After emerging from the command center, Shun deliberately detoured past the supply warehouse. The empty storeroom seemed to have only a small amount of inventory.
Shun walked in and saw two clan members counting the few remaining military rations and ninja tools.
He lowered his voice and asked, "Did they say when the supplies would be sent over?"
An Uchiha forced a bitter smile and said, "Fugaku-sama said to wait a bit longer. Hokage-sama's promised resupply will arrive soon. But we heard that Danzo intercepted our second batch of supplies and sent them to the Kirigakure battlefield instead. Fugaku-sama sent people back to protest but there was still no result."
Protesting?
In wartime, such weakness was practically dooming the entire clan.
Shun thought back to the original timeline, it was Fugaku's weakness and compromise that led the Uchiha clan into the abyss of annihilation. The outlook seemed a bit grim. A wave of sorrow suddenly rose in Shun's heart. It seemed this weak clan head was completely unreliable.
Since Fugaku couldn't be relied upon, then for the future of the Uchiha clan, he will have to find another path. Thus, he thought of Yashiro, the well-known hawkish elder of the clan.
The hawks advocated strong measures to protect the clan's interests, forming a stark contrast with Fugaku's faction.
Moreover, it was wartime, and over 1,100 Uchiha clan members had already died. Death and hatred always made people radical, so the current hawkish faction of the Uchiha was constantly growing stronger.
With his decision made, Shun tidied his attire and strode towards Yashiro's office area.
Yashiro looked up slightly, and after recognizing him, a hint of surprise appeared on his face. He knew this junior was Shun, formerly a member of Fugaku's faction. Now, with his Three-Tomoe Sharingan activated, he came to him, clearly with something important.
"You've come to me now, is there something you need?"
Shun did not bother with pleasantries, directly revealing everything that had just happened, emphasizing Fugaku's hesitation and the Konoha high-level's conspiracy.
After listening to the narration, Yashiro was silent for a moment, not immediately expressing his stance. His fingers lightly tapped the table, subtly hinting at scrutiny.
"Since you guessed that the village plans to send Minato to steal the credit, do you have a solution?"
Shun did not shy away from the other party's scrutiny, his gaze firm. "The solution is simple, but I need your support and some authority. In exchange, I am willing to join the hawks and dedicate myself to the future of the clan."
Seeing this junior with potential, ambition, and drive, Yashiro raised an eyebrow and said with great interest, "First, tell me your solution."
Shun took a deep breath and began to explain his plan.
"Minato is the overall commander of the eastern battlefield. In the war against Kumogakure, he has already achieved great merits and prestige. The village sending him to Kannabi Bridge is nothing more than a self-directed show. Once he completes the mission, the village high-level will package him as a hero who saved the entire village, and naturally elevate him to the position of Fourth Hokage. Of course, letting Minato steal our credit is also a method for the Konoha high-level to suppress us Uchiha."
Hearing this, Yashiro was clearly somewhat surprised and interrupted, "The Konoha high-level suppressing us Uchiha, that doesn't surprise me. But why are you so certain Minato will become the Fourth Hokage, and not Orochimaru?"
Orochimaru was a legendary hero of the Second Great Ninja War, and in the Third Grear Ninja War, he served as the overall commander of the Sunagakure Battlefield. In many people's eyes, he was the undisputed choice for the Fourth Hokage, whether in terms of qualifications, achievements, or strength.
Shun explained, "Orochimaru's achievements are too great, and he has many followers. Once he takes power, he will inevitably touch upon the vested interests of certain high-level officials. While Minato is exceptionally talented, he is too young and comes from a civilian background, with shallow foundation. Even if he becomes Hokage, he can only rely on those advisors to govern Konoha."
Yashiro nodded silently.
These words hit the nail on the head. The reason the Konoha high-level favored Minato was precisely because he was easy to control and would not threaten their power.
"After the war, in order to support Minato's ascension, the Konoha high-level will inevitably promote and praise him with great fanfare, shaping him into a savior. At that time, we will publish some books, truthfully documenting the cruelty and hardship of the battlefield, as well as the silent sacrifices of many ninjas. At the same time, the book will expose the truth of Kannabi Bridge. The village high-level, in order to let Minato seize the credit for the northern battlefield, actually sent 100 civilian ninjas to their deaths at Kannabi Bridge."
"Once this lie is exposed, it will undoubtedly cause a huge uproar in the village. Angry citizens and questioning gazes will turn towards Minato and those high-level officials behind the scenes. At that time, Minato's hero halo will collapse."
After listening, Yashiro's eyes flashed with approval.
He clapped his hands and laughed. "Good. This strategy of using strength to counter strength is indeed brilliant. Using public opinion to confront the high-level, making them shoot themselves in the foot. However, I still have one question. Do you think our clan head Fugaku has a chance to become the Fourth Hokage?"
Shun pondered for a long while before slowly saying, "Having fought against Iwagakure for over a year, our 8,000 people have not been at a disadvantage against Iwagakure's 11,000 ninjas, which is enough to prove clan head Fugaku's achievements. If we release the casualty list of thousands of Uchiha clan members, it should gain him some sympathy and supporters. The only problem is that his personal combat record is far inferior to Orochimaru's and Minato's."
Hearing this, Yashiro fell silent. In this war, although Fugaku earned the title of Wicked Eye, his combat record indeed seemed somewhat lacking compared to those two.
Seeing the atmosphere become heavy, Shun suddenly lowered his voice and said, "Actually, the clan head has the Mangekyo."
This sentence was like a clap of thunder from a clear sky, making Yashiro suddenly look up, his eyes flashing with ecstatic light.
"You... are you telling the truth? Fugaku really awakened the Mangekyo?"
If Fugaku truly possessed the Mangekyo, then his strength would increase to Kage-level, making him fully qualified to contend for the Hokage position.
Shun nodded solemnly. "Absolutely true. The pupil patterns of each Mangekyo are different. If you want to know the clan head's Mangekyo pupil pattern, I can draw it."
Hearing this, Yashiro stood up and paced back and forth in the room, appearing extremely excited.
He clenched his fists and said, "Good. This is truly heaven helping the Uchiha. With the Mangekyo, Fugaku's strength will be enough to deter all rivals. Coupled with the weapon of public opinion in our hands, we can easily challenge the high-level. This time, the Hokage position should be ours, the Uchiha's."
After the shock, as a veteran hawk who had spent his life in blood and fire, Yashiro's expression suddenly changed slightly.
He re-examined his previous question. "Fugaku, why hide the Mangekyo? The war has been going on for so long, and 1,132 clan members have died. If he had used the power of the Mangekyo earlier, fewer clan members would have died."
Thinking of this, Yashiro no longer had the motivation to continue the conversation. He now urgently wanted to find Fugaku and get a clear explanation, so he took out two scrolls and handed them over.
"This is the reward for the intelligence you just provided. From today, you are a member of my hawkish faction. I can secure you the position of squadron leader, but we Uchiha revere strength, so you must also raise your own strength as quickly as possible."
Shun carefully took the scrolls. Just as he was about to use his Three-Tomoe Sharingan to copy the Ninjutsu on them, suddenly, two electronic voices rang out in his mind.
[Ding, obtained B-rank Ninjutsu: Fire Release: Great Fire Annihilation. Current status: Not yet initiated.]
[Ding, obtained A-rank Ninjutsu: Transcription Seal. Current status: Not yet initiated.]