Chapter 25: The Strong Go Up, the Weak Go Down
But now, as for how Fugaku will fare as the Fifth Hokage, he still needs to observe him; whether he slacks off or works diligently depends on his performance.
"I understand," Nara Shikaku nodded, indicating he would fully organize the ceremony.
"Good, I'll leave this matter to you, Hokage Assistant."
Fugaku said with a smile.
"Yes, Fifth Hokage-sama."
Nara Shikaku also showed a genuine smile.
Hokage Assistant, his Nara Clan must have burned high incense in their ancestors' honor; he never expected to become Hokage Assistant one day.
This position is second only to one person and above tens of thousands.
Hmm, satisfying.
The more Nara Shikaku thought about it, the more pleased he became, looking at Fugaku like a mother-in-law looking at her new son-in-law, growing more satisfied with each glance.
In fact, from this moment on, Fugaku was already the Fifth Hokage, and the appointments of others also took effect from this moment; the Hokage succession ceremony three days later was merely a ritual to announce it to the unaware civilians of Konoha Village and to the world.
"Ancestors bless us, I, Hyuga Hiashi, have also become a Hokage Advisor."
Hyuga Hiashi's expression was solemn, but his heart was overflowing with joy.
The Hyuga Clan, as the second largest clan under the Uchiha in Konoha, under his leadership, had always kept a low profile, being honest and dutiful; he never expressed many opinions on major decisions, simply raising his hand if the Hokage liked it and shaking his head if the Hokage disliked it.
This was also why, when the Uchiha Clan and Konoha were very tense before, his Hyuga remained stable and unperturbed.
But now it's different; it's a rare opportunity. How long has it been since his Hyuga Clan made a move? Recalling that shouting Shimura clansman from before, he still felt a bit angry.
It seems his Hyuga Clan has been too quiet for too long and needs to make its voice heard.
Serving as a Hokage Advisor is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.
The Hyuga Clan must rise!
Hyuga Hiashi thought solemnly.
"Alright, that's all for now. Everyone is tired; go rest quickly."
Fugaku stood up and, together with the three Uchiha elders, escorted the clan heads out of the Hokage Building.
Then he went directly to the Hokage Office on the third floor.
A Three-Tomoed Sharingan clansman dutifully guarded the office door, and upon seeing the Clan Head and the three elders, he quickly greeted them.
"Clan Head-sama, First Elder, Second Elder, Third Elder."
"Hmm, you've worked hard."
Fugaku patted his shoulder in encouragement, then entered the Hokage Office.
This made the Three-Tomoed Sharingan clansman incredibly excited.
He was originally a hawk faction member in the clan who supported the coup; now that the Clan Head had successfully led them, he was utterly devoted to the Clan Head.
Uchiha Sihu also learned in today's meeting that he would be able to serve as the Left Advisor (Hokage Advisors are divided into Left and Right Advisors, with different complex responsibilities). At this moment, his old face was still flushed with excitement, showing no signs of fatigue from staying up all night.
"Alright, alright, Sihu, your drool is about to fall out."
The Second Elder, Uchiha Setsuna, said sourly from the side.
He looked thin and weak, but in reality, his strength was not low; he was an Elite Jonin with a Three-Tomoed Sharingan and one of the leaders of the hawk faction.
He and Uchiha Sihu were both old men of the same era, but he was a bit different; he inherited Madara's will and was quite dissatisfied with Second Hokage Senju Tobirama's policy of governing the Uchiha Clan, always yearning to reclaim sovereignty from the Senju Clan, making him a hawk faction Uchiha clansman.
Later, his incitement of the Uchiha clansmen to rebel was detected by the Second Hokage, and ultimately, he was arrested by Anbu members dispatched by the Second Hokage and imprisoned.
He was released after ten years; if Senju Tobirama hadn't died, he probably would never have gotten out.
After his release, Hiruzen Sarutobi was in power. He remained unrepentant, gathering a group of Uchiha with similar ideals, forming the hawk faction to oppose Uchiha Sihu, who led the dove faction.
Seeing Uchiha Sihu, the leader of the dove faction, appointed as a Hokage Advisor by Uchiha Fugaku, he couldn't help but feel incredibly sour.
Seeing Uchiha Sihu overjoyed and beside himself with happiness, he finally couldn't resist mocking him.
Uchiha Sihu, being happy now, was too lazy to bother with this sour, skinny old man and declared to Uchiha Fugaku, "Fugaku, no, Fifth Hokage, just you watch, I will do this Advisor job well and not let down your trust."
Fugaku sat down in the position that once belonged to the Hokage, chuckled, and nodded, picking up the mountain of documents piled on the desk to read through them.
He tossed aside the less important ones, only looking at the crucial ones.
However, there was nothing very important at the moment; he finished a rough read of this pile of documents in less than ten minutes.
"By the way, where did Itachi go?"
He tossed the documents aside and suddenly remembered his unfilial son, asking curiously.
Uchiha Sihu was startled. Didn't I seal Itachi's Chakra? Did he run away from home again?
At this moment, Third Elder Uchiha Masato replied, "Clan Head, Itachi went home this morning. Didn't you see him?"
"Went home?"
Fugaku was surprised. He hadn't seen Uchiha Itachi before leaving home this morning. Of course, it was also possible that the boy was sleeping in his room, as he hadn't slept all night yesterday.
Fugaku didn't care much, nodded, tapped the desk, and instructed, "Third Elder, the disbandment of our Security Force is entrusted to you. Ask the clansmen who want to join Anbu to sign up with you. You need to give me the list by noon tomorrow."
"Understood, Clan Head."
Uchiha Masato said respectfully.
"Alright, you all go get busy."
Fugaku waved his hand, signaling them to leave.
The three elders bowed respectfully, then exited the room. Uchiha Setsuna, who was last, carefully closed the door.
Fugaku withdrew his gaze. In his memory, the attitude of the two hawk faction leaders towards him, the Clan Head, had never been very good, always bossy. This was why, after careful consideration, he chose to give the Hokage Advisor position to Uchiha Sihu instead of Uchiha Setsuna or Uchiha Masato.
Of course, after he decisively led them in the coup yesterday and succeeded, both Second Elder Uchiha Setsuna and Third Elder Uchiha Masato showed astonishing changes in their attitudes towards him.
He was not surprised. The Uchiha Clan has always adhered to the principle of the strong.
There's an old saying in the clan: the strong rise, the weak fall.
Uchiha Fugaku himself was not weak; he was exceptionally talented from a young age, a genius in the eyes of his peers, and he had made a great name for himself in the Ninja World War, earning the nickname 'Fearsome Eye' Fugaku from his enemies.
Fugaku became Clan Head not through connections, but entirely through strength.
Without strength, how could he become Clan Head among a group of fanatics? How could he command respect?
The reason why a small portion of Uchiha clansmen, including the Second and Third Elders, were not very respectful towards him recently was because Fugaku had not accomplished much in recent years, whether it was being cornered by Danzo during the Nine-Tails Attack and not daring to resist, or being forced to relocate the clan's territory...
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