It wasn't just the clan head's faction.
Even the hawks and doves alike looked at Uchiha Mikoto with clear confusion.
If Uchiha Ren had spoken those words, no one would have found it strange. The hawks had always been blunt, never hesitating to confront the clan head directly.
But Mikoto?
A newly appointed leader of the dovish faction—
Why was she tearing away the unspoken façade that both the clan head's faction and the doves had long maintained?
Uchiha Yashiro also showed a hint of surprise on his face.
But inwardly, he understood perfectly well.
The one who had been quietly feeding them "reliable intelligence" all along…
Was Uchiha Mikoto.
More than that—through their exchanges, he had even realized that Uchiha Hokaku was aware of it.
And yet, instead of stopping her, he had chosen to allow it.
Yashiro had already reported this to Ren before.
The reply he received had been simple—
"Continue contact."
Later, after an encounter, Uchiha Hazuki—who had awakened the Sharingan—was brought back into the clan at Mikoto's invitation.
Within just a few years, she had reached the three-tomoe stage.
And as a fellow woman, she had become Mikoto's trusted confidant, taking over her contact with Yashiro.
—
Silence settled over the shrine hall.
Even the beam of light falling from above seemed to grow heavier.
The old clan head's aged gaze rested on Mikoto's composed face.
He had no choice but to accept it—
After the generations, the dovish faction's stance had shifted.
And this young woman…
Was redefining what it meant to be a "dove."
He answered calmly.
"Mikoto, there is nothing wrong with what you've said."
He paused slightly, his gaze turning distant, as though looking back through time.
"The real problem has never been about right or wrong… but about the tangled, deep-rooted grievances between the Uchiha and the Hokage's faction since the founding of Konoha."
His voice was low and steady.
"What happened before Konoha's founding need not be repeated. But not long after its establishment, our clan head—Uchiha Madara—left the village."
"When he returned… he came riding the Nine-Tails, the strongest of the tailed beasts, and fought the First Hokage, Senju Hashirama, in a battle that shook the world at the Valley of the End."
"In the end, Madara died. The First Hokage was gravely wounded and passed away not long after. His brother, Senju Tobirama, became the Second Hokage."
"Our grand elder, Uchiha Setsuna, raised rebellion… and was suppressed."
"And when the Third Hokage, Sarutobi Hiruzen, took office, our clan openly expressed dissatisfaction."
His gaze swept across every face in the hall before returning to the present.
"So the conflict between us and the Hokage's faction cannot be resolved with a few words."
"What we can do now… is only to rely on time—to show our sincerity and slowly erode this resentment rooted deep in the bones."
His sincere words caused many from the clan head's faction to straighten their backs, their eyes turning toward the hawks with clear dissatisfaction.
—The current Uchiha were paying the price for past mistakes.
In an instant, the momentum shifted.
Mikoto did not panic.
She instinctively glanced at Ren, her lips parting slightly.
"That history is indeed true."
She paused, then continued,
"But what if Konoha's leadership is only using 'acceptance' as a pretense… while in reality weakening us—forcing our clan to bleed, piece by piece?"
A faint sound of sharp breaths spread through the hall.
Even the clan head had worried about this.
But could worry alone justify inaction?
Ordinary clan members could avoid such burdens.
He could not.
He knew better than anyone—
Some paths had to be walked, even if they were lined with thorns.
"I understand your concern," he replied decisively.
"But will we refuse to hold a blade… simply because it can cut us?"
He looked around the hall—at Fugaku's furrowed brows, at Ren's deep gaze, at the flickering expressions of the clan.
"Whether we succeed or fail is something to consider only after giving our all."
"If we hesitate out of fear… if we speak of intent without action—"
His voice suddenly rose, echoing through the shrine.
"Then why should the Hokage's faction ever believe in the Uchiha's sincerity?!"
"The fact that we still hold full control of the Police Force is already a rare gesture of goodwill from Konoha's leadership!"
The force of his words made even Mikoto frown in thought, searching for a counterargument.
Even among the hawks, many began to weigh the logic in his reasoning.
Then—
A clear, steady voice cut through the silence like a blade.
"The clan head's words are not without reason."
A pause.
"But why should the Uchiha have to endure such humiliation?!"
Under the intersecting gazes of the entire hall—concern, reliance, irritation, expectation—
Uchiha Ren slowly rose to his feet.
His voice carried clearly to every corner.
"Yes, the Uchiha are not without fault."
"But is the root of the problem truly ours alone?"
"If the Senju had not broken faith—if they had not resorted to schemes and manipulation—Madara would have become the First Hokage, protecting Konoha."
"Would he have ever left in anger?"
"If fairness had been upheld from the beginning… would all that followed have even happened?"
"We are only reclaiming what should have been ours—by our own hands."
"What is wrong with that?"
A faint, cold smile touched his lips.
"Besides—after Madara defected and attacked the First Hokage… after Elder Setsuna attempted to assassinate the Second… after we provoked the Third…"
"And yet, we still live in Konoha. We still control the Police Force."
"That has never been because of the Hokage's mercy."
"It is because of everyone here—because of the strength forged by every Uchiha in blood and fire!"
"They don't dare truly move against us."
"But every concession we make… only invites further testing."
If Konoha were a kingdom—
The Hokage would be its ruler.
And the Uchiha?
A powerful warlord, commanding an army strong enough to shake the throne.
If he were just a little stronger—
If he possessed even a single Mangekyō Sharingan—
Ren would not hesitate to lead the hawks straight to the Hokage Tower and purge the court, forcing Konoha into submission.
But for now…
The hawks lacked the strength.
Unless—
The entire clan stood as one.
Ren drew a slow breath, sweeping his gaze across the hall.
Then—
He dropped a bomb.
"For example—if today, our entire clan marched on the Hokage Tower…"
"How many in Konoha could truly withstand the blades of the Uchiha?"
The hall fell into stunned silence.
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