"Father, how could you have such an idea?"
He really couldn't understand.
Setting aside Konoha's White Fang, whose solitary power terrified enemies and forced other villages to issue orders to "abandon missions unconditionally upon encountering Hatake Sakumo," even Orochimaru, who was granted the title of Sannin by the demigod Hanzo of the Salamander during the Second Shinobi World War, already had a thunderous reputation in the shinobi world.
The two of them were currently unrivaled in the limelight in Konoha.
In comparison, whether in prestige or strength, neither he nor Uchiha Yuzuru had any comparability.
Seeing Uchiha Fugaku's puzzled expression, Uchiha Taro explained, "I certainly don't mean for you to compete with Hatake Sakumo and Orochimaru. I still have that much self-awareness."
Hearing this, Uchiha Fugaku became even more confused. "Then what do you mean?"
"Although Orochimaru and Hatake Sakumo are impeccable in terms of both prestige and strength, they have a fatal flaw."
Uchiha Taro looked at the two and said in a deep voice, "Age!"
"Age?"
"Exactly."
Uchiha Taro drank a mouthful of tea and said confidently, "Currently, the Third Hokage is in good health. If no accidents occur, he will likely remain in office for a very long time."
"In this situation, by the time the Third steps down, both Orochimaru and Hatake Sakumo will likely no longer be young."
"At that time, the choice for Hokage will very likely be made among the outstanding members of the new generation."
"And that... is the opportunity for you two!"
After listening to Uchiha Taro's explanation, Uchiha Fugaku suddenly realized the truth. Thinking about it carefully, this possibility was very high!
One had to know that Konoha had no tradition of stepping down early. Both Senju Hashirama and Senju Tobirama only relinquished the position of Hokage after death. And since assuming the role of Hokage, Sarutobi Hiruzen had stayed in the village and never gone to any dangerous places.
Given Sarutobi Hiruzen's current lifestyle, living another twenty years would probably not be an issue. When that time truly came, Orochimaru and Hatake Sakumo would have long missed their golden age.
Having figured this out, a look of admiration appeared on Uchiha Fugaku's face.
After speaking, he couldn't help but snort lightly at Uchiha Yuzuru. "Yuzuru, if things really go as Father predicts, you have a better chance of becoming Hokage than I do."
"Work hard. The entire Uchiha clan will pour its resources into supporting you and building momentum for you."
Compared to Uchiha Yuzuru, he was only five years younger than Orochimaru. By the time Sarutobi Hiruzen stepped down, he would likely be quite old as well. Moreover, before the clan assembly, Uchiha Yuzuru had just defeated him with powerful ocular power.
If they really had to compete for Hokage, Uchiha Yuzuru was indeed more suitable than him.
Seeing Uchiha Fugaku so frank, Uchiha Taro nodded with satisfaction. The Uchiha clan respected the strong. Even if Fugaku was his son, he wouldn't suppress Uchiha Yuzuru for his sake.
Uchiha Taro turned his gaze to Uchiha Yuzuru and asked, "Yuzuru, what do you think?"
Uchiha Yuzuru placed the teacup in his hand on the table, making a muffled thud.
"Perhaps it is this kind of optimistic thinking, or rather this stubbornness of refusing to give up until all hope is gone, that will cause the tragedy of the Uchiha clan's destruction."
Hearing Uchiha Yuzuru's murmuring, the corner of Uchiha Taro's mouth twitched as he waited for the other party to praise him.
Not only was he not praised, but he was also scolded...
He really had the impulse to vomit blood.
Beside him, Uchiha Fugaku slammed the table in anger.
"Uchiha Yuzuru, what do you mean by that?"
"There must be a limit to arrogance. How dare you be so disrespectful to the Clan Head!"
Uchiha Yuzuru glanced at Uchiha Fugaku and said flatly, "I just didn't want to keep what I wanted to say bottled up inside."
"If you felt offended, then I can say sorry."
"You!!!"
Uchiha Fugaku felt like he had punched cotton. His face turned red with anger, pointing at Uchiha Yuzuru, unable to speak.
He originally thought Uchiha Yuzuru would tit-for-tat with him, and he was even prepared to fight the other party. But he didn't expect Uchiha Yuzuru to choose to apologize directly...
Where was your Uchiha soul?!
Uchiha Taro, on the other hand, was somewhat accustomed to strange things. Over the years, he had seen many Uchiha geniuses, and some were even more excessive than Uchiha Yuzuru.
"Yuzuru, can you explain your reasoning?"
"Is there something not well-considered in the plan I just mentioned?"
Thinking of the Uchiha clan's fate in the original work, Uchiha Yuzuru got straight to the point. "You were wrong from the very beginning."
"No matter who the opponent is, our Uchiha clan cannot become Hokage."
From Senju Tobirama onwards, the Hokage faction had shown extreme defensiveness towards the Uchiha clan. In their view, the Uchiha clan was a ticking time bomb in the village, and an Uchiha ninja absolutely could not become Hokage!
Still thinking about waiting for Sarutobi Hiruzen to step down?
Before Sarutobi Hiruzen stepped down, the Uchiha clan would have already been slaughtered by the Hokage faction!
"No matter who the opponent is, our Uchiha clan cannot become Hokage?"
Uchiha Taro and Uchiha Fugaku's expressions changed again.
Uchiha Taro stared at Uchiha Yuzuru and said in a deep voice, "State your reasons."
Feeling the gaze of the two, Uchiha Yuzuru thought for a moment and decided to explain. After all, unlike him, a transmigrator, Uchiha Taro and Uchiha Fugaku did not know about future events. To make them recognize the facts, he had to produce sufficiently convincing evidence.
Pondering for a while, Uchiha Yuzuru spoke. "Clan Head Taro, Fugaku, to understand the conclusion I stated, we must start with that late Second Hokage who was extremely hostile to the Uchiha—Senju Tobirama."
Hearing Uchiha Yuzuru mention Senju Tobirama, Uchiha Taro and Uchiha Fugaku looked at each other, blank looks flashing in their eyes.
The Second was hostile to the Uchiha?
"Yuzuru, although our relationship with the Senju clan was not harmonious before the establishment of Konoha, to say the Second was hostile to our Uchiha... surely that's not the case?"
"That our Uchiha clan can possess its current status in the village is thanks to Lord Second's policies."
"He established the Military Police Force and handed the power of maintaining the village's public order entirely to our Uchiha clan."
"Why do you feel that Lord Second was hostile to our Uchiha clan?"
Hearing Uchiha Taro's words, Uchiha Yuzuru couldn't help but want to laugh.
No wonder the noble Uchiha clan walked step by step toward destruction. With this kind of political brain, they would help count the money for the people who sold them out. Their brains were filled only with fighting and killing; it was truly frustrating.
Seeing Uchiha Yuzuru silent, Uchiha Fugaku couldn't help but urge, "Yuzuru, speak up."
Hearing this, a trace of helplessness added to Uchiha Yuzuru's tone. "It is precisely because of the Military Police Force that our Uchiha clan's reputation in the village is so bad."
"Huh? Why do you say that?"
"The vast majority of what our Military Police Force handles are just disputes between villagers."
"Most are petty matters of daily life. It's hard to determine who's right or wrong, and even when we can identify fault, the side punished will bear a grudge against us, the enforcers."
"As for those we help, over time they'll simply think we're just doing what we're supposed to do."
"No one will be grateful. What accumulates instead is mounting hostility."
"Rumor becomes fact. Even villagers who've never been punished will keep their distance out of fear."
"Add to that our Uchiha clan's natural aversion to diplomatic smoothness, and we're bound to provoke villager discontent when handling problems. The deteriorating relationship with the villagers has always been predictable."
"The Second Hokage, Senju Tobirama, saw this clearly. That's precisely why he deliberately permitted only Uchiha clan ninja to join the Military Police Force."
"Think about it—aside from the Military Police Force, does Konoha have any other power structure composed exclusively of a single clan?"
What Uchiha Yuzuru said was practically the consensus view of later generations, but to Uchiha Taro and Uchiha Fugaku, living in the midst of it all, these words struck like thunder from clear skies.
Things they'd never considered flashed rapidly through their minds, and dread gradually coiled around their hearts.
They'd always wondered why, after all these years, the Uchiha clan still seemed so out of place in the village.
So the problem lay here all along!
The Uchiha clan had been schemed against many years ago, and if not for Uchiha Yuzuru, they would still be kept in the dark.
At that thought, another policy instituted by the Second Hokage suddenly flashed through Uchiha Taro's mind.
He licked his dry lips and asked in a trembling voice, "Yuzuru, what about the Second's policy allowing our ninja to remain in the village continuously without having to go on external missions..."
"It's exactly what you're thinking."
Uchiha Yuzuru's voice shattered Uchiha Taro's last illusion.
"All it would take is spreading rumors among the villagers at the right moment—things like 'Why do the rest of us risk our lives on missions outside the village while the Uchiha clan enjoys safe work inside without any danger?'—and the Uchiha clan's reputation in the village would collapse completely."
"This is a bomb Senju Tobirama deliberately planted."
"A bomb powerful enough to blow the Uchiha clan to pieces."
After hearing Uchiha Yuzuru's explanation, cold sweat broke out on both Uchiha Taro's and Uchiha Fugaku's foreheads.
They weren't fools.
They might not have thought it through before, but now that the veil had been pierced, they understood everything in an instant.
What Uchiha Yuzuru said was no exaggeration. A blade truly hung over the Uchiha clan's heads, ready to fall at any moment!
And they'd always treated this arrangement as an honor, never realizing so many schemes lurked behind it.
Wicked Senju Tobirama!!!
After giving Uchiha Taro and Uchiha Fugaku time to digest this, Uchiha Yuzuru continued, "And Sarutobi Hiruzen, Shimura Danzo, and the others who inherited Senju Tobirama's will—they'll give the Uchiha clan even less chance to rise."
"So no matter who the competition is, the Hokage and his faction will never choose our Uchiha."
At his words, uncertainty flickered in the eyes of both Uchiha Taro and Uchiha Fugaku. Uchiha Fugaku objected, "Yuzuru, the Third Hokage hasn't taken any particularly targeted measures against the Uchiha clan since taking office, has he?"
"Maybe he's different from the Second?"
Hearing this, Uchiha Yuzuru glanced at Uchiha Fugaku, his right hand involuntarily reaching toward the long sword at his waist.
He genuinely wanted to cut down this fool.
In the original story, Uchiha Fugaku had always harbored illusions about the Hokage faction.
Naming his son Sasuke, wavering between coup and compromise, sending both Itachi and Shisui to ANBU for brainwashing...
Plus himself—three pairs of Mangekyo!
Even if they'd done nothing, Sarutobi Hiruzen and Shimura Danzo wouldn't have dared act rashly against the Uchiha clan, would they?
But what was the result?
He'd managed to destroy the Uchiha completely!
Taking a deep breath, Uchiha Yuzuru calmed his emotions.
There had to be more clan members besides Uchiha Fugaku who harbored illusions about Sarutobi Hiruzen.