Uchiha Hachidai sat frozen, silent. His whole body felt like it had been sunk in an iceberg—so cold, so numb, he couldn't even feel the pain anymore.
It was a strange sensation.
He had never realized, not until Seiji's ruthless questioning just now, how laughably wide the gap between them really was. The difference was so obvious it made him want to laugh at his own stupidity.
Yes, the clan still had plenty of three-tomoe Sharingan holders. But thanks to Tobirama Senju's police force policy, most Uchiha had grown soft, lacking real combat experience. Their supposed "strength" came with a big question mark.
And in the clan's thousand-year history, never before had they gone so long without even a single Mangekyō Sharingan among them.
To put it bluntly, they had nothing to show. No Mangekyō, only three-tomoe. No matter how strong the eyes were, three tomoe were still just three tomoe.
Even compared to Seiji, standing right here before him.
Hachidai's mind raced through names of other three-tomoe he knew—Tetsuka, Inoka, Shana, Fugaku…Even if they were stronger than him, could they really take down Seiji?
And if they couldn't even handle one Seiji, then what chance did the Hawks have going head-to-head with Konoha? Fight them with… sheer passion?
Tears began to roll down Hachidai's cheeks. He didn't even know if he was crying for himself or for the Uchiha.
Seiji, who had been simmering with anger moments ago, took one look at the thirty-something shinobi bawling like a kid and actually chuckled."Really, Hachidai? You're a grown man, and now you're crying?"
"The Uchiha… we're finished. I—I've shamed my grandfather, I've shamed all our ancestors!"
His tears burst like a broken dam, mixing the humiliation of today's beating with the gnawing dread for the clan's future. He sobbed loudly, like a child who had finally collapsed under the weight of the truth.
"Pathetic," Seiji muttered, shaking his head. "Even if Hiruzen himself stood against me, could he handle all the names I just listed put together? You still don't get how Konoha works."
"You want to change the Uchiha's standing? It's simple. Either you become another Madara—absolute power, crush everything in your way, sit at the peak of the shinobi world. Or…" His eyes narrowed. "You play by Konoha's rules. Become part of their system."
Hachidai flopped onto his back, looking like he'd given up on life. His voice was hoarse."You think I don't know that? Of course I do… To be Hokage, you have to be part of their master–disciple line. That's the unwritten rule. Even someone as famous as Sakumo Hatake—everyone knew he'd never be Hokage. That's Konoha. So what's left for us Uchiha to do?
Forget Hokage. What about even being a Hokage's advisor, or a councilor? Isn't the Uchiha clan worthy of any high-ranking position? We helped found this damn village!"
At last, he had voiced the truth—what so many in the clan thought but rarely said aloud.
They knew the Hokage's seat was beyond their reach. But not even one spot among the village elders? The sting of exclusion was suffocating. And because the requirements for advisors were practically the same as Hokage, the result was the same: locked out of the core circle.
That despair hollowed out the clan. Many turned to hardline Hawk rhetoric to mask the panic inside.
And Hachidai was the perfect example.
Seiji stared down at the crying wreck of a man and sighed."You see it all so clearly. So why do something this stupid?"
"Because I see it clearly," Hachidai sobbed, "that's why I had to act."
"You still don't get it," Seiji said, his voice cutting. "You despair because the Uchiha have no one in the Hokage's inner circle. Before me, fine—maybe you were right to think that way. But now that I'm here… do you really think I won't get that chance?"
Hachidai's crying stopped on a dime. "What…?"
A Uchiha who preached the Will of Fire.A Uchiha who openly criticized the Sharingan.A Uchiha who was kind to civilian shinobi.A Uchiha already noticed by the Third Hokage back in the Academy.
And most important of all—Uchiha Seiji was the direct grandson of Uchiha Kagami, one of Konoha's original elites.
Bloodline. Talent. Recognition. Position.
He was practically born inside the Hokage's circle.
Hachidai stared at him dumbly, replaying every action Seiji had ever taken. Suddenly it all seemed loaded with hidden meaning. He could no longer read this boy at all. Just like before, when he couldn't tell whether the illusion before him was Izuna or Tobirama.
"I don't want to abandon the Uchiha," Seiji said quietly, crouching beside him. "But you can't drag me down either, Hachidai. Talent, strength, lineage, brains—only I can save this clan."
"I told you all this because I don't want to waste a three-tomoe. You're not like Shana, tying personal greed to the clan's future. You still have value. But honestly… I'm tired. I'm disappointed."
He let out a heavy sigh, his eyes carrying real weariness.
Panic flared in Hachidai. He ignored the agony tearing through his wounds and forced himself to kneel."N-no, Seiji-sama! You can't—please, don't give up on the clan! This is my fault—no, it's Shana's fault! Don't turn your back on the Uchiha, I beg you!"
Guilt and despair flooded him. He could already see it: if Seiji lost hope in the clan, history would remember Hachidai as one of its greatest traitors.
In desperation, his eyes locked onto Muramasa's blade. His mind hardened."Seiji… let me atone with my life! Please forgive the Uchiha!"
He threw himself forward—only for Seiji to kick him flat onto the ground.
"I don't need your life as an apology," Seiji said coldly. "If you think I'm right, then flip over."
Hachidai froze. Flip over? Still, he obeyed instantly, lying face-down on the dirt, motionless.
A soft green glow lit his back as Seiji pressed a palm to him. Medical chakra flowed, closing torn flesh. Seiji muttered under his breath, "Damn it… I'm still too soft, Hachidai."
The warmth spread through Hachidai's body. His fingers clawed into the dirt, tears mixing with the blood on his face. His expression twisted with regret so deep it threatened to break him.
In that moment, he felt like the biggest bastard in the entire Uchiha clan.