A Display of Verbal Prowess

As Hane's words fell, the hall below went silent.

A moment later.

"Long live the young clan leader!"

"Long live the young clan leader!"

Passionate roars resounded throughout the entire hall.

At the same time, Hane's system notifications rang nonstop. Aside from the occasional string of Malice Points numbering over a thousand, nearly all of them were large amounts of Gratitude Points.

During the ten-odd minutes Hane spent establishing his authority, he had gradually gained nearly twenty thousand Gratitude Points.

He had also gained over ten thousand Malice Points. There were roughly two hundred people at the clan meeting, and since he had gained so many Gratitude Points, it seemed that most of the clan members below recognized him at this moment.

They had even called him the young clan leader. That was unlike Hane calling himself one; it was recognition from the clan members. If this continued, then whenever Fugaku no longer wanted the position, Hane would undoubtedly become the Uchiha Clan leader.

Looking at the enthusiastic crops below, Hane nodded in satisfaction and slightly raised a hand. The hall instantly quieted down.

Hane glanced at Elder Retsuka, who was glaring at him with hatred, and curled his lips into a smile. "That's a nice look in your eyes. I hope you can keep it up in the future!"

After saying that, Hane casually waved his hand, sending a Five Elements Spirit-Gathering Art toward Elder Retsuka, who was kneeling on one knee. In an instant, the old man's burned arm was enveloped by five-colored light, and the wound rapidly healed, scabbed over, and shed its scab at a speed visible to the naked eye.

As for his beard and hair, Hane did not bother with them. That was his punishment. After all, Hane did not want such a fine crop to die from his own fire poison.

Crops! I just love that stubborn look of yours, where you can't stand me but can't kill me either.

In the eyes of the Uchiha clan members, their young clan leader had merely waved his hand again, firing a ninjutsu similar to a healing technique at Elder Retsuka before he could react. Elder Retsuka, who had been about to flee, watched as fresh flesh rapidly grew over his charred-black right hand, restoring it to normal.

That miraculous scene made the pupils of the clan members and elders present contract sharply once more.

At that moment, everyone looked at the calm youth seated below Fugaku as though they were looking at some priceless treasure.

The Uchiha Clan had quite a few people proficient in Fire Release, Lightning Release, and genjutsu, but there were truly very few who excelled in medical ninjutsu—let alone medical ninjutsu like Hane's, which could regrow flesh and revive the dying.

Hane, however, felt Nothingness. The Five Elements Ninjutsu within Dao Art was not merely offensive magic; it could be called a comprehensive guide to the application of the five elements. As long as Hane's understanding of the laws of each element was sufficient, these techniques would naturally come easily to him.

Retsuka looked at the youth on the platform, seemingly wanting to say something, but after moving his lips, he said nothing at all and silently returned to his seat.

The most obvious sign was that the Malice Points value on Hane's system panel, which had originally been one thousand, instantly dropped to just five hundred.

Hane twitched his lips and looked at Retsuka below. "Don't do this, old man. I still like the way you used to be, all wild and unyielding."

"Cough! Cough!"

Seeing the hall return to peace, Fugaku coughed twice. "Since no one has any objections, let us hear what your young clan leader has to say!"

At that moment, Fugaku was overjoyed. Originally, he had only wanted his son to come and demonstrate his strength, using his eldest son's excellence to intimidate the hardliners who were always opposing him.

Yet he had never expected his son to secure the position of next clan leader with a single impressive display of fire control.

Although that position was not yet entirely stable, he believed that as long as his son remained this outstanding, it would sooner or later become as unshakable as a mountain.

Hane swept his gaze across the clan members watching him intently.

"The higher-ups' suppression of our Uchiha Clan is already common knowledge. Blindly enduring it is a sign of weakness. But given the reality of our situation, we currently lack the strength to resist the entire village, so forbearance has become inevitable."

Everyone had originally assumed that, as the clan leader's son, he would speak in favor of the clan leader's side. But the more they listened, the more confused they became. What was he trying to do by siding with neither side? If not for the strength Hane had displayed earlier, someone would probably have already been unable to hold back from causing trouble.

"So, faced with this situation, unity is the most important thing for our Uchiha Clan. We cannot oppose the village on moral grounds over the relocation of our clan grounds.

Because it is not just the Uchiha Clan relocating; every clan in the village is being adjusted. If our clan alone makes trouble, it will make the Uchiha Clan seem incapable of seeing the bigger picture.

But! The unfairness is also real. The village is making us move from Konoha's center, our original clan grounds, to the remote banks of the Naka River. Then the village must provide sufficient benefits to compensate our clan members for that injustice.

They cannot make the Uchiha Clan bear the sacrifice merely because the village is currently at war and the Land of Lightning border is tense. Are there not Uchiha ninja shedding blood at the Land of Lightning border? Has the Uchiha Clan not rendered service to the village?

Why must we shed both blood and tears? What are the warriors on the front lines, who spare no effort to defend the village with their lives, fighting for? So that their families and children can be sacrificed once again?

That is why our Uchiha Clan refuses to accept this. Those who gather firewood for everyone must not be allowed to freeze to death in the wind and snow. It is such a simple principle. If Lord Hokage does not understand it, and Konoha's higher-ups do not understand it either, then the village cannot blame the Uchiha Clan for standing up and resisting. The village was unjust first; it was not the Uchiha Clan that betrayed the village."

"So, only a united Uchiha is a strong Uchiha! That is my proposal: demand compensation from the village's higher-ups. Without compensation, the Uchiha Clan will absolutely not relocate. Does anyone have any other opinions?"

Hane's impassioned words gradually faded, and the entire meeting hall became deathly silent. At that moment, every clan member below stared blankly at the youth on the platform.

They had always known that the village was unfair and that this was a conspiracy by the higher-ups, but no one had been able to articulate such a clear and righteous argument.

No one knew how much time passed...

"I support the young clan leader. That's right, we should demand compensation from the village!" Uchiha Yashiro, who had remained silent for a long time, looked seriously at Fugaku.

"Me too!" Another elder stood up.

"Me too!"

"Me too..."

There were seven elders in the Uchiha Clan in total, and six of them had now risen to their feet.

Everyone had assumed that Elder Retsuka, one of the hardliners, would not stand up. Yet unexpectedly, he rose without the slightest hesitation and looked toward Fugaku, who was still stunned.

"Fugaku, I have to say, you struck gold when you had such an outstanding son." After saying that, he gave Hane an approving glance.

Hane's heart sank. No, old man! Where did that wild and unyielding attitude of yours go? And what is this hundred-point increase in recognition? I really do like the way you were at the beginning! Hane cried out inwardly.

Fugaku gradually recovered his senses, but after hearing Retsuka's words, his face still darkened uncontrollably. "Since the clan elders all agree, I will report the results of this clan meeting to Lord Hokage. As for the outcome... that will depend entirely on Lord Hokage's decision."

Fugaku did not want to argue with Retsuka anymore. After all, the old man had already lost enough face today. He was still a clan elder, so Fugaku had to give him some room to save face.