c150: Full Favorability
"Madara-sama has been the leader of the Uchiha clan for as long as I can remember."
"I heard from the elders that Master Madara was already the leader of the Uchiha clan back in the Warring States Period, long before the founding of Konoha."
"Madara-sama led our Uchiha through the endless wars of that era, clashing countless times with Senju Hashirama, and under his command the Uchiha rose into one of the most feared and respected shinobi clans in the world. Only the Senju clan could match their power."
"... "
As an admirer of Uchiha Madara, Uchiha Setsuna naturally couldn't remain calm when recounting his deeds. His eyes gleamed as if seeing the legendary battles himself. Inevitably, he glorified Madara's victories his leadership at the Battle of the Valley of Flames, his control over the Nine-Tails, his unmatched prowess with the Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan.
But though Setsuna's words were exalted, he was careful. He did not disparage the Senju clan who were too deeply tied to Konoha's birth but instead framed other rival clans, like the Shimura and the Sarutobi of that era, as outmatched before Madara's might.
Setsuna knew details well. He could vividly describe the confrontation at the Uchiha-Senju border, where Madara's Susanoo split mountains, or when Madara crushed the Hatake clan's coalition. Yet what he knew was from elder retellings. Some truths were inevitably blurred. The Uchiha elders had passed down stories that turned defeats into stalemates and stalemates into victories.
Except for his final loss at the Valley of the End to Senju Hashirama—the "God of Shinobi" Madara's past was always remembered as glorious. That defeat itself, Setsuna retold as a betrayal of fate, not weakness.
This retelling made many Uchiha swell with pride. They worshipped Madara not only as a warrior but as the embodiment of the clan's will.
After Konoha's founding, Setsuna told them, the reason Madara was not chosen as the First Hokage lay in the secret manipulations of Konoha's top brass. Who? Setsuna avoided naming anyone after all, that man's student, Senju Tobirama, now held power as the Second Hokage. Speaking directly would mean courting death.
In truth, the decision had been more complicated. Senju Hashirama became Hokage because the other clans trusted only him to maintain balance. The Uchiha, weary of war, had even supported him. Even had Hashirama insisted Madara take the role, the distrust of the other clans would have made his leadership untenable. Only Hashirama's selfless nature reassured them.
Madara, proud and domineering, could not bear this. His ambitions clashed with Konoha's fragile unity. Tobirama's subtle jabs pointing out Madara's instability, or speaking of the "curse of hatred" within the Uchiha only widened the rift. In the end, even the bond between Hashirama and Madara shattered.
Thus Setsuna portrayed Madara as a tragic hero ostracized, misunderstood, and forced to leave the very village he helped found. Even his later return, controlling the Nine-Tails, Setsuna explained not as a bid to destroy Konoha but to demand justice for betrayal.
"If Madara-sama truly wished to erase Konoha," Setsuna argued, "he would have unleashed the Nine-Tails directly inside the village with Summoning Jutsu, tearing it apart instantly. But no his purpose was to confront Hashirama, not to massacre innocents."
The clan nodded. They preferred this truth. To believe otherwise meant admitting their former leader was a traitor, dishonoring the clan's name. And that, no Uchiha could tolerate.
Tobirama, of course, had always seen Madara as the true enemy, while Hashirama remained both rival and friend. Tobirama's sharp perception allowed him to sense Madara's chakra even when he lurked outside meetings. That he chose to speak provocations anyway was no accident.
To Setsuna's audience, the story was clear: Madara had been wronged, and the clan's pride demanded loyalty to his memory.
When Setsuna finished, Fugaku and the elders gave approving nods. The younger, hot-blooded Uchiha absorbed every word, believing without question. Shinobi could devise countless cunning tactics on the battlefield, but outside of war they were still susceptible to rhetoric especially when it confirmed what they already wanted to believe.
No Uchiha wanted to see their founder as a villain. Better to see him as a hero betrayed by Konoha's politics.
As a result, clan pride surged. Unity deepened. And this, Uchiha Gen silently thought, was a victory.
So when Fugaku declared in a solemn tone: "Uchiha Gen has made great contributions to the clan and deserves to be rewarded heavily. Does anyone object?"
"No!" came the unanimous reply.
The Uchiha looked at Gen with reverence, their favorability toward him soaring. Shisui and Itachi's respect reached its peak, while even the clan elders quietly admitted Gen's methods resembled true leadership.
Gen, bowing deeply, protested humbly: "It is what I should do. To be rewarded for it would be shameful."
Fugaku shook his head. "If your great merits go unrewarded, others will hesitate to step forward. Do not diminish yourself."
The hall filled with laughter, some shinobi even teasing Gen warmly. If his favorability were measured on a scale, he now stood at ninety points or higher in the hearts of nearly all.
Mikoto, the elders, even Fugaku himself exchanged glances. His charisma, his humility, his ability to gather hearts Gen was already displaying the qualities of a Hokage, though he bore the Uchiha name.
After the laughter settled, Fugaku and the elders began to discuss appropriate rewards. Though the decision was unplanned, the feeling in the room was clear. The clan had found its future leader.
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