"Well said!"
"Our Uchiha clan has always been treated with prejudice in this village. No matter what we do, it's always considered wrong! But we're only enforcing the rules set by the village itself! The village must give us fair treatment!"
"Exactly! The village clearly banned street vendors from setting up stalls on certain streets. We only drove them away according to the regulations. Instead of questioning the village's policies, they blame everything on us!"
"This issue with the war compensation is the same! Our clansmen died for the village on the battlefield. Receiving compensation is only natural—why should the village ask us to give it up?!"
"Even that would be tolerable if the village truly had no money and nobody received compensation. Our Uchiha clan isn't short on money anyway—the clan would subsidize it. But why did the village come specifically to us about this? Aren't we also citizens of Konoha?!"
"That's right! The Uchiha are founding elders of the village—heroes of Konoha—yet we receive this kind of treatment! This is blatant discrimination!"
"Our Uchiha clan doesn't want special privileges or special treatment. All we want is fairness!"
"The Uchiha are not outsiders in this village!"
…
The secret chamber filled with heated discussion as the Uchiha spoke one after another.
Soon, everyone gradually reached a consensus.
Over the years, almost every conflict between the Uchiha clan and the village had stemmed from the village's unequal treatment.
And what the Uchiha truly wanted was simple:
Fairness.
They weren't asking for privilege.
They only wanted the village to treat them equally.
"Good! It seems everyone has reached a consensus."
Uchiha Ren then turned toward Uchiha Setsuna and Uchiha Ya.
"Elder Setsuna, Elder Ya—the clan's greatest need right now is fair treatment from the village. You two have no objections to that, correct?"
Setsuna remained silent, his expression conflicted.
Uchiha Ya glanced at him before nodding first.
"I have no objections. The word 'fairness' indeed represents what the Uchiha need right now."
Compared with Setsuna's plan of staging a coup and creating a 'New Konoha', Ren 's demand for fairness was already an extremely conservative request.
Although achieving it would still be difficult, at least it was something the village could negotiate.
Moreover, now that they knew the Uchiha possessed three pairs of Mangekyō Sharingan, their bargaining power with the village had greatly increased.
For that reason, Ya did not oppose Ren 's proposal.
However, Setsuna's thoughts were the exact opposite.
If this had been before he was imprisoned in Konoha, he might have accepted Ren 's view.
But after enduring so much suffering, even though he knew Ren 's words were reasonable…
He simply could not accept them.
He wanted more.
He wanted revenge against the Second Hokage, Tobirama Senju.
Even though Tobirama was already dead, Setsuna still wanted to take revenge on those who inherited his will:
Hiruzen Sarutobi, Shimura Danzō, Homura Mitokado, and Koharu Utatane.
So merely achieving "fairness" was far from enough to satisfy him.
Ren ignored Setsuna's silence and continued:
"We've already answered the first question."
"Now let's move to the second question—"
"What is the stance of the Uchiha clan?"
He paused briefly, waiting until every Uchiha in the room focused on him before continuing.
"The Uchiha clan is one of the founders of Konohagakure."
"Since the village's creation, we have poured countless efforts into building it."
"The land used to establish the village was once Uchiha territory!"
"The Konoha Military Police Force patrols the village day and night, protecting its safety. Our clansmen have shed countless sweat for Konoha!"
"More importantly—"
"Whether in the First Shinobi World War decades ago, the Second Shinobi World War more than ten years ago, or the recently concluded Third Shinobi World War…"
"…Uchiha shinobi have died for this village."
"Konoha's several decades of history are not merely an ordinary story of a village."
"For the Uchiha clan, it is a history written in blood and tears."
"We devoted immeasurable effort to create the Konoha of today!"
"So talk about abandoning the village and establishing a 'New Konoha' elsewhere should stop right now."
"If we simply walk away like this, how could we face the ancestors who lived on this land for generations?"
"How could we face the clansmen who sacrificed their lives for the village?"
"And how could we face our own past efforts?"
"More importantly—"
"How could the proud Uchiha clan slink away like a defeated dog?"
Ren 's voice thundered through the chamber.
Many Uchiha who had previously been tempted by Setsuna's proposal to establish a New Konoha now looked ashamed.
He was right.
Leaving like that would be a betrayal—
of their ancestors,
of their fallen clansmen,
and of themselves.
It wouldn't be leaving.
It would be running away.
It would mean admitting defeat.
And the Uchiha clan never admits defeat.
Gradually, the eyes of the Uchiha hardened with determination.
The idea of abandoning Konoha and creating a new village was completely discarded.
Even Uchiha Setsuna, the one who had originally proposed it, now felt deep shame.
He had no desire to surrender and destroy the honor of the Uchiha clan.
Ren continued:
"So we must firmly establish one stance."
"Konoha will always be the Uchiha's Konoha."
"And the Uchiha will always be Konoha's Uchiha."
"We are part of this village!"
Most of the Uchiha in the chamber nodded in agreement.
Especially Uchiha Ya, who felt extremely satisfied with Ren at that moment.
He even made a decision in his heart—
If these were truly Ren 's beliefs, then he would unconditionally support any decision Ren made.
However, a small number of Uchiha still looked displeased.
Setsuna spoke again, questioning him:
"Ren , your words make sense. The Uchiha are indeed the village's Uchiha."
"But is the village truly the Uchiha's village?"
"You said it yourself—since the founding of the village, the Uchiha have never received fair treatment here. How could such a village inspire our loyalty?"
"I would like to treat the village as the Uchiha's village."
"But will Hiruzen Sarutobi and the others treat the Uchiha as part of the village?"
Ren looked at Setsuna calmly.
"That leads us to the third question."
"Who exactly is the enemy of the Uchiha clan?"
"But before we discuss that, you must first understand something."
"The Hokage is the Hokage, and Konoha is Konoha."
"The Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, is a member of the village and its leader…"
"But the village is not the private property of Hiruzen Sarutobi."
"These are two completely different concepts."
"Do not confuse them."
◇ BONUS & SUPPORT ◇
◇ 1 bonus chapter for every 10 reviews — drop a comment!
◇ 1 bonus chapter for every 100 Power Stones.
◇ Read 70 chapters ahead on P@treon → patreon.com/Sagamaster789