"What did you say!?" Hiruzen Sarutobi stood up, staring at the disheveled Danzo before him, his face a mask of confusion.
"Are you sure you were beaten back the moment you entered the Uchiha Clan Compound?"
"That's right. Leading them were those three immortal elders of the Uchiha." Danzo nodded, his face grim.
Hiruzen Sarutobi fell silent. He had originally thought this incident would be very easy.
All he had to do was wait for Itachi to kill the entire Uchiha Clan, let Danzo clean up the bodies, and then he would give a speech the next day.
But they actually failed. Danzo is an elite Kage-level combatant, isn't he? How could he not even manage to get inside?
Danzo nearly cursed when he saw Sarutobi's strange look.
How was he supposed to know that the moment he entered, he would run into the Uchiha Ninja Force? There were hundreds of them!
They charged straight at him. His Root forces had already been severely injured by a mysterious person earlier; how could they stop this group of Uchiha elites?
"I suspect Uchiha Itachi betrayed us!" Danzo took a deep breath.
"Impossible!" The Third Hokage immediately refused, clearly trusting Itachi implicitly.
But why did this unexpected turn of events happen?
"The Uchiha were not wiped out. Regardless of the circumstances, they have completely broken ties with Konoha, so we should quickly gather the Ninja and eliminate them now!" Danzo suggested.
The Third Hokage sat down, rubbing his aching head, completely ignoring the idiotic suggestion from Danzo.
Even if gathering the Ninja now could wipe out the Uchiha, what then?
Their side would inevitably suffer heavy losses, and then there's no guarantee that other Villages wouldn't covet Konoha.
"First, we need to figure out what happened inside the Uchiha Clan, and why Itachi failed. We'll act once we know the facts," the Third Hokage said helplessly.
At the Uchiha Clan Compound, everything had now settled down.
However, many clan members still felt lingering fear; they had nearly perished tonight. With Uchiha Itachi internally and Danzo's people externally, it was clear that the goal was their complete annihilation.
They had been completely bewildered all night, simply following the commotion.
First, Itachi made a disturbance, then the Great Elder called them to the outskirts of the compound to fight Danzo's forces, and then they returned to watch the Clan Head fight Kaede.
Now that they had recovered their senses, the Uchiha Clan members were consumed by rage, wishing they could drag the dead Itachi out and whip his corpse!
They were also completely disappointed in Konoha. Even the Dove Faction, who had originally advocated for peace with the Village, were now silent, having witnessed Danzo's attack.
They had no idea that Danzo was some 'Pot Kage' or the Root Leader; when asked, they only knew he was the Hokage Advisor!
In the Ancestral Shrine of the Uchiha Clan Compound, Uchiha Kaede, Uchiha Fugaku, the three Elders, and a group of Uchiha Elite Leadership stood below the shrine.
"Uchiha Fugaku! Your son committed treason! He tried to wipe out our Uchiha Clan! Not only did you fail to stop him with all your strength, you even tried to protect him! You! You are utterly unqualified, both as a father and as the Clan Head!" Uchiha Shien, the Second Elder of the Uchiha Clan, spoke to Fugaku, who stood directly beneath the shrine.
He had originally supported Shisui's theory, hoping for peaceful coexistence with Konoha. But tonight, the speed at which he formed hand signs against Danzo was faster than even the Great Elder!
As members of the Uchiha Clan, their emotions seemed highly unstable, easily provoked. Once provoked, their entire personality would undergo a drastic change.
This was also the source of the Uchiha Clan's power, which is why hardly any Uchiha who awakened the Mangekyo were considered normal.
If you count them up, you'd find that the future Sasuke is surprisingly the most normal one among them.
Uchiha Fugaku remained silent, still immersed in the sorrow of Itachi's death. As for the position of Clan Head, he had already prepared himself for this outcome when he chose to help Itachi.
"In light of your actions, we have decided to revoke your status as Clan Head!" Uchiha Setsuna also stated.
He then raised his hand and pointed toward Uchiha Kaede.
"I propose that Kaede become the next Clan Head of the Uchiha!"
"Huh??" Kaede, who had been watching the drama unfold, was stunned. Him, the Clan Head?
"Great Elder! He is too young! How can he be the Clan Head!?" Hearing this, Uchiha Fugaku couldn't hold back. He could step down, but he couldn't tolerate Uchiha Kaede, the one who killed Itachi, taking over.
"Age? Hmph! With Kaede's strength, he is more than qualified to be the Clan Head. Who dares to look down on him just because of his age? Besides, if it weren't for Kaede tonight, our clan would have been annihilated!"
The Ninja present nodded in agreement. The Uchiha are a clan that greatly respects strength. As long as your power is sufficient, they will follow you, regardless of your age.
"Great Elder, this is inappropriate," Kaede quickly said. He had absolutely no desire to be the Clan Head.
If he became Clan Head, there would certainly be countless trivial matters, and how would he find time to cultivate and grow stronger?
"Oh! Why is that, Kaede?" The Great Elder was confused. In his view, Kaede had been devoted to the Uchiha Clan, fighting several consecutive battles and accumulating immense merit.
"My age is indeed too young. I lack the maturity for managing the clan, and I have no experience. I am not suitable to be the Clan Head."
Given Kaede's repeated refusal, everyone reluctantly gave up and decided to let the Great Elder serve as the Clan Head for now.
Uchiha Fugaku became an Ordinary Clan Member. In truth, given what he did, being executed immediately wouldn't have been excessive. However, he possessed the Mangekyo Sharingan, and the Uchiha currently needed that combat power.
"Kaede, what do you think we should do next?" Uchiha Setsuna, who was now the Clan Head, looked expectantly at Kaede.
"Konoha's discrimination against the Uchiha has not been a recent development. Since this is the case, we should grant their wish and directly secede from Konoha!" Kaede sneered.
Everyone except the Great Elder looked shocked, but they didn't voice any denial.
If they didn't secede under these circumstances, they were doomed. Who could guarantee that Konoha wouldn't send someone else to wipe out the clan tomorrow?
"Secede? How are we supposed to secede?" someone asked blankly.
The Uchiha Clan has over ten thousand members! How can they leave Konoha?
"There's no need to worry about that. Konoha no longer has the Ninja power to annihilate the Uchiha. Unless they are willing to pay the heavy price of massive casualties, they will have no choice but to negotiate with us."
Everyone breathed a sigh of relief; they were genuinely terrified.
"We must first stabilize Konoha, letting them know that we still have Mangekyo Ninja. This way, they won't dare to act rashly. Tomorrow, we will go and negotiate with Konoha's representatives to secure more benefits for ourselves."
The crowd exchanged glances, and everyone nodded. Uchiha Setsuna immediately finalized the decision: they would proceed as planned.
Once the crowd dispersed, Uchiha Setsuna looked at Kaede, hesitating to speak.
"Great Elder—oh, no, Clan Head—just say what you need to say," Kaede said, finding his expression amusing.
"Kaede, it's nothing major. I just wanted to ask, since Konoha agreed to negotiate with us, why do we still insist on seceding?"
"...Clan Head, Konoha has completely exposed its ambition to kill us. What happened tonight was attempted murder. Do you dare to live next door to someone who tried to kill you? Furthermore, if we don't secede, it means we must still follow the Hokage's orders. How many Uchiha Ninja sent on missions will return then?"
Kaede felt exhausted. Did these Uchiha not have brains? Even the strong ones were easily fooled and crippled.
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