Violence and martial power are an immutable truth in any world—except, perhaps, in the female-oriented worlds filled with lunatics and countless bootlickers.
Meeting Uchiha Setsuna’s heavy gaze, Uchiha Ren continued saying the very things the old man disliked hearing.
“If we continue pursuing the position of Hokage, the Senju clan—which has now disappeared without a trace—may very well become the Uchiha clan of the future.”
The First Elder’s brows furrowed at those words.
Having survived from the Warring States period before the founding of Konoha to the present day, Uchiha Setsuna was by no means a mindless fool.
After the death of the God of Shinobi, Senju Hashirama, Senju Tobirama became the Second Hokage.
During his tenure, the First Shinobi World War broke out.
Not only did Senju Tobirama die at the hands of Kumogakure, but the elite forces of the Senju clan were also nearly wiped out.
Then, during the Second Shinobi World War, the death of Tsunade’s younger brother, Nawaki—the Senju clan’s last hope—directly caused the Senju clan to abandon their surname and choose to assimilate into Konoha.
Such a decision, effectively betraying their ancestors and abandoning their lineage, was tantamount to cutting off their own descendants.
And so, one of the shinobi world’s great clans, once as renowned as the Uchiha, was buried in the river of history.
Uchiha Setsuna had once led a rebellion, only to be suppressed by Senju Tobirama.
He was also no stranger to knowing when to advance and when to retreat.
At this moment, he asked himself:
If the Uchiha clan had been placed in the same position as the Senju, could they have made such sacrifices for Konoha?
The answer was, of course, yes!
Unlike the scheming Senju clan, the proud and powerful Uchiha would only charge into battle at the front.
Their eventual fate might have been even more miserable than the Senju, who at least still had descendants carrying their bloodline.
Seeing the old man lost in thought, Uchiha Ren spoke softly.
“When it comes to the position of Hokage, none of Sarutobi Hiruzen’s promises can be trusted.”
“After all, his disciples are the Three Great Shinobi. Whether it’s Orochimaru, Jiraiya, or Tsunade, who has left the village, their prestige is greater than that of the Uchiha.”
“If we want to compete for the Fourth Hokage, unless another unrivaled powerhouse appears, we’ll end up just like Uchiha Madara back then. No matter how many contributions we make, the jōnin will still kick us out of the running.”
“We probably won’t have a share of the Fifth Hokage position either. The ‘Yellow Flash’ of Konoha, Namikaze Minato, whose reputation is currently rising throughout the shinobi world and who possesses the Flying Thunder God Technique, is Jiraiya’s disciple—a true-blooded heir of the Senju lineage.”
After hearing this string of words, Uchiha Setsuna rubbed his aching head and waved his hand irritably.
“You little brat, you’re really boosting others’ morale while destroying your own! Do you really have so little confidence in our clan becoming Hokage?”
Uchiha Ren answered bluntly.
“Not only do I have little confidence in it, I think it’s unnecessary.”
“What fundamental benefit would becoming Hokage bring our clan?”
“Take the Third Shinobi World War happening right now. If an Uchiha sat in the Hokage’s position, then all the hard battles and desperate fights that followed would require our clansmen to fill the battlefield with their lives.”
“Even if every member of our clan is an elite, on the meat grinder of a shinobi world war, we would still be nothing more than insignificant numbers.”
“Our clansmen spend more than ten years growing into their prime, only to be thrown onto a battlefield where tomorrow is never guaranteed—for Konoha, and for a promise we can never obtain. Is that really worth it?”
“If Konoha doesn’t regard us as part of itself, why should we regard Konoha as our home?”
Uchiha Ren’s successive questions left Uchiha Setsuna unable to respond.
He looked at the outstanding, vigorous young heir standing before him, the one in whom he had placed such great hopes.
His expression shifted repeatedly.
After a long while, his face finally revealed a complicated mixture of relief and the weariness of old age.
The First Elder did not directly answer Uchiha Ren.
Instead, he spoke to himself.
“Thinking about it now, these past few decades have gone by so quickly. Among the old fellows left over from the Warring States period, there are only three of us now: myself, the current clan head, and that fellow Kagami.”
Uchiha Ren listened quietly.
He was quite familiar with the three people Uchiha Setsuna mentioned.
They were currently the Uchiha clan’s three remaining veteran Kage-level powerhouses, each representing one of the clan’s three major factions.
Among the younger generation, there were Ren and Uchiha Fugaku.
Together, the five Kage-level figures and several dozen jōnin had established a situation in which, no matter how displeased Konoha’s leadership was with the Uchiha, all they could do was glare helplessly.
During wartime, they had to accommodate the Uchiha.
As for the entire clan being exterminated overnight in the future, one could only say that fate had played its hand.
All the powerful individuals capable of protecting the clan had ultimately turned their blades against their own people.
If that had not been the case, then truly rebelling against Konoha would not have been entirely without hope.
Uchiha Setsuna’s voice continued, now carrying a hint of hoarseness.
“Back when Clan Head Madara left Konoha, it’s not as though we haven’t regretted it all these years.”
“But compared with the constant bloodshed of the Warring States period, the clansmen living in Konoha can undoubtedly lead stable lives.”
“A six-year-old child who learns how to refine chakra is already expected to take up a weapon, fight for the clan, and die for the clan…”
Uchiha Setsuna took a deep breath and stared at Uchiha Ren, speaking each word clearly.
“Ren, remember this: the stability and prosperity of the clan are more important than anything else!”
Hearing this, the young man gave a slight nod, a faint smile appearing at the corners of his lips.
The Uchiha’s pursuit of the Hokage position, aside from the obsession born from believing that it should have belonged to their clan in the first place, ultimately came down to one thing:
They wanted their clansmen to live better lives.
“Grandfather, I understand.”
“Everything we’ve said today will cease to exist the moment it leaves this room.”
Uchiha Ren paused before continuing unhurriedly.
“Of course, if the right opportunity comes along, I wouldn’t mind leading the Uchiha to establish ourselves elsewhere and choosing to leave Konoha…”
“Or destroy Konoha!”
As those words fell, the atmosphere inside the room suddenly turned deathly silent.
Then it dissipated amid the young man’s soft laughter.
Uchiha Ren was clearly smiling, yet Uchiha Setsuna felt a chill that penetrated to his bones.
He could deeply sense that the grandson who had grown up right under his eyes was like a soaring eagle spreading its wings and letting out its own cry to the heavens.
Uchiha Setsuna did not know whether this was a good thing or a bad thing.
But one thing was certain.
At least he was better than that useless pretty boy Uchiha Fugaku!
“The future of the Uchiha belongs to you. As for how high you can lead the clan, and what you can accomplish with it, I’ll never live long enough to see it anyway. I can’t be bothered to worry about it anymore.”
After calming the turmoil in his heart, the First Elder heard footsteps coming from outside.
Soon, a young voice came through the door.
“First Elder, Lord Ren.”
“The clan head is holding a clan meeting at the shrine to decide which members will participate in the Third Shinobi World War.”
The expressions of the two men inside remained unchanged.
Only Uchiha Setsuna’s voice rang throughout the room and beyond.
“I’m old now. As for matters concerning the clan meeting, I’ll leave everything to Ren.”
The expression of the young Uchiha outside changed.
There was astonishment and confusion in his eyes, but even more than that, there was joy.
Inside the room, Uchiha Ren understood exactly what the old man meant.
His chest rose and fell as he bowed slightly toward Uchiha Setsuna.
“The Hokage position may change hands, but a great clan endures.”
“Rest assured. I will lead the Uchiha to the very top, step by step!”