Hearing Uchiha Taro's question, Uchiha Yuzuru didn't rush to express his opinion, merely picking up his teacup and taking a shallow sip.
Uchiha Fugaku, on the other hand, furrowed his brows and began to ponder seriously.
After a while, Uchiha Taro saw that Uchiha Yuzuru still had no intention of speaking, so he took the initiative and said, "Fugaku, you go first."
"Yes, Father."
Uchiha Fugaku mused for a moment, then slowly began, "From the current situation, the next Hokage will likely be chosen between Sakumo Hatake and Orochimaru."
"However, even though Sakumo Hatake has been granted the qualification to wear the Hokage's half-sleeved coat, I still lean more towards Orochimaru, as the Third Hokage's disciple, becoming the next Hokage."
After stating his prediction, Uchiha Fugaku couldn't help but ask, "Father, are you planning to invest in the next Hokage in advance? That's not a bad choice."
However, after listening to Uchiha Fugaku's analysis, Uchiha Taro shook his head: "No, I was thinking... could our Uchiha Clan compete for the position of the next Hokage?"
"As the strongest among the new generation in the Clan, I have high hopes for both of you."
"What?!"
Uchiha Fugaku's pupils suddenly constricted, as if he had heard an incredible piece of news, and he couldn't help but exclaim in surprise.
Compete for the next Hokage?
What a joke!
Uchiha Taro glanced at the flustered Uchiha Fugaku, then at Uchiha Yuzuru, who had shown no change in expression from beginning to end, and he couldn't help but feel a little disappointed.
He wanted to cultivate Fugaku as the next leader of the Uchiha Clan, but compared to Yuzuru, Fugaku's performance was a bit unsatisfactory.
Uchiha Fugaku didn't notice the change in Uchiha Taro's expression and voiced his thoughts.
"Father, why would you have such an idea?"
He really didn't understand.
Not to mention Konoha White Fang, who single-handedly struck fear into his enemies, forcing other Villages to issue orders like "unconditionally abandon missions upon encountering Sakumo Hatake."
Even Orochimaru, who was granted the title of "Three Ninja" by the demigod Hanzou during the Second Ninja World War, was already renowned throughout the Ninja World.
The two of them were undeniably the most prominent figures in Konoha.
In comparison, in terms of both prestige and strength, neither he nor Uchiha Yuzuru had any comparability.
Seeing Uchiha Fugaku's puzzled expression, Uchiha Taro explained, "I'm certainly not asking you two to compete with Sakumo Hatake and Orochimaru; I still have that much self-awareness."
Upon hearing this, Uchiha Fugaku became even more confused: "Then what do you mean?"
"Although Orochimaru and Sakumo Hatake are impeccable in terms of both reputation and strength, they have one fatal flaw."
Uchiha Taro glanced at the two of them and said in a deep voice, "Age!"
"Age?"
"Exactly."
Uchiha Taro took a sip of tea and said confidently, "The Third Hokage is in good health right now, and if nothing unexpected happens, he'll likely remain in office for a long time."
"In this situation, by the time the Third Hokage retires, neither Orochimaru nor Sakumo Hatake will be young anymore."
"At that time, the Hokage candidate will very likely be chosen from among the new generation's outstanding individuals."
"And this... is your opportunity!"
After listening to Uchiha Taro's explanation, Uchiha Fugaku suddenly understood.
Thinking about it carefully, this possibility was very high!
It's important to know that Konoha had no tradition of early retirement.
Both Senju Hashirama and Senju Tobirama only stepped down from the Hokage position after their deaths.
And ever since becoming Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi had always stayed in the Village, never venturing to any dangerous places.
Given Hiruzen Sarutobi's current lifestyle, living another twenty years would likely not be an issue.
By that time, Orochimaru and Sakumo Hatake would have long passed their prime.
Once he understood, Uchiha Fugaku's face couldn't help but show a hint of admiration.
He respectfully said, "As expected of Father; your considerations are truly thorough."
After speaking, he couldn't help but let out a soft snort at Uchiha Yuzuru: "Yuzuru, if things truly go as Father predicted, you have a better chance of becoming Hokage than I do."
"Work hard; the entire Uchiha Clan will spare no resources to support you and build your momentum."
Compared to Uchiha Yuzuru, he was only five years younger than Orochimaru, and by the time Hiruzen Sarutobi retired, he would likely no longer be young.
Moreover, before the Clan meeting, Uchiha Yuzuru had just defeated him with his powerful ocular power.
If it came down to competing for Hokage, Uchiha Yuzuru was indeed more suitable than he was.
Seeing Uchiha Fugaku's candidness, Uchiha Taro nodded in satisfaction.
The Uchiha Clan revered strength, and even if Fugaku was his son, he wouldn't suppress Uchiha Yuzuru for that reason.
Uchiha Taro turned his gaze to Uchiha Yuzuru and asked, "Yuzuru, what do you think?"
Uchiha Yuzuru placed the teacup in his hand on the table, emitting a dull thud.
Then he shook his head and sighed, "I really don't know whether to call you optimistic or foolish..."
Perhaps it was this optimistic thinking, or rather, this stubbornness of not giving up until the last moment, that led to the tragic demise of the Uchiha Clan.
Hearing Uchiha Yuzuru's murmuring, Uchiha Taro, who had been waiting for him to praise him, twitched at the corner of his mouth.
Not only was he not praised, but he was also scolded... he truly felt an urge to spit blood.
Uchiha Fugaku, beside him, slammed his hand on the table in anger.
"Uchiha Yuzuru, what do you mean by that?"
"There's a limit to arrogance; how dare you be so disrespectful to the Clan Chief!"
Uchiha Yuzuru glanced at Uchiha Fugaku and said calmly, "I just didn't want to keep what I wanted to say bottled up inside."
"If I offended you, then I can apologize."
"You!!!"
Uchiha Fugaku felt like he had punched a cotton ball, his face turning red with anger, pointing at Uchiha Yuzuru and unable to speak.
He had originally thought Uchiha Yuzuru would contend with him, and he was prepared for a fight.
But he didn't expect Uchiha Yuzuru to directly choose to apologize... Where was his Uchiha spirit?!
Uchiha Taro, however, was somewhat accustomed to it.
Over the years, he had seen many Uchiha Geniuses, and there were some who were even more outrageous than Uchiha Yuzuru.
"Yuzuru, can you explain your reasoning?"
"Is there anything in the plan I just mentioned that I haven't considered thoroughly?"
Thinking of the Uchiha Clan's fate in the original story, Uchiha Yuzuru went straight to the point: "You were wrong from the start."
"No matter who the opponent is, our Uchiha Clan cannot become Hokage."
From Senju Tobirama onwards, the Hokage line had shown extreme vigilance towards the Uchiha Clan.
In their view, the Uchiha Clan was a ticking time bomb in the Village; Uchiha Ninja could absolutely not become Hokage!
Still thinking about waiting for Hiruzen Sarutobi to retire?
Before Hiruzen Sarutobi retired, the Uchiha Clan would have already been slaughtered by the Hokage line!