Uchiha Yashiro's eyes bulged wide, his mouth hanging open as though he could swallow an apple whole. He stared at Uchiha Setsuna, disbelief written across his face.
It wasn't just Yashiro.
Even Uchiha Fugaku, who had been quietly observing, stood up in shock.
Fugaku had come prepared to mediate—to navigate carefully between Yashiro and Setsuna, to contain the damage. He hadn't expected the two elders to start clashing before he even spoke.
What he certainly hadn't expected—
Was this.
"...What did you just say?" Yashiro finally managed, his voice strained. "I'm getting old. My hearing isn't what it used to be. Repeat that."
Setsuna lifted his chin, eyes blazing.
"I said," he declared coldly, "we will build a new Konoha."
"You've lost your mind!"
Fugaku spoke first this time, his composure cracking.
"A coup is one thing," he said sharply. "Even if you staged one, most clans outside the Hokage's direct allies might sit on the fence. They'd wait and see how the wind blows."
"But founding a new Konoha?"
"That means opposing every ninja. Every civilian. Everyone who survives under the banner of Konoha."
"You want to smash the pot we all eat from. The entire village will come after you."
"The Third Hokage stepping down—fine. The Fourth about to rise—fine. But neither will sit idle if you try to split the village."
"You'd drag the entire Uchiha clan into oblivion!"
Fugaku rarely raised his voice.
But this crossed a line.
A coup—even a failed one—was political.
History had precedent. Setsuna himself had once led an attempted uprising. In the end, only the instigators were imprisoned. The clan survived.
But secession?
That was treason beyond reconciliation.
The Uchiha would become an enemy not only of Konoha—but of the entire shinobi world.
Other villages would pounce. Just as Uzushiogakure had once been erased.
There would be no second chance.
Yashiro stepped forward.
"If you want to go mad, do it alone. Don't drag the entire clan with you."
"And don't forget—your last so-called 'rebellion' branded the Uchiha as extremists for decades."
"Had you not done that, perhaps we wouldn't be standing where we are today!"
"Bullshit!" Setsuna roared, eyes flashing.
"That wasn't rebellion. That was resistance!"
"You think Senju Tobirama would've spared us? He didn't hesitate to experiment on his own clan!"
"You expect mercy for the Uchiha?"
Both Yashiro and Fugaku fell silent.
They knew.
Decades ago, after the death of Senju Hashirama, the balance of the shinobi world had destabilized. Tobirama, seeking to recreate Hashirama's power, had begun studying the First Hokage's cells.
At first, the Senju bore the burden.
When their bodies proved incompatible—
The search widened.
Clans with powerful bloodlines became targets.
Including the Uchiha.
Disappearances followed.
Rumors spread.
It was Setsuna who uncovered fragments of the truth and reacted first. He rallied members of the clan, determined to resist what he believed was the beginning of eradication.
But Tobirama's control over Konoha was absolute.
The uprising was crushed quickly.
The matter was buried.
Setsuna and several others were imprisoned.
And history remembered it as treason.
Yet within the Uchiha—
Many believed that had Setsuna not acted, the clan might have suffered even worse.
That was why, upon release, he had risen to become First Elder.
Setsuna's breathing grew heavier.
"When I moved back then, every other clan turned a blind eye."
"Tobirama's forces were thin. If you hadn't hidden inside the compound like cowards, the so-called ANBU couldn't have stopped us!"
"You didn't oppose me then."
"And now you dare blame me?"
"You act righteous now—where was that righteousness when I rotted in prison?"
His voice cracked—not from weakness, but from something deeper.
Rage long buried.
Suddenly, he tore off his outer robe.
Gasps filled the room.
Scars.
Layer upon layer.
Old burns. Deep lash marks. A right leg twisted unnaturally.
"Do you know what prison was like?" Setsuna demanded.
"Many of the inmates were criminals sent there by the Military Police."
"When I went in, they took their revenge."
"Day after day."
"Year after year."
"Ten years. More."
"My foundation as a shinobi was destroyed."
"I'm crippled."
He slammed his fist against his chest.
"That prison. This village."
"What kind of place is this?"
"From the day I walked out of those gates, I swore I would never be humiliated like that again."
His voice dropped to a low, steady intensity.
"I will lead this clan."
"Step by step."
"Step."
"By."
"Step."
"Until we stand at the very top."
"I will make the Uchiha the highest power in Konoha."
The air felt heavy.
For a brief moment—
Even Fugaku had no words.
This was no longer mere political disagreement.
This was a man who had endured, endured, endured—
And come back sharpened by pain.
Whether he was right or wrong—
He meant every word.
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