Uchiha Ang shot the man a look of contempt, hesitated for a moment, but still spoke.
"Everyone, let's just drop this matter."
At those words, Uchiha Setsuna glared at him and retorted:
"Drop it? How can we just drop it like this? Uchiha Hikaru carries the Uchiha blood—we can't just let him go."
Although Uchiha Ang didn't want to see Uchiha Hikaru leave either, the matter was more or less already decided.
Besides, awakening the Sharingan at six was monstrous, sure, but that didn't guarantee he would awaken the Mangekyō in the future.
However, being adopted by Mito Uzumaki would certainly improve the Uchiha clan's current position.
Of course, Uchiha Ang didn't know that Uchiha Hikaru had already awakened the Mangekyō Sharingan. If he did, he'd probably regret it to the depths of his soul.
What's more, Uchiha Setsuna actually played a part in Hikaru's adoption.
With that in mind, Uchiha Ang continued:
"You all probably aren't aware of the boy's recent situation, so I'll be frank—Elder Setsuna played a role in Hikaru's adoption."
Uchiha Setsuna was momentarily stunned by those words. He had never even met Uchiha Hikaru before—how could he have contributed?
Before he could ask, Uchiha Ang explained:
"Remember Elder Setsuna's proposal a while back? The one about sending some of the clan's orphans to the Ninja Academy?"
"One of those orphans was Uchiha Hikaru. And at the same time, a descendant of the Senju—Tsunade—also entered the academy."
"Presumably, that's when they crossed paths. Eventually, Hikaru caught Mito Uzumaki's eye, and she adopted him."
"So this matter is already set in stone."
Everyone present held significant standing within the Uchiha clan, and they understood exactly what Ang meant by "no room for negotiation."
Uchiha Hikaru had been part of the group the clan gave up on. Since they abandoned him, it was clear what his feelings toward the clan would be.
In contrast, Mito Uzumaki had been the one to extend a helping hand when no one else did.
Given the stark difference in treatment, any rational person would know whom to side with.
Uchiha Setsuna had words stuck in his throat. Speaking them would be awkward, but not speaking them felt even worse.
It was true—he had proposed sending orphans to the Ninja Academy, and he understood exactly what that meant.
But there was no choice. It was a compromise with the Dove Faction* in exchange for placing their own people inside the clan's academy.
Rumor had it that the Dove Faction even sent their own children to the academy just to curry favor with the Hokage—without a shred of shame.
In truth, whether it was the Doves or the Hawks, all Uchiha wanted the same thing: for the clan to flourish.
They simply disagreed on how to achieve it.
The Doves advocated harmony, forging alliances within Konoha to gain the support of the majority.
Eventually, under such favorable conditions, an Uchiha Hokage would naturally rise.
The Hawks were far more radical. They proposed a coup to overthrow Konoha's leadership and install an Uchiha Hokage directly.
But their aggression backfired. In an era where tensions between the Uchiha and Konoha weren't particularly severe, the radicals had been constantly suppressed.
Thus, most of their goals had to be negotiated with the Doves. That's why Uchiha Setsuna, hoping to get results, offered up a proposal that favored the Doves.
Who would've thought a monster like that would emerge from the orphans?
The bitter taste in his mouth was unbearable—like he had "picked up a stone and smashed it on his own foot" and couldn't even complain about it.
'He's just a child. There will be chances in the future to bring him back.'
Uchiha Setsuna couldn't afford to lose face. As an Uchiha, pride was already in his blood—let alone for someone like him, the Grand Elder.
Clearing his throat, he waited until all eyes were on him before offering a solution.
"Since things have reached this stage, why don't we take it slowly?"
"Uchiha Hikaru is still an Uchiha, no matter what. Even Mito Uzumaki can't truly grasp the secrets of the Sharingan."
"Send someone to tell him—if he wants access to the Sharingan's forbidden techniques, he'll have to return to the clan."
This compromise earned nods of agreement from everyone present.
By now, it was too late for any real recovery efforts.
And as Uchiha themselves, they believed that no one understood the allure of the Sharingan more than them—it would surely call Hikaru back.
Unfortunately, they were all wrong.
Uchiha Hikaru had already awakened the Mangekyō, and with the cheat-like power of the Idle Training System, nothing was going to play out reasonably.
When he did return to the clan, it would be the day he claimed leadership over it.
Since the meeting's main objective had failed, and a compromise was reached, the two factions—always at odds—naturally left immediately.
Thus, the clan's meeting ended in anticlimactic fashion. But the storm had only just begun.
No matter what, the name "Uchiha Hikaru" had already begun spreading among the Uchiha leadership.
And it wouldn't be long before it echoed through every corner of Konoha.
Uchiha Ang had just returned home and hadn't even sat down to rest when Uchiha Noboru knocked at his door.
"Come in."
At his father's response, Noboru opened the door and stepped inside, standing respectfully before him.
"Father, did the meeting go smoothly?"
Ang nodded with satisfaction, pleased with his son's manners.
Though a member of the Dove Faction, Ang placed great importance on decorum—almost to an extreme degree.
Even within the household, his son was no exception.
"The meeting didn't go too smoothly. That child you told me about—that was the main topic."
"Your instincts were spot-on. Not only has he awakened the Sharingan, it's already at the Three-Tomoe stage."
"Unfortunately, he's already been adopted by Mito."
As he spoke, Ang shook his head, lamenting the loss of a genius from the clan. Noboru looked surprised beside him.
He had already suspected that Hikaru had awakened the Sharingan, but didn't expect it to be Three-Tomoe.
Still, it was meaningless now. The boy had been adopted—by someone even the Uchiha couldn't afford to cross.
Even so, letting such a talent slip away… was the clan really going to do nothing?
So Noboru pressed further:
"Is there really no way to recover him?"
Ang chuckled softly.
"You know how Setsuna is—the proposal to send orphans to the academy came from him."
"Asking him to swallow his pride and apologize to Uchiha Hikaru would be harder than killing him."
Noboru nodded in agreement. The two exchanged a knowing smile.
Neither noticed the small figure quietly standing just outside the door.