Genya nodded, acknowledging Fugaku’s words, before shifting the topic.
“As everyone knows, the First Hokage established the hidden village system and distributed the Tailed Beasts with the ultimate goal of achieving peace.”
“Then why can’t we just cede some land and resources to other hidden villages when they invade us to maintain a longer-lasting peace?”
A flash of anger crossed Fugaku’s eyes, clearly displeased by Genya’s suggestion.
“And what happens once those other villages digest the resources they’ve gained?
They will only grow stronger and intensify their invasion of the Land of Fire!”
“Greed can never be satisfied.
Our casualties would only be even more devastating later.
A peace built entirely on compromise is utterly unreliable!”
“Are we supposed to count on a wolf not wanting meat anymore just because it’s full for the moment?”
Fugaku truly seemed to think Genya was being naive, wondering why he would even entertain such a ridiculous idea.
Genya let out a cold sneer, his voice dropping in temperature.
“So the Clan Leader understands this logic after all?”
“Ceding five cities today and ten tomorrow only buys a single night of peace.
But when one wakes to look at the borders the next morning, the enemy’s soldiers have already returned!”
“Since you understand this, why do you repeatedly tolerate the Konoha high command’s provocations against the Uchiha!”
Genya pointed to his own eyes, his meaning clear.
“We Uchiha possess the most ‘fertile land’ in the entire shinobi world.”
“And outside, there is a pack of tigers and wolves!”
“Yet you, as the Clan Leader, do nothing.
You don’t even have a bottom line; you only know how to compromise.”
Being accused of constant compromise sparked a bit of temper even in someone as passive as Fugaku.
“Then what do you propose we do?
Lead the Uchiha clan into a total civil war with Konoha?”
“Do you have any idea how much danger that would bring to the clan?
The name Uchiha might be completely erased from the shinobi world!”
Faced with Fugaku’s irritation, Genya remained unmoved.
“And because of that reason, you just keep retreating?
You let the Konoha high command use salami tactics to slowly carve the Uchiha away?”
Fugaku found himself at a loss for words.
Genya continued, “The Root and Anbu shinobi are already monitoring the perimeter of our compound almost in broad daylight.
I don’t need to tell you which two people those groups represent, do I?”
“It’s laughable that you still naively believe Hiruzen Sarutobi is willing to trust the Uchiha.”
“If it were only Root agents outside, I could accept that you were simply being incompetently deceived by Hiruzen!”
This time, Fugaku truly had no retort.
There were differences between Root and Anbu; an experienced Konoha Jonin could tell them apart at a glance.
No matter what, Fugaku couldn’t lie to himself and say the masked figures outside were only from Root.
To some extent, Hiruzen Sarutobi and Danzo Shimura were birds of a feather.
At least Hiruzen cared about his image and kept up appearances.
Danzo, on the other hand, didn’t even bother to hide it, using Root shinobi to monitor them openly.
Genya wasn’t wrong to say Fugaku had no bottom line.
Fugaku had no clear concept of what kind of resistance to show when pushed, how much he should bare his fangs, or at what point he should actually revolt.
Even allowing the Kekkei Genkai to leak out was something he tolerated.
Genya seriously wondered if he had been controlled by Kotoamatsukami long ago.
If something like Kakashi’s Sharingan had happened to the Hyuga Main House, they wouldn’t care if it was a dying wish to a best friend—they would have taken it back no matter what!
They would have even risked a fallout with the high command!
Those cowards in the Hyuga Main House might stay neutral on many issues, but they knew exactly where their bottom line was and made it clear to everyone.
Coveting the Byakugan Kekkei Genkai was simply not allowed!
Even Hiruzen Sarutobi’s word wouldn’t matter because once a precedent is set, it happens again.
If Kakashi can have one today, someone else can ‘inherit’ a comrade’s eye tomorrow.
Taking a deep breath, Fugaku asked, “You still haven’t told me…
what do you plan to do?”
“I will never sit by and watch you drag the Uchiha and Konoha into the vortex of a civil war.”
Genya shook his head and said something that Fugaku found difficult to grasp.
“Whether the Uchiha actually intend to rebel is not important.
What matters is making the Konoha high command believe that we will truly revolt if pushed too far.”
“And we must make them believe that our rebellion would cause Konoha devastating losses.”
Fugaku frowned, pondering the true meaning of Genya’s words, but found himself unable to comprehend.
Seeing Fugaku’s blank expression, Genya had to explain further.
“Whether Konoha targets us has nothing to do with whether we have the Mangekyo or how strong our combat power is.”
“Since the time of the Second Hokage, Tobirama Senju, the high command has been wary of us.
It’s not because of how many Hawks we have or any radical rhetoric, but because they fear another Uchiha Madara will emerge from our clan!”
“As long as the Sharingan exists and our clan has shinobi, this endless probing and marginalization will never stop.
The root cause is our surname and these eyes!”
“Don’t you understand?
No matter what you do, it is meaningless to those who were scared witless by Uchiha Madara.
Just because of that single possibility, they will monitor, exclude, and even destroy the entire Uchiha clan in the future!”
Fugaku was no fool.
Once Genya laid it bare, he slowly closed his eyes.
When he opened them again, they had transformed into the crimson Mangekyo Sharingan.
This was the first time he had shown his Mangekyo to an outsider; until now, even his wife, Uchiha Mikoto, was unaware.
“Do you have a solution?
Surely you don’t actually intend for the Uchiha and Konoha to tear each other apart?”
Without realizing it, Fugaku had adopted a questioning, almost seeking tone with this young man.
He had to admit that Genya saw much further and more clearly than he did.
In this regard, Fugaku was inferior to the youth.
Knowing that nothing he did would ever earn the approval of Konoha’s high command, a long-dormant desire to change the status quo flared in Fugaku’s heart.
It wasn’t just the Uchiha that needed to change; Konoha did too.
Genya was right.
As long as the Senju faction held power in Konoha, the Uchiha would never have their day.
This Konoha might as well be named Uchiha.