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Seeing that Uchiha Tajima actually had the support of nearly half the clan, Fugaku's expression darkened at once.
So he came prepared after all. That bastard had already rallied this many people to his side.
The situation was unexpected, but Fugaku didn't let anger cloud his judgment. He kept his composure.
He spoke calmly.
"Oh? Since you want to replace me as clan head, then answer me this. Faced with pressure from the Third Hokage, how would you respond?"
"Cut the crap. Of course we smash the hell out of him and let that old dog know what the Uchiha are made of.
All this endless patience just makes our enemies push harder. Only by striking first can we reclaim what's rightfully ours!"
At this point, the Uchiha still believed one thing.
They thought the Konoha leadership was just playing political games, squeezing them for利益 and leverage. Not a single one of them imagined that the Third Hokage would actually plan a full-blown extermination.
That was exactly why, in the original timeline, the Uchiha were completely unprepared when Itachi struck.
"Oh? So what you're saying is that you plan to lead the clan in open rebellion?"
Fugaku's voice remained steady.
"Hmph. Rebellion? Don't make it sound so ugly. We're just taking back what belongs to us.
Besides, the Uchiha were founding members of Konoha. We're the true masters of this village!"
"Idiot. Acting like this will only drag the clan into the abyss.
Konoha's strength is far beyond what we can stand against.
Facing the village head-on is nothing but smashing an egg against a rock."
Fugaku didn't mince words.
"Fugaku, you're boosting their morale while crushing our own!
We're the strongest clan in the shinobi world. Why would we fear that old Sarutobi?"
Absolute confidence poured out of Uchiha Tajima.
To him, the Third Hokage was nothing more than trash, someone he could crush without effort.
"That's right. The Uchiha fear nothing!"
"Exactly. The Uchiha are invincible!"
The clan members supporting Tajima echoed him loudly.
"Konoha has one of the Legendary Three Ninja, Jiraiya," Fugaku said gravely.
"We have the Sharingan!"
In the next instant, the Uchiha backing Tajima all activated their Sharingan.
One pair of crimson eyes after another lit up the hall with eerie red light.
"Konoha has Tsunade, the greatest medical ninja in the world!"
"We have the Sharingan!"
"Konoha has the elite ANBU!"
"We have the Sharingan!"
"Konoha has Root, led by Danzō!"
"We have the Sharingan!"
Fugaku fell silent.
…
He took a deep breath. As expected, the clan's arrogance was practically written into their DNA.
Especially those with fully awakened three-tomoe Sharingan. Every one of them believed they were unbeatable.
To them, casually beating down the Third Hokage sounded completely reasonable.
After a long pause, Fugaku finally spoke again.
"Fine. Tajima, you want to be clan head, right?
Then defeat me, and you'll be the next head of the Uchiha."
"Heh. That's exactly what I wanted."
Uchiha Tajima stood up, licking his lips in excitement.
"To be honest, Fugaku, I've wanted to beat the crap out of you for a long time."
Fugaku rose in silence, ready to use his fists to force the clan to face reality.
And then—
Boom!
A deafening crash shook the hall as the doors were blown apart.
At the same time, a slightly exaggerated voice drifted in.
"Yo. Look what I found. A bunch of huskies holding a group meeting. Now this is rare."
"Who's there?!"
The Uchiha ninjas were startled and immediately turned toward the entrance.
Curiosity mixed with anger. Who was this insane bastard, daring to barge into a Uchiha clan meeting like this?
As the dust settled, a small figure appeared before them.
The moment Fugaku recognized who it was, his face went completely black.
He never would have imagined that the intruder was Akira. Worse, the kid had just insulted everyone present.
"Huskies." He didn't even know what that meant, but it clearly wasn't a compliment.
Damn it. What were those two guards at the door doing? How could they let this brat in?
And since when did Akira become this bold?
Fugaku immediately barked out in anger.
"Akira! What are you doing here?! Is this somewhere a little brat like you can come to?!
Get back home right now!"
He put on his sternest expression, pulling out the authority of a father.
"Tsk. Fugaku, is this the son you raised?
No manners at all. He actually dares to barge into a clan assembly."
Tajima sneered from the side.
Fugaku ignored him and continued scolding Akira.
"Move it! Go home and wait. Honestly, three days without discipline and you start tearing the roof off. When we get back, I'll make sure you learn your lesson so you understand—"
"Shut up. Who do you think you are, lecturing me?"
He was cut off mid-sentence.
The one who interrupted him was Akira himself.
The boy stared at Fugaku with a flat, indifferent gaze, showing not a shred of respect for the man standing before him.
"You coward. When the Third Hokage pressures you, all you know how to do is hide your head like a turtle. And you think you're qualified to lecture me?"
"What… what did you say?!"
Fugaku's face turned stormy.
He never imagined that he'd be cursed out by his own seven-year-old son, and in front of the entire clan no less.
Was this really the same child who used to bow his head and respectfully say "Father" whenever they met?
"Get out. Clan affairs aren't something a snot-nosed kid gets to babble about!"
Fugaku snapped coldly.
"This isn't your place to speak. You're not qualified to attend a clan meeting. Get out, now!"
"Heh."
Akira let out a disdainful laugh.
"The one who should get lost is you. You hesitate when decisions matter, dragging your feet at every turn.
When it comes to that old bastard Sarutobi, all you ever do is retreat. You're a complete wimp.
Calling you a coward is being generous."
He then pointed straight at Uchiha Tajima on the other side.
"He said you're not fit to be clan head. And honestly? He's absolutely right."
"Hiss…"
The surrounding Uchiha sucked in sharp breaths.
They never imagined a son would dare speak to his own father like this.
That was beyond heartless.
"..."
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