Uchiha Hachidai and Yaowei stepped back, accepting the decision, while Fugaku prepared to move on to the next step.
Since they had already settled on the path of a "bloodless revolution," Fugaku only instructed everyone to keep a low profile for the next while. Act as usual. Give Konoha no reason to raise its guard.
As for the actual coup, Fugaku planned to keep Shisui and a few elites behind after the meeting to discuss it privately.
In simple terms, this clan assembly had only one purpose: to unify the clan's will. As for a detailed plan… there was no plan. Ninjas should act like ninjas.
You just sneak in and strike.
He was about to end the meeting when a jarring voice cut in.
"Wait a moment, Captain. Since we have already decided to carry out this transformation, should we not also decide who will become Hokage once we succeed"
It was Uchiha Inaho again. He stood up, looking straight at Fugaku, legs folded beneath him, and asked the question head on.
Fugaku did not reply. He only glanced at Inaho calmly.
Hachidai took a step forward instead, taking the role of enforcer.
"What nonsense are you spouting, Inaho. Captain Fugaku is our clan head. Of course it will be him who becomes Hokage. Sit down."
He kept throwing Inaho meaningful looks as he spoke. They were close friends. Hachidai did not want to see him used as someone else's tool.
"I do not agree, Hachidai."
Another Uchiha hawk stepped forward, meeting Hachidai's glare with one of his own.
"Fugaku may be our clan leader, but no law states that the clan leader must be Hokage. For years he has been timid and submissive toward outsiders while suppressing loyal men on the inside. If he becomes Hokage, will he not just be another Hiruzen Sarutobi"
At once, conservatives and radicals collided again, this time over the right to the Hokage's seat. Voices rose, spit flew. It was as if victory was already in their hands and the only thing left was to divide the spoils.
Fugaku ignored them. His gaze shifted away from the quarrel, eyes finding the elder who had signaled those men to speak.
Uchiha Setsuna.
A ninja from the same era as Hiruzen. A fervent worshiper of Uchiha Madara. In his youth, he had secretly agitated within the clan and been personally imprisoned by Senju Tobirama.
Decades later, when he had grown old and seemingly harmless, Setsuna was finally released. His long years in prison had not dulled his beliefs. Since his thinking matched the current radicals perfectly, he had quickly been welcomed back into the center of clan politics as an elder.
Fugaku gave a bitter smile in his heart.
And I was just proud of our so called unity.
Three tomoe began to turn slowly in his eyes. He was about to open his Mangekyo and crush this ridiculous farce.
But a young voice still lined with childishness cut across the hall first, freezing him in place and silencing the arguments at once.
"Enough. All of you, stop this meaningless fight. In my opinion, no one here has the caliber to sit in the Hokage's chair."
The bickering voices shut up at once.
Both sides turned their heads as one, looking toward the speaker, wanting to see which brat dared to talk so big.
Uchiha Izumi tugged urgently on Itachi's sleeve, trying to pull him back down. Her voice trembled as she whispered:
"Itachi, sit down. Tonight is clan business for the adults. This is not something kids can talk about."
Her voice was not loud, but in the suddenly quiet hall it carried clearly, sharp as a thrown pebble in a still pond.
The crowd saw Itachi standing there, small and straight like a little adult, and Izumi beside him tugging at his clothes, and erupted into laughter.
Izumi felt her cheeks burn. She quickly bowed her head, but her left hand still clung tightly to Itachi's cloak, trying to physically hold him back.
When the laughter finally subsided, Uchiha Setsuna stepped forward.
Itachi was Fugaku's son. Seeing the boy humiliated on this stage would help undercut Fugaku's authority. Setsuna was all too willing to play the smiling elder.
He wore a kindly expression and chuckled.
"Haha. Itachi, we understand your desire to be involved in the clan's important affairs. But Izumi is right. You are still young, and this is beyond you. If you are tired, go home and sleep. None of us elders will mind."
"After all," he added with feigned casualness, "you are the only one who does not come to every clan meeting. Leaving early is not much different."
Fugaku's face darkened.
Skipping clan assemblies without good reason was no joke. Hachidai and the others had been pushing to confront Itachi for some time, but Fugaku had repeatedly covered for him under the excuse of ANBU duties.
He feared that Itachi would say something wrong and opened his mouth to intervene.
But Itachi did not give him the chance.
He stared straight at Setsuna and answered in a voice still young but utterly flat.
"If age is what determines who can speak at such an important meeting, then Elder Setsuna, you should be the first to go home and rest. Someone as valuable as you should not overexert himself. The clan cannot afford to lose such a treasure."
You brat.
Age had always been a blade at Setsuna's throat. Years in prison had withered his body until he looked like a withered husk.
Now hearing Itachi use his age as a joke, Setsuna's fury surged. Three tomoe blazed in his eyes as he glared. Not even Fugaku's presence could stop him from "teaching the boy a lesson."
But when his gaze met Itachi's eyes, he froze.
At some point, Itachi's pupils had turned scarlet as well. Three tomoe spun quietly in them.
Eight years old. Three tomoe Sharingan.
It was not just Setsuna who went rigid. Everyone who saw Itachi's eyes was stunned.
Even legends like Uchiha Madara or Uchiha Izuna would not have reached such a height at this age.
And this was an era of peace. Itachi's family was alive and well. He had not lost anyone.
Fugaku felt pride rise in his chest like an oncoming storm. At the same time, a shadow slipped through his thoughts.
Itachi had never lost any family. He had no real friends in the clan. No tragedies, no trauma.
No matter how talented he was, the Sharingan still needed an emotional trigger.
So… Itachi's bonds with Konoha's ninja must run deep.
Yet as he watched his son stand there, challenging Setsuna for his father's sake, Fugaku let the shadow go. Deep bonds were good. Once they seized control of Konoha, Itachi would surely become a Hokage who loved his people.
After a moment of silent shock, Setsuna's mind spun. A thought struck him. He immediately hunched his shoulders and coughed weakly, pretending to be frail.
"Cough… cough… So you have already reached three tomoe, Itachi. A true genius. No wonder you look down on an old man like me. Fugaku, you have raised a fine son."
"It seems your health really is poor, Elder Setsuna," Itachi replied, utterly ignoring the hidden barbs. "You should return and rest. Leave the clan's affairs to others. If you work yourself to death, we cannot afford the loss."
"Presumptuous."
Uchiha Inaho's shout cracked across the hall. His own three tomoe flared to life as he glared at Itachi.
"Uchiha Itachi, you have gone too far. Elder Setsuna is still your senior. How dare you speak to him like that Who gave you the courage"
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