Hiruzen Sarutobi, the Third Hokage, was speechless in his heart.
There was no way he could possibly side with the Uchiha clan.
Danzo was being far too petty.
Now that the Uchiha had fully risen in power, he himself—the Third Hokage—faced a very real risk of being overthrown. And not just a small risk—an enormous one.
After all, in a village like Konoha, the strongest should logically hold the Hokage position.
But was he truly the strongest in the village?
He didn't think so.
After all, he couldn't even achieve battle feats as dazzling as Uchiha Ryosuke's. If that was the case, then…
Should he step down as Hokage?
Of course not.
He slowly said, "Danzo, you're overthinking this. I will firmly stand by your side this time."
Danzo relaxed the moment he heard this reassurance from Hiruzen.
That conviction was enough. With it, he could move forward without hesitation.
"In that case, we'll await your summons for the clan leader-level meeting."
After saying that, he rose and left the Hokage's office.
Hiruzen remained seated in silence, deep in thought for a long while.
He knew that nearly all the major clans were now standing in opposition to the Uchiha.
Perhaps only the Hyuga clan was still uncertain, but even if the Uchiha and Hyuga stood together, they wouldn't dare outright oppose the village.
This time, even if the Uchiha were unwilling to comply, unless they were ready to start a war…
They'd have to back down.
But launching a war in the very heart of Konoha was a far cry from facing a few hundred ninjas from the Cloud Village.
Here, they'd be facing tens of thousands of Konoha ninjas.
No matter how powerful the Uchiha clan was, they'd have to think carefully.
But even so, Hiruzen had no other choice.
Even if it risked conflict, he had to suppress them.
If he didn't, and time kept passing like this, the people of the village might start aligning with the Uchiha.
And if that happened—if he lost the support of all the other clans—wouldn't he, the Third Hokage, become nothing more than a puppet?
So he gave orders to the ANBU to notify all clan leaders: a clan leader-level meeting would be held in two days.
Meanwhile, in the Uchiha compound, Fugaku immediately informed Ryosuke upon receiving the summons.
The last time such a meeting had been held, Konoha's leadership had used it to force the Uchiha out of the village center.
This time, it was likely another ploy targeting them.
He had no choice but to take it seriously.
After all, Ryosuke was now the true decision-maker of the Uchiha clan.
Fugaku didn't want to relive the frustration and humiliation of the past.
And Ryosuke had already proven he could crush even the elite forces of the Cloud Village—surely he could handle a mere meeting.
In fact, Fugaku found himself looking forward to the high-level suppression. There was no need to fear it.
After all, Ryosuke's Mangekyō Sharingan had already shown him a brilliant future for the Uchiha clan.
Under Ryosuke's leadership, the clan was destined to rise to glory.
So what was there to fear?
Without delay, he went straight to Ryosuke's home and told him everything.
Then, with anticipation in his eyes, he asked, "Ryosuke, would you like to attend this meeting with me?"
Ryosuke raised an eyebrow.
A clan leader-level meeting? Why now?
Was it another move to suppress the Uchiha?
He pondered it for a moment, then looked at Fugaku and replied calmly, "Sure."
With his current strength, he could sweep through all of Konoha if he wanted to.
If the village tried to unite its various factions to suppress the Uchiha…
Let them try.
They'd just flip the table.
Fugaku was thrilled to hear this.
With Ryosuke by his side, they'd definitely weather the storm.
And Ryosuke wasn't the type to swallow his anger like he used to.
Two days later, the meeting was officially convened in the large conference hall of the Hokage Building.
At the designated time, Fugaku led Ryosuke into the room.
The once noisy hall instantly fell silent.
Today's Uchiha clan was riding a wave of dominance in Konoha.
All thanks to their overwhelming achievements in battle.
They had made major contributions in the southeast skirmish against the Mist Village, and recently even crushed the full might of the Cloud Village's army.
At this point, the Uchiha had firmly reestablished themselves as Konoha's strongest clan—perhaps even the most powerful in the entire ninja world.
It was as if the days of old had returned—when the Uchiha and Senju had swept across the ninja world side by side.
Naturally, some clan leaders were thrilled. After all, there's a saying: "It's good to sit under a big tree's shade."
With a mighty clan like the Uchiha protecting the village, there'd be no more fear of invasion.
They might even start expanding Konoha's territory again.
Even if they couldn't feast on the meat, they could still sip the soup.
But where there is respect, there is also resentment.
Especially from clans that had suffered during the Nine-Tails incident and lost many members.
They hated the Uchiha.
If the Uchiha could defeat the Cloud Village's army so easily, then how could anyone still believe they hadn't been behind the Nine-Tails' rampage?
Clearly, they had taken offense to the young Fourth Hokage and wanted him gone.
Now that the Uchiha were rising again, they were nothing less than a threat to the entire village.
Whether out of reverence or resentment, the other clans instinctively distanced themselves from the Uchiha.
Ryosuke sighed quietly.
So this is how it is now?
Not a single clan came forward to greet them. Not even the ones they'd saved.
He didn't mind, really—but if they were going to keep living in Konoha and treat it like home…
And not a single friendly clan would even say hello?
How were they supposed to live like that?
Before long, Hiashi Hyuga entered with his younger brother, Hizashi.
The two of them smiled and gave respectful nods to Fugaku and Ryosuke before sitting nearby.
Hizashi looked especially grateful.
Back during the Cloud Village incident, it was only thanks to the Uchiha's efforts that he hadn't been forced to sacrifice himself.
He had acted on impulse back then, but when he returned home and saw his still-young son—Neji—he felt nothing but shame.
Neji was still just a child. Without a father, how would he survive in a clan like the Hyuga?
Sure, his older brother would care for Neji, but he could never truly take a father's place.
So now, Hizashi genuinely and wholeheartedly appreciated the Uchiha.
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