"Sigh…"
At the front of the room, Uchiha Fugaku kept his expression unreadable while the Uchiha elites buzzed with pride behind him.
Inside, though, he let out a quiet breath.
Most people hadn't noticed yet—but Fugaku had.
Uchiha Shisuilooked like he fought for the clan… yet whenever it truly mattered, his instincts leaned toward the village.
Just like today.
He'd returned from the battlefield, and his first move wasn't to report to the Konoha Military Police Force, or even speak to his clan head—
It was to go straight to the Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi.
Still… Shisui was Uchiha.
Fugaku chose to believe that when the decisive moment arrived, Shisui would understand where he truly belonged.
That he would stand with the clan.
Beside Fugaku, the small boy who'd entered with him stared at the room as if it were a puzzle he couldn't solve.
"What… does any of this mean?" Uchiha Itachi murmured, almost to himself.
On the battlefield, he'd watched comrades die.
Not once, but again and again—people vanishing from his world in an instant.
For a child barely four or five years old, the cruelty of war had already carved itself deep into his heart.
His gaze dropped, thoughts folding inward.
Maybe the Will of Fire really is the only answer…
His fingers tightened slightly.
And with that, Itachi silently made a decision:
He would find time to speak with Shisui—someone he saw as both mentor and friend.
Fugaku let the room settle for a moment, then spoke again.
"Alright. There's one more thing."
His tone was calm, but what he said landed like a thunderclap.
"The Third Shinobi World War is nearly over. Konoha may have won decisively… but our losses were heavy."
He paused.
"I've received word that the village leadership will soon choose the Fourth Hokage."
"What?! The Fourth Hokage?"
"Captain Fugaku—our clan should back you!"
"Is Lord Third stepping down already?"
The conference room erupted instantly.
The Hokage wasn't just a title.
It was the highest seat in the Land of Fire—the face of Konoha, the hand that shaped its future.
And if they dared to dream a little bigger—
If Fugaku became the Fourth Hokage…
Wouldn't the Uchiha rise even higher?
From the back row, Leon sat with his arms folded, unimpressed.
"Choosing the Fourth Hokage…" he muttered, lips twitching.
Then he ran through the pieces like he was flipping through a script he already knew.
The White Fang had been driven to suicide.
Tsunade had a blood phobia.
Jiraiya had never wanted the hat in the first place.
Orochimaru was already drifting toward the road of a traitor.
And Hiruzen… had a talent for letting golden chances slip through his fingers.
In the end, Leon knew exactly how this would go.
Fugaku would not become Hokage.
To be precise, the village's decision-makers—starting with Hiruzen—had already chosen their candidate long ago.
Namikaze Minato.
Konoha looked victorious on the outside, the "strongest village" on paper…
But internally, it was exhausted. Fractured. Bleeding strength.
Minato was the perfect answer.
He was powerful. Brilliant. His reputation after the war rivaled the Sannin.
And more importantly—
He was easy to place at the center, easy to rally behind.
"Quiet."
Fugaku's voice cut through the noise, heavier now.
The room gradually calmed.
Then he delivered the sentence that froze everything in place.
"I've already informed Lord Third—I will withdraw from the competition for Fourth Hokage."
Silence.
Not ordinary silence—absolute, stunned dead air.
Faces that had been bright with pride went stiff. Eyes widened in disbelief.
If Fugaku stepped aside…
Then the Hokage seat would, once again, have nothing to do with the Uchiha.
Fugaku didn't wait for arguments.
"Meeting adjourned."
He turned without hesitation.
"Itachi. Come."
"Y-yes, Father," Itachi said quickly, hurrying after him.
Once Fugaku and Itachi left the room, the suppressed emotions finally burst.
"How can he just give it up?"
"Fugaku-sama withdrew…?"
"Does he have some plan we don't understand?"
A few shinobi were already simmering with anger. Some looked close to snapping.
For years, the Uchiha had fought to raise their standing in the village.
And now, with a once-in-a-generation chance right in front of them…
Their own leader had stepped back.
Leon rose at his own pace and walked out as well, hands in his pockets, expression calm.
As expected of you, Uchiha Fugaku, he thought, a hint of dry amusement in it.
He didn't care about the complaints behind him.
Most of them couldn't even read the situation properly.
If they couldn't understand the tides of power, then they were doomed to be used—again and again.
Maybe it really was a side effect of living with the Sharingan—too much pride, too little caution.
And in a world like this…
That kind of arrogance always got punished eventually.
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