Uchiha Yan led his two companions to stand before Yushu as well, not forgetting to give Yushu a thumbs-up.

After that, Shisui's second grandfather, Uchiha Qing, did not hesitate for long before stepping over too.

When there was no comparison, people often could not accurately judge whether something was good or bad. But once there was a comparison, they could clearly distinguish what was better.

Very soon, the space in front of Yushu was nearly full, while there was no one before Fugaku. Aside from the few ninjas who had come with him from the beginning, no one else stood by his side.

Strangely enough, five of the six elders stood on Yushu's side. They included his own more radical old man and his two companions, Elder Qing from Shisui's family, and Elder Da from the neutral faction, who had spoken for Fugaku earlier.

The only one who had not come over was Uchiha Mon, the other elder among the fence-sitting elders whom Yushu had not considered much of a problem.

Uchiha Yushu looked at him curiously. "Elder Mon, do you have some objection to me?"

"Although I admit that I misjudged Fugaku back then, you may not be much better than him."

"Yushu, I can tell from your words that you do not want a coup and wish to live peacefully with Konoha. But that is no longer possible. The Uchiha Clan and Konoha are already standing at the edge of a cliff. If we keep delaying, we will die. Resistance still gives us a sliver of hope."

Uchiha Mon spoke loudly.

Yushu looked at the agitated Elder Mon with some surprise. It seemed Konoha's methods had indeed been effective—they had driven an ordinarily honest old man into wholeheartedly wanting rebellion.

Yushu did not intend to deal with him for now. He was only an elder. Once Yushu became clan head, he would have plenty of ways to handle him. It would depend on whether this honest man could see the situation clearly.

Fugaku looked at the contrast between the two sides. The only elder who had not gone to Yushu's side clearly did not support him either.

With no time to think further, he walked before Yushu and held out the token representing the clan head.

"Please accept it, Clan Head Yushu."

This time, Yushu did not refuse. He directly took the token from Fugaku's hand. After handing it over, Fugaku seemed to become lighter, and even the lines on his face softened considerably.

After nodding at Fugaku, Yushu said, "Jonin Fugaku, fall in."

Yushu did not intend to do anything to Fugaku. Having completely erased his authority as the former clan head, he had already achieved his goal.

Whether Fugaku had awakened the Mangekyo or not, he was still a capable member of the clan. As long as Yushu did not cross his bottom line in the future, he would no longer deliberately target Fugaku.

As Fugaku fell into line, the clan members present looked at Yushu standing at the front with great excitement, loudly expressing their emotions in all manner of words.

In the end, the various chaotic voices gradually merged into one orderly cry.

"Hail the Clan Head!"