"Akiro, which faction do you belong to?"
After arguing endlessly, Uchiha Tetsu and Uchiha Setsuna suddenly realized something was wrong.
Their words meant nothing—what mattered was what Akiro himself thought.
His statements so far leaned partly toward the radicals, but at the same time contained advice that benefitted the conservatives as well.
It was somewhat ambiguous. Although Akiro had finally revealed his stance and given sound opinions—so sound that even the elders and moderates found them convincing—it still lacked clarity. If he could be more specific, it would be even better.
"I don't belong to any faction. I only believe that whether you are conservative or radical, what must be done now is internal reform, along with external change. At least in my eyes, if no one were targeting us, the Uchiha would never have reached this state. We must drag the one behind the scenes into the light and deal with him."
Would constant compromise help?
Absolutely not!
Perhaps the Third Hokage might endure, but Danzō would never hold back. He would only grind down the Uchiha's strength little by little.
And once the Uchiha realized their power was being eroded, unrest would stir from within. By then—wouldn't it only lead to another Night of Massacre?
Therefore, to prevent the extermination of the Uchiha clan, the most crucial step was to eliminate the so-called Konoha "F4"—with Sarutobi Hiruzen and Danzō at the core.
"How exactly should we reform internally? And how should we change externally?"
A flicker of excitement flashed in Uchiha Fugaku's eyes. At last—someone had offered a real solution.
Unlike before, when conservatives and radicals only bickered without providing any real way forward.
"First—the Police Force. From now on, if problems arise, we should smooth things over and let them slide. There's no need to make enemies over trivial matters. After all, most of these aren't really our issues. Even if it escalates to the village leadership, the worst that will happen is being scolded for 'incompetence.'
If they truly want to dissolve the Police Force, then let them. I doubt they'd dare—because no one actually wants to shoulder that burden."
This hot potato—Akiro truly couldn't understand why the Uchiha insisted on clutching it. From his perspective, better to just do the bare minimum.
"But if we do this, won't it worsen tensions between the village and the Uchiha?"
Fugaku's worry returned, making Akiro roll his eyes.
As expected, Fugaku really wasn't suited to lead the clan in this era. His indecision was destroying them.
"Let me ask you this—the Police Force salaries, are they paid by the Uchiha, or by the village?"
"We pay them ourselves."
Originally, back in the Second Hokage's era, the village covered those wages. But after the Second and Third Shinobi Wars, and especially the Nine-Tails' attack, the village cited economic hardship and approached Fugaku: could the Uchiha shoulder the cost instead?
At the time, the clan had just endured the Nine-Tails' disaster.
Since many had seen the Sharingan in the Nine-Tails' eyes, rumors spread that the Uchiha were plotting rebellion.
In order to quiet the accusations—and because the Uchiha were wealthy—Fugaku agreed.
From then on, the cost was borne internally by the clan, not the village.
"You see? The village doesn't even pay us, yet you insist on serving them faithfully. In truth, you've been far too moral. If we cast aside that so-called morality, then this matter has nothing to do with us, does it?
We've already been made into the villains of the village. Why should we keep doing this? The village takes the benefits, while every drawback falls squarely on us. How is that acceptable?
So in my view, the first step out of our predicament… is to simply stop caring!"
Yes.
Let it rot.
The village doesn't pay us anyway. And every time we act, we're only slandered further. Civilians complain, the village consoles them, then blames us—and reaps the villagers' gratitude.
Meanwhile, we are left hated and humiliated. With such treatment, how could resentment not fester?
Who doesn't long to be respected?
But when you're cursed and pointed at daily, when doing things justly earns no approval, when injustice earns scorn all the same—then fine. Let's stop playing their game.
"I agree. Elder, I may be a conservative, but I'm sick of swallowing this humiliation. Every day someone curses me, or accuses me of incompetence!"
From the conservatives behind Uchiha Tetsu, many voices echoed in agreement.
They had tried earnestly to improve the clan's image.
Yet what had it brought them? Only more contempt.
Why would they continue enduring it?
"But if we do this, it'll be impossible for me to negotiate with the village afterward…"
Fugaku looked stricken.
Once the clan took this stance, he knew he'd lose all room for maneuver in dealings with Konoha.
"What are you afraid of? Look at how the village already treats us. What's the difference?"
Setsuna frowned, displeased with Fugaku's hesitation. Once, he had admired Fugaku as a fine clan head. But seeing his dithering now, that respect was fading.
Why be so indecisive?
"Clan head, don't decide yet. I still have more to say. Hear me out before you conclude anything."
Akiro knew Fugaku's hesitation had resurfaced.
On one side, Fugaku wanted to change the Uchiha's internal state, to act firmly.
On the other, he feared a hardline stance would only deepen the rift with Konoha, leading to outright conflict.
Caught between the two, he hesitated—until in the end, he led the whole clan to their deaths.
"…Fine."
After a moment of thought, Fugaku nodded.
"Then, based on what I said before, let me explain further my view on the Uchiha's relationship with Konoha. Later, you can reflect carefully yourselves.
We've spoken of the Police Force. Now, let us discuss the second problem: the external issues facing the Uchiha. This is the most urgent problem—and one that must be solved."