"You all seem to have forgotten something important. What does Uchiha Yohei himself actually want?"
Fugaku's words hit the room like a slap. Every Uchiha jonin stared at him. In their minds, obeying the clan's decision was supposed to be automatic.
"What, that brat thinks he can go against the family?" the Third Elder barked. "If he says no, I'll beat the shit out of him myself."
Fugaku's disgust flickered across his face. He still couldn't believe this man had become an elder. He kept his tone even. "If you think you can beat him, go ahead. Maybe then we'll all see just how strong a Mangekyō Sharingan really is."
The Third Elder's mouth snapped shut. He suddenly remembered Yohei's record. The kid had stood against a Tailed Beast. The elder had never fought one himself, but he knew he wouldn't last five seconds. Going up against Yohei didn't sound like a winning idea anymore.
Fugaku pressed the advantage. "And Yohei isn't alone. You keep forgetting—he has a captain. Matsushita Taiichi."
"White Death."
"Konoha's Twin Demons."
Every jonin in the room knew the names. If Yohei could barely hold off a Tailed Beast, Taiichi had already killed one. The man was young, but nobody in their right mind wanted to cross him. On top of that, his medical ninjutsu had saved more than a few Uchiha lives.
The Third Elder was stuck. His big mouth had put him in a corner, and he had no graceful way out. He wasn't stupid enough to actually go pick a fight with Yohei or Taiichi. At jonin level, people didn't pull punches. One wrong move and you ended up dead or crippled.
Fugaku wasn't done. "Matsushita Taiichi is Tsunade and Jiraiya's student. That makes him the Third Hokage's grand-student. Don't forget that part."
"Enough, Fugaku." The Great Elder cut in before Fugaku could keep grinding the Third Elder down. He turned to the quiet jonin sitting beside the Fourth Elder. "Shoyo. Yohei is your son. You haven't said a word. What's his real relationship with Matsushita Taiichi?"
Every head swung toward Uchiha Shoyo—Yohei's father. They had completely overlooked him until now. The man who raised the boy would know better than anyone.
Shoyo let out an awkward laugh. "Great Elder… what can I say? Ever since graduation, Yohei's been on the same team as Taiichi. They've been through hell together. Their bond is solid.
More than that, most of Yohei's real strength didn't come from me. The Sharingan secrets, sure. Everything else—his training, his growth—he learned from Taiichi."
Shoyo didn't need to spell it out. Everyone understood.
The Great Elder nodded slowly. "No matter what, we should still remind him the clan is worried about his safety. But in the end, it has to be his choice.
If he wants to keep fighting for the village out there, we won't stop him. If he wants to come home, we'll make the arrangements."
Nobody argued. Even the Third Elder just muttered under his breath.
The clan meeting ended the same way it always did—loud at the start, quiet at the finish. Once everyone else left, only Fugaku and the Great Elder remained in the hall.
"So? Still bitter about it?"
The Great Elder's calm voice echoed through the empty room. To Fugaku it felt like thunder.
Fugaku's head snapped up. He stared at the older man, who was still sipping tea like nothing had happened. How the hell had he seen through him so easily?
"Don't look so shocked. If it were me, I'd be bitter too." The Great Elder set his cup down. His tone stayed even, but the words cut deeper. "This is reality. You've only been clan head a short time. Your authority is still weak. The stronger members won't respect you. But if you ever awaken the Mangekyō yourself… let's see who dares talk back then."
"You're right, Great Elder. I was too impatient." Fugaku thought for a long moment, then let out a quiet sigh and buried his frustration. His face went blank again.
"Idiot."
The sharp rebuke caught Fugaku completely off guard. He had just backed down. Why was he still getting scolded?
"You shouldn't be patient. If I were ten years younger and someone spoke to me like that, I would've already thrown hands. Instead of building real authority, you're sitting here hoping the old bastards die off on their own?"
Fugaku dropped his head, ashamed. That really had been his plan.
"Great Elder… then what should I do?"
The Great Elder sighed again. Fugaku was talented—strongest of the younger generation, good to his people, organized. But he lacked decisiveness. He hesitated too much. That worked fine when the clan was stable. Right now, with everything hanging by a thread, it wasn't enough.
"Fugaku, how long has it been since you last fought on a mission?"
Fugaku blinked at the sudden change in topic. "Since I became clan head… I haven't taken any missions."
"Then go to the front. Take a group of our people and earn real merit. First, it shows the village we're contributing. Second, it builds your own reputation. In the end, shinobi respect strength."
Fugaku nodded. He had wanted to go earn battlefield credit, but clan matters kept pulling him back. With the Great Elder's support, he could finally move.
"Great Elder, that's exactly what I want. But the village hasn't asked the Uchiha for reinforcements yet."
"Just because they haven't asked yet doesn't mean they won't. The war is still young. The real fighting hasn't even started. Sooner or later they'll need every clan. When they do, be the first to answer the Hokage's call."
The Great Elder stared into the distance like he could already see what was coming.
Fugaku caught the deeper meaning. "You're saying… we should move closer to the Hokage?"
The Great Elder looked back at him, serious. "Times are changing. I used to think the Uchiha were stuck. I'd keep the radicals and conservatives balanced until I died, then let you all fight it out. But then Yohei and Taiichi appeared."
For the first time that day, the Great Elder smiled. "Fugaku, haven't you noticed? Yohei and Taiichi… they're a lot like Madara and Hashirama. Same kind of bond. Same kind of talent."
The thought hit Fugaku like lightning. They really were similar.
The Great Elder kept going, caught up in the idea. "Madara and Hashirama built Konoha. Yohei and Taiichi might not reach that level, but the way they're going, they could build something new between the village and the Uchiha. If that day comes, I'll die happy."
"Great Elder… do you really think they can do it?" Fugaku still found it hard to believe. He had hoped Taiichi's connections could improve relations, but this was bigger than he had imagined.
"You've never seen what real power looks like. At that level, the rules bend to their will. Taiichi and Yohei have that potential. So until they're fully grown, our job is to protect them and clear the path."
"I understand, Great Elder." Fugaku nodded heavily. His own son Itachi was still only four. Too young. By the time he grew up, it would be too late.
News traveled fast in the ninja world—especially when someone was spreading it on purpose.
Not long after word got out that Cloud had ambushed the southern Leaf camp and caused heavy damage, a new rumor swept through every village.
The same Cloud force that hit Konoha had been hunted down on their way home. A Konoha revenge squad wiped them out completely.
The story flipped so fast it gave everyone whiplash. They admired Cloud's bold move, then immediately grew wary of Konoha's response. Organizing a pursuit that fast and finishing the job showed serious strength. Even other great villages would struggle to pull that off.
People also started wondering if the first report about Konoha's "heavy losses" had been exaggerated.
Some villages celebrated. Others worried. Cloud was furious. Iwa was thrilled. The more Konoha and Cloud bled each other, the happier Ōnoki became. Word was he laughed so hard in his office he threw his back out again.
Then another rumor dropped, even bigger than the first.
Konoha had seized every bit of loot Cloud stole from Wind Country. Five boxes of storage scrolls full of rare minerals. Konoha's already overwhelming advantage had just gotten even bigger.
The entire ninja world went quiet. The strongest village had just gotten stronger. Nobody was laughing anymore.
Even though smart people knew Cloud was probably spreading the rumor to cause trouble, it worked. Combined with the first story, it was obvious Konoha really had taken the loot.
Sand was the most pissed off of all. Whether Konoha or Cloud ended up with the minerals, it was still Sand's wealth that had been stolen and divided up like war trophies.
For a while the whole ninja world was loud—on the battlefield and off it. Accusations flew nonstop.
Taiichi spent seven straight days at the medical camp helping heal every last wounded shinobi. When the final patient walked out on his own two feet, Taiichi finally had a moment to breathe.
It didn't last.
Less than a month later, new orders landed on his desk.
He had one week to report to the northern camp and join the fight against Cloud.
The reason was simple. A and Killer B had finally made it home. After the Third Raikage beat some sense into them, the pair was sent straight to the northern front with orders to wash away their shame by crushing Konoha.
Orochimaru's forces, which had been holding the advantage, suddenly found themselves on the defensive. A and Killer B together were no joke. Orochimaru stopped trying to hold every inch of ground. He traded space for time, fighting and falling back.
The northern camp had already been pushed out of the Land of Hot Springs and was now dug in on the border of the Land of Fire. Orochimaru refused to retreat any farther. Letting the enemy step onto Fire Country soil on his watch would be a stain he couldn't live with.
Because of the constant fighting retreat, Leaf casualties in the north had started climbing fast.