"I agree!" Hiashi Hyūga was the first to speak up.
The Byakugan of the Hyūga Clan had always been coveted by other villages. In fact, the Mist ninja Ao openly wore a stolen Byakugan in his right eye—parading it like a trophy. It was a public humiliation to their entire clan.
That disgrace had to be avenged. The stolen Byakugan must be reclaimed—it was a matter of pride.
Besides, if they backed this proposal, the Hyūga would have the full support of Konoha behind them. Perhaps they could finally abolish the cursed seal of the Caged Bird altogether.
Then, the Hyūga could walk proudly across the shinobi world without fear of assassination or being harvested for their dōjutsu.
Let any foolish clan try to steal a Byakugan or a Sharingan again—Hiashi swore the Uchiha would wipe out their bloodline without hesitation.
With such a promising plan, why wouldn't he agree?
"I agree too!" Kushina said immediately.
Just hearing that there were surviving members of the Uzumaki Clan in the Land of Grass stirred something in her heart. When she heard that the red-haired Gaara was a jinchūriki, she even felt a pang of compassion.
The Uzumaki had long been targeted due to their powerful life force—hunted down, exploited… even bred.
She herself had once been kidnapped by Kumo as a child. If not for Minato, she might've spent her life imprisoned in Kumo, defiled by strange men, forced to bear children…
Just the thought was terrifying.
So when it came to Gaara—someone she'd never even met—she couldn't help but feel for him.
"I agree," said Minato. With Kushina's stance clear, he had no room to object—not if he wanted to go home tonight.
"I agree as well," Hashirama Senju added.
The Uzumaki were Mito's people. If he couldn't even protect her kin scattered across the world, how could he call himself her husband?
How could he claim that Konoha and the Uzumaki were true allies?
No—any remaining Uzumaki had to be brought back.
This was about more than clan loyalty. It was Konoha's reputation on the line.
"I agree." Tobirama nodded. His brother had spoken—there was no reason to object.
Besides… Madara was right.
The Tailed Beasts had always been part of Konoha. If his idiot brother hadn't insisted on distributing them among the nations, the shinobi world would've been united long ago.
"Well then, if no one objects… let's call it settled."
A smirk curled on Madara's lips as he gave the final word.
That Itachi sure is clever. With just a few words, he'd managed to sway the entire room to their side.
Now that they had the backing of every major Konoha clan, gathering the Tailed Beasts would be a walk in the park.
Once that was done, Madara would use Black Zetsu to manipulate Nagato into casting Rinne Rebirth, and become the jinchūriki of the Ten-Tails himself.
Then the Eye of the Moon Plan would begin.
And he—Uchiha Madara—would surpass even the Sage of Six Paths.
He'd become a legend passed down through all of shinobi history. The world would know peace at last.
"Now then," Madara said, eyes sharpening, "after tonight, the other Great Nations won't sit still. They'll definitely make a move against us."
"In that case," said Fugaku, stepping forward and accepting a box from Itachi, "let's draw lots. Randomly pick a lucky village."
"We'll strike first—and use the opportunity to unify the shinobi world. Reclaim every stolen Tailed Beast. Recover all the land we've lost."
"Everyone ready?" he said, offering the box.
Inside were slips of paper—each one labeled with a different nation or hidden village. The name drawn the most would be Konoha's first target.
Iwagakure of the Land of Earth.
Sunagakure of the Land of Wind.
Amegakure. Kusagakure.
Takigakure. Yukigakure. Tanigakure.
The Land of Iron. Kumogakure of the Land of Lightning.
The Land of Hot Water. Kirigakure of the Land of Water.
The Land of Bears…
All were written clearly on the slips.
"Is this really okay…?" Inuzuka Tsume asked nervously, swallowing hard. "Shouldn't we at least put together a battle strategy or something?"
"And what's wrong with this approach?" Madara countered, raising a brow. "Tell me—do you truly think any village or country in this world can stand against us?"
"With me, Hashirama, and the rest of the Elders? What nation could possibly hold out?"
The others nodded in agreement.
This isn't just a power play—it's a full-on steamroll.
Even if they fought openly, they'd win with overwhelming force.
They didn't need a strategy. They just needed to move.
"Exactly," Tobirama added. "After my brother died, the other nations immediately tore up our treaties and launched a full-scale invasion of Konoha."
"If not for the Senju, Uchiha, Uzumaki, and Hyūga Clans, we would've been annihilated."
"This time, if any nation dares attack…"
"We'll strike their capital. Wipe out their bloodlines!"
"We'll make damn sure they know—Konoha isn't to be trifled with!" Tobirama declared, his killing intent flaring.
"If we go down this path… we'll start another great shinobi war," Hashirama muttered, sighing at the bloodlust rising around him.
Why must it always come to violence? Wasn't it possible to sit down and talk?
"Spare me the pacifist act, Hashirama," Madara scoffed. "If you had listened to me and Tobirama back then, Konoha would've already unified the shinobi world. None of this would've happened."
"He's right," Tobirama added. "If I had your power—or Madara's—I would've finished the job myself. No more sneak attacks. No more betrayal."
"Enough, Hashirama. In war, you kill or you die.
If the next great war doesn't lead to unification, then what's the point?"
"As Edo Tensei summons, our mission is clear: fight to the death."
"You all know it—peace is the world's greatest lie. Life and death are locked in eternal cycle."
"We live. They die."
"We Uchiha are hawks—we're not like Hiruzen Sarutobi, weak and groveling, trading Konoha's resources just to win favor from foreign nations."
Hiruzen: "..."
Please… stop dragging my corpse through the mud…
"My objective is simple: What was stolen from Konoha must be returned. What was eaten—must be vomited back up!"
"Where the sun and moon shine, where rivers and oceans reach—all of it belongs to the Land of Fire!"
"And let me be clear—we Uchiha are not like Hiruzen Sarutobi."
"What he was too scared to do—we'll do.
What he was too afraid to touch—we'll handle."
"If Hashirama could manage it, then we will too. If Hashirama couldn't handle it—we must."
Those who follow us will prosper. Those who oppose us… will perish!
"That… is the will of the Uchiha!" Madara's voice boomed as he swept his gaze across the crowd.
Fugaku shot Madara a resentful look.
That was my speech! Itachi wrote it for me! Why are you stealing my lines?! You skipped ahead—now how am I supposed to follow that?!
"C-clear," someone in the crowd stammered, swallowing nervously.
Hashirama and Tobirama: "…"
When the hell did Madara get so articulate?
And wasn't the whole point of this not to turn the Hokage into a puppet?
Now he'd basically announced the Uchiha were running a one-man dictatorship!
"Ahem… Yes, exactly. What our esteemed ancestor Madara said—that's what I meant to say," Fugaku added quickly.
"The unification of the shinobi world—it's our destiny. Not even the Sage of Six Paths could stop us! I said it!"
Everyone: "…"
Right, right… we all know Itachi wrote that script.