The Council of Elders was now filled entirely with young people. Faced with Uchiha Gen's questioning, they barely dared to breathe.
The other Uchiha all lowered their heads in silence as well. The dense crowd stood in the snow like children being scolded for their mistakes.
And that was indeed the truth. Back when Madara left, not a single one of them had been willing to go with him. So Uchiha Gen had satisfied them, giving them the best management system, the best benefits and subsidies, on the condition that their numbers remained unchanged.
But now, the Uchiha Clan had gained half again as many people. This half received no benefits, no subsidies, no free housing, no jobs provided by the Clan Land, and not even access to the clan's ninjutsu. All so they could conceal their numbers and let the rest continue enjoying their previous treatment.
"When did we Uchiha start dividing people into ranks?"
Uchiha Gen's words pierced their hearts like knives. Many Uchiha clansmen immediately broke down in tears, while some of the clan higher-ups did not even dare raise their heads, their bent backs nearly buried in the snow.
Leaning against a tree, Hashirama wore an equally grave expression. He listened to Uchiha Gen's words and considered them seriously.
"When the amount of land available to live on doesn't increase, facing an ever-growing population... Hiss... that really is a difficult problem!"
The Uchiha Clan before him seemed like a warning from the future. Hashirama had never imagined that one day he would worry over having too many people. He did not know whether to laugh or cry.
Meanwhile, Uchiha Gen continued speaking fervently. There were only two ways to solve the problem of too many people: colonization and land seizure, or expansion through war. There was