Sidelining Fugaku, the Uchiha Clan's True Ruler!

Deep within the Uchiha Clan's Naka Shrine, a secret chamber that was never normally opened now flickered with dim candlelight.

Two distinct groups sat on opposite sides of the room.

On the left were the Hawk Faction elders, led by Uchiha Yashiro.

On the right were the core members of the Dove Faction, led by Uchiha En.

"Cough."

At last, Elder Uchiha En of the Dove Faction could no longer bear it and cleared his throat, breaking the suffocating silence.

"Elder Yao... we..."

"Elders, I did not summon you here today to settle the past."

"It is to see the future clearly."

"The future?"

A Hawk Faction elder snorted, his mockery undisguised.

"Wasn't our future cut short with that child Shisui?"

Those words instantly darkened the faces of Uchiha En and the other Dove Faction elders.

"Shisui was a genius," Uchiha Yao said.

"His loyalty and his love for the village were unmatched."

"But his death proved one thing as well."

Uchiha Yao's gaze swept over every elder present.

"In the eyes of Konoha High Command, only an obedient Uchiha with no threat is a good Uchiha. Uchiha lives are not lives at all. Like ninja tools, they can be discarded whenever they are no longer wanted!"

"Enough!"

Uchiha En growled.

"We already know! We already know we were wrong!"

"No." Uchiha Yao shook his head.

"This is not a matter of right or wrong."

"It is a matter of choosing how to survive."

"Will we continue being blades that can be broken and discarded at any moment? Or will we become the hand that holds the blade and take control of our own fate?"

Uchiha Yao rose to his feet and slowly paced through the cramped chamber.

"We will reclaim everything that belongs to the Uchiha—our glory, our status, and our dignity!"

"Easy to say!"

One of the Dove Faction elders remained doubtful.

"But what gives us the right? The Hawk and Dove Factions have harbored grudges for years, constantly tearing each other apart. How can we unite?"

"You are right."

Uchiha Yao stopped and looked at him.

"Unity is not achieved through words, but through action."

Uchiha Yao turned to Uchiha En.

"Elder En, while your Dove Faction may not excel at fighting, over the years, in order to contend with the village's higher-ups, you have planted many informants and spies throughout the village!"

Uchiha En shuddered, staring at Uchiha Yao in astonishment.

This was the Dove Faction's greatest secret—their trump card for sensing the High Command's intentions and protecting themselves—yet Uchiha Yao had exposed it in a single sentence.

Without waiting for his answer, Yao turned to Uchiha Yashiro.

"Elder Yashiro, your Hawk Faction controls the core combat strength of the Police Force and more than ninety percent of the clan's training resources. The clan's most elite warriors are all in your hands."

Uchiha Yashiro nodded. It was an indisputable fact.

"Now, I propose a Family Resource-Sharing Plan."

Uchiha Yao's voice rang with conviction.

"From today onward, Elder En's intelligence network will provide Elder Yashiro's Police Force with the most precise guidance on current developments."

"And the training grounds must be opened to every clansman, including the younger Dove Faction members you consider 'weak.'"

"Furthermore, the Hawk Faction must send elite jonin to train the Dove Faction's younger generation!"

Uchiha Yao went on to announce his second decision.

"Effective immediately, Uchiha Nagi and Uchiha Hikari will join my Elder Guard as vice-captains."

The Dove Faction erupted in an uproar.

Uchiha Nagi and Uchiha Hikari were both rare young talents within the Dove Faction. Though they possessed considerable strength, factional reasons had kept them excluded from the core of power.

Yet Uchiha Yao had directly promoted them to the most important positions at his side!

What immense trust and resolve!

"Elder Yao..."

Uchiha En's lips trembled with excitement.

"I do not intend to erase the differences between the Hawk and Dove Factions."

Uchiha Yao's voice rang out once more.

"Hawks have their sharp talons, and doves have their vision."

"What I want is a complete Uchiha Clan."

"For the clan's future, we must cast aside the prejudices of the past."

"For the past several years, the clan chose to endure. Some believed that was compromise; others believed it was weakness."

"But I do not see it that way."

"I believe we were buying time for the clan and gathering strength."

"It was precisely that long period of concealment that allowed us to wait for this moment—the moment when we can completely turn the tide!"

"In the end, everything requires absolute strength as its foundation."

Uchiha Yashiro looked at Uchiha Yao and asked, "Yao, you have painted us a grand blueprint."

"Can you truly lead us to achieve all this? What gives you the power to oppose Danzo and the entire Konoha High Command?"

Everyone's gaze instantly focused on Uchiha Yao once again.

This was the final and most crucial question.

Uchiha Yao smiled.

He slowly closed his eyes.

Then he abruptly opened them.

Buzz—!

No longer were they three black tomoe.

In his left eye were three sharp sickle blades; in his right, three spiraling whorls.

Mangekyō Sharingan!

The Uchiha Clan's supreme eye technique, said to awaken only after one experienced the extreme agony of losing a beloved relative!

Uchiha Yashiro's eyes first filled with overwhelming shock, then transformed into fanatical worship and joy.

He had not chosen the wrong man!

He truly had not chosen the wrong man!

Those eyes were the greatest guarantee of the Uchiha Clan's rise!

This was the "absolute strength" Uchiha Yao had spoken of!

The instant everyone present saw those eyes, the last trace of doubt in their hearts vanished without a trace.

In its place rose unprecedented conviction and fervor.

"From this day forward, we are willing to honor Elder Yao as our leader!"

Uchiha Yashiro declared his allegiance and lowered his proud head.

"We are willing to brave fire and water for Elder Yao, without hesitation!"

Uchiha En followed immediately, leading all the Dove Faction members in a deep bow.

Within the secret chamber, the two factions, for the first time, swore allegiance to the same man in perfect unison.

Uchiha Yao withdrew his Mangekyō Sharingan, and the terrifying pressure dissipated with it.

From that moment onward, Uchiha Yao became the true helmsman of this vast clan.

Fugaku...

It was time for the position of clan head to change hands.

Next, Uchiha Yao's goal was to force Uchiha Fugaku from office, make the clan head step down, and become the Uchiha Clan's leader himself—the Uchiha's rightful master.