"Elder #1, Uchiha Hikaru already said everything I wanted to say."
"Given the current strength of our clan, a coup is nothing but a joke."
"Hasn't the last battle in the Valley of the Dead taught you anything?"
"I didn't expect you to not only ignore the lesson but become even more reckless. Do you want our Uchiha Clan to perish in this generation!?"
Uchiha Yashiro sipped his tea and made a mocking remark.
Setsuna ( Elder #1 ) slammed his teacup to the floor.
His hands trembled with rage as he pointed an accusing finger at Yashiro.
The clansmen seated below dared not speak. Everyone knew those words had come from Uchiha Hikaru, and while they were harsh, they struck at the truth. No one could deny it.
And now the Eighth Elder had stepped in, echoing Hikaru's message, stealing his momentum. Hikaru had never aligned himself with any internal faction.
Uchiha Hikaru stood, intending to continue teaching people like Elder #1 a lesson.
But he hadn't expected the so-called peace faction elders to be so shameless—spouting those words as if he were some puppet mouthpiece for their camp.
Who was Uchiha Hikaru? He wasn't someone who would let that slide.
"'Everything I wanted to say?' Just because you're an elder, you think you can twist the facts to suit your agenda? If you have something to say, say it yourself. If you can't even form those words on your own, then don't act so pleased with yourself."
"Do you even understand what you've done? And you still have the gall to call yourself a peace advocate? You sent Itachi and Shisui to the ANBU, hoping Hiruzen would throw us a few scraps so the clan and the village could reconcile?"
"So tell me, has the situation improved? Is this your great strategy? You gave away two of our brightest—sent them off to serve as dogs for the village, hoping to win favor. And now they've been brainwashed—filled with nothing but the Will of Fire. All they care about is the village, and they've forgotten their clan entirely!"
"Eighth Elder... you didn't take bribes from Danzo, did you? Since when did the Uchiha rely on others' charity to survive? We've always forged ahead through our own power! Strength is the foundation of the Uchiha—not crawling on our knees like dogs! Where is your pride!?"
The Eighth Elder's face twisted with fury. His blood surged, and he pointed at Hikaru and shouted.
"At least we're trying to keep our people alive! The Uchiha today are not the same Uchiha from the past!"
"Ever since Madara left the village and the clan, not a single Mangekyō Sharingan has awakened in decades!"
"Yes, Tobirama suppressed our clan when he held power—but it wasn't this bad. Now Hiruzen's in charge, and that snake Danzo lurks in the shadows."
"Our clan is in a dangerous place! What else can we do besides lower our heads? Who here wants to watch more of our people die? You talk big, but do you have a way to lead this clan to salvation!?"
The Eighth Elder's words stirred murmurs among the peace faction members.
Everyone knew the truth: the Sharingan awakens and evolves through powerful emotional surges—grief, hatred, fear of death. The peace faction had suffered too much loss. They couldn't bear to see that happen again.
That's why they opposed war. Even if they had to give up pride and honor, they would do so just to keep their loved ones alive.
Uchiha Hikaru understood their reasoning—it was the curse of the Sharingan. The very power that made the clan strong also pulled their emotions to extremes—into either rage or despair.
But Hikaru was different.
He had lived another life before this one. He had experienced love, hate, betrayal, and loss. With nearly ninety years across two lifetimes, he had learned to control his emotions—to remain calm and think clearly.
He was a new kind of Uchiha. One who could separate emotion from judgment. One who wouldn't let the Sharingan devour him.
So he picked up where the Eighth Elder left off.
"I can only say this—your peace ideals are far too naive. Why do you believe that bowing to the village will magically end the conflict?"
"Do you still think the current Hokage is Tobirama Senju? Look at the Senju clan—they're the perfect example. Hashirama thought that disbanding the clan and becoming civilians would solve the divide between clans and the village."
"What happened? In the Second Great Ninja War, every Senju died on the battlefield—except Tsunade. And if her grandfather hadn't been the Daimyo and a disciple of Sarutobi Hiruzen, do you think she'd still be alive now?"
"If we want our clan to survive, we can't afford to just drift along! Without power, your ideals are worthless! Survival without dignity only drags us deeper into ruin!"
The room fell into silence again.
Yes—the current Hokage wasn't Tobirama, but his student, Sarutobi Hiruzen. If Hiruzen had Tobirama's strength of will and clarity, the clan wouldn't be in this mess. They wouldn't be targeted. They wouldn't be driven to this point.
And Danzo… he was always lurking, waiting to strike from the shadows.
The clansmen were beginning to realize the truth: whether they launched a coup or continued to obey Hiruzen, the Uchiha were on a path to destruction. The only difference was how fast that end would come.
"Uchiha Daiichi's mental barrier is shattered. Uchiha Nanto's mental barrier is shattered…"
"A total of 32 have broken through. Sharingan pupil power has increased by 10%."
The system reported the results of this confrontation. A solid gain. It was always harder to improve the Sharingan than it was to boost chakra.
Fugaku tapped his fingers rhythmically on the table, deep in thought. He had known this outcome from the start. That's why he'd been trying to balance the war and peace factions, trying to keep the clan stable.
That's why he led the neutral faction himself.
Just then, a voice from the peace faction rang out from below the stage.
"Uchiha Hikaru… according to what you've said, does this mean that the Uchiha Clan is doomed no matter what?"
The words sent a ripple of murmurs through the room.
"Yeah… so there's no way out after all…"
"Looks like we're going to end up just like the Senju."
"Damn it! I'd rather die in battle than die like a dog!"
Hikaru looked at them with thinly veiled contempt. These people changed their stance faster than flipping pages in a book. Their faces turned faster than his ex-girlfriends in his previous life. Was this really the Uchiha Clan?
Just then, Fugaku slammed his hand down on the table.
"Enough!"
"The purpose of this clan meeting is to find a way to survive—to find hope for our clan!"
"What good is all this defeatist talk!?"
"The Uchiha are not reckless fools—and we are not cowards!"
"I believe—we will find a way!"
Fugaku's words lit a spark in the clan's eyes again. Yes… as long as their clan head stood strong, they still had a chance. They just needed to follow his lead and believe.
But Uchiha Hikaru could only sigh inwardly.
It was over. This troublemaker was feeding them another round of his poison-laced optimism.