Chapter 45: The Fictional Clan Head Fugaku, The Actual Controller of the Uchiha Clan!
Deep within the Nanga Shrine of the Uchiha Clan, a secret room, never opened on ordinary days, was now lit by a faint candlelight. On both sides of the room, two groups of people sat distinctly apart. To the left were the Hawk Faction Elders, led by Uchiha Yashiro. To the right were the core members of the Dove Faction, led by Uchiha Honoka.
"Cough." Finally, Elder Uchiha Honoka of the Dove Faction could not help but cough, breaking the suffocating silence. "Elder Akira… we…"
"Elders, I did not invite you here today to dwell on the past. Instead, it is to see the future."
"The future?" An Elder from the Hawk Faction snorted, with unconcealed mockery. "Hasn't our future been severed by that child, Shisui?"
This remark made Uchiha Honoka and many other Dove Faction Elders instantly darken their expressions.
"Shisui was a genius," Uchiha Akira said. "His loyalty, his love for the Village, were unmatched. But his death also proved one thing." Akira's gaze swept across every Elder present. "In the eyes of Konoha's higher-ups, a compliant, harmless Uchiha is a good Uchiha. An Uchiha's life is not a life; they are like ninja tools, to be discarded at any time if no longer needed!"
"Enough!" Uchiha Honoka roared. "We already know! We already know we were wrong!"
"No," Akira shook his head. "This is not a matter of right or wrong. This is a choice of how to survive. Is it to continue being a blade that can be broken and discarded at any time, or to become the hand that wields the blade, to control one's own destiny?"
Akira stood up and slowly paced in the small secret room. "We must reclaim everything that belongs to the Uchiha—honor, status, and dignity!"
"Easy to say!" A Dove Faction Elder still harbored doubts. "But what do we have? The Hawk and Dove Factions have long-standing grievances, with constant internal strife. How can we integrate?"
"You're right," Akira stopped and looked at him. "Integration is not achieved by words, but by action."
Akira then looked at Uchiha Honoka. "Elder Honoka, although your Dove Faction is not skilled in combat, over the years, to deal with the Village's higher-ups, you have placed many informants and spies throughout the Village!"
Uchiha Honoka's body trembled, looking at Akira in astonishment. This was their Dove Faction's biggest secret, their trump card to gauge the higher-ups' intentions and protect themselves, yet Akira had exposed it with a single sentence.
Akira did not wait for his answer and turned to Uchiha Yashiro. "Elder Uchiha Yashiro, your Hawk Faction controls the core combat power of the Guard Team and over 90% of the clan's training resources. The most elite warriors of the clan are in your hands."
Uchiha Yashiro nodded; this was an undeniable fact.
"Now, I propose a 'Clan Resource Sharing Plan'," Akira's voice was resolute. "From today onwards, Elder Honoka's intelligence network will provide the most precise operational guidance to Elder Uchiha Yashiro's Guard Team. And the training grounds must be open to all clan members, including those young members of the Dove Faction whom you consider 'weak'. Furthermore, the Hawk Faction must dispatch Elite Jōnin to guide the younger generation of the Dove Faction!"
Akira continued to announce a second decision. "Effective immediately, Uchiha Nagi and Uchiha Hikari will join my Elder Guard as Vice-Captains."
At these words, the Dove Faction erupted in an uproar. Uchiha Nagi and Uchiha Hikari were both rare young talents within the Dove Faction. Although their strength was considerable, due to factional reasons, they had always been excluded from the core of power. Now, Uchiha Akira was directly promoting them to the most important positions by his side! What trust and courage this was!
"Elder Akira…" Uchiha Honoka's lips trembled with excitement.
"I am not trying to erase the differences between the Hawk and Dove Factions," Akira's voice resonated again. "The hawk has its talons, and the dove has its vision. What I want is a complete Uchiha. For the future of the clan, we must put aside past prejudices. In the past few years, the clan chose to endure. Some believed that was compromise, some believed that was weakness. But I do not see it that way. I believe that was buying time for the clan, accumulating strength. It is precisely that long period of dormancy that allowed us to wait for this moment today, a moment that can completely turn the tide! Ultimately, everything requires absolute power as its foundation."
Uchiha Yashiro looked at Akira and asked. "Akira, you have painted a magnificent blueprint for us. Can you lead us to achieve all of this? How can you contend with Danzō and the entire Konoha higher-ups?"
Everyone's gaze instantly refocused on Akira. This was the final, and most crucial, question.
Akira smiled. He slowly closed his eyes, then suddenly opened them.
Buzz—!
No longer three black tomoe. His left eye, three sharp scythe blades; his right eye, three swirling spirals. Mangekyō Sharingan! According to legend, this was the Uchiha Clan's supreme Dōjutsu, which could only be awakened after experiencing the ultimate pain of losing a loved one!
In Uchiha Yashiro's eyes, there was first extreme shock, and then it transformed into fervent adoration and joy. He had not chosen the wrong person! He truly had not chosen the wrong person! These eyes were the greatest guarantee of the Uchiha's rise! This was the "absolute power" Akira spoke of!
The moment everyone present saw these eyes, their last shred of doubt vanished into thin air. In its place was an unprecedented conviction and fanaticism.
"From this day forward, we pledge allegiance to Elder Akira!" Uchiha Yashiro declared his loyalty, lowering his proud head.
"We are willing to go through fire and water for Elder Akira, without hesitation!" Uchiha Honoka followed suit, leading all Dove Faction members to prostrate themselves deeply.
In the secret room, the two factions, for the first time, pledged allegiance to the same person with such perfect unity.
Uchiha Akira retracted his Mangekyō Sharingan, and the terrifying pressure dissipated with it. From this moment on, he, Uchiha Akira, became the de facto leader of this vast clan.
Fugaku… It's time for the Clan Head position to change hands.
Next, Uchiha Akira's goal was to force Uchiha Fugaku to abdicate, making himself the Clan Head of the Uchiha Clan and the rightful controller of the Uchiha.