The entire hall fell into deathly silence.
Then something unexpected happened—
Uchiha Yashiro and the other hawkish Uchiha actually began seriously considering the possibility of attacking the Hokage Tower.
Their eyes grew brighter.
The killing intent in their gazes intensified.
Scarlet tomoe appeared within their eyes as excitement surged through them, filling the hall with a chilling aura of hostility.
Uchiha Fugaku, who appeared calm on the surface, had actually gone completely blank.
Uchiha Shisui, on the other hand, nervously clenched the corner of his sleeve.
At this time—more than ten years before the Night of the Uchiha Massacre—the Uchiha had never even imagined rebelling as a clan.
They had not yet experienced the Nine-Tails disaster or the ostracism of the entire village.
A trace of worry flashed through Uchiha Mikoto's eyes.
But it was quickly replaced by firm resolve.
Even the old clan head himself briefly considered the possibility—
Only to immediately dismiss it.
He spoke in a deep voice. Though not loud, it was like cold water poured into a pot of boiling oil.
"Right now, the Four Great Nations are watching Konoha from the outside."
"If we were to commit such an unjust act—even if we succeeded—what would happen afterward?"
He slowly stood.
His gaze swept across every face filled with fervor or hesitation before finally settling on Uchiha Anlan.
"When the nest is overturned, how can any eggs remain intact?"
His words carried a heavy weight that suppressed the restless killing intent in the air.
Everyone's gaze unconsciously shifted toward Uchiha Anlan.
A faint smile appeared on his lips.
"In other words…"
"As long as the clan's stability can be guaranteed, Clan Head, you would actually agree with the idea of attacking the Hokage Tower?"
Before the old clan head—whose expression had suddenly changed—could refute him, Anlan calmly continued.
"Relax."
"I wouldn't do something like that unless I had absolute certainty."
He looked around the hall, his eyes sweeping across faces filled with excitement or unease.
If internal chaos erupted during wartime and they failed to achieve a lightning-fast victory—
Then regardless of who was right or wrong,
The entire village of Konoha would become the enemy of the Uchiha.
And the clan would inevitably suffer a disastrous fate.
For now, the priority was simple—
Preserve the clan's strength.
Build up their foundation.
Wait patiently for the right opportunity.
If they could successfully survive the Third Great Ninja War—which would severely weaken Konoha—
Then when the time was right…
They could confront Konoha directly.
Or quietly establish a new Uchiha stronghold outside the village.
Or—
During the future reign of the Fourth Hokage, Minato Namikaze, expose the darkness hidden within the ninja world—Shimura Danzō—and crush the faction of Sarutobi Hiruzen, eliminating the poison that prevented the Uchiha from fully integrating into Konoha.
All of those were possible options.
The old clan head's expression relaxed slightly.
Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed his foolish son staring at him with a look that clearly said:
So this is what you're really like.
His irritation flared instantly.
This child still hadn't developed the perspective of someone in power.
He had courage—but lacked strategy.
He still needed time to grow.
This personality flaw was extremely common among the Uchiha.
Impulsive.
Hot-tempered.
Prideful.
These traits seemed embedded deep within every Uchiha's bones.
And once they awakened the Sharingan, things only grew worse.
If they awakened the Mangekyō Sharingan, their thinking almost inevitably became extreme.
Take Uchiha Obito.
Or Uchiha Itachi.
Those madmen had completely reshaped their own values.
Just like the saying—
"My heart and actions are utterly clear. Everything I do is justice."
Whether it meant killing their teacher and mentor…
Or slaughtering their own parents and clan.
In their minds, such acts were merely sacrifices necessary for justice.
For such monsters—
The only solution was ruthless force.
Or an even more extreme method that shattered their twisted beliefs and rebuilt their personality.
The simplest solution?
Kill them.
As for persuading them with words?
Even a one-tomoe Uchiha might not listen—
Unless your strength and status far surpassed theirs.
The reason Uchiha Anlan had been able to command the loyalty of the hawkish faction was simple.
A balance of discipline and reward.
Combined with his status advantage, it naturally secured their allegiance.
Unfortunately…
Anlan would not give Fugaku much time to grow.
Perhaps he should speak privately with Anlan later and ask him to look after Fugaku in the future.
After all, they were still clansmen.
The series of events during this clan meeting—especially the shift in the dove faction's stance—had left the old clan head feeling somewhat resigned.
Yet he still didn't believe Fugaku was completely hopeless.
Perhaps a war might temper him.
"Anlan."
The old clan head spoke in a low voice.
"You are not someone who shouts empty slogans."
"Tell us your thoughts."
He looked at the sharp young man before him and spoke sincerely.
"The Third Great Ninja War…"
"The Uchiha cannot avoid it."
The fact that Konoha's leadership had begun pressuring the Uchiha to send reinforcements—despite their long-standing fear that the clan might grow stronger through war—
Showed just how desperate the situation had become.
The so-called strongest Hokage, Sarutobi Hiruzen, probably couldn't sleep peacefully anymore.
"I understand that."
Uchiha Anlan calmly sat back down.
Folding his arms, he analyzed the situation coolly.
"As I said earlier, because of past incidents, the clan's strongest fighters have remained inside Konoha."
"That alone prevents the village from sending too many powerful shinobi to the front lines."
"They're afraid we might cause trouble."
"In other words…"
"The current leadership of Konoha is acting with extreme caution."
His eyes sharpened.
"But the other villages are pressing them harder every day."
"They no longer have the luxury of time."
"And that…"
"Gives us room to negotiate."
Looking at the clan head, Uchiha Anlan spoke seriously.
"We must secure real, tangible benefits."
"For example—independent command authority over the Kirigakure front."
"That would ensure maximum autonomy for our clan members."
"We must never allow a single order to turn our people into disposable cannon fodder."
He paused slightly.
A trace of coldness flickered in his eyes.
"And to be even more cynical…"
"Who can guarantee that Konoha's leadership wouldn't use Kirigakure's hands to eliminate us?"
Just like the famous Sunagakure hero—
Pakura of the Scorch Release, known as the one with the "most beautiful back of the Kazekage."
She had been sacrificed by Sunagakure's leadership as a bargaining chip during negotiations with Kirigakure.
Ambushed and killed by Kirigakure ninja.
Uchiha Anlan had no intention of overestimating the moral limits of Konoha's leadership.
His voice grew heavy.
"And what about Root, the secret organization controlled by Shimura Danzō?"
"Could they not strike against us from the shadows?"
"Several of our three-tomoe Jōnin disappeared within the Land of Fire while performing low-risk A-rank missions."
"We still haven't discovered the reason."
As his words settled, most of the Uchiha present fell into deep thought.
After all—
Truth only becomes clearer through debate.
No one who had reached the rank of Jōnin was truly foolish.
Even someone like Might Guy, who appeared simple and straightforward, possessed incredibly sharp instincts.
And the three-tomoe Uchiha—
Beyond their exceptional combat intelligence—
Naturally possessed considerable analytical ability as well.