It wasn't just the clan head's faction—members of both the dove faction and the hawkish faction looked toward Uchiha Mikoto with expressions of confusion.
If those words had come from Uchiha Anlan, no one would have been surprised.
The hawkish faction had always been blunt and confrontational, never hesitating to challenge the clan head.
But you—a newly appointed leader of the dove faction—why would you tear away the unspoken veil that both the clan head's faction and the dove faction had long used to cover their faces?
Uchiha Yashiro also showed a look of astonishment.
But in truth, he knew exactly what was going on.
The one who had been quietly passing along those so-called "reliable sources of information" all this time—
Was Uchiha Mikoto.
From their exchanges, Yashiro had even realized that Uchiha Huohe was aware of the situation.
Yet instead of stopping it, he had chosen to silently allow it.
Yashiro had reported this matter to the hawkish faction's young leader before.
The reply he received contained only four words:
"Continue the contact."
Not long afterward, during a chance encounter, Uchiha Hazuki—who had awakened her Sharingan—was invited back into the clan by Uchiha Mikoto.
Within just a few years, she had awakened the three-tomoe Sharingan.
As they were both women, Hazuki soon became Mikoto's confidante, taking over the role of communicating with Yashiro on her behalf.
A brief silence enveloped the shrine hall.
Even the beam of sunlight pouring down from the ceiling seemed to grow still.
The old clan head's aged gaze slowly swept across Mikoto's calm face.
He had no choice but to accept the truth—
With the transition between generations, the stance of the dove faction had already shifted.
The young Uchiha Mikoto was redefining the voice of the dove faction in a way he had never anticipated.
He responded calmly.
"Mikoto, what you said is not wrong."
The old clan head paused slightly.
His gaze grew distant, as though it had pierced through time itself, looking back upon a past long buried beneath dust.
"The real issue has never been the reasoning itself."
"It lies in the tangled grievances between the Uchiha clan and the Hokage's faction—resentments that have existed since the very founding of Konoha."
His voice was low and steady.
"I will not speak further about the grudges before Konoha was founded."
"A few years after the village was established, our clan leader Uchiha Madara left Konoha."
"When he returned, he came riding the strongest tailed beast—the Nine-Tails—and fought the First Hokage, Senju Hashirama, in a world-shaking battle at the Valley of the End."
"In the end, Madara died. The First Hokage was gravely wounded and passed away several years later."
"His younger brother, Senju Tobirama, then became the Second Hokage."
"Our Great Elder Uchiha Setsuna later attempted a rebellion… and was swiftly suppressed."
"And when the Third Hokage, Sarutobi Hiruzen, took office, our clan also openly expressed its dissatisfaction."
The clan head's gaze swept across every face in the hall before returning to the present.
"Therefore, the grievances between our clan and the Hokage's faction cannot be resolved with a few simple words."
"The only thing we can hope for now is to rely on time—to show the sincerity of the Uchiha and gradually erode the deep-rooted hostility."
His sincere words caused many Uchiha from the clan head's faction to straighten their slightly bent backs.
The looks they directed toward the hawkish faction carried clear dissatisfaction.
After all, the present-day Uchiha were paying the price for the mistakes of their predecessors.
In an instant, the momentum within the hall shifted.
Yet Uchiha Mikoto remained calm.
She subconsciously glanced at Uchiha Anlan, her lips parting slightly.
"That history is indeed true."
"But if Konoha's leadership merely pretends to 'accept' us while actually weakening us—"
"If they continue forcing our clan to bleed and cut away pieces of ourselves…"
"What then?"
The moment her words fell, faint gasps echoed throughout the hall.
This was something the old clan head himself worried about.
But could worry alone justify refusing to act?
Ordinary Uchiha might avoid such responsibilities.
But as the leader of the clan, he could not.
He understood better than anyone—
Some paths had to be walked even if they were covered in thorns.
"I understand your concern."
Under the watchful eyes of the clan, the old clan head replied decisively.
"But would we stop holding a blade forever simply because we fear it might cut someone?"
He looked around the hall.
His gaze passed over Fugaku's tightly furrowed brows, Anlan's deep eyes, and the uncertain expressions of the clan members.
"Whether success is possible is something we can consider only after giving our full effort."
"If we refuse to move forward out of fear…"
"If we express our intentions only with words while taking no action—"
The old clan head suddenly raised his voice.
His words echoed through the solemn shrine.
"Then why should the Hokage's faction believe in the sincerity of the Uchiha?!"
"The fact that we can still fully control the Konoha Police Force is already a rare gesture of goodwill from the village leadership!"
His thunderous words left Uchiha Mikoto deep in thought.
She searched through the conversations she had once had with Uchiha Anlan, hoping to find a convincing counterargument.
At that moment, even many members of the hawkish faction were reflecting on the logic within the old clan head's words.
Then—
A clear and resolute voice cut through the heavy silence like a blade.
"What the clan head says is not without reason."
"But why should the Uchiha clan have to endure such humiliation?!"
Under the intertwined gazes of the entire hall—
Some concerned.
Some dependent.
Some annoyed.
And others filled with expectation—
Uchiha Anlan slowly rose to his feet.
He looked around the hall, his voice ringing clearly in every clan member's ears.
"Indeed, the Uchiha are not without fault."
"But is the true root of the problem not within the Hokage's faction?"
"If the Senju clan had not betrayed their word and manipulated political schemes, Clan Leader Madara should have become the First Hokage, protecting Konoha."
"Would he have left the village in anger otherwise?"
"If fairness had existed from the moment Konoha was founded, would all the tragedies that followed have occurred?"
"We are merely reclaiming what should have belonged to us in the first place."
"What is wrong with that?"
A cold trace of mockery appeared at the corner of Anlan's lips.
"Besides…"
"After Madara defected from Konoha and attacked the First Hokage…"
"After Elder Setsuna attempted to assassinate the Second Hokage…"
"And after we openly challenged the Third Hokage…"
"We still remain here in Konoha, continuing to control the Konoha Police Force."
"That was never because of the mercy of Konoha's leadership."
"It was because of the strength forged by the blood and fire of every Uchiha present!"
"They do not dare to truly move against us."
"But every compromise we make only invites further testing from them!"
If Konoha were compared to a kingdom—
Then the Hokage would be the emperor.
And the Uchiha would be a powerful prince commanding a massive army on the frontier.
If his strength were just a little greater—
If he possessed even a pair of Mangekyō Sharingan—
Uchiha Anlan would truly dare to lead the hawkish faction straight to the Hokage Tower and carry out a purge in the name of the emperor.
But right now, the hawkish faction still lacked the strength.
However—
If the entire clan united…
Taking a deep breath, Uchiha Anlan looked around the hall and dropped a bombshell.
"For example—"
"If our entire clan marched today to the Hokage Tower…"
"How many people in Konoha could actually stop the blades of the Uchiha?"
The moment those words fell—
The entire hall was stunned into silence.