After the hawkish faction filed into the shrine, the three people guarding the entrance simply stared at one another.
None of them had any interest in speaking.
Rather than preventing outsiders from entering, their presence here was more about keeping an eye on their own people.
After the Uchiha suffered devastating losses during the clan civil war caused by the reckless abuse of the forbidden technique Izanagi, trust among their own clansmen had begun to deteriorate.
At the height of the internal conflict, different factions within the clan had even stationed Uchiha around the clock inside the clan district to monitor one another.
The hatred between the various factions was enough to leave outsiders dumbfounded.
If Uchiha Chiri had not emerged at the critical moment and used the forbidden technique Izanami to bring the civil war to an end, the Uchiha clan might well have disappeared from the shinobi world just like the Senju.
After all, the Uchiha’s greatest enemy was right there in Konoha’s Hokage Building.
As everyone entered the main hall of the shrine, the peaceful atmosphere immediately grew tense.
The interior of the hall was dim, with only a single shaft of cool daylight pouring down through the lofty ceiling.
Dust danced within the beam of light, illuminating the solemn altar bearing the Uchiha clan crest—the fan.
The hall was spacious enough to accommodate nearly a hundred people sitting on the floor, yet at this moment it was so quiet that even the faint rustling of clothing could be heard.
Under the watchful eyes of the dove faction and the clan head’s faction, the hawkish faction took their seats on the vacant left side.
What shocked both factions, however, was—
Uchiha Ren calmly took the seat at the head of the hawkish faction, representing Uchiha Setsuna.
Sitting beside him was Uchiha Fugaku, his face serious and his thick brows tightly furrowed.
Behind them sat Uchiha Shisui, who had a characteristic dumpling-shaped nose and had displayed exceptional talent from a young age, along with Uchiha Kusumi.
On the far right were the members of the dove faction, led by Uchiha Kagami.
Behind him sat a young female shinobi who was both dignified and beautiful, yet also possessed a strikingly heroic bearing—Uchiha Mikoto.
Beside her was a mature and voluptuous kunoichi who had married into another clan, only to awaken her Sharingan later and be invited back into the Uchiha clan.
Uchiha Hazuki.
She was none other than the mother of Uchiha Izumi.
The total number of Uchiha present in the hall had astonishingly surpassed fifty.
That amounted to a terrifying quarter of Konoha’s registered jōnin!
This was the weight carried by the shinobi world’s foremost great clan, the clan that made Konoha’s leadership deeply wary.
The hawkish faction alone occupied half the seats.
In the end, the militant faction still enjoyed greater support among the Uchiha than the conservative and appeasement factions.
Unfortunately, the Uchiha were neither good at fighting among themselves nor good at fighting outsiders.
They were simply a scattered mass.
Uchiha Ren swept his gaze across the entire hall.
Meeting the confused looks of everyone present, he slowly spoke.
“Elder Setsuna is advanced in years and can no longer handle the clan’s miscellaneous affairs. Therefore, I will act in his place and participate in the clan meeting as his representative.”
The hall fell completely silent.
Only the daylight continued shifting, dividing the Uchiha clan crest into two halves of light and shadow.
Many Uchiha were astonished by Uchiha Setsuna’s decision before turning their gazes toward the front.
If age were the issue, there were still two other highly respected elders present.
And the Uchiha, above all else, cared deeply about their pride.
Their struggle with the Senju faction for the position of Hokage was not entirely unrelated to this.
After all, the “Fire” in Hokage had originally represented the Uchiha’s own “fire”!
‘Setsuna has already made his choice… Why should this old man cling to an empty position?’
Uchiha Kagami lowered his gaze.
From the corner of his eye, he glanced at the heir sitting beside him.
A faint light flickered through his eyes, and his thoughts gradually settled.
Uchiha Mikoto’s strength, although inferior to that of the other two factions, was sufficient for her to maneuver between them thanks to her natural advantages as a woman and Kagami’s years of instruction.
She could serve as a mediator.
Or she could assist the clan head’s faction in restraining the increasingly powerful hawkish faction.
No matter how one looked at it, she was capable of shouldering the responsibility.
‘As for Mikoto’s marriage… I’ll let her decide for herself.’
Uchiha Kagami recalled Uchiha Setsuna’s proposal of marriage, followed closely by the clan head’s own proposal.
The heirs of both men were outstanding figures within the clan, and each had enormous influence behind them.
No matter whom Uchiha Mikoto married, it would inevitably create some degree of upheaval within the clan.
To maintain stability, Uchiha Kagami had always refused to give an answer.
At the same time, he had been secretly observing Uchiha Ren and Uchiha Fugaku.
As time passed, the differences between the two went beyond strength alone.
Their methods and personalities increasingly influenced Uchiha Kagami’s preference.
Stability was the foundation for a clan’s peaceful development.
But stagnant stability, when subjected to external pressure, would only lead straight into the abyss of destruction.
There was a saying that a person’s future could be seen from their behavior as a child, and their character could be seen by the age of ten.
The shinobi world did not have exactly the same saying, but it had similar proverbs.
Uchiha Fugaku was practically identical to the clan head.
His future could be seen at a glance.
Uchiha Ren was different.
He acted neither hastily nor slowly, and behind his confidence lay a very clear sense of purpose.
Several proposals he had made during clan meetings had brought considerable benefits to the entire Uchiha clan, greatly easing the tensions between the factions.
Uchiha Fugaku did not possess this ability.
Making someone like that the clan head would simply mean repeating the same cycle all over again.
‘Besides, this child Mikoto probably already has someone in her heart.’
Having figured everything out, Uchiha Kagami raised his head and spoke directly.
“If he is unable to attend even important clan meetings, it seems Elder Setsuna is not merely advanced in years.”
As he rose, he looked toward the Uchiha clan head.
“Clan Head, I will first represent the clan in paying Elder Setsuna a visit. As for this clan meeting, let Mikoto represent me and make the decisions on my behalf.”
His words caused the Uchiha present to raise their heads in astonishment.
Uchiha Mikoto’s lips moved slightly, as though she wanted to say something, but then she met Uchiha Kagami’s gaze.
The old man smiled gently.
“Mikoto, I’ll leave everything that follows to you.”
After a pause, he added meaningfully,
“Of course, you can also go and do what you truly want to do.”
Finally, he gave a slight bow.
“Clan Head, I shall take my leave first.”
The members of the dove faction immediately rose.
They bowed to see Uchiha Kagami off before turning around and bowing in unison toward Uchiha Mikoto.
The transfer of power within the dove faction had proceeded just as smoothly as that of the hawkish faction.
Uchiha Mikoto took a deep breath and sat down at the head of the dove faction.
By coincidence, she met Uchiha Ren’s smiling eyes.
She blinked in response.
In the middle, Uchiha Fugaku remained as composed as ever.
Seated before everyone, the Uchiha clan head looked vigorous and sharp-eyed despite his age.
He stared at Uchiha Kagami as the old man left without hesitation, and a shadow settled over his heart.
The leaders of both the hawkish and dove factions had simultaneously relinquished their authority.
There was no doubt that this had placed him directly over the flames.
‘So be it.’
‘I never intended to continue serving as clan head in the first place.
Their leaving early isn’t necessarily a bad thing.’
‘But Kagami leaving, when the two of us had always understood each other so well, is definitely not a good thing.’
With the young Uchiha Mikoto now becoming the leader of the dove faction, whether she would continue prioritizing stability like Uchiha Kagami and remain close to the clan head’s faction was still unknown.