Uchiha Ya's eyes widened like bronze bells, his mouth hanging open wide enough to fit an apple. He stared in disbelief at the almost deranged expression on Uchiha Setsuna's face.
It wasn't only Uchiha Ya.
Even Uchiha Fugaku, who had been quietly watching the drama unfold, was so shocked by Setsuna's words that he stood up abruptly.
Fugaku had originally been wondering how he would deal with the confrontation between Ya and Setsuna.
What he had not expected was that before he even needed to act, the two of them had already begun arguing with each other.
But what shocked him even more was that their quarrel had escalated into such a monumental declaration.
Fugaku had thought Uchiha Ren was already bold enough.
Yet it seemed there were even more daring figures within the clan—like Setsuna.
After a long moment, Uchiha Ya finally regained his senses.
"You… what did you say?"
"My ears aren't what they used to be. Perhaps I misheard."
"What exactly did you just say you wanted to do?"
Setsuna raised his chin proudly, his thoughts now completely clear.
"I said…"
"I'm going to build a New Konoha."
"You've lost your mind!"
Before Ya could even respond, Fugaku spoke first, his brows tightly furrowed.
"If you were merely planning a coup, that would be one thing."
"Aside from the clans close to the Hokage faction and some civilian shinobi, most of the village might simply wait and watch until the situation becomes clear."
"But if you talk about building a New Konoha, then every shinobi and every civilian in the village will oppose you!"
"Everyone in this village lives under Konoha's banner. If you try to smash the bowl we all eat from, everyone will turn against you!"
"The Third Hokage, who is about to step down, and the Fourth Hokage, who will soon take office—even if they do nothing else, they will still eliminate you!"
"Are you trying to drag the entire Uchiha clan into eternal destruction?!"
Fugaku's agitation was understandable.
Even though Setsuna had always been radical—constantly talking about violence and rebellion—Fugaku had tolerated his existence.
After all, a coup and founding a new village were two entirely different things.
If it were merely a coup, even if it failed, the village would at most punish the masterminds and the most radical members.
It would never completely exterminate the Uchiha clan.
There was precedent for this.
After all, Setsuna himself had once attempted a coup.
And despite the great prestige of Hiruzen Sarutobi, many people within the village secretly resented him.
In such a situation, even if the Uchiha attempted a coup and failed, they would only suffer reputational damage and temporary losses.
But if they attempted to establish a new village, the Uchiha would instantly become Konoha's greatest enemy.
The other Great Shinobi Villages would also take the opportunity to strike them while they were down.
The Uchiha might ultimately face only one fate—complete annihilation, just like the fall of the Land of Uzushio.
In short, Setsuna's current plan had already crossed Fugaku's absolute bottom line.
Uchiha Ya also spoke up angrily.
"Uchiha Setsuna, if you want to go mad, that's your choice."
"But don't drag the entire Uchiha clan down with you!"
"If it weren't for your previous coup attempt giving the Uchiha the reputation of rebels and extremists, perhaps we wouldn't have ended up in today's situation!"
"Bullshit!"
Setsuna exploded with anger.
"That wasn't a coup—it was resistance!"
"That inherently evil white-haired man—Tobirama Senju—could even experiment on his own clan!"
"And you expect him to show mercy to the Uchiha?!"
"If it weren't for my actions back then, the Uchiha might have disappeared from history just like the Senju clan!"
Both Ya and Fugaku frowned.
But neither of them refuted his words.
After all, there was a reason why Setsuna had managed to become the Great Elder of the Uchiha clan even after spending decades imprisoned for his failed rebellion.
There had indeed been hidden truths behind that incident.
Decades ago, after the death of the First Hokage, Hashirama Senju, the world of shinobi began to grow unstable once more.
Beneath the seemingly calm surface, dark currents surged.
Realizing the danger, Tobirama Senju began studying his brother's corpse.
Using the legendary Hashirama Cells, he initiated a series of human experiments in an attempt to recreate the First Hokage's power.
Naturally, the Senju clan were the first experimental subjects.
But when Tobirama discovered that even Senju bodies could not withstand the power of Hashirama Cells, he turned his attention to other clans—especially those possessing Kekkei Genkai.
And the Uchiha clan, who had rivaled the Senju for centuries, became one of his primary targets.
At that time, the Uchiha were already facing discrimination within the village.
When clan members began mysteriously disappearing, the entire clan fell into panic.
After uncovering clues about the truth behind those disappearances, Setsuna could no longer endure it.
He rallied a group of Uchiha and attempted to overthrow the Hokage.
But Tobirama's authority in Konoha at the time was absolute.
The attempted coup was easily crushed, and Setsuna along with his followers were arrested.
However, Tobirama was partly at fault for the underlying issue.
He could not allow the darker aspects of the village to be exposed.
So the matter was quietly suppressed.
In the end, Setsuna and several others were simply imprisoned.
Ironically, the scandal surrounding the experiments weakened the Senju clan so severely that it became one of the factors leading to their eventual decline.
Because of this, many Uchiha believed that Setsuna's rebellion had actually saved the clan from suffering the same fate.
As a result, after his release from prison, Setsuna returned to the clan with enormous prestige and became the Great Elder.
Seeing Fugaku and Ya remain silent, Setsuna grew even more emotional.
"When I rose up back then, every other clan—including the Senju—stood by and watched!"
"Tobirama's forces were extremely weak at the time!"
"If it weren't for your cowardice—hiding in the compound like turtles in their shells—my rebellion would never have been stopped by a mere ANBU unit!"
"But don't forget!"
"When I first started the uprising, none of you objected!"
"And now you blame me?"
"You call me the one who dragged the clan down?"
"You think you're better than me?!"
"You think you're so righteous?!"
His voice suddenly cracked with rage.
"Do you have any idea what I went through in Konoha Prison?!"
Setsuna suddenly tore off his shirt.
His body was covered with countless terrifying scars.
His right leg was twisted and deformed.
"Many of the prisoners there were criminals captured by the Konoha Military Police Force."
"Here… here… and here…"
"Every day and every night they took revenge on me!"
"For more than ten years!"
"More than ten years!"
"My foundation as a shinobi was destroyed long ago!"
"I'm nothing but a cripple now!"
"That prison… this village…"
"What kind of damned place is this?!"
"This damned place!"
"From the day I was released, I swore to myself…"
"I would never suffer that humiliation again!"
His voice became hoarse as he shouted:
"I will lead the Uchiha—step by step… step by step… step by step…"
"…to climb to the very top!"
"I will make the Uchiha the highest power in Konoha!"
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