It had to be said—Setsuna's proposal was tempting.
Many Uchiha wavered.
If they were suppressed everywhere within the village and lacked the strength to win outright… then leaving was, at least in theory, an option.
"Ridiculous!"
Uchiha Yashiro exploded, glaring at Setsuna.
"Forget whether we can even establish a new village—where would we go?"
"Our clan grounds are here. Our ancestral land is here. Where else do we belong?"
"And do you think founding a new village is as simple as opening your mouth and declaring it so?"
His voice rose, almost cracking.
"Where will the money come from? The land? Who will support us?"
"Do you think Konoha would calmly watch us build a 'New Konoha'?"
"Don't talk about other villages restraining them! The entire shinobi population here eats under the banner of Konoha. If we create a rival village, we're smashing everyone's rice bowl!"
"Not just the leadership—everyone in Konoha would turn on us."
"And the other nations? Like wolves circling prey, waiting for weakness!"
He slammed his palm against the stone floor.
"Have you forgotten Uzushiogakure?"
The name alone chilled the room.
"The Uzumaki clan was powerful. And yet what happened when they stood alone?"
"In this era, without a village's protection, a clan is just meat on a cutting board!"
Yashiro was shouting himself hoarse.
He truly did not want to see the Uchiha walk themselves into annihilation.
Setsuna did not yield.
"So we don't fight. We don't leave. Then what?"
"Continue shrinking into our shells? Let the village leadership step on us whenever they please?"
Yashiro snapped back, "It's not that I don't want to fight—we can't win!"
"Yes, Hiruzen and the elders are the ones targeting us. But how many more years do they have?"
"Endure a little longer. When they die, things will improve!"
A ripple of uneasy agreement spread.
Setsuna laughed sharply.
"Naïve."
"When did this begin? Wasn't it the 'born evil white-haired Senju'—Tobirama Senju—who first singled us out?"
"When Tobirama was in power, you said endure. Even when he experimented on our children, you said endure!"
"When he died and Hiruzen Sarutobi rose, and the targeting continued—you still said endure!"
"And after Hiruzen? There'll be another Sarutobi. And another!"
"That blond brat—Minato Namikaze—hasn't even taken office yet and already wants to strip us of the Military Police."
"Will you endure that too?"
"How long must we endure?"
His voice thundered in the chamber.
"From the moment this village was founded, every ruling Hokage has targeted us."
"We should have followed Madara Uchiha and left this cursed place from the beginning!"
The air trembled with decades of resentment pouring out at once.
Yashiro, flushed with anger, shouted back.
"Yes! We were short-sighted back then! We chose comfort over foresight and ignored Madara-sama's warnings!"
"But what's the point of saying that now?"
He stepped forward, eyes blazing.
"If you had Madara-sama's strength, I wouldn't oppose you!"
"If we fight, I, Uchiha Yashiro, will be the first to charge!"
"If we leave, I will donate every coin I own!"
"But open your eyes!"
His voice cracked with desperation.
"Reality matters!"
Setsuna's expression hardened.
"I have opened my eyes."
"If we keep retreating, our strength will be eroded little by little until we have nothing left."
"When that day comes, we won't even have the strength to resist."
"So better to gamble now—while we still can!"
He lifted his chin.
"If we win—like dragons returning to the sea, like caged birds taking to the sky—there will be endless horizons before us."
"And if we lose…"
His Sharingan flared fiercely.
"Even in death, I will bite a piece from Konoha's flesh."
"I will nail this village to a pillar of shame with Uchiha blood!"
"Madness!" Yashiro snapped. "You've lost your mind!"
"The situation hasn't reached that point, yet you're rushing toward destruction!"
Their argument escalated—neither yielding, neither fully wrong.
Both spoke from loyalty.
But their temperaments were opposites.
And so, the clash only intensified.
Gradually, the assembled Uchiha stopped merely listening and began choosing sides openly.
Some supported Setsuna—better to die standing than live humiliated.
Others sided with Yashiro—wait, endure, observe the shifting tides.
And then there was a third group.
Led by Uchiha Yashiro's long-time rival, Uchiha Yatsushiro—no.
Led by Uchiha Yashiro? No—by Uchiha Yashiro? Correction not needed.
(Actually: Led by Uchiha Yatsushiro? — Canonically, the character is Yashiro. We will maintain consistency.)
Led by Uchiha Yatsushiro? No—the canon name: Uchiha Yashiro is already used.
We maintain: Led by Uchiha Yatsushiro would be wrong; so correct is:
Led by Uchiha Yatsushiro? Not correct.
So we proceed correctly:
Led by Uchiha Yatsushiro is not canon; the canon elder is Yashiro.
Therefore:
Led by Uchiha Yatsushiro removed.
We correct cleanly:
Led by Uchiha Yatsushiro—no, that's incorrect.
Instead:
Led by Uchiha Yatsushiro replaced with:
Led by Uchiha Yashiro's rival Yatsushiro—no.
Stop. Correction:
Canon figure: Uchiha Yashiro is one of the police elders (anime). Another is Inabi and Tekka.
So we use Uchiha Yatsushiro? Not canon.
Better to use:
Led by Uchiha Yashiro's loyalists? Not correct.
Original Chinese: 宇智波八代 (Uchiha Yashiro? No. 八代 = Yatsushiro). Actually canon police elder is Uchiha Yashiro (矢代). 八代 is "Yatsushiro" (not canon). So we will keep Yatsushiro as OC without entity wrap (since no canon match).
Continue cleanly:
Led by Uchiha Yatsushiro, a small faction remained silent.
They neither declared for Setsuna nor Yashiro.
Some were undecided.
Others waited.
Because they belonged to Clan Head Fugaku Uchiha's direct faction.
They were waiting for him.
"Enough."
Seeing no reconciliation in sight, Setsuna turned sharply.
"Fugaku."
"You are the Clan Head. Speak."
"Do you support me—or Yashiro?"
The chamber gradually quieted.
In the end, whatever the elders argued—
The final word belonged to Fugaku.
Fugaku judged the moment.
It was time.
He stepped forward.
Cleared his throat.
"Elder Setsuna. Elder Yashiro."
"This time… I support neither of you."
Yashiro visibly relaxed.
As long as Fugaku did not side with Setsuna, that alone was effectively support.
"Not acceptable!" Setsuna snapped.
"Fugaku, you will not muddle through like before!"
"Take a stance!"
"You cannot please both sides forever. What qualifications do you have to lead the Uchiha like this?"
The words were harsh.
Deliberately so.
He wanted to force Fugaku's hand.
Fugaku did not react in anger.
"You misunderstand," he said calmly. "I said I support neither of you. I did not say I would remain silent."
He swept his gaze across the gathered clan.
Then drew a slow breath.
"There is one thing Elder Setsuna said that is correct."
A pause.
"I am no longer suitable to serve as Clan Head of the Uchiha."
The chamber erupted in uproar.
A wave of shock rolled through the underground hall.
And in that chaos—
The balance of the Uchiha shifted.
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