Chapter 75: Clan Council and Hidden Ambitions
Konoha, The Basement Beneath the Uchiha Shrine.
The air was thick with outrage and the low, simmering hum of activated Sharingan, their crimson glow painting the stone walls in shifting patterns of anger. The news had struck a raw nerve.
"Why did that old fossil Sarutobi retake the hat? Shouldn't there be an election for the Fifth?"
"Exactly! He was responsible for the jinchuriki's security! The timing was leaked on his watch! How dare he cling to power?"
"Greedy old man. By all rights, the Fifth should be contested between Clan Head Fugaku and Orochimaru!"
"We were on the front lines against the Nine-Tails! The Third pulls this stunt—abdicates, then just takes it back?!"
The Uchiha clansmen, assembled in the secret chamber, were a chorus of indignation. Their pride, already a volatile substance, had been ignited.
Uchiha Fugaku stood before the ancient Naka Shrine tablet, a solid, silent figure amid the storm. The news had left a bitter taste in his mouth. Had Hiruzen recalled Orochimaru and called for a proper election, the sting would have been less. But this… this blatant reclamation of authority felt like a personal slight and a political dismissal of the clan's rising status.
It wasn't as if Konoha lacked viable leaders.
He let out a long, controlled breath, the sound cutting through the din. "Enough. Calm yourselves. What's done is done. We must now discuss the clan's path forward from here."
His command brought a momentary lull, quickly replaced by the tense murmur of dozens of private conversations. Everyone knew the stakes. The clan's heavy investment in Minato—a bet on the future that had seemed so promising—was now a sunk cost. They had poured resources, political capital, and loyalty into the Fourth's brief reign, with little time to reap the dividends before it was violently cut short. The investment had failed.
The discussion that followed was circular and heated, going nowhere. With Hiruzen firmly back in the seat, the clan's room for overt political maneuvering was severely constrained. And yet, as Fugaku listened, a deep sense of frustration warred with concern. The situation was tense, yes, but it was nowhere near the desperate, suffocating pressure that might justify… extreme measures. The clan could still endure, and many still held out hope for attaining the Hokage's office through conventional means.
What worried him more were the specific suggestions flying in the dim light. Some hotheads whispered of assassinating the Hokage to install Fugaku. Others, more grandiose, dreamed of provoking a war where the Uchiha, as "heavenly soldiers," would win glorious victories and claim the hat through unmatched military merit. Alarmingly, this latter fantasy had a sizable audience. Their confidence, fed by the clan's current military strength—three verifiable Kage-level shinobi and a host of elite jonin—was bordering on dangerous delusion.
"Enough!" Fugaku's voice cracked like a whip, his patience exhausted. "We adjourn for now." His gaze swept the room and settled on one figure who had remained mostly silent. "Akira. Stay behind."
The clansmen filed out, their mutters fading up the stone stairs. Soon, only Fugaku and Akira remained in the hushed, sacred space.
Fugaku's stern leader's mask dropped, replaced by a weary expression. "I never imagined Minato would fall like that."
"The world is unpredictable," Akira replied, his tone neutral. "Who could foresee the sun setting at noon?"
A bitter smile touched Fugaku's lips. "With his death, our clan's position has been reset. We're back to square one." He leaned against the cool stone of the tablet. "From the tone of today's 'discussion,' Hiruzen will undoubtedly empower Danzo again, using him as a cudgel against us."
The Uchiha's current strength was their greatest asset and their greatest liability. It demanded a counterbalance. Danzo, with his shadowy Root and his deep-seated paranoia towards the Uchiha, was the perfect tool for Hiruzen.
A cold light flickered in Akira's eyes. "Danzo's methods are foul. Why not simply remove him?"
Fugaku was startled, then shook his head firmly. "Danzo is no weakling. A disciple of the Second, a member of the Hokage's Guard… his personal power is significant, likely not far behind Hiruzen's. And his organization is a nest of vipers. Eliminating him quickly and cleanly would be exceedingly difficult."
Seeing Akira's undeterred expression, Fugaku pressed on. "Besides, we already hold a card against him. We only need to play it at the right moment to destroy him completely."
"A card?" Akira prompted.
"The evidence of Danzo and Orochimaru's unsanctioned human experiments," Fugaku said, a sharp, calculating gleam in his own eyes. "But we cannot play it lightly. That card must be saved for a moment when its revelation doesn't just wound Danzo, but shakes Hiruzen's very right to be Hokage. Ideally, it should force his resignation."
"You aim for the Hokage's seat?" Akira asked, genuinely surprised.
Fugaku was silent for a long moment, then slowly shook his head. "No. That is not my path." He turned his gaze fully on Akira, it was intense, probing. "If the opportunity arises… I intend to push you for Hokage."
The statement hung in the air. Akira was momentarily speechless. This was an angle he had not considered.
Fugaku explained, his voice low. "My original plan… was for Itachi. He would have been Minato's apprentice, building merit and connections over years. A conventional path. Minato's death shattered that." He gestured around the empty chamber, symbolizing the clan's isolated position. "The village elders do not trust us. A normal election is a closed door. In times like these, only unconventional methods can seat an Uchiha in that office. And our clan now has the collective strength to make such a push happen."
He studied Akira. "You possess power, strategic insight, and you understand the value of… discretion and research. You are not bound by the same traditionalist thinking. You could lead the clan, and the village, into a new kind of future."
"Me?" Akira finally found his voice, the concept still settling. He had no burning ambition for the hat. His goals were personal, survival-oriented, centered on his clandestine research into transcending limits. The Hokage's duties—the endless meetings, the political webs, the weight of responsibility for every life in Konoha—sounded like a monumental hassle. He was a man who preferred to focus on his own work.
"I… appreciate your confidence, Clan Head," Akira said carefully. "But the role of Hokage carries burdens I'm not certain I seek."
Fugaku's gaze didn't waver. "Consider it. The clan needs a vision that extends beyond the next battle. We need a leader who can secure our place not just through strength, but through undeniable, indispensable contribution. Your… projects could be the foundation of that contribution. Think on it, Akira. The path ahead may demand it of you."
(End of Chapter)
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