Konoha.
Uchiha Compound.
Great Elder Uchiha Setsuna has once again convened a secret internal meeting.
With Uchiha Ninjas returning one after another from their mission in the Land of Lightning, a strange and eerie atmosphere has permeated the Uchiha Compound.
The Great Elder is quite fortunate right now; if Uchiha Fucheng hadn't stayed in Stardew Valley for a few extra days, he would never have had the opportunity to exploit this void in the compound's leadership.
The Great Elder's son, Uchiha Dili, a key member of the Uchiha radical faction, is the one most dissatisfied with Fucheng.
"He is just an underage child, relying solely on his talent to become the clan head. He is frivolous and overbearing; sooner or later, he will lead the clan into the abyss."
His complaints were not directed at Uchiha Setsuna, but at those participating in this secret meeting.
He was deliberately setting the tone for today's secret meeting as an "opposition to the clan head" before Uchiha Setsuna even spoke!
With his son having spoken first, the Great Elder, with a cold expression, sat firmly in the main seat and coughed twice. "The Uchiha belongs to everyone, not just a puppet of the clan head. I am standing up to speak for everyone!"
Surrounded on both sides of the Great Elder were core Jonin members of his faction.
Uchiha Iwa, who had just returned home from the mission in the Land of Lightning, was dragged to the scene by his family before he could even warm his seat.
He could only sit awkwardly at Uchiha Setsuna's right hand.
Uchiha Iwa's father was the eldest son, and he was the eldest grandson of this lineage, which gave him a distinguished status. If his father hadn't died early, he would probably be sitting ahead of his second uncle, Uchiha Dili.
The UchihaJonin attending the secret meeting today made up more than a third of all the clan's Jonin, but many of the Ninjas, like Uchiha Iwa, could be seen looking restless from their expressions.
Uchiha Iwa speculated maliciously, "Is my grandfather senile? He wouldn't be thinking about rebelling against Konoha and assassinating the Hokage again, would he! This is crazy, we've only just had a few days of peace."
Sneaking a peek at his grandfather Uchiha Setsuna's cold expression, Uchiha Iwa became even more nervous.
"With my grandfather looking like he's ready to devour someone, there is definitely no good news today!"
Originally, for this secret meeting, Elder Setsuna had also invited the core Ninjas of the Second Elder Uchiha Chiyanzhi's faction, excluding only the subordinates of the Third Elder Uchiha Riyao.
But the Second Elder, Chiyan Zhi, had originally agreed, but when the time came, he simply refused to attend, citing business with the KonohaAdvisor group.
The Great Elder complained inwardly, "That old oil lamp, Chiyan Zhi. He is nothing but slippery; he lacks even a shred of Uchiha courage."
More than half of the restless Jonin at the scene belonged to the Second Elder Chiyan Zhi's faction.
Their own elder had backed out at the last minute, yet he had trapped them here.
No wonder Uchiha Setsuna was giving this group of people a sour look.
"Should I sneak away too?" As the Great Elder's grandson, Uchiha Iwa even had thoughts of running away.
"Close the doors! Guard the courtyard to prevent others from entering or approaching. Activate the reconnaissance sealing barrier!"
When it was time for the meeting, Uchiha Setsuna first had people close the secret chamber doors before he began to speak with a sinister tone.
"Everyone, I want to tell you a fact: the clan head has secretly executed five people, including Uchiha Ying and Uchiha Yu!"
This single sentence from Uchiha Setsuna immediately made the Ninjas on the scene highly tense.
The Great Elder waved his hand, and a Ninja presented a metal tray with material evidence. "These are items left behind in the clan prison by Uchiha Ying and Uchiha Yu. Also locked in the prison with them were five other missing Uchiha clansmen."
The Great Elder's sinister gaze swept around, and the many Jonin at the scene fearfully avoided Uchiha Setsuna's eyes.
"Clan Head Fucheng is wantonly persecuting his clansmen. We cannot sit idly by and wait for death."
This sentence from the Great Elder immediately caused panicked and fearful expressions among the crowd.
Even Uchiha Iwa was startled. "Grandfather, you must have misunderstood. The clan head did not—"
Seeing the expressions of the crowd, Uchiha Setsuna became even angrier.
"How can you have no backbone? This old man is not lying; it really is the clan head who is persecuting us!"
An agitated Uchiha Setsuna even stood up from his seat.
"The mission to eradicate the Ketsuryugan in the Land of Lightning was originally being negotiated by me, but the clan head just brushed me off and handed it directly to a mysterious masked Ninja to lead.
A Ninja who doesn't even dare to show his face, a Ninja who we don't even know is Uchiha—what right does he have to lead UchihaJonin?"
Watching his grandfather speak passionately, Uchiha Iwa, sitting to the side, felt extremely embarrassed.
He whispered a reminder, "Grandfather, it's not like that. The leader's strength is very high, and I also saw his Sharingan. He is also Uchiha."
Uchiha Setsuna naturally heard his grandson's muttered whisper, glared fiercely at Uchiha Iwa, and criticized him mercilessly.
"The clan head's current policy is nothing but chronic suicide; it is appeasement and compromise with the Hokage! He thinks that by giving the Second Elder a position as a KonohaAdvisor, Konoha has accepted us? Far from it!"
Uchiha Setsuna pounded the table, saying with a hateful expression, "The sinister Konoha just wants to use the Uchiha's powerful strength to wipe out Danzo Shimura and the Shimura Clan. The clan head is generous, directly using our clansmen to storm the Shimura Clan. Konoha is just using us as a blade."
After he finished speaking, the UchihaJonin from the Second Elder Chiyan Zhi's faction in the audience looked even more awkward.
It was inappropriate for them to refute, and inappropriate not to refute.
After criticizing the Second Elder and Uchiha Fucheng, Uchiha Setsuna began to scold the Third Elder, Uchiha Riyao.
"Third Elder Riyao is even more of a senile old man. When Uchiha Kagami died, it was his idea to have school-age Uchiha children attend the KonohaNinja Academy.
And what was the result? How many of our Genin who participated in the war against the Land of Wind died?"
His words were unreasonable, but most of the Genin who died were relatives of these Ninjas, so it could resonate to some extent.
But what Uchiha Setsuna wanted went far beyond that.
"I have gathered you all here today to make one thing clear: Uchiha Fucheng is secretly persecuting his clansmen, and we cannot let him continue as clan head!"
The Great Elder's words were shocking. "I have decided that when he returns to the compound, we will ambush Uchiha Fucheng and force the clan head to relinquish his power."
This sentence from Uchiha Setsuna, filled with murderous intent, caused all the Jonin at the scene to change color.
The crowd fell silent instantly. Even the old father of Uchiha Ying, who had just been the representative of the victims and the most grief-stricken, looked at the Great Elder in horror.
"Grandfather, you?" Uchiha Iwa was shocked. "Are you crazy!"
He had just witnessed Clan Head Fucheng "cutting Hell Valley with Susanoo" in person. As a fanboy of the clan head, it was hard for Uchiha Iwa to describe his current mood in one sentence.
"Grandfather, absolutely not!"
Ignoring his grandfather's rage, Uchiha Iwa rushed to Uchiha Setsuna's side and grabbed his thigh.
"Grandfather, we cannot rebel against Clan Head Fucheng. That is Mangekyo! Do you not want your lives?"
Facing the obstruction of his own grandson, Uchiha Setsuna was almost choked with anger.
Looking at the cowardly Jonin below, the Great Elder gave a disdainful snort at Uchiha Iwa and kicked him away.
"Get back! The Uchiha Fucheng and Fugaku brothers are both cold-blooded animals with complex minds. If we don't resist, they will continue to persecute us."
Uchiha Setsuna was now determined to rebel against Fucheng, the clan head, so how could he tolerate Uchiha Iwa's opposition? He immediately had his son forcibly bind Uchiha Iwa.
The Great Elder continued firmly, "I have the confidence to defeat Fucheng. The Mangekyo Sharingan is not an invincible existence. You all overestimate the Mangekyo too much!"
The Jonin were dumbfounded.
They were not only surprised by the Great Elder's madness, but also by his unusually firm confidence in victory.
Some Jonin under the Second Elder already regretted coming to the meeting immensely.
They wanted to get up and slip away, but with a large group of Ninjas watching, whoever left would be taking a stance of being an informant.
They would instantly stand in opposition to the others.
The only one at the scene still struggling to persuade them was Uchiha Iwa, Uchiha Setsuna's own grandson.
"Grandfather, Uncle, Cousin, have you all gone crazy? Clan Head Fucheng's strength is such that he could kill us all by himself. You actually want to betray the clan?"
His words made the scene exceptionally awkward.
It was only because of Uchiha Riyao's special status; if it had been any other Ninja, Uchiha Setsuna would likely have silenced him immediately.
"Plug his mouth!"
Uchiha Setsuna looked at his grandson with some anger, wearing an expression of disappointment at his lack of improvement.
If it weren't for the fact that Uchiha Riyao's father had died early, he might have cursed out his father as well.
Uchiha Riyao's uncle shoved a large wad of rags into Uchiha Riyao's mouth and scolded him in his ear.
"Don't cause trouble. Your grandfather has everything under control; do not defy your elders!"
Poor Uchiha Riyao, with his mouth stuffed full of rags, could only whimper.
Elder Setsuna looked down at the crowd, brimming with spirit. "I have obtained the secret technique of the Second Hokage, Senju Tobirama. This Dark Technique is highly effective against the Mangekyo Sharingan, capable of depriving the opponent of their vision and plunging them into darkness!"
"With this secret technique, we can completely restrain and control the Clan Head with minimal cost."
A majestic aura of "if not me, then who" emanated from the Great Elder.
"Here, I can promise that we will not execute a single member of the Uchiha Clan. We only need to correct the mistakes of the past and truly utilize the Mangekyo Sharingan for the benefit of the clan."
The Great Elder spoke passionately, but the Jonin below could hardly suppress their fear.
"Damn it, we're in trouble now!"
"The Elder is relying on Senju Tobirama's secret technique? That's just too unreliable."
"How are we supposed to win? Clan Head Fucheng's Mangekyo Sharingan, his Susanoo is tens of meters tall. Even if he stood there and let us hack at him, we couldn't make a dent."
"This Senju Tobirama secret technique might not be from a legitimate source. I need to find a way to secretly contact Elder Uchiha Chiyanzhi."
The UchihaJonin below had mixed thoughts, but the Great Elder Uchiha Setsuna on the stage did not waver in the slightest.
His plan was to act before Uchiha Fucheng returned to the Uchiha Compound, first taking his relatives hostage, and then using "public opinion" to incite the crowd to launch a siege.
"Public opinion is a powerful force" + "Collective coercion."
He would use the "public opinion" he had coerced to force Uchiha Fucheng to relinquish his position as Clan Head.
Even if these Jonin from the Second Elder's faction were not of much use, the Uchiha Ninjas he could control alone already numbered over twenty Jonin.
Even someone as strong as Uchiha Madara back in the day could not remain indifferent when facing the "surging public opinion" within the clan.
If Clan Head Madara with his Mangekyo could be ignominiously driven out of the compound, then Uchiha Fucheng would not be able to withstand the "pressure of public opinion" either.
The Great Elder was full of confidence. "You all just overestimate the Mangekyo Sharingan. As long as the Uchiha Ninjas work together, ten UchihaJonin can surround and kill a Hokage. Is he, Uchiha Fucheng, really harder to kill than a Kage-level Ninja?"
This way of thinking from the Great Elder was a common mindset among many Ninjas who did not grasp the mysteries of the Mangekyo.
One UchihaJonin could contend with three KonohaJonin. The idea that ten UchihaJonin could surround and kill a Kage-level Ninja had almost become the most deeply ingrained stereotype in their minds.
But reality is very cruel.
Let alone a MangekyoNinja like Uchiha Fucheng, even a Kage-level Ninja like Danzo Shimura could not be successfully surrounded and killed by ten ordinary Three TomoeJonin.
Furthermore, the Dark Technique scroll in Uchiha Setsuna's hands was originally a "hidden move" deliberately planted by Danzo Shimura in the Uchiha Clan before he died.
This was originally a means to incite an internal war within the Uchiha. It was just that Danzo Shimura died early; otherwise, in his subsequent plans, Danzo had intended to use secret techniques like Izanagi as a fuse to trigger the Uchiha civil war.
Did Danzo Shimura not understand the Dark Technique? Of course not, but why didn't he use it against Uchiha Kagami? It was simply because this secret technique itself was not very perfect.
This special technique, with genjutsu at its core, had a long preparation time and complex hand seals, and it only controlled vision without causing any damage.
Even Hiruzen Sarutobi during the Chunin Exams could figure out a way to counter this technique; a Mangekyo-level Ninja could not possibly have such poor resistance to genjutsu.
Uchiha Setsuna was once again blinded by his own blind confidence.
Years ago, it was the same when he assassinated Senju Tobirama. Now, facing Uchiha Fucheng, he had once again awakened that inexplicable confidence within his heart.
The Second Hokage, Senju Tobirama, had understood this "blind confidence" of Uchiha Setsuna at that time, which is why he had "generously" released this leader of the Uchiha hawk faction.
Tobirama's reasoning could be described as a blatant open conspiracy.
Releasing Uchiha Setsuna served two purposes: first, it could signal goodwill to the major Ninja clans, and second, it could allow Uchiha Setsuna to become a weakness that would cause internal strife within the Uchiha Clan.
Uchiha Setsuna's desire to control Uchiha Fucheng was exactly what the wise Senju Tobirama had successfully predicted decades in advance.
Tobirama's value had risen once again.
If Fucheng knew these details, he would likely sigh in self-mockery.
This Uchiha Setsuna was truly the most typical example of the "Uchiha personality."
Like Sasuke in the original timeline, always prone to that bad habit of "when the sky clears and the rain stops, Sasuke feels like he can do it again."
The other Ninjas below had their own thoughts, while the Jonin directly affiliated with the Great Elder on the stage were becoming somewhat fanatical.
Only Uchiha Riyao, whose hands and feet were bound and mouth stuffed, was as anxious as a fish flopping on the shore.
"Come now, everyone sign this petition to remove the Clan Head, and you will be the greatest heroes of this operation!" Uchiha Setsuna's eyes were sharp, staring fixedly at the crowd below.
Except for the Great Elder's faction, the other Jonin cursed inwardly.
"Great Elder, aren't you setting us up? If we sign this petition to remove the Clan Head, wouldn't we become traitors with ironclad evidence against us? If Uchiha Setsuna fails to become Clan Head, then we will all suffer a terrible death."
Watching the excitement of his grandfather and uncles, Uchiha Riyao felt incredibly conflicted.
He wanted to notify Uchiha Fugaku and the others to evacuate early, before his grandfather could capture Clan Head Fucheng's relatives.
Otherwise, once Clan Head Fucheng returned from Stardew Valley and saw that his relatives had all been captured by his grandfather, there would be no room for turning back.
By then, their entire branch would be finished.
Uchiha Riyao's idea was good, but his strength and private movements were not enough to deceive Uchiha Setsuna.
Before preparing to capture Uchiha Fugaku, the Great Elder had already seen through his grandson's intention to escape.
Although he was "disappointed in Uchiha Riyao's lack of improvement," Uchiha Setsuna still felt a bit soft-hearted. After all, he was his own grandson, and the child's father had died early, so he still wanted to go and persuade him one last time.
But Uchiha Riyao, this "little clever ghost," showed his intelligence here.
The self that remained to talk was just a Shadow Clone; his real body had already run toward Fugaku's residence.
By the time Uchiha Setsuna realized something was wrong, Uchiha Riyao's Shadow Clone immediately stepped forward to stall him, even going so far as to release a large-scale Fire Release technique within their own house.
Come on, [Fire Release: Great Dragon Fire Technique]!
Uchiha Setsuna turned red with anger, shattering Uchiha Riyao's clone while ordering his subordinate Ninjas to fully control the other Jonin.
"Seal the courtyard and make sure no one leaves. Uchiha Liangfu, take a few people and come with me. We must capture them before Uchiha Riyao takes Fugaku away."
At this moment, Uchiha Riyao himself had already appeared at Fugaku's house.
"Big Brother Fugaku, run! My grandfather wants to capture you. They have recruited many Jonin and want to imprison Clan Head Fucheng."
When Uchiha Riyao said this anxiously, it completely stunned Fugaku.
"What did you say? Elder Setsuna wants to betray the clan?" Fugaku couldn't believe his ears.
Fugaku's thinking was very clear. "Then we can't leave the compound! Instead, we must go find Elder Uchiha Riyao first. Just the two of us definitely won't work; we can neither escape nor stop the Great Elder's men!"
He and the Third Elder Uchiha Riyao had participated in the assassination of Danzo together. Although Uchiha Fucheng had not yet returned to Konoha, Fugaku knew that there were currently two people in the clan who possessed the Mangekyo.
The two did not hesitate and immediately rushed toward the Third Elder's residence.
But just after passing an intersection, they were blocked from the front by several Ninjas led by the Great Elder.
"Riyao, you've learned to lie!"
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