"Where the leaves dance, the fire of the Uchiha will burn. The shadow of the Uchiha's flame will illuminate the clan and allow new leaves to sprout..."
That was right. It was the recruitment pitch... ahem, the speech that Sarutobi Hiruzen would one day use. Izuna had taken it, modified it, and given it to Madara.
And as it turned out, the speech was a masterstroke.
The clansmen below, especially those under twenty, listened with shining eyes, as if they had just seen a grand road to peace open before them.
"Long live the Uchiha!"
"Long live the clan head!"
"The flame of the Uchiha will illuminate the entire Warring States!"
First one, then a second, then a third voice rose up. In the end, even the refugees the Uchiha had taken in—the commoners who tilled the fields and forged their steel—joined in, raising their arms and cheering.
*"What kind of profound speech could that brat Madara come up with?"*
Standing in a corner of the platform, elders like Uchiha Xingzhi stared at Madara's back, muttering to themselves in disbelief. But when their gaze shifted to Izuna, standing to Madara's left, they paused, a suspicion dawning on them.
***
The ceremony concluded, and Madara, without a moment's rest, immediately summoned the clan's upper echelon. The first high-level meeting of his tenure as clan head was to be held the very next morning. Even as clan head, there was still much to be done.
At dawn, he shed his battlefield armor for a thick, formal robe and entered the council hall once more. Madara, who once sat among the council of decision-makers, now occupied the clan head's seat, the symbol of ultimate authority. Izuna, just as he'd hoped, sat to Madara's left, in the position of second-in-command, the clan head's deputy.
"Today, I formally assume my duties as the new head of the Uchiha clan. If anyone has any beneficial proposals for the clan, please speak freely."
Having become clan head, Madara's aura had shifted. He was like a razor-sharp blade returned to its sheath, its edge glinting from time to time.
"First, we must assign duties," Second Elder Uchiha Tianzang began. "We lost many in the battle at Mount Congyun. Besides the former clan head, many of our comrades in important posts fell. We must fill these vacancies promptly to ensure the clan continues to function normally."
Though saddened by the deaths of their comrades, the Jonin below couldn't help but feel a surge of excitement. This meant opportunities for promotion.
"Of course. Last night, I discussed new candidates for each post with the three elders and the decision-making council. If you have any objections, you may raise them now..."
Madara took out a list and began to read. "For the post of Administrative Officer, Uchiha Takahiko. For the Intelligence and Reconnaissance Division, Uchiha..."
He read off a long series of positions and names. There were very few objections, as the decisions were clearly based on merit and strength. There was no sign of nepotism or backroom deals.
"Finally, Supreme Commander of the Mount Congyun Garrison: Uchiha Gakugyo."
This last appointment made everyone pause. Mount Congyun was on the border between Uchiha and Senju territory, one of the Uchiha's most critical defensive positions. Its previous commander had died in battle, so it was only natural to send a skilled ninja to replace him. However, while the position was high-ranking, it was also grueling. The commander there had to be constantly on edge, ready for a Senju surprise attack at any moment. But with high risk came high reward and the chance for glory.
For a moment, many of the Jonin began to wonder. Was Madara intentionally pushing Uchiha Gakugyo, his rival for the leadership, into a dangerous position? Or had Gakugyo proposed this himself?
But Madara wasn't finished. "Furthermore, I announce that due to his advanced age, Elder Uchiha Xingzhi will now enter a state of semi-retirement. Uchiha Gakugyo will serve as a prospective elder."
With that, the murmuring Jonin understood. They had to grudgingly admit that old Uchiha Xingzhi was a crafty one. Seeing that his son couldn't become clan head, he had immediately begun positioning him for a seat among the elders. After all, he himself was over sixty; by the standards of the Warring States period, he didn't have many years left.
***
"Alright, that settles the vacant positions. Next on the agenda is the future path of the Uchiha clan." Madara set the list down and moved on to the second topic.
Third Elder Uchiha Kai proposed, "We must make good use of these three years of truce with the Senju. We should avoid all conflict and focus on developing the next generation."
Everyone nodded in agreement. The Uchiha were certainly warlike, but they weren't Saiyans who fought for the sake of fighting, indifferent to death. The clan was badly wounded and desperately needed time to rest and recover.
But Madara's expression was strangely complex. He had just become clan head. Tradition dictated that a new leader should light "three fires" to establish his authority—perhaps by conquering a smaller clan to showcase his capabilities. When Uchiha Tajima had become clan head, he had immediately launched a northern campaign, conquering two minor ninja clans and cementing his authority.
Izuna caught the fleeting complexity on Madara's face but merely smiled faintly, showing no other reaction.
***
At the end of the meeting, Izuna proposed a system modeled after the one Konoha's academy would one day use. It wasn't one Jonin to three students—the Uchiha didn't have that many Jonin to spare, and they had far too many students who needed to be sent to the battlefield. Instead, it would be one Jonin to nine students, training them in practical combat.
The Land of Fire did not yet exist; the continent was a patchwork of territories controlled by various lords who hired samurai and ninja to do what they could not. Though many of the systems of the future had not yet been established, the practice of taking on missions was already in place. Even without a war, these missions could serve as practical training for the students.
After the truce with the Senju was signed and Madara and Izuna had assumed their roles, the Uchiha clan entered a brief period of recovery. But with Madara's personality, his failure to light the "three fires" of a new leader made it difficult to keep the high-ranking members in line, even after he had defeated Uchiha Gakugyo with the power of his Mangekyo Sharingan.
Since they couldn't go to war, Izuna chose to act.
Upon becoming second-in-command, he had received a certain amount of Skill Points. It wasn't much, but it was enough to exchange for a few C-rank or two B-rank ninjutsu. He presented these to the clan, expanding their collection of scrolls, and claimed that he and Madara had developed them jointly. While not as effective as crushing an external enemy, it was enough to silence Uchiha Gakugyo's staunchest supporters for the time being.
Of course, regarding Izuna's claim of "joint development with Madara," the clan members understood the truth but kept their mouths shut. They knew what kind of ninja Uchiha Madara was. He was a prodigy at learning jutsu, but developing them was another matter entirely, requiring a unique understanding of chakra and considerable experience. Only a genius like Izuna, who had developed the Chidori to complement the Sharingan, could accomplish such a feat. But since Izuna himself had said it, they didn't dare disrespect the two leaders.
With high office came endless work. Even though Izuna had been an ordinary person in his past life, he now had to shoulder his share of responsibilities. Finances, mission assignments, border defenses... a mountain of problems awaited. Every morning, he woke up to a long list of tasks.
*I used to read those transmigration novels where the protagonist always had a wise wife or a die-hard loyalist to handle this stuff for him. Why isn't my luck that good?*
Time passed, and news of the temporary truce between the Uchiha and Senju gradually spread throughout the Warring States period, shocking the ninja world. Though only temporary, it was an unprecedented event in shinobi history.
Information traveled far slower in the Warring States than in the later era of the Five Great Shinobi Countries. It was a full half-month after news of the truce had spread that the news of the new clan leadership reached the ears of other ninja clans.
The Senju clan was now led by Senju Yuma, with Senju Hashirama as his second-in-command. This wasn't surprising; everyone had expected it.
But the news from the Uchiha was jaw-dropping.