"Fugaku Uchiha!"
Setsuna's voice thundered across the compound.
His eyes were filled with anger as he glared at Fugaku.
Kohaku and Kazuto were equally stunned.
Disappointment was written across their faces.
There was anger, too.
What Fugaku had just done wasn't a small mistake.
It was a grave one.
"Izanagi."
The forbidden technique.
A jutsu hidden from almost every member of the Uchiha Clan.
Only the Clan Head, the elders, and a handful of trusted elite shinobi knew of its existence.
And even they were forbidden from speaking about it.
The clan had already paid a heavy price because of that technique in the past.
Its power was enough to make Uchiha turn against one another.
Greed.
Fear.
Suspicion.
Izanagi had brought all of them before.
The more people who knew about it...
The greater the chance someone would eventually lose control of their desire and make a mistake that could never be undone.
Fugaku felt the eyes of every elder on him.
Only then did he realise what he had done.
His anger had clouded his judgment.
A trace of regret flashed across his face.
"I... I meant the special techniques each elder possesses."
He quickly tried to change the subject.
"For example..."
He looked at Setsuna.
"The sword style you recently created."
The atmosphere remained awkward.
Several younger Uchiha exchanged doubtful glances.
They could tell something had happened.
The elders had reacted far too strongly.
But no one asked.
If the elders wanted to keep something hidden, pressing the issue would accomplish nothing.
Toyoma quietly looked at Fugaku before speaking.
"If you're asking about techniques I personally created..."
His voice remained calm.
"My answer is simple."
"I won't hand them over."
He paused for a moment.
"Not because I dislike you."
A faint smile appeared on his face.
"Though... that's true as well."
A few people couldn't help but twitch at the blunt remark.
Toyoma continued as if nothing had happened.
"I won't pass them on because I don't want my own people dying to techniques I created."
Fugaku's face darkened.
"Then why should you receive the Uchiha's jutsu—"
Before he could finish, Toyoma interrupted him.
"Because they aren't yours."
His words were calm, but firm.
"They belong to our ancestors."
"They weren't created by you."
"They weren't created by your father."
His gaze met Fugaku's.
"They are the legacy of the Uchiha."
"Not something to be traded away just to prove loyalty."
No one spoke.
Everyone understood what Toyoma was referring to.
Over the years, too many clan resources had been sacrificed in the name of loyalty to Konoha.
Setsuna finally broke the silence.
His anger had already faded.
"The properties currently under your control will remain with your faction."
He looked at Fugaku.
"We also won't take the remaining clan lands."
A brief silence followed.
"Consider this..."
"The last help we will offer the clan."
As he finished speaking, Setsuna looked at Uzuku and Toyoma.
The two of them gave a slight nod.
There was nothing more to say.
It was time to leave.
Without another word, the Grand Elder turned around.
The members of the Hawk Faction quietly followed behind him.
One after another, they left the compound.
Silence filled the place.
Fugaku watched their retreating backs until they disappeared from sight.
Then he slowly leaned back in his chair.
For the first time that day...
He looked defeated.
Kohaku quietly watched him.
There was a trace of pity in his eyes.
He understood what Fugaku was carrying.
Perhaps...
Future generations would remember him as the Clan Head under whom the Uchiha split apart.
'A bitter fruit...'
Kohaku sighed inwardly.
'But it is still the fruit of your own choices.'
He looked at Fugaku.
'Now it's up to you how it tastes.'
'Sour... or sweet.'
Kazuto noticed Kohaku's expression and gave him a small nod.
Kohaku took a deep breath.
His expression became serious once again.
"Clan Head."
He broke the silence.
"We should decide how many people will remain as shinobi..."
"And how many will follow the merchant faction?"
Fugaku didn't answer immediately.
His eyes remained fixed on the ceiling.
After a long silence, he finally spoke.
"Elder..."
His voice was much calmer than before.
"Do you know why the Uchiha were once known as one of the strongest clans?"
Kohaku remained silent.
Fugaku slowly sat up.
"Because that was a different era."
He looked directly into Kohaku's eyes.
"No ninja clan can survive on its own anymore."
"Those days are gone."
His expression grew heavy.
"The moment the other villages learn that our clan has divided..."
"They'll see us as prey."
The room fell silent.
Only now had Fugaku truly realised how many people still stood behind him...
And how many had already chosen Setsuna?
This had never been a decision made on impulse.
It had been planned for years.
A carefully prepared move by the elder faction.
'Why can't any of you understand...?'
Fugaku clenched his fist.
'This era doesn't allow lone clans to survive.'
'The strength of one clan is no longer enough to face everything waiting outside.'
Kohaku understood every word.
He knew Fugaku wasn't speaking out of pride anymore.
He was speaking out of fear.
Fear for the future of the clan.
Just as Kohaku was about to reply—
Kazuto spoke first.
His voice was calm.
"But there is one difference."
Everyone looked at him.
A faint smile appeared on Kazuto's face.
"We'll only have to face enemies."
He paused.
"They won't be wearing the masks of allies."
Fugaku fell silent after hearing Kazuto's words.
For a brief moment, he simply stared at the elder.
He hadn't expected that answer.
Not from Kazuto.
Until now, he had believed the clan would split into two sides.
The Hawk Faction.
And the neutral elders.
But now...
He finally understood.
He was standing alone.
The realisation was so absurd that he suddenly laughed.
"Heh..."
"Haha..."
"Hahahahaha!"
The laughter echoed through the compound.
Several Uchiha looked at one another but said nothing.
Fugaku slowly looked at Kazuto.
"So..."
"If even all of you agree with him..."
His smile gradually faded.
"Does that mean..."
"I'm the only one who's wrong?"
A bitter laugh escaped him.
"What kind of Clan Head have I become?"
The compound remained silent.
Kohaku looked at Fugaku with a complicated expression.
"Fugaku..."
His voice softened.
"You still have time."
"Forget about Konoha."
"There is no future for the Uchiha there."
There was no anger in his words.
Only regret.
If Fugaku could still change his mind...
Perhaps the clan could avoid the worst outcome.
None of the elders wanted to sacrifice even a single Uchiha for Konoha anymore.
Fugaku slowly raised his head.
His Sharingan spun silently.
He looked straight at Kohaku.
"Future?"
His voice grew louder.
"What future are you talking about?"
"The future where the Uchiha stand alone against the entire world..."
"And disappear?"
He took a step forward.
"Or the future where we survive as part of a village?"
His eyes swept across Kohaku and Kazuto.
"Remember my words."
"I am not wrong."
"I've thought about every possibility."
His fists clenched tightly.
"What you're doing today..."
His voice trembled with emotion.
"...will become the greatest mistake in the history of the Uchiha."
He took a deep breath before continuing.
"It isn't me who has no future."
"It's all of you."
Silence followed.
Neither Kohaku nor Kazuto argued.
They simply listened.
Several elite Uchiha lowered their heads.
Some believed Fugaku's words.
Others silently sided with Setsuna.
The division had already reached their hearts.
Kohaku slowly looked around the gathered shinobi.
His expression was calm.
"You still have time."
His voice echoed across the compound.
"Think carefully."
"And decide which future you wish to follow."
For the last time, he looked at Fugaku.
Then he turned around and quietly walked away.
The meeting finally came to an end.
One by one, the Uchiha left the shrine.
No one spoke.
The arguments had ended.
But the questions they left behind hadn't.
Shisui was the last to leave.
Before stepping outside, he turned back one final time.
Fugaku was still sitting in his chair.
He hadn't moved.
For the first time, Shisui truly saw how heavy the burden on Fugaku's shoulders had become.
He quietly lowered his head and walked away.
...
Not long afterwards, Shisui arrived outside a familiar ramen shop.
"Ah, Shisui."
Jiraiya waved at him with a smile.
"You finally showed up."
Shisui looked over.
Jiraiya was sitting with Minato and Elder Tsunade.
Beside Minato sat a red-haired woman.
The group looked as if they had been talking for some time.
Shisui remained silent for a moment.
His thoughts were still on everything that had happened inside the clan.
Lately...
He had begun doubting more than just the Uchiha.
Even the Hokage.
Some of Hiruzen's decisions no longer felt completely impartial.
Instead...
They sometimes felt like the decisions of a Sarutobi.
Not simply the Hokage.
Shisui didn't want to believe it.
He didn't even want to say those thoughts out loud.
But once doubt took root...
It was difficult to ignore.
His eyes slowly shifted toward Jiraiya.
Unlike the others...
Jiraiya had never belonged to any clan.
He had always seemed like someone who put the village above everything else.
Perhaps...
Only he could answer the question that had been weighing on Shisui's mind.
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Right now, P@treon chapters are available up to (Chapter 144: A Name That Shook Konoha).
P@treon - Hear_tteeth [18 +]
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