"Who are you trying to threaten, kid?" Elder Homaru glared with wide eyes.
He was furious. Swearing at him earlier was one thing, but a threat at the end? What was that about?
He believed that Uchiha should be bold and arrogant, but... this was a bit much. Threatening people to support you? Really?
Before Elder Homaru could even get a response from Sougen, Elder Uchiha An, the only female elder, stepped forward toward Uchiha Genshi and the others. Uchiha Lanshan, reacting quickly, took two steps back, giving Elder An space to move.
At this point, four of the six clan elders had already expressed their support for Sougen.
"Even Elder An... I didn't expect this," Sougen thought as he glanced at the stern old woman. This was unexpected support!
"A-An?!" Elder Homaru was dumbfounded.
"Opposing a coup, huh?" Elder Shinsaburo murmured softly, glancing at Uchiha Fugaku, whose face remained dark and somber as always. Shinsaburo sighed inwardly but still stepped forward to join Elder An, now making five out of six elders standing behind Sougen.
Now, only Elder Homaru was left standing there, eyes wide as saucers.
"Shinsaburo, even you... You guys argued so much before, but this time..." Elder Homaru grumbled, but his feet moved quickly, and in no time, he was standing alongside his old companions.
As elders, they could still listen to reason.
Sougen's harsh scolding earlier, though grating, had valid points. A coup should be approached with caution, not something spread around carelessly, creating unnecessary chaos and dashing any hope for success.
If Fugaku truly supported a coup, he should have controlled the clan's speech and behavior from the start, not passively yielding to their will.
In contrast, Sougen, who dared to oppose the coup in front of so many supporters, showed the boldness befitting a clan leader, far more than Fugaku.
"A lion leading a flock of sheep can defeat a sheep leading a pack of lions," Elder Ryuuji sighed, recalling a saying Sougen had once mentioned in casual conversation. "We picked the wrong person. Fugaku is too easily influenced."
Elders Genshi, Shun, and Shinsaburo lowered their gazes, guilt gnawing at their hearts. They, too, bore some responsibility for the clan's current state.
At that moment—
"A sheep leading lions? That's an interesting analogy," Elder An chuckled.
"It seems we really were blind before," she continued, her voice calm but firm. "But it's no use dwelling on the past. What's important now is that we get it right this time! We can't change the past, but the future is still full of possibilities. The priority now is supporting Sougen. Leave your regrets for when we get home. Don't bring that nonsense here."
"A-An, you... Ahh!" Elder Genshi shook his head, feeling helpless. They were already grandparents, yet her words were still so sharp!
But the elders, despite her sharp tongue, straightened up and turned their silent gazes toward the clan's seasoned jonin.
Within moments, the jonin began moving. Those already standing on the right side shifted further back, making space for others to step forward. In less than a minute, all the jonin, except for a few behind Fugaku, chose to stand with Sougen.
Whether moved by Sougen's words, intimidated by his threats, or following the elders' lead, the outcome was exactly what Sougen had hoped for.
While Sougen remained wary of the potential for Fugaku to unleash his Mangekyou Sharingan, Fugaku's restraint surprised him. It left Sougen wondering if Fugaku even had the Mangekyou or if he was simply that patient.
"Like Schrödinger's Mangekyou," Sougen mused, shaking his head. Whatever the case, Fugaku's decision not to cause trouble worked in his favor.
Impeaching Fugaku was only meant to weaken his influence, to prevent him from stirring up problems later. Killing the former clan leader was never the plan. That would be too extreme. The goal was simply to sideline him.
But as Sougen glanced at Fugaku, whose expression remained as stoic as ever, he couldn't help but think that Fugaku seemed relieved rather than upset about being deposed.
"That can't be true, right? No one could be that passive..."
Just as Sougen was lost in thought—
"Sougen, here's the clan leader's seal."
Without anyone prompting him, Fugaku handed the seal over to Sougen.
Now it was clear.
As Fugaku stepped aside to make room for the elders, his steps light, Sougen, holding the still-warm seal, realized that Fugaku truly had no strong will of his own. Behind that fierce expression lay a man easily swayed by the opinions of others, someone whose stance wavered between the village and the clan.
When the clan showed their support for Sougen, Fugaku accepted it without resentment or bitterness.
And so, under the supervision of the six elders and witnessed by over forty jonin, Sougen officially became the new Uchiha clan leader.
Originally, the Uchiha didn't have a clan seal. The Uchiha fan was the symbol of the clan leader.
However, after Madara Uchiha's defection and the disappearance of the fan, the new clan leader and elders decided to create the seal as a replacement, though it was nowhere near as significant as the Uchiha fan. It was purely a symbolic token of leadership.
"Sougen, from this moment on... you are the new leader of the Uchiha clan," Elder Genshi said with a complex expression, placing a hand on his grandson's shoulder. "The fate of the clan now rests on your shoulders. I don't know if this is right or wrong, but... do your best."
"Don't worry, Grandpa! The Uchiha's glory will continue to shine under my leadership!" Sougen stood tall and resolute, like an ancient pine rooted in solid rock, vowing before the former clan leader, the elders, and his clan members.
The clan leader transition was smoothly completed. The Uchiha clan had always followed the simple and efficient customs passed down from the Warring States period. Clan leader successions were quick and straightforward, with no elaborate ceremonies. Just like their warrior traditions.
**(End of Chapter)**