When Yuhara stepped into the room, the first thing he did was observe every detail inside.
What surprised him, however, was that besides Uchiha Sō, there were others present as well.
It wasn't exactly shocking, though. Uchiha Sō was just one of the elders from the moderate faction—of course there were others from his camp.
This gathering had clearly been planned, since everyone knew the real reason behind Yuhara's visit. He had come to lay all his cards on the table.
His cautious glances around weren't random either. He was checking to see if Uchiha Sō had stationed any hidden guards in case things went south and he needed a signal to attack.
But from what he could tell, there didn't seem to be any such arrangements. And even if there were, he wasn't concerned—unless Shisui was the one waiting in the wings. That might actually be a problem.
After all, Shisui also had the Mangekyō Sharingan. In a real fight, Yuhara could guarantee he wouldn't lose, but winning wasn't something he could promise either.
"Welcome, Yuhara-kun."
Just as Yuhara was surveying the room, Uchiha Sō finally spoke, his face wearing a warm smile—a stark contrast from their last meeting.
"Greetings, Elder Sō. And to the rest of the elders, as well."
Yuhara pulled his gaze back and nodded politely to everyone in the room. Then he tilted his head slightly, wearing a puzzled expression.
"I must say, I'm surprised. Elder Naoki is here too? That's quite the honor."
Uchiha Naoki looked to be in his fifties—though by Yuhara's standards, that still qualified as middle-aged.
But age wasn't the important part. What mattered was that, in Yuhara's memory, Uchiha Naoki had always been a hardliner. His presence here was…unexpected. Could it be that the hardliners had decided to reach out to him? Or had something he said to Sō already been passed along to the other faction?
While Yuhara was still trying to figure this out, Sō spoke again.
"No need to be surprised, Yuhara-kun. It's a bit embarrassing, but…Naoki may have different views than ours, yet he is my younger brother."
Wait a minute—wasn't your younger brother supposed to be Uchiha Kai?
That thought flashed across Yuhara's mind, but he quickly pushed it aside to focus.
He hadn't expected Sō to have another brother, especially one aligned with the hardliners.
Then again, this was the Uchiha clan—the descendants of the Sage of Six Paths. Disagreements and internal strife were practically part of their DNA. Maybe this wasn't so strange after all.
And now, things were starting to make sense. Maybe the reason the moderates had shifted so drastically after Shisui's death—even though Uchiha Itachi was still around—was in part due to the influence of Sō's brother, Naoki.
Whatever the case, Sō's decision to bring Naoki here was definitely symbolic—and not without meaning.
"I see. My apologies for the assumption."
Yuhara nodded as if he had just realized something and then sat down.
"Then I suppose all of you already know why I came."
"I asked Shisui about those attackers. He told me they were from Root.
"I've since learned a lot more about what Root is and what it does.
"And so, I'll ask you plainly—what's the cost of that attack on me? You're the clan elders. Surely, you know better than I do what kind of internal consequences that incident has caused."
All of the elders nodded in unison. They had argued endlessly about it over the past month. It was this very infighting that had brought them to a decision.
They needed to meet with the young man who, despite belonging to no faction, was one of only two Mangekyō Sharingan holders in the entire clan—and someone with an independent perspective.
"We do understand your intent. And after what's happened, many of us have come to agree with your point of view."
One of the moderate elders spoke up.
"But we only agree with your views. That doesn't mean we agree with you becoming clan head.
"Even if Shisui claims you're the only choice, you're too young. You've never led a clan. You have no experience.
"All we've heard so far are your ideas. We don't know your concrete plans. So what gives you the confidence that we should trust you?"
The question made all the elders nod in agreement. Yuhara turned and gave the man a measured glance.
He wasn't offended. The questions were sharp and fair. If he were in their shoes, he wouldn't give his trust easily either.
The fact that these old men were even willing to sit down and talk was already a huge concession—though, he knew, that was largely due to the fear inspired by his Mangekyō Sharingan.
"I know many of you believe you have the experience and ability to lead—but let me ask you this: if I hadn't said anything, would any of you have thought of the things I brought up?"
Yuhara smiled faintly. To him, this was no more than a job interview.
"And even if you had, would you have dared to act? From what I've seen, the answer is clearly no.
"That's the difference in vision. That's the difference in momentum. This is what us younger folks bring to the table—initiative. Something many of you, hardened by years of politicking, have lost."
He didn't hold back at all. His words were blunt, even rude. But Yuhara understood exactly where his strengths and weaknesses lay.
He didn't have a resume. He didn't have a long list of achievements. What he did have was the Mangekyō Sharingan—and the support of another Mangekyō wielder in Shisui.
Power wasn't everything, but in the Uchiha clan, not having it meant you were nothing. That's why he had the confidence to speak this boldly.
"As for my ideas and my plan—I admit, perhaps I've been too vague. So let me be more specific.
"I believe both the moderate and hardliner factions are too extreme.
"The moderates are too quick to compromise. But peace bought with endless compromise will only lead to our destruction.
"Without a strong posture, others will only see us as weak—easy to exploit and push around.
"But the hardliners are too aggressive. Frankly, they're delusional if they think we alone can topple Konoha.
"Maybe their target is just Hiruzen Sarutobi. But who in Konoha would stand by and let that happen? Who would help us?"
"Too much compromise brings ruin. Too much aggression brings ruin.
"If I were clan head, I would combine both philosophies.
"The real issue dividing our clan is how to deal with Konoha.
"My answer is this: when it doesn't involve our clan's core interests, we can take a softer approach.
"But when our interests are threatened, then we must respond with the strength of the hardliners—no hesitation."
Yuhara paused for a moment, then continued in a solemn tone.
"We're one family. And we all want what's best for the clan.
"Back when Madara tried to take us away, we chose to stay.
"And even now, I don't believe the clan wants to leave.
"After all, Konoha was built by the Uchiha and the Senju together.
"We've lost so much already.
"And now… we must work twice as hard to take it all back."
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