Night fell. The shrine grounds of the Uchiha clan grounds were lit up brightly.
Clan members gathered one after another. The air was heavy with solemnity.
At the center of the shrine lay nine bodies covered in white cloth. Each one represented an elite Uchiha who had died in the line of duty.
Chiya stood on the raised platform of the shrine, his gaze slowly sweeping across every clan member present.
"Tonight, we gather here not to celebrate a victory, but to send off our brothers and sisters."
Chiya's voice was low and steady, echoing through every corner of the shrine.
Below the platform, the clan members wore solemn expressions, grief flickering in their eyes.
Chiya took a deep breath and continued.
"They could have come home alive. Instead, because of a mission, they were left behind out there forever. I want to ask everyone here. Are the lives of Uchiha clansmen really so worthless?"
His voice rose sharply, his gaze burning like a torch.
"To bring back the Uzumaki Clan survivors, we lost nine clansmen. Nine Uchiha elites. Were their lives worth less than those outsider survivors?"
Below the platform, Uchiha Masaki lowered his head, his fists clenched tight.
He thought of Captain Aoki's decisions during the mission. He thought of the comrades who had fallen while protecting the Uzumaki clan members.
Chiya's words were like a sharp blade driving straight into his heart.
"Our Uchiha Clan has always put the clan first."
Chiya's voice grew calm, yet carried an undeniable weight.
"A village is formed by the union of many clans. And a clan is made up of individual people."
"What matters most? It is the clansmen. The lives of our clansmen. That is the treasure we should value above all else. If we cannot even do that, what are we talking about when we speak of clan glory? Of making the Uchiha prosper, or even making Konoha prosper?"
Silence filled the shrine. Only the crackling of the torches could be heard.
Chiya's gaze passed over the crowd as he spoke slowly.
"From this day forward, I am reaffirming the Uchiha clan rules. People come first. Clansmen are to be valued. Except in times of war, when we fight to protect. Any other mission that demands the lives of our clansmen as the price must be considered very carefully."
The moment his words fell, a wave of applause broke out below the platform.
The eyes of the Uchiha clan members shone with agreement. Chiya's words had struck at the very core of their feelings.
"The clan head is right!"
An elder Uchiha shouted out.
"We cannot keep letting our clansmen die for nothing!"
"Exactly! The lives of our clansmen matter more than anything!"
The crowd below was stirred up. Chiya raised his hand slightly to signal for quiet.
He continued.
"Three days from now, we will hold a proper funeral for these nine clansmen. Every Uchiha must attend."
The clan members applauded again, their eyes full of emotion.
Not a single dissenting voice was heard for the rest of the clan meeting.
The unity of the Uchiha was pushed to a new peak in that moment.
After the clan meeting ended, Chiya stood alone outside the shrine, gazing at the stars in the night sky.
Fugaku walked up beside him.
"Clan head, your speech was very moving. The emotions of the clansmen were all stirred up."
Chiya smiled faintly.
"This is only the beginning. The future of the Uchiha requires the effort of everyone together."
Fugaku nodded, then hesitated for a moment and said.
"However, Captain Aoki used his injuries as an excuse and did not attend tonight's clan meeting."
A cold flash passed through Chiya's eyes.
"Is that so? All the wounded Uchiha who went out of the village with Aoki came, yet he did not? It seems he has other ideas."
Fugaku frowned.
"Aoki has always been a follower of the Will of Fire, and he led the team on this mission. I am worried he may push back against the clan head's way of thinking."
Chiya gave a light laugh.
"It does not matter. The clansmen are not fools. They will understand what truly matters. We approach this from the standpoint of every Uchiha's own interests. Someone like Aoki is nothing to worry about. If Aoki keeps clinging to his old ways, sooner or later the clan will leave him behind."
"Aoki is not really a follower of the Will of Fire. The only thing he follows is himself."
Fugaku nodded thoughtfully.
Three days later, the Uchiha funeral was held as planned.
White lanterns hung all across the Uchiha clan grounds. The clan members wore black mourning garments and escorted the nine coffins to the Uchiha burial grounds with solemn expressions.
At the funeral, Chiya personally delivered a eulogy for each of the deceased.
His voice was low and steady, and every word seemed to land directly on the hearts of the clan members.
"They are the pride of the Uchiha. We must remember their sacrifice, and treasure every clansmen who is still alive."
The Uchiha clan members below had tears in their eyes, and many clenched their fists tight.
In that moment, their sense of belonging to the clan was stronger than it had ever been.
Yet Chiya's gaze had drifted to Uchiha Aoki standing at the edge of the crowd.
Aoki's expression was dark, a complicated light flickering in his eyes.
He seemed completely unmoved by Chiya's speech, and there was even a faint undercurrent of resistance in him.
After the funeral ended, Aoki left the scene quickly without speaking to anyone.
Chiya watched his retreating figure, and the corners of his mouth curved up slightly.
That evening, Chiya summoned Uchiha Masaki to the security team office.
"Masaki, what are your thoughts after this mission?"
Chiya asked directly.
Masaki lowered his head, his voice catching slightly.
"Clan head, I. I let down the clansmen who died. If we had been more careful at the time, maybe they would not have."
Chiya shook his head.
"What is past cannot be changed. What matters is the future. Do you think Captain Aoki's decisions were right?"
Masaki fell silent.
He thought back to Aoki's orders during the mission. He thought of the comrades who had fallen protecting the Uzumaki clan members.
Finally, he raised his head, and a new firmness appeared in his eyes.
"Clan head, we feel. Captain Aoki placed too much importance on the mission and ended up neglecting the lives of our clansmen."
Chiya nodded with satisfaction.
He had said "we," not "I."
"That you can understand this puts my mind at ease. The future of the Uchiha needs ninja like you, who know how to value their clansmen, serving Konoha."
A touch of emotion passed through Masaki's eyes.
"Clan head, from now on I will always put the safety of our clansmen first!"
Chiya patted him on the shoulder.
"Masaki, the lesson from this matter runs deep. To prevent something like this from happening again in the future, you and the others should think carefully about what role Captain Aoki should be playing."
Masaki nodded earnestly.
"Yes, Clan Head!"
"Go now. Get some rest. The future of the Uchiha still needs all of you."
After Masaki left, Chiya's gaze grew distant.
He had not expected the divide between them to be even greater than he had anticipated.
Then again, when death truly comes close to you, that is when you finally understand what you actually want.
Among these so-called followers of the Will of Fire, Chiya did not consider most of them to be true followers in any real sense.
He felt that most of them were simply going along with the current.
A stick does not hurt until it hits you.
Still, if this mission had allowed some of them to come to their senses, that was not a bad outcome at all.
After everyone had dispersed.
The System's notification tone sounded in his mind.
[Congratulations to the host for completing the mission: Rescue the surviving descendants of the Uzumaki Clan.]
[Mission Reward: Lava Release Kekkei Genkai. (Perfect Fusion)]