Make the Uchiha Clan Great Again

At those words, the entire room fell silent.

But no one objected.

Uchiha Yashiro continued, "I propose removing Uchiha Fugaku as Clan Head."

"And removing him as Head of the Konoha Military Police Force."

"From this day forward, he will be an ordinary member of the Uchiha Clan."

"Does anyone object?"

Uchiha Yashiro swept his gaze over everyone present.

"I agree!"

"He should've been removed long ago!"

"If he hadn't been so weak and incompetent, how would the Uchiha Clan have fallen this far?"

"That's right! Remove him!"

The survivors voiced their support one after another.

Someone else stepped forward, his voice furious:

"How is removing him enough?!"

"He let his son slaughter our clan! He deserves severe punishment!"

"That's right! Make him pay with his life!"

Outrage swept through the crowd.

But Uchiha Yashiro raised a hand and stopped them.

"Enough."

He glanced at Fugaku, his tone calm.

"He has already lost his son, his clansmen, and his position as Clan Head."

"Let's leave it at that."

Fugaku sat in the corner without a word.

His head was lowered as he looked at Sasuke in his arms.

He neither argued nor defended himself. He simply sat there, as though he had accepted it all.

"Good."

Uchiha Yashiro nodded, then turned to Uchiha En.

"Next, I have a second matter to raise."

His expression grew solemn.

"During this crisis that nearly wiped out our clan, Uchiha En awakened the Mangekyō Sharingan."

"An Uchiha ninja with the Mangekyō Sharingan can rival an Elite Jōnin, or even reach Kage Level."

He paused, a trace of excitement entering his voice.

"I propose that Uchiha En become the next Clan Head."

The room fell silent again.

This time, though, the silence was not born of opposition. Everyone agreed.

"Uchiha En? He awakened the Mangekyō Sharingan! He's certainly qualified to be Clan Head!"

"That's right! The Mangekyō Sharingan is the Uchiha Clan's greatest power!"

"If he becomes Clan Head, I'm behind him!"

"Uchiha En! Well done!"

The survivors nodded one after another.

In a world where the strong devoured the weak, power was everything.

Uchiha En possessed the Mangekyō Sharingan. He was now the strongest person in the Uchiha Clan.

No one else could claim the position of Clan Head.

Hearing them, Uchiha En was overjoyed.

Heh heh heh...

He laughed wildly to himself.

It worked! It worked! The position of Clan Head is mine!

But outwardly, he looked terrified and uneasy.

He sprang to his feet and waved his hands frantically.

"No! No! I'm still a child! How could I be Clan Head?!"

"Elder Yashiro, you must be joking!"

"I... I'm not even a Chunin! How could I take on such a responsibility?"

His voice trembled and his face flushed, as if he truly had been frightened.

"I... I'm nowhere near capable enough!"

Seeing him like this, Uchiha Yashiro smiled.

He patted Uchiha En on the shoulder and spoke gently.

"Child, age is not the issue."

"You possess the Mangekyō Sharingan. That is the greatest power of the Uchiha Clan."

"As for experience..."

Uchiha Yashiro paused, his gaze firm.

"I will personally assist you until you can handle the clan's affairs on your own."

"When that time comes, I will step back."

Uchiha En looked conflicted for a long while.

He looked at Uchiha Yashiro, then at the other clansmen. At last, he gritted his teeth.

"Then... all right."

He nodded, his voice carrying a hint of reluctance.

"If Elder Yashiro and everyone else place so much trust in me..."

"Then I, Uchiha En, will accept the position of Clan Head."

Inside, though, he was beside himself with joy.

Heh heh heh...

It worked... It finally worked...

He took a deep breath and raised his head, his gaze turning resolute.

He faced the entire clan and called out, "My fellow clansmen!"

"Since you trust me enough to make me Clan Head, I, Uchiha En, swear here and now..."

He clenched his fists, his eyes blazing.

"I will lead the Uchiha Clan back to glory!"

"We will return to the pinnacle of Konoha!"

"We will make the Uchiha Clan greater than ever!"

Thunderous applause erupted.

"Good! Well said!"

"Uchiha En! We support you!"

"Rise again! Rise again! Rise again!"

The survivors were so moved that tears filled their eyes.

Uchiha Yashiro nodded repeatedly, overcome with emotion, and patted Uchiha En on the shoulder.

"Good! Good! Good!"

He said it three times, his voice choked with emotion.

"I knew... I chose the right person!"

No one noticed Uchiha Fugaku's expression in the corner.

He sat quietly with Sasuke's body in his arms, watching it all.

His face showed nothing.

But something flickered in his eyes.

Bitterness.

Grief.

Or relief?

Perhaps even he could not have said.

Once everyone had calmed down a little, Uchiha En spoke.

"Tomorrow, Elder Yashiro, please come with me to the Hokage Building for the meeting of Konoha's clans that Hiruzen Sarutobi has called."

He paused and swept his gaze across everyone present.

"Tonight, help me take care of the clan's affairs first."

"Let's bury everyone who died."

Everyone nodded and rose to leave the shrine.

They moved through the Uchiha Clan Compound, gathering their clansmen's bodies one by one.

There were old people and children, men and women.

Every body had once been a living person.

Uchiha En hoisted the body of a middle-aged man onto his shoulder and walked toward the cemetery, his face blank.

He felt nothing.

What do their deaths have to do with me?

I'm not the one who killed them.

If anyone's to blame, it's that lunatic Uchiha Itachi.

As he carried the bodies, he made plans in his head.

Tomorrow's meeting at the Hokage Building... I need to think carefully about how to deal with those old foxes.

Hiruzen Sarutobi, Shimura Danzō, Mitokado Homura, Utatane Koharu...

Not one of those four old fossils will be easy to handle.

Especially that old fox Danzo. He's definitely set his sights on my Mangekyō Sharingan.

Uchiha En narrowed his eyes.

I need to find a way to bait him into attacking me, or lure him out of the village and kill him outright...

They worked through most of the night.

By the time dawn approached, all the bodies in the Uchiha Clan Compound had been buried.

Uchiha En returned home, shut the door, leaned against it, and let out a long breath.

"Finally... it's over."

He walked to his bed and dropped onto it, then closed his eyes impatiently.

System!

He called out silently.

Let's see how big a reward I get for doing so well on Clan Massacre Night!

His awareness sank into his mind, and a translucent panel slowly unfolded.

Light flickered.

Lines of text appeared.

[Ding]

[Host has exceeded the requirements of the Clan Massacre Night quest chain...]

[Calculating rewards...]