"Alright, everyone is here. Let's begin today's clan meeting."
Genna Uchiha, seated at the head, scanned the meeting room of the ancestral hall. After ensuring that his sons and other elders were present, he immediately announced.
"Clan Head."
No sooner had he finished speaking than the Third Elder stepped forward to complain:
"Our Police Force received another warning from Hokage-sama this month, stating that we are enforcing the law violently and have received numerous complaints and reports from villagers."
"But those claims are completely baseless. If it weren't for our Police Force diligently upholding its duties and maintaining the Village's public order, the Village would have fallen into chaos long ago."
"I think that old thief, Hiruzen Sarutobi, is just picking on us because the Uchiha don't have anyone in power!"
Every clan meeting started with the Uchiha's police and security matters, and this time was no exception.
"Yes!" another elder chimed in:
"When the Second Hokage-sama was in office, we enforced the law in the same way, but there were never any problems. Why are there so many problems specifically during his Third Hokage's tenure?"
"It's precisely because, back then, Uchiha Kagami from our clan was a disciple of the Second Hokage-sama. We, the Uchiha, had someone at the center of Konoha's power, but now we don't. That's why they can bully us as they please!"
"Clan Head-sama, I believe, given the current situation, our plan for the Uchiha to rejoin Konoha's upper echelons is now urgent!"
At this time, the Uchiha, still holding significant power over public order and having witnessed the glory of the Uchiha Clan during the Second Hokage's era, had not yet experienced the Nine-Tailed incident.
Therefore, they mostly hoped to gain the Village's recognition and the rights they believed they deserved, rather than contemplating a coup.
In their view, the Village was founded by the Uchiha and Senju Clan, so why shouldn't the Uchiha Clan have a place in the upper echelons?
If you won't give us a position, then we'll fight for it ourselves!
Listening to everyone's complaints, Xuan Nai's perpetually stern old face showed a hint of emotion.
As the Clan Head, how could he not be aware of the Uchiha's current predicament?
Superficially, they held significant authority over public order in the Village, but in reality, they were being isolated by others.
The Police Force's General Affairs Department was located on the outskirts of Konoha Village, making it difficult for the Uchiha to interact with other clans.
He wasn't unaware of such matters at the time.
But as members of the Uchiha Clan, their pride would not allow them to bow their heads.
As long as they grew stronger and held power in their own hands, what did other clans matter?
In fact, that was indeed the case.
At that time, the Uchiha not only held significant authority over public order but also had Uchiha Kagami, who was taken as a disciple by the Hokage.
Both internally and externally, they commanded great respect, enjoying unparalleled prestige.
How many dared to say they were not?
But he never expected that child, Kagami, would die so early.
When he stepped down, the Uchiha Clan completely lost its position in Konoha's upper echelons, which also led to the Uchiha having no say whatsoever.
Whatever was said by those above, the Uchiha could only endure it, constantly on the defensive.
It was utterly humiliating!
Just as the elders said, considering the Uchiha's current situation, there was indeed an urgent need for another genius like Uchiha Kagami, capable of building a bridge between the Uchiha and the Hokage.
But how could it be that simple?
Unlike the situation with the Second Hokage, the Third Hokage already had his own disciples and was no longer recruiting externally.
It would likely be very difficult to try and use the same method to restore the Uchiha to their peak.
He could only find another way, to see if he could find other avenues... Thinking of this, he couldn't help but look at his youngest son, Uchiha Takeshi, who was sitting beside him.
Takeshi had been raised by him since childhood, and he had placed great hopes on him.
Before the age of six, he had already awakened the Three-Tomoe Sharingan. In terms of talent, his youngest son was definitely the strongest among the Uchiha, unparalleled in ancient and modern times.
If anyone could restore the Uchiha to glory, he couldn't think of anyone other than Takeshi.
"Takeshi, what do you think of this matter?"
Just like that, Xuan Nai, the old father, suddenly passed the buck to Takeshi.
As his words rang out, the clan members suddenly remembered that Takeshi was a genius of the Uchiha Clan, someone who could rival Uchiha Kagami!
If it were him, perhaps he really could do it... So, the others also turned their gazes towards Takeshi.
Facing the expectant looks cast upon him by everyone, Takeshi's mouth twitched slightly.
Wait, why is it suddenly my turn?
How can I, a child not even seven years old, have an opinion?
A black line appeared above Takeshi's head, and he felt utterly speechless.
His elder brother, Fugaku, noticed Takeshi's difficulty and tried to help by diverting the topic:
"Father, my younger brother is still young..."
"Fugaku, shut up. You have no right to speak here."
However, before he could finish his sentence, Xuan Nai interrupted him directly, showing no mercy.
"Uh..."
Fugaku was momentarily stunned, looking somewhat helpless.
At this moment, he felt someone pull him from his side. He looked down and saw it was Takeshi.
Takeshi shook his head, indicating it was fine.
He hadn't expected his cheap older brother, Fugaku, to actually contradict their father for his sake. Although it wasn't successful, Takeshi was still a little touched by it.
He even had the thought that, after his eldest son took out Fugaku, he would personally bury him.
Of course, that was assuming he was still alive.
"Father, I want to enter Konoha Hospital."
However, just as everyone was expecting Takeshi to come up with some exciting idea, he suddenly uttered these words, completely unrelated to the clan.
This made all the clan members instinctively freeze.
Xuan Nai couldn't help but frown slightly. He knew that his youngest son liked to research Medical Ninjutsu.
He had even personally approved the medical texts for him to read.
If it weren't for his truly exceptional talent and the fact that it didn't hinder his other Ninjutsu training, he would have forbidden it long ago.
But he never expected that Takeshi had become so obsessed with Medical Ninjutsu that he even wanted to enter Konoha Hospital.
One must know that the Uchiha were a clan proud of their ocular jutsu, and genjutsu was their specialty. Yet, Takeshi insisted on studying Medical Ninjutsu, which was simply putting the cart before the horse!
"No!"
Xuan Nai was very disappointed. He had expected his youngest son to offer some constructive advice, but instead, he had dropped a huge bomb.
However, Takeshi didn't rush to refute. Instead, he calmly explained:
"Father, listen to me..."