Nara Shikaku looked utterly casual.
Yes.
He was completely fed up with being clan head.
If someone else were willing to take over, he'd gladly abdicate immediately so he could go home and enjoy his life in peace.
Nara Kazama: "…"
The corner of his mouth twitched.
Now that he understood everything, he suddenly felt like a salted fish that had lost its dream.
There was no helping it.
The drive that had sustained him up till now—was gone.
All he felt now was a bottomless emptiness. If he had a choice, he'd simply flop down and quit.
But…
When he thought of his friendship with Uchiha Kai, he really couldn't bring himself to do that.
Because deep down, he knew well—Kai's radical turn of action was largely because of his constant goading.
Otherwise, by Kai's original plan, the guy had wanted to quietly grind his way up into power, and then one day suddenly unleash it to suppress the entire ninja world in one fell swoop.
And now?
He had fanned those embers into flames, awakening Kai's grand ambitions. If he now suddenly bailed and left things half-done, Kai would probably beat him until his own mother couldn't recognize him.
Yes.
Knowing Kai's temper, he wouldn't actually kill him. But beating him half-dead? Very likely.
And then, there was the clan.
The conflict between the Uchiha and Hokage's faction was already completely irreconcilable. Calling them mortal enemies would be no exaggeration.
And judging by the situation as he saw it, the one with the higher chance of winning in the end… was definitely Uchiha Kai.
If he didn't act now, then Ino–Shika–Chō's future would be grim indeed.
Especially when…
He recalled the moment at their recent gathering, when Uchiha Kai opened his Mangekyō — that divine, terrifying aura that seemed like a god descending. A shiver ran down his spine.
In the past, he wouldn't have cared.
Shikaku and the others' lives and deaths had little to do with him.
But now…
Since they had never wronged him, and since everything he had in this life had basically come from the clan, he couldn't just sit back and watch.
No way.
And thinking about how Kai had even solved the Hyuga Caged Bird Curse Seal issue, his mind was made up.
After some silence, he took a deep breath.
Looking around at everyone present with a grave gaze, he finally spoke, baring his true stance as a son of the clan.
"Clan head, everyone—"
"You don't truly understand Uchiha Kai. In my view, our clan doesn't need to waste energy like this."
"We should throw our full support behind the Uchiha faction. Hiruzen and the high council have no chance."
"They're doomed."
"I can't tell you everything, but I can tell you this—Kai-kun is unimaginably strong."
"Unless Senju Hashirama and Uchiha Madara are resurrected, no one else can be his opponent."
"I know Konoha has deep foundations—Sarutobi and the higher-ups swallowed the legacies of both the Senju and the Uzumaki."
"But it won't matter!"
"Kai-kun isn't rushing to strike only because he doesn't want to provoke them into a desperate fight, one that would ruin the village."
"He doesn't want to inherit a broken Konoha."
"Otherwise, the village leadership would already be finished."
"He wants to boil the frog slowly, seizing the entire village bit by bit at the smallest possible cost."
"So to me, there's no need for complicated maneuvering."
"Just commit fully to the Uchiha, and shrink the Hokage faction's influence as much as possible."
"That alone is enough."
"If we split the clan into two factions and let them fight, the only ones who'll suffer are us — and the village as a whole."
"In my view, that's completely unnecessary."
Nara Kazama's words hung in the air.
Yes.
Though he didn't see Kai often, his understanding of this "friend" far surpassed the others. Because he was among the first to ally with Kai, Kai had kept little guard against him.
So even though Kai never outright said certain things, Kazama could sense them.
Uchiha Kai… was strong.
So why keep dithering? If the clan had come this far, they might as well go all in with Uchiha.
—
Nara Hiroshi: "…"
Nara Shikaku: "…"
Akimichi Chōza: "…"
Akimichi Torifu: "…"
Yamanaka Haichi: "…"
Everyone was stunned.
They all stared at Kazama in disbelief, their minds blank.
Yes.
None of them had expected Nara Kazama to say something like that.
And yet, though shocked, no one immediately refuted him.
Because they all knew—Kazama's intellect was among the sharpest in the Nara clan. If he dared to say it outright, then he must have some solid reason.
But after a moment of silence—
Nara Shikaku was the first to shake his head, speaking earnestly.
"Sorry, Kazama."
"It's not that I don't believe you. But when it comes to the life and death of the clan, we can't make such a hasty decision."
"If we fail, our clan will have no retreat."
"So let's stick to the original plan."
"The clever rabbit should have three burrows. We can't put all our eggs in one basket."
"I hope you understand. But if possible, I'd still like you to give us some concrete examples."
"That way, we can all judge the situation more accurately in the future."
"Of course, I won't force you. If you truly can't speak of it, you can refuse."
Nara Kazama fell silent.
But after looking around at the others, he let out a helpless sigh.
"Our squad—do you remember the Hyuga girl in it?" Kazama hesitated, then slowly continued. "Chances are, she'll become Uchiha Kai's wife."
"You all know Hyuga Aya is from the branch family."
"But Kai's Mangekyō could undo her Caged Bird Curse Seal."
"It nearly drained his ocular power, but Kai said he'll recover fully in time."
"You all understand what that implies, don't you?"
Hiss—
Everyone drew in a sharp breath.
Yes.
As the top of the Ino–Shika–Chō, they were certainly no strangers to the Mangekyō Sharingan.
Especially Akimichi Torifu.
He lived through the era of Senju Hashirama and Uchiha Madara.
Hearing that, he couldn't help but blurt out:
"Eternal Mangekyō?"
"No… not quite that. It hasn't reached the eternal stage yet."
"But to be able to restore ocular power—already surpasses almost every ordinary Mangekyō."
"A Mangekyō not bound by blindness… that's the Hokage faction's nightmare!"
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