The sarcasm in his words was far too thick. The people present weren't idiots; there was no way they could miss it.
The more obvious it was, the angrier they became, yet they found themselves completely unable to refute Uchiha Taiga's words.
Uchiha Fugaku was also furious. He glared fixedly at Taiga and said in an unfriendly tone, "I know you have always harbored resentment toward the clan, but at a time like this, you shouldn't say such things."
Seeing him like this, Taiga's smile only grew brighter.
"So, what should I do then?"
This question somewhat stumped Fugaku.
He stared at Taiga, ultimately only leaving behind a single sentence before returning to the head seat.
"Just be quiet."
Hearing this, Taiga shrugged. He smiled, returned to his spot, and sat back down, propping his chin on one hand as he quietly watched the scene unfold.
Naturally, the others were still brimming with rage, but they didn't have any good ways to deal with Taiga either.
Some understood why Uchiha Hadai had cast that suspicious glance earlier—he was likely guessing whether Taiga was the one who controlled the Nine-Tails. But on second thought, the possibility was incredibly low, meaning Hadai completely deserved the scolding he got.
As for Taiga's battle against the Nine-Tails, they chose to ignore it.
It was clearly a deed that benefited the village and showcased the might of the Uchiha, yet they deliberately refused to think about it.
Their mindset was just that convoluted.
Therefore, once Taiga sat back down, these people treated his previous words as a mere hallucination. Acting as if nothing had happened, they turned their attention back to Fugaku.
"We cannot agree to this!"
"Exactly! If we agree to this, the prestige of the Uchiha clan will suffer a devastating blow!"
The crowd was thoroughly enraged, clearly unable to accept this outcome.
Fugaku's expression was equally grim, but at this moment, he could only maintain a dark scowl.
"This is a resolution passed by the Jonin Council. It can no longer be changed."
That single sentence alone was enough to make everyone feel an immense pressure.
The Uchiha present were just a bit arrogant and condescending; it didn't mean they were idiots.
Going against the entire village would absolutely bring them no benefits.
But asking them to just accept it like this was something they would never agree to either.
"Make the village produce evidence that a Sharingan controlled the Nine-Tails!"
"Right! Even if the Nine-Tails was truly controlled by a Sharingan, the culprit isn't necessarily someone from our clan. After all, that's a Tailed Beast. No matter how strong a three-tomoe Sharingan is, it's impossible to control it."
"Exactly! The village is targeting our Uchiha clan far too obviously. We cannot agree!"
"No matter what, we are the strongest ninja clan that founded Konoha alongside the Senju clan. Isn't the village afraid that pushing us too hard will cause a massive uprising?"
In short, they said all sorts of things, but it all boiled down to one point: the village had no reason and no right to target the Uchiha like this, otherwise, they would cause a scene.
The hall was completely chaotic, with everyone talking over each other, yet no one was hitting the main point.
Or rather, the moment Fugaku stated that a Sharingan had controlled the Nine-Tails, they had already run out of good options.
Unless they could find the person who controlled the Nine-Tails, the Uchiha clan facing punishment was already a foregone conclusion.
Their protests were nothing more than an inability to accept reality.
Taiga let out a yawn, stood up, and started walking toward the exit.
This action immediately drew the attention of the others once again.
Even though Taiga had been staying in the corner, seemingly ignored by everyone...
In reality, quite a few people were secretly keeping an eye on his every move.
"Where are you going?"
A young Uchiha spoke up.
Taiga didn't stop walking. "Going back to sleep. Clan meetings are too boring."
His refusal to even turn his head truly angered the person who asked. The young man couldn't help but stand up, closing the distance to Taiga in a few quick strides.
"Do you not have even a shred of Uchiha pride?"
Saying this, the man pointed at the crowd and shouted, "Can't you see that so many people are worrying about the clan? What about you? What have you done?"
The crowd fell silent.
Taiga stopped in his tracks and reached out, resting a hand on the other party's shoulder.
"I remember now, your name is... Uchiha Yakumi, right?"
Uchiha Yakumi stared daggers at him, his eyes completely scarlet as three tomoe slowly spun within them.
"A three-tomoe at such a young age. Not bad talent."
This casual evaluation caused Yakumi's face to twitch.
For no other reason than the fact that Taiga had also manifested his Sharingan at this moment. It was the exact same three-tomoe, yet Taiga was even younger than Yakumi—there was a three-year age gap between them.
If any other Uchiha had said this, Yakumi might have felt quite flattered.
But the person saying it just had to be Taiga, making it incredibly hard for Yakumi to maintain his composure.
*I'm young? My talent is not bad?*
*Then what about you?*
Taiga patted his shoulder. "You're still too young. You should learn more from Clan Head Fugaku. Just learn to endure for the sake of the entire clan like he does. Don't jump out, otherwise, it's easy to expose your own inadequacy."
Some people had already lowered their heads, while Fugaku, sitting at the head, couldn't help but clench his fists.
"Uchiha Taiga, the clan meeting is not over yet," he said.
Taiga shoved Yakumi aside and continued walking out without looking back.
"Then you guys continue. I'm an anomaly among the Uchiha anyway. It makes no difference whether I'm here or not."
This time, no one tried to stop him.
Reaching the entrance, he pulled the main doors open. Just as he was about to step out, Taiga paused and turned his head. "Oh, right, let me state this in advance. I'm living quite comfortably where I am. So, regardless of whether the village makes the Uchiha clan relocate or not, I won't be moving."
Waving his hand casually, he stepped outside.
The heavy doors closed once more, separating the inside from the outside and cutting off the sight of his departing back.
The hall remained dead silent for a moment before erupting into an uproar.
"That damn bastard, how dare he act like that?"
Someone stood up and cursed, unable to conceal the fury on their face.
"Yeah, this is a clan meeting! How could he behave like that? Relying on his talent, he's never taken the clan rules seriously. If you ask me, we should strip him of his surname."
"What a despicable guy. He's simply a disgrace to the Uchiha."
Remarks like these echoed one after another.
For a moment, it seemed as though everyone present was venting the anger they felt toward the village's higher-ups onto Taiga.
It was just a pity that they hadn't said a word while Taiga was still there, only choosing to explode after he had left.
What this signified went without saying.
Watching this scene unfold, Yakumi felt a bitter taste in his mouth.
He had mustered his courage to confront Taiga just now, fully expecting to get beaten up. After all, that was something Taiga had done frequently as he grew up.
Every single person who had provoked Taiga in the past, regardless of age, had basically been beaten by him.
He, Uchiha Yakumi, was no exception.
But surprisingly, this time was an exception.
And looking at the current reactions of his clansmen, Yakumi came to a sudden realization.
It seemed that aside from venting their emotions behind people's backs, the clansmen were completely helpless—whether facing the resolutions of the village's higher-ups or facing Uchiha Taiga.
Was this still the Uchiha?
When did the Uchiha become so hypocritical?
Could it be... that what Taiga had said years ago about the Uchiha being doomed... was true?
Meanwhile, Taiga paid absolutely no mind to the matter.
It was as if such things were completely inconsequential to him.
After leaving the shrine, he returned home, immediately spotting someone resting on the low table in his living room.
Her resting posture accentuated her graceful curves, and combined with her mature, motherly aura, she exuded an undeniable charm.
Sensing the commotion outside, Uchiha Mikoto opened her eyes and propped herself up, catching sight of the returning Taiga.
Before she could even speak, Taiga's voice drifted over.
"Sister Mikoto, have you finally decided to move in with me?"