By the time he finished speaking, Uchiha Kairen stood up and waved both fists in the air.
He felt he'd done quite well this time — his plan should definitely be approved. What a perfect idea this was! He'd spent hours coming up with it. Glancing at the two men before him, he saw that Uchiha Nobunaga looked somewhat dazed. As for Fugaku, that kid…
When Uchiha Fugaku noticed his elder brother's gaze on him, he suddenly leapt to his feet — startling Kairen. What's gotten into my little brother again?
Fugaku turned toward their father and declared, "Father, Big Brother is right! Big Brother is absolutely right! We have to do it this way — let them destroy their own plans! Just thinking about it feels so damn satisfying, so cathartic!"
Kairen nodded like a proud old father. Ah, my little brother's grown up. He's finally learning to speak sense.
At that moment, Uchiha Nobunaga came back to his senses. He slammed a hand down on the desk — nearly shattering it — and said, "You're right. Let's do it! Kairen, you write it all out; I'll go convince those old geezers. This isn't just something we should do — it's something we must do, and we'll do it well!"
He thought grimly to himself: I'll have to give those muscle-headed elites a good ideological lesson. This so-called 'number one clan in the shinobi world'—half of them are political idiots. If I don't explain it clearly, they'll probably think I've gone mad, giving up our hard-won power just to cozy up to the Hokage faction.
"I already wrote it," Kairen said, pulling out a scroll. "Here, Uncle — it's all yours. Also, there's another matter. Since little Fugaku has returned to the Police Force, he should have his own squad. I think we juniors should pick the members ourselves — no more than five."
He handed the scroll to his uncle. Inside was his plan and a detailed explanation of its reasoning.
"Father, I think Big Brother's right," Fugaku added. "If we pick our own team members, they'll mesh with me much better."
Nobunaga nodded. "Alright, I'll write an order for you to transfer people — but they'll have to agree willingly. After all, we're all family. No need to make things awkward."
Kairen smirked inwardly. Who wouldn't want to serve under the future clan head? You'd have to be brain-dead to say no.
When the two brothers stepped out of the office, Fugaku asked, "Big Brother, who should we look for?"
"You don't have anyone in mind yourself?" Kairen gave him a suspicious look. You've been away on active duty for a few years, and you haven't kept in touch with any of your old comrades?
"Well, there are a few I used to hang out with," Fugaku frowned, "but I don't know how skilled they've become."
"No problem. I've got a few lined up for you already." Kairen began listing them out:
"Uchiha Yakumi — he should've been your childhood friend. Solid fighter, and more importantly, he's got a decent political sense. Good at logistics management.
Uchiha Muyō — skilled in genjutsu, Fire Release, and Lightning Release. Talented, and his summoning ninja hound is of high quality. Excellent at combo techniques. He's the direct grandson of the Fourth Elder.
Uchiha Motonari and Uchiha Yoshimoto — placed fourth and eighth in the Shinobi Sword Tournament.
And Uchiha Jōka — a genjutsu and Fire Release specialist. Sharp-tongued, perfect for verbal sparring — and formidable in battle. He pairs well with his ninja hound.
If your friends aren't among these, they're probably not that strong," Kairen concluded.
Fugaku nodded in agreement. "Let's go with Big Brother's choices. I'm not too familiar with the younger generation's abilities anyway."
Kairen smiled faintly. There was something he didn't say — all of these recruits were diehard loyalists of the Uchiha clan. Among them, Jōka and Muyō's fathers were even part of the radical faction. The goal was simple — surround Fugaku with their influence, let their ideas rub off on him. Hopefully, little Yueyue doesn't turn into a double-crosser by the end of it.
Together, the brothers visited the young elites one by one. Every single one of them agreed immediately. Who in their right mind would refuse to be on the future clan head's team? You'd have to be insane.
Meanwhile, Uchiha Nobunaga, with Kairen's "strategy manual" in hand, convened an emergency council of the clan elders. Except for the Second Elder, who was away in the Land of Fire, all four other elders attended.
Standing before them, Nobunaga began,
"Elders, uncles, everyone — since the First Shinobi War, our Uchiha clan has poured everything into earning Konoha's acceptance, striving for equal treatment.
For that, we've sacrificed generations of brave men — Uchiha who fought and died for Konoha, for the clan.
And yet, what have we received in return? Endless slander. Rejection. Contempt.
What did we do wrong? Why must it be this way?
This morning, my nephew — Uchiha Kairen — opened my eyes. He made me realize something:
Our generations of struggle were wrong.
We never owed Konoha anything. No matter what we do, they will never accept us.
Why? Because we are too strong. Our bloodline is too powerful. Once we awaken our eyes, we inevitably become the pillars of the village.
We are too numerous — and if we weren't being restrained, the Uchiha would be invincible.
Remember: the Hokage faction itself annihilated the only clan capable of matching us — the Senju.
Without the Senju, Uchiha stands unmatched.
Do you really think they'd ever let their power fall into the hands of a clan they've spent decades suppressing, slandering, and plotting against?
Of course not. They fear us. They fear retribution. They fear accountability.
They fear us so much that they'd rather make the Uchiha the village's eternal enemy than allow us to exist as equals.
Do you know why ANBU and Root keep clashing with us?
Because they're made up of shinobi from various clans and gifted commoners. Every time we fight them, we're fighting their families — and the civilian class behind them.
They're using the same dirty trick again — turning the whole village against the Uchiha!
Think about it: if your family keeps fighting the Uchiha, will you ever speak kindly of them? No!
You'll resent us in your heart. You'll spread hatred with your mouth.
One person badmouthing us might sound like bias. But when everyone does — it becomes 'truth'.
That's their despicable, underhanded scheme!"
BANG! — The table cracked under the palm of Elder Ginrō Uchiha, known as the "Silver Wolf with the Arms of Steel."
"Outrageous! They've gone too far!" he growled.
Even the normally pro-Konoha Third Elder slammed his fist in frustration.
"So that's why things have turned sour again! All this time — we were the fools! We've spent our lives trying to earn their respect — only to become the punchline of their jokes!"
Then, the Great Elder spoke up, his tone calm but heavy.
"Kairen… that boy must've thought of something, hasn't he? That child's way of thinking — I've never seen anything like it. Tell us, what's his solution?"
"You're right," Nobunaga said, his eyes bright. "Kairen is our clan's blessing. Just last night, after returning to the village and clashing with Root, he wrote up a plan — one that will make them taste their own poison."
He raised the scroll high. "This plan… is called the Fertile Soil Project."
That meeting lasted the entire afternoon. They didn't even stop for lunch — food was brought in instead. Together, they debated, corrected, and refined the details until it was perfect.
By the end, they had not only finalized the Fertile Soil Project, but also conceived a follow-up — the Sunflower Plan.