Inside the Naka Shrine main hall—
"Everyone, the current state of the Land of Fire has become unpredictable because of one man's actions. That is why I believe the Uchiha clan must quickly elect a new head. Only a new clan head can lead us toward new glory."
"Clinging stubbornly to outdated, rigid ideals will only cause the village to reject us further, and plunge the future of the Uchiha into deeper and deeper darkness!"
Though Uchiha Setsuna never named names, every clansman knew exactly whom he was speaking of.
His words, in truth, won the recognition of many clansmen.
After all, the fact that the Uchiha had been ostracized by the village was undeniable.
Otherwise, why would their compound have been forced step by step from Konoha's central districts to its outermost edge? Why would their position have fallen from once participating in governance to now being reduced to nothing more than a Police Force?
Fugaku's compromises, made one after another, had long since stirred resentment.
Uchiha Setsuna had only given voice to those grievances.
With a solemn expression and a hoarse voice, Setsuna declared: "Therefore, I propose that tonight's clan assembly serve as the election for a new clan head! And I, Uchiha Setsuna, hope that all of you will choose me as the new head of the Uchiha clan!"
"I give you my word that once I take the seat, every ninja clan in Konoha will be forced to bow before the Uchiha! No longer will the village's leadership dare to oppress us! No…"
"To be precise… the leadership of Konoha will cease to be those few people—it will become us, the Uchiha. Konoha will no longer be their Konoha, but the Uchiha's Konoha."
"Of course."
Setsuna's tone turned mocking as he added, "If there are those willing to keep being excluded by the village, to keep being viewed through tinted lenses, then by all means continue to rally behind Fugaku—continue being the loyal dog of the village's leadership."
Among the crowd—
Sasuke, kneeling beside Uchiha Mikoto, widened his eyes.
Just as he was about to rise in angry protest, Mikoto pressed him back down.
"Sasuke, this isn't something a child like you can interrupt."
Mikoto shook her head.
Her worried gaze shifted toward Fugaku, who sat in silence. She could see clearly that beneath his expressionless face, his heart was seething with rage. But… she could also see just as clearly that many clansmen below were silently approving of Setsuna's taunts.
After incident upon incident—
Fugaku had ultimately lost the people's trust. Even many of the Uchiha moderates had chosen silence.
Mikoto sighed softly.
And then—
In that eerie stillness, a sudden voice cut through, striking harshly against the atmosphere: "So, tonight we're just choosing between the two of you?!"
Mikoto froze.
She realized the speaker was someone behind her. Turning her head, she saw an Uchiha elite jōnin standing boldly with hands in his pockets, no hint of restraint, no respect for hierarchy.
His eyes locked directly on Fugaku and Setsuna atop the platform.
"Yes," Setsuna replied. "Fugaku is still clan head, so naturally he has the right to stand. I am an Uchiha elder, and with the support of many young men, I, too, have the right. The will of the people lies with me, and that gives me this qualification."
"Ha!"
The standing Uchiha jōnin suddenly grinned.
"Then there's nothing worth choosing. Between a cowardly weakling and a decrepit old man… I'd rather pick neither. I'd sooner put a pig in that seat than either of you."
Turning his back on the hall, he strode toward the exit, calling out as he went: "Hold this assembly again when Uchiha Keizumi is present!"
At that, two other Uchiha jōnin rose from the crowd.
One of them said flatly, expression unreadable: "No interest in choosing between trash and a weakling."
Another man chuckled as he spoke: "Sorry, but between a clan head like Fugaku who compromises step by step, and an elder like Setsuna who can't keep up with the times—we'd rather lean toward [Absolute Justice]. At least Uchiha Keizumi's capacity has earned our respect."
As he said this, his gaze shifted toward Uchiha Izumi among the crowd.
"You must have long since grown impatient. You're only sitting here out of courtesy. Well, that makes sense… after all, you're only half-Uchiha. Your temperament and way of dealing with things are different from ours. Since that's the case, let us three troublemakers take the lead."
With that, the two other Uchiha jōnin stood and followed the first, walking straight out of the Naka Shrine's main hall.
At that moment, shock rippled across the gathered clansmen.
Many couldn't help but turn their eyes toward Uchiha Izumi.
"Such a pointless election game."
Izumi rose, dragging her weary body step by step toward the exit.
"Even if Keizumi-senpai were still in Konoha, he wouldn't come to this kind of clan assembly—it's meaningless. No matter who serves as clan head, their vision and scope are too small. Either they cling to some so-called balance, or chase after so-called power."
"If any of you would simply think a little of the ordinary people in the clan who have no voice, if you could lower those lofty eyes and look down just once, perhaps the Uchiha clan might still have a chance at salvation."
With that, her figure too disappeared from sight.
Within the vast main hall of the Naka Shrine—
Four cushions suddenly sat empty.
"Keizumi's justice… has truly influenced more than a few." Mikoto's eyes flickered with astonishment, but when she thought it over, it was not so strange.
Uchiha Keizumi's way of enforcing Absolute Justice, coupled with his vision, perfectly aligned with the values of many of the younger Uchiha.
Even if Keizumi had never tried to form a faction, there would inevitably be clansmen who, passively, found themselves standing at his side.
Including herself…
Mikoto let out a soft sigh. If she had not already recognized Keizumi's [Absolute Justice], why would she ever have thought of entrusting Sasuke to him—asking Keizumi to look after her son?
On the platform—
Fugaku's stern face betrayed no hint of emotion.
But Uchiha Setsuna's was another matter: his wrinkled, aged features twisted with fury, his expression dark as ink.
He knew those three Uchiha jōnin well. They had been the core members of his radical faction. But for some time now, they had ceased to obey his commands.
Only now did Setsuna realize—
Those three bastards had chosen to side with Uchiha Keizumi!
That extremist brat wasn't even here tonight, and still these fools were licking his boots!
Setsuna nearly crushed his cane in his grip, veins on the back of his hand trembling violently.
And then—
"Indeed, there's still someone missing."
Suddenly, a young shinobi from the Uchiha Police Force stood up and said clearly: "Compared to Clan Head Fugaku and Elder Setsuna, I align more with Uchiha Keizumi."
"That guy may not care about leading the Uchiha clan to glory, but I admire his capacity. I'll only follow the one I truly recognize. That's all."
He left as well.
Uchiha Hazuki, Izumi's mother, also rose silently to her feet.
Since her daughter had already departed, it was only proper for her not to linger.
She bowed respectfully to the two men on the platform—then turned and left.
A sharp crack rang out. Overcome by violent emotion, Uchiha Setsuna finally crushed his cane in his grip.
Wooden splinters pierced his palm, and fresh blood welled out.
"Forgive us, Elder Setsuna."
Several young radicals of the Uchiha hesitated for a long moment. At last, they drew in deep breaths, gritted their teeth, and stood.
"We're not actually that interested in a coup. The Uchiha clan doesn't have to take the Hokage's seat to earn the respect of the village."
"Hasn't Uchiha Keizumi already earned everyone's respect? That proves the Uchiha might still have another path. We've decided to test that new path for ourselves."
With a loud crack, one of Setsuna's false teeth split in half under the force of his clenched jaw.
No one present had expected things to turn out this way—least of all the radicals who had chosen to stand at Setsuna's side.
They glanced left, glanced right, then exchanged uneasy looks with each other.
Logic told them they should rise, denounce those who left, and argue back forcefully.
But…
They suddenly found themselves thinking those who walked out had a point.
Could either Uchiha Fugaku or Uchiha Setsuna truly lead the clan?
The first had grown so cowardly it exasperated everyone.
The second—if he had possessed real ability, would he have been captured and imprisoned by the Second Hokage decades ago, left to rot for so long?
And so—not a single person stepped forward to speak in Setsuna's defense.
The atmosphere sank into a suffocating, uncanny awkwardness.
"Ahem…"
At last, an elderly Uchiha stood and gave a sheepish laugh.
"My eldest son has already left. I would feel rather embarrassed to stay."
Setsuna's eyes went wide. That man was one of the radical elders!
He had even been present when Setsuna pressured Fugaku earlier!
Now, looking out across the hall—
At least a tenth of the seats in the Naka Shrine's main hall were empty. Among the remaining nine-tenths, many still hesitated, wavering, uncertain whether to rise.
The silence of the clansmen—
It was deafening.
As Setsuna sat there, face dark and dazed, Fugaku—expression stern and silent until now—exhaled a heavy breath and spoke slowly: "Elder Setsuna… neither you nor I have won. We both lost. The true victor defeated us without even needing to appear."
Fugaku rose to his feet and continued: "After what happened tonight, there may not be many left in the clan who see me as their head. The title of Uchiha clan head has become nothing but an empty name."
"Elder Setsuna, you need not rage so fiercely. At the very least, you've already achieved half your aim. And against your pressure, I had no strength to resist at all—did I?"
Uchiha Setsuna: "…"
Who said half the goal was achieved?!
I want to be the head of the Uchiha clan!
I want to be the Hokage of Konoha!
Setsuna's thoughts roared inside, his expression grim and stormy.
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