The Uchiha Clan Assembly Hall.
With Minato Namikaze's ascension as the Fourth Hokage, relations between the Uchiha and the village had gradually eased. Treatment in various areas had become noticeably fairer.
Minato was a man of remarkable charisma—and more importantly, strength that commanded the Uchiha's respect.
Given time to fully consolidate his authority, the Uchiha would integrate into the village, and Konohagakure would surpass even its former prosperity during Hiruzen Sarutobi's prime.
This was the consensus within the clan.
Perhaps that was also one reason Obito chose this precise moment to strike.
He knew his former teacher too well. If he did not act while the jinchūriki was weakened during childbirth, a flourishing Konoha would become the greatest obstacle to his Eye of the Moon Plan.
…
Seated at the head of the hall, Fugaku Uchiha wore his usual expressionless face. Compared to before, however, his demeanor could almost be described as pleasant.
Mikoto Uchiha shared a close relationship with Kushina Uzumaki. The diplomacy between their households had yielded visible results.
Fugaku had also abandoned any attempt to reclaim the Sharingan Kakashi Hatake possessed and had even named his son Sasuke—after the father of Hiruzen Sarutobi.
Among shinobi families, naming a child after an elder was a gesture of remembrance and respect.
Fugaku's decision was, in essence, a declaration of loyalty.
After Minato took office, the two had spoken privately. The Fourth Hokage had expressed his intention to recruit several outstanding young Uchiha into the Anbu—perhaps even into the Hokage Guard Platoon.
The implication was clear.
The Uchiha would have a chance to compete for the position of Hokage.
…
There was something tragic about it.
One of the two founding clans of the village now had to fight merely for the right to contend.
Fugaku's gaze shifted to the back row, where Uchiha Sora sat beside Shisui Uchiha. After signaling for silence, he spoke evenly.
"Shisui. Sora. I intend to recommend you both to the Fourth Hokage for Anbu service. What are your thoughts?"
Compared to Shisui—who had already distinguished himself on the battlefield—Uchiha Sora's record consisted mostly of low-level missions.
Yet Sora was two years younger and had already awakened the Sharingan. His talent was undeniable. He had the ability to serve in the Konoha Military Police Force and enjoyed a strong reputation both within the clan and beyond.
…
The Anbu—short for the Assassination Tactics Special Forces—answered directly to the Hokage.
They were the Hokage's inner circle.
Several clan members' expressions brightened. They understood what this meant.
"Clan Head, is this the Hokage's proposal?"
Fugaku forced a faint smile and nodded. "Yes. Lord Hokage has asked me to select a few outstanding clan members for Anbu service."
"Shisui's strength needs no introduction—he is the strongest among the younger generation. Sora is also a prodigy. The Anbu will provide him with excellent growth."
This was where the Uchiha differed from the Hyūga.
Though Itachi Uchiha had already begun to display extraordinary talent, Fugaku did not reserve the opportunity for his own son. He chose those most suitable at present.
The clan was not a dictatorship. Members stood largely as equals.
Even in the past, Madara Uchiha had not forced the clan to follow him when he left the village.
Of course, every system had its flaws.
Fugaku's personality, during peacetime, allowed him to serve as a bridge between clan and village, facilitating integration.
But after the Night of the Nine-Tails—
He would no longer be fit to lead.
A clan head who lacked the decisiveness to choose a path, who swayed between factions and ultimately followed whichever side gained the upper hand…
…
Shisui's face flushed slightly as he scratched the tip of his nose with a shy smile.
"The strongest? Sora's talent surpasses mine. He'll definitely exceed me one day."
"I'll follow Clan Head's decision. Sora—what about you?"
An ordinary Uchiha, upon hearing himself called the strongest, would likely lift his chin and agree.
Shisui was different.
A rare anomaly among the clan.
Sora's gaze swept across the gathered elders and clansmen. In their eyes flickered hope—a vision of a future where Uchiha members entered the Anbu, then the Hokage's Guard, then perhaps…
An Uchiha Hokage.
…
How naïve.
From the day Madara failed to become Hokage, the position had ceased to belong to the Uchiha.
Madara had seen it clearly long ago. The other clans and civilian shinobi within the village did not truly accept the Uchiha.
Even if an Uchiha reached the stage of candidacy, he would never pass the vote of confidence from the jōnin.
…
It didn't matter.
The Uchiha had never required anyone's recognition.
Under the weight of countless gazes, Uchiha Sora rose slowly to his feet, bracing his hands against his knees.
His voice was calm.
"Everyone here is my kin and my elders. So I will speak plainly."
"Our current reconciliation with the village rests upon our closeness to the Fourth Hokage."
"He has only just taken office. He requires our strength. It is mutually beneficial."
He paused.
"But…"
"Have you considered what happens if, once his position stabilizes, his views change? If he comes to believe—as Danzō Shimura and his faction do—that we are uncontrollable? What if he revokes these policies?"
Fugaku frowned deeply.
"Sora, you are overthinking. Minato is not that kind of man."
Many in the hall agreed. They had fought alongside Minato. He was trustworthy—steady, not one to change direction on a whim.
Sora smiled faintly.
"Let's not even assume he would change."
"What if… he dies?"
Silence exploded through the chamber.
"Outrageous!"
Fugaku's voice sharpened. "The Fourth Hokage is renowned across battlefields as the Yellow Flash. How could he possibly die?"
"Keep such words buried in your stomach. Never let them leave this room!"
…
Sora's gaze upon Fugaku held a trace of disappointment.
In his view, a clan head responsible for the survival of his people should account for every possibility.
At the very least, he should believe in his own ability to handle whatever might come—
Not place the clan's future entirely upon an outsider.
"Anyone can die."
Sora's voice was steady.
"Even Madara fell at the Valley of the End. The Fourth Hokage is not invincible."
…
Fugaku was about to rebuke him again when an elder spoke first.
"Sora, you are usually quiet during clan assemblies. Yet now you mention that man repeatedly… What is it you are trying to say?"
The speaker was the previous clan head—Uchiha Kamikawa.
He and Sora's grandfather had been cousins.
In a clan like the Uchiha, everyone was related somehow.
If one insisted on tracing lines of kinship, even Fugaku was distantly connected through a web of extended relations.
Had Sora spoken those words at a Konoha jōnin council meeting, even the Fourth Hokage would not have been able to shield him. He would have found himself confined to the village prison.
But within the clan assembly, no one would report him.
…
Well.
The one who would report such things had not yet arrived.
Shisui, influenced by his ancestor Kagami Uchiha, held affection for the village—but he loved his clan just as deeply. He would never fan the flames.
Sora shook his head.
There was no point in saying more.
Tomorrow would provide the proper moment.
Tonight, he merely planted a seed.
His gaze passed over the gathered clan members once more before he turned toward the exit.
At the doorway, he stopped and looked back at Fugaku Uchiha.
"I hope… you will make the right choice."