No mere coincidence!

Those words instantly set the Hardline Faction off.

"Exactly! The strength he displayed was astonishing, but if that power cannot serve the Uchiha and instead becomes a pawn the village uses to hold us in check, it will be a disaster!"

"The Hyuga Incident should serve as a warning! When has the village ever shown mercy to the ninja clans? That boy Genya challenged the Hyuga today for the Will of Fire. Who's to say he won't turn on us Uchiha tomorrow for some other grand cause?!"

"Sosuke! You're his father and the deputy captain of the Konoha Military Police Force. How have you been raising your son? Do you agree with his village-above-all philosophy too?!"

Their accusations began to turn toward Sosuke Uchiha.

Before Sosuke could speak, Uchiha Yakumi, a relatively elderly elder with a gentler disposition, could not help arguing back.

"Everyone, those words are far too extreme! That child Genya acted today to protect his companions. His motives deserve sympathy, and his courage deserves praise!"

"By invoking the Will of Fire, he cleverly used the ideals promoted by the village to protect himself and claim the moral high ground. That proves his exceptional intelligence and his ability to read the situation!"

"Are we really going to tell a child that protecting his companions is wrong? Wouldn't that mean cutting ourselves off from Konoha's prevailing values?"

Uchiha Tekka, another member of the Neutral Faction who mainly handled the clan's internal affairs, spoke thoughtfully as well.

"Elder Yashiro's concerns are not unfounded, but Elder Yakumi also has a point."

"The talent and strength Genya displayed make him a treasure the Uchiha have not seen in a hundred years. That is indisputable."

"The key is how we handle his relationship with the village and how we guide him. Constant accusations and suspicion will only push a genius to the other side."

"Guide him? How?"

The Hardline Faction immediately snapped back.

"Look at how he behaved today! He had no respect for his elders and acted however he pleased! He even dared openly defy the Hokage and the advisers!"

"That uncontrolled edge of his will bring a calamity down on the clan sooner or later! In my opinion, he must be strictly disciplined. We should even... restrict his movements if necessary, so he understands where his roots truly lie!"

"Restrict him? What a joke!"

A younger clansman who admired strength could not hold his tongue.

"Young Master Genya awakened Three Tomoe at six years old and overwhelmed the Hyuga clan head with his Taijutsu and Ninjutsu. That kind of power is the hope of the Uchiha's resurgence!"

"Instead of thinking about how to support him and use that strength to secure benefits for the clan, you want to suppress and restrict him?"

"Are we Uchiha supposed to swallow our anger forever and watch even our geniuses have their edges worn away?"

"Secure benefits? He nearly beat the Hyuga clan head to death today! Is that how he secures benefits? He's making enemies for the clan!"

"The Hyuga humiliated our Uchiha's friend first! Young Master Genya stood up for his friend. What did he do wrong? Have we Uchiha become so cowardly that we don't even dare protect our friends?"

"Protecting a friend is fine, but what about his methods? Is such extreme behavior the act of a wise man?"

"Are we supposed to weigh methods and consequences while watching our companions suffer humiliation? Would we still be Uchiha? Where is our fighting spirit?!"

The argument grew increasingly heated. The Hardline Faction, the Moderate Faction, the Neutral Faction, and even clansmen of different ages and beliefs all joined the debate.

Their voices rose, wave after wave.

The discussion spread from Genya's actions to deeper, more sensitive issues: the relationship between the Uchiha and the village, the clan's future path, and the education of the younger generation.

The meeting room became an enormous powder keg.

Uchiha Fugaku's brow furrowed ever more tightly. Several times, he tried to intervene, only to be drowned out by an even louder surge of voices.

He glanced at the silent Itachi behind him, then at the equally silent Shisui beside a pillar. Weariness and a deeper unease filled his heart.

Genya's emergence was like a massive boulder thrown into the Uchiha's deep pool, already seething with hidden currents, stirring up waves no one could predict.

As Uchiha Izumi listened to the doubtful, heated, and worried remarks about her son, her heart felt as though it were being cut apart.

She forced herself to remain silent, only turning her anxious gaze toward her husband.

Sosuke Uchiha remained silent throughout. Only when one round of heated argument subsided did he stand.

Everyone turned to look at him.

Sosuke calmly swept his gaze across those present before finally settling on Fugaku, the clan head. He spoke in a low, steady voice.

"Everyone, the rights and wrongs of Genya's actions today will receive a fair judgment. But he is my son, Sosuke Uchiha's son. As his father, I will naturally take responsibility for his conduct."

"As for his loyalty, his character, and the path he will take... rather than sitting here making baseless guesses and arguing endlessly, why not-"

His gaze shifted toward the entrance to the secret chamber.

"-wait until he arrives and hear what he has to say himself."

Just as his words fell, the door slowly opened.

Dressed in black Uchiha clothing and accompanied by the ninja from earlier, Genya walked into the center of the maelstrom he had stirred up.

Every gaze instantly converged like a spotlight on this boy who was only six years old, yet had already caused such an upheaval.

The air froze once more.

The stone door closed.

Countless looks of scrutiny, anger, curiosity, and concern pressed upon Genya Uchiha with almost tangible weight.

Yet there was not a trace of nervousness on the six-year-old boy's face.

He ignored the arguing elders and clansmen, turning his gaze instead toward his father, Sosuke Uchiha.

He recalled his father's slightly meaningful description of the clan meeting in the study that night.

The corners of Genya's mouth lifted into a smile wholly at odds with the atmosphere. He addressed his father as though making casual conversation.

"Father, is this what you meant by... the clan meeting might be a little different? From what I've seen today, it certainly is... lively. Consider my horizons broadened."

His relaxed, faintly teasing words sounded strikingly out of place, leaving even some of the elders who had been poised for confrontation momentarily stunned.

Faced with his son's quip, Sosuke Uchiha's face twitched. He offered no reply, only giving him a long, meaningful look.

It held both a warning to take this seriously and an unspoken acknowledgment that it's up to you now.

Genya then turned toward his mother, Uchiha Izumi, beside him and gave her an earnest nod.

Seeing her son and feeling the oppressive atmosphere around them, Izumi unconsciously tightened her hand, even catching hold of her husband Sosuke's clothing without realizing it.

Sensing his wife's tension, Sosuke reached back and laid his hand over hers.

Genya's seemingly casual yet unhurried entrance, along with a composure far beyond his years, stood out.

He held everyone's attention firmly.

Whether the radicals wanted to question him or the moderates wanted to understand him, they all restrained themselves for the moment.

Just then...

Genya's gaze settled on Uchiha Itachi, standing in the shadows behind Fugaku, and the silent Shisui Uchiha a little farther away.

Of these two, one belonged to the Anbu and the other to Root. They were the two geniuses with the closest-and most unusual-ties between the Uchiha and the village.

Ignoring the clansmen waiting for his explanation or declaration of allegiance, he asked a question that caught everyone off guard and even left them somewhat bewildered.

"Itachi, Shisui."

"There's a question that has puzzled me for some time. I'd like to ask you both."

"In your eyes... what exactly is peace?"

"And... what is the fundamental purpose of Konoha Ninja Village's existence?"

Neither question had anything to do with the heated clan dispute at hand.

Upon hearing them, quite a few radical clansmen immediately showed impatience and contempt.

"What nonsense is this brat spouting?!"

"Is this the time to discuss such empty questions?!"

"He walks in and immediately asks those two? Does he think all of us elders and clansmen are invisible?!"

"He's just putting on an act!"

Yet some of the more perceptive people, including the clan head, Uchiha Fugaku, felt a sudden jolt at those words!

Fugaku's gaze on Genya became intensely sharp and searching.

Of course he knew that his eldest son, Itachi, and the clan's genius known as Body Flicker Shisui both had countless ties to the village leadership, especially the Anbu and Root.

Genya had not asked him, the clan head, nor any of the elders, nor his own father.

Instead, he had singled out these two people with their unusual positions...

This was no mere coincidence!