Chapter 10 - He's a Radical, and He Got Elected?
"Fugaku, so you're no longer the Clan Head?"
Upon returning home, Uchiha Fugaku informed Uchiha Mikoto of his situation.
During the recent clan meeting, he was removed from his position as head of the Uchiha Clan, and Bai Ye took over.
At first, Uchiha Mikoto was somewhat unwilling to believe it; in her opinion, even if Fugaku stepped down, it was impossible for Bai Ye to take his place.
After all, Bai Ye's age wasn't much different from Itachi's.
"But Father hasn't done anything wrong! Why did they make Father step down?!"
Uchiha Sasuke felt indignant and angry on Fugaku's behalf.
In his opinion, his father hadn't done anything bad during his tenure, so why would he be made to step down?
"I'm sorry, Father, is it because of me?"
Itachi's eyes flickered, then he lowered his head, his mind beginning to ponder.
The dinner, which hadn't been a family gathering for a long time, was now somewhat subdued.
He was also quite shocked by this news, not expecting his father to be jointly driven out of office by the Elder Council.
At least within the clan, he believed his father had always been mediating the relationship between Konoha and the Uchiha Clan, and with the three factions existing within the clan, this shouldn't have happened.
If his father stepped down, then was the newly appointed Bai Ye a radical?
Otherwise, there would be no need to remove a dove or a neutral party.
"Itachi, it has nothing to do with you, don't overthink it. It's just that some things Bai Ye said previously indeed gained the support of most of the Uchiha, so everyone chose him."
Uchiha Fugaku shook his head; he himself was clear about this matter deep down.
It was nothing more than him being unable to find a solution, causing the clansmen to see no hope in him, so they naturally wouldn't choose him.
"Is that so?"
Itachi lowered his head and didn't say anything more.
However, he also began to ponder in his heart what exactly was said that would make so many people choose to support Bai Ye.
Did it mean that war was truly about to break out?
Thinking of this, his heart tightened, and after quickly finishing his meal, Itachi got up and prepared to leave, using a mission as an excuse.
"Oni-chan, didn't you say you could practice with me tonight?"
Sasuke puffed out his cheeks, looking at Itachi angrily, thinking to himself that Itachi was breaking his promise.
He had clearly said he would practice with him earlier, but now he was going on a mission again.
"I just remembered there seems to be a mission I need to complete." As he spoke, Itachi seemed to recall something, squatted down, and looked at Sasuke with a gentle expression, saying, "I'm sorry, Sasuke, this is the last time. Forgive me, I'll train with you when I get back!"
With that, Itachi raised his hand and poked Sasuke's forehead.
In pain, Sasuke clutched his head and pouted, "Ouch!"
But after speaking, he observed Itachi, and seeing no reaction from him, Sasuke felt a little disappointed. Itachi, on the other hand, gave Fugaku and the others an apologetic look, then turned and left.
Watching Itachi's retreating figure, Mikoto now also felt a little worried: "This child, Itachi..."
"Trust Itachi, he can handle it."
Uchiha Fugaku embraced Mikoto's shoulder, comforting her.
Itachi had always been so intelligent; he would definitely be able to solve this problem.
"En, let's not talk about this for now, let's eat first."
Sasuke was still there, and Uchiha Mikoto didn't want to discuss this topic, so she could only worry about Itachi's situation in her heart.
After leaving home, Itachi immediately sought out Shisui and told him what had happened within the Uchiha.
Now, both of them had been disowned by the Uchiha Clan, and some news from the clan meeting would not be shared with them.
If he hadn't learned everything from Fugaku just now, they would probably still be in the dark.
"Itachi, are you saying Bai Ye might be a radical?"
Upon learning this news, Shisui rubbed his forehead, somewhat troubled.
He had initially felt that Fugaku's inaction in his position as Clan Head had led to this situation.
But looking at the current situation, it almost felt like Fugaku being in charge was better?
Although he was inactive, he wouldn't directly confront Konoha head-on.
"I'm just saying it's possible. My father himself is between the neutral and dove factions; although he can be radical sometimes, he won't lean too heavily towards the radical faction. So if a new Clan Head is to be chosen, it can only be from the radical faction. It's just that I don't quite understand why the dove faction and the neutral faction would agree."
Clearly, the neutral faction and the dove faction must have agreed for Bai Ye to rise to power.
Otherwise, how could Bai Ye, at his age, possibly take such a position?
This was the point that Itachi found most peculiar.
"Then, if what you say, Itachi, is true, should I use that to change his mind?"
Going to war with Konoha was tantamount to suicide.
Shisui had once thought about changing Fugaku's mind to achieve peace.
But later, because Fugaku's ideology wasn't too radical, he gave up on the idea.
"Let's first inform Hokage-sama about this intelligence."
Itachi thought for a moment, then sighed, and slowly said.
After speaking, he looked up at the sky, his eyes filled with worry. Why couldn't the Uchiha Clan integrate into Konoha?
And now, it seemed they had given up on integration and chosen a radical to take power.
"Tell Hokage-sama what?"
Shisui was confused.
They hadn't even found out whether Bai Ye was a radical or what faction he belonged to.
Going there like this didn't seem right; what they had just said was merely their speculation.
"Let's first inform Hokage-sama about this matter, and then we'll try to gauge Bai Ye's stance. I hope he isn't a radical!"
"Indeed, if he's a radical, then the end can only be the annihilation of the clan. Let's go talk to Hokage-sama first!"
Shisui also firmly believed in this point of view.
Danzo himself had said before that once the Uchiha Clan rebelled, Konoha would not hesitate to act.
Although the Uchiha Clan's combat power was strong, to say they could compare with the entire Konoha was clearly impossible.
Therefore, they had always been preventing the rise of the Uchiha Clan's radical faction, precisely because they knew that the radical faction could not possibly succeed.
And Hiruzen Sarutobi had given them time to solve this problem.
So they had always believed they were mediating the relationship between the Village and the Uchiha.
Even if they were misunderstood by the Uchiha Clan at this time, it didn't matter.
They believed that as long as this problem could be solved, everyone would understand them, right?
The two exchanged glances, then directly put on their Anbu masks and left the Uchiha Clan to arrive at the Hokage's office.
"Shisui, Itachi, is there something urgent that brings you to me so late?"