Uchiha Fugaku said with a smile, "Everyone has spoken, so we should let Yan give his opinion too.
"This is his first clan meeting. Surely no one would deny him the chance just because he's young!"
"Hahaha... That's right! Yan should speak too. It's his first time here, so he ought to say something."
"Yan, stand up and share your opinion. No one will laugh at you."
"Yan, let them hear how eloquent you are. 'Blade in hand, bring judgment to all corners'-I'll remember those words until I die."
"..."
How could Uchiha Yan not know what Fugaku was thinking? The man was surely agonizing over things again. A quick mind just meant too much thinking.
You want the benefits without offending anyone. Since when can you have it both ways? Do you think you're me, born knowing how to win people over with virtue?
Though he grumbled inwardly, he still had to say what needed saying if he wanted to reform the Uchiha.
Uchiha Yan scratched the back of his head, put on a shy expression, and slowly began:
"I'm not very good at speaking, so please don't mind, elders. You're all my family, so please point out anything I get wrong."
"Hahaha... Listen to how nicely he puts it! I've told you before, Yan is a kind child who has nothing but the Uchiha's interests at heart."
"Don't worry, Yan! If anyone dares laugh at you, my Three-Tomoe Sharingan will teach him some manners."
"In that case, I'll do as you ask!"
Uchiha Yan bowed to everyone, then raised his voice:
"I don't think we should set our sights on the Hokage position or Danzo. We should set our sights on the entire Shinobi World.
"The Uchiha's Fire Release exists to burn away the darkness of the Shinobi World, not for a mere Hokage position.
"If the Hokage acts fairly, we'll let him continue. If he does a poor job and plunges Konoha into darkness, then the Uchiha should replace him with another Hokage.
"Danzo is Konoha's darkness. He's merely a stone on our sacred path.
"There's really no need to spend too much effort on him. We only need to vote against him.
"Then we'll establish a dedicated squad to search the nations of the Shinobi World for evidence of Danzo betraying Konoha and release it to the other shinobi clans and the villagers.
"Bringing judgment to all corners means judging not only villagers who commit crimes, but Hokage who commit crimes as well. That is the purpose of the Uchiha's existence."
Uchiha Yan paused there, took a deep breath, then continued:
"Cultivate oneself, bring order to the family, govern the nation, and bring peace to the world. Cultivating oneself means keeping oneself free of evil. Bringing order to the family means keeping the clan free of evil. Governing the nation means keeping the Land of Fire and Konoha free of evil. Finally, we must free the entire Shinobi World of evil.
"Protect the loyal and virtuous, purge the wicked, eliminate injustice, and may the Uchiha endure forever!"
Everyone present stared blankly at Uchiha Yan. Not a sound could be heard in the Shrine.
Gulp!
Only after a long while did the sound of someone swallowing break the silence. Uchiha Haruna's face was filled with shock:
"Yan! Are you saying the Uchiha don't have to be Hokage, but we should decide who is?"
"That's different! We protect the loyal and virtuous. A Hokage like the Fourth Hokage is someone we must protect.
"If a villain like Danzo becomes Hokage, we have to eliminate him. We don't decide who becomes Hokage.
"Our responsibility is to prevent wicked people from destroying Konoha's peace."
"Isn't that the same thing!"
Smack!
Uchiha Jinyan slapped Haruna on the head:
"One look at you and anyone can tell you're a villain. Yan means we can only eliminate the Hokage if he's unjust.
"We have to protect a fair and impartial Hokage like the Fourth Hokage."
"I think I get it now. Yan means the clan leader doesn't need to compete for the Hokage position.
"But no matter what, we can't let Danzo have it. If he gets it, the Uchiha will kill him outright."
"But that's the Hokage position!"
"It's merely the Hokage. The Uchiha have a legacy spanning thousands of years. Why would we need the Hokage position to prove ourselves?"
"Exactly! Being Hokage isn't nearly as good as killing one. I agree with Yan.
"If Danzo dares become Hokage, I'll be the first to charge in and kill him."
??????
Uchiha Yan froze. Was that what he meant? That interpretation didn't seem wrong either. If Danzo became Hokage, he might as well lead the Uchiha Clan into becoming rogue shinobi.
Just then, a voice objected, "In all of Konoha, only the clan leader and Danzo are qualified to compete for Hokage. If the clan leader doesn't participate, who else can become Hokage?
"Jiraiya and Lady Tsunade don't want to do it at all. Otherwise, how would Minato ever have had a chance?"
"Good point! Yan, this was your proposal. What do you think we should do?"
"It's simple!"
Uchiha Yan smiled slightly. "The other shinobi villages are only on their fourth leaders, but Konoha is already on its fifth. Doesn't that suggest Konoha is inferior to them?
"In my opinion, we should propose that the Third Hokage resume his post and leave the fifth's position for later.
"The Third Hokage and the others are getting old. The leaders of the shinobi clans have all had children this year. Even the youngest, the Hyūga clan leader, has a wife who's pregnant.
"In another ten-odd years, the Advisory Council will be old or dead. That will be the perfect time for Sasuke and the others to change Konoha.
"How could the Uchiha Clan possibly make friends with ordinary people? As the clan leader's son, Sasuke will need to make friends with the children of the major clan leaders.
"They're the same age, and they might even become teammates. They'll get along in the future too."
Fugaku's eyes flashed. He saw a clear, viable path-a path that would lead Sasuke to the Hokage Building.
Just as Uchiha Yan had said, the Ino-Shika-Cho, Aburame, Hyūga, and other clans all had newborn children this year. Sasuke was very likely to become their friend. This was an unprecedented opportunity.
Bang!
Fugaku slammed his hand down on the table. "I've decided. We will propose that the Third Hokage resume his post.
"If Danzo takes power, I will lead the Uchiha Clan in burning away Konoha's darkness and removing the cancer that is Danzo."
"I agree!"
"I agree too..."
The Uchiha had to find someone to cooperate with now. The Third Hokage was the perfect choice. He was both the Hokage and a clever man, and he certainly wouldn't let anything happen to the Uchiha at a time like this.
In a few years, once Konoha had stabilized, Uchiha Yan would have grown up too. He believed that by then, the Third Hokage would no longer have the ability to move against the Uchiha.
With the matter of the Hokage position temporarily settled, Uchiha Yan planned to use this opportunity to secure some benefits for himself. He had to obtain two deduction opportunities before heading out on a mission.
At that thought, Uchiha Yan raised his right hand and said timidly, "Clan leader, I have another proposal, though I'm not sure whether I should bring it up!"
"If you have something to say, say it."
"I propose compiling a Uchiha family tree. That way, our descendants will know what the Uchiha ancestors did and how to learn from them.
"Take Obito, for instance. He had two tomoe as soon as he awakened his eyes. That's unprecedented in Uchiha history.
"With a family tree recording it, future generations will know that the Sharingan's evolution doesn't have to begin with a single tomoe.
"And there's Madara Uchiha. He founded Konoha. Whatever he did afterward, he did give the Uchiha a period of peace."
"There are documents in the Shrine. All of that is recorded!"
"But those documents aren't complete! Some clan members clearly gave so much to the clan, yet there's no record of them at all.
"For example, Madara Uchiha's family, and Obito's family."
At that point, Uchiha Yan let out a long sigh. "Starting with the Sage of Six Paths, we should compile the Uchiha Clan's lineage generation by generation. Only then will the Uchiha have roots and know where we came from.
"As a great clan with a thousand-year history, are we supposed to be like those ants, not even knowing who our ancestors were?
"Without a family tree, do we have to consider anyone who transplants a Sharingan a member of the Uchiha?
"Take Kakashi. He has a Sharingan too. People who don't know the truth might think he's an Uchiha and blame anything he does on us."
Before you continue