Uchiha Itachi sat back down and fell silent. His clansmen were like this. They could not grasp the true meaning of the Will of Fire. As Konoha shinobi, they put personal interest above the village. That was a grave mistake. Yet he could not scold them outright. That would only sharpen conflict.
At that moment, Uchiha Hachidai stood. He understood why Ryōsuke had acted, but the timing was bad. If the Uchiha and Hyuga raised the banner against Cloud, many ninja would die. He could not accept that. If the Uchiha weakened again, the village leadership that already disliked them would press harder, and the clan might decline.
"Ryōsuke," he said, "I agree with your sentiments, but it is not our place to stick our necks out for the Hyuga. If war breaks out, our clan will lose strength too."
Ryōsuke did not turn cold on Hachidai. He looked around the hall. "As one of Konoha's two founding clans, do you think we have no reason to protect others in the village? What the Third Hokage can do, our Uchiha can do. He chose to sacrifice our own to pacify another village's shameless rage. We choose to resist."
Hachidai felt a stir. The Uchiha were founders, now harried by former minor clans. Of course that rankled the hardliners. Ryōsuke was their standard-bearer now. If the Uchiha did what the Third could not—or could—then the Uchiha were more fit to lead Konoha.
"Well said. We'll handle this," Hachidai declared, and sat down, satisfied.
Izumi's respect for her Brother Ryōsuke deepened. She disliked the Third's approach. Villagers should be protected from outside bullies. That was Ryōsuke's stance, and she liked it.
Even Uchiha Fugaku approved. Others felt Ryōsuke's move was cathartic. As clan head, he saw the gains. The Hyuga were weaker than the Uchiha, but their Byakugan held undeniable strategic value. They were a true noble house. Ryōsuke had seized the chance to win them over, easing one of the village factions' hostility toward the Uchiha. That was a major win.
Itachi's face grew calmer while his heart churned. Ryōsuke was too extreme. To think his way was better than the Third's was nonsense. Itachi had been to the battlefield and seen death like dust on the wind. The Third's way was right. Sacrificing one to save many could not be wrong. A shinobi should sacrifice the self for the whole. That was the meaning of being a shinobi. Ryōsuke lacked that awareness. He was selfish and radical. To protect one, he would start a war. Utterly wrong.
Ryosuke scanned the crowd. "Anyone else want to accuse me?"
Neither moderates nor hardliners spoke. The Uchiha had helped found Konoha. They could not stomach another village pushing Konoha around. To the hardliners, the Third looked senile and repressive toward the Uchiha. Now the clan felt stronger than the Third. Both camps loved the village. It was their home.
The Great Elder was gratified. His grandson had grown and could command the room.
Itachi saw it too. The clan had been swayed by this man. Even his father did not pursue punishment. It chilled him. He could not let Ryōsuke shape the clan's thinking. At this rate Ryōsuke might openly oppose the Hokage, and then things would spiral. With Shisui absent, Itachi would have to stop the slide.
He stood again. "Uchiha Ryōsuke, you underestimate war's cost. If war comes and our clan goes to the front, how many here will die? Have you thought of that?"
Ryōsuke smiled. "All our fame and honor were won by our forebears' blood. Or are you a coward, Uchiha Itachi?"
The other clansmen agreed with Ryōsuke's words.
T/n:
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