Uchiha Ren clearly understood the pride of the Uchiha clan. And sometimes, when that pride went too far, it turned into arrogance.
For the Uchiha, however, that "sometimes" was practically a daily occurrence.
If certain matters were not explained in advance, there was no telling what kind of trouble the clan might stir up.
Fortunately, although the Uchiha were proud, they would still show humility when facing someone stronger than themselves.
Minato Namikaze's strength spoke for itself. With Uchiha Ren supporting him, it was enough to keep this group of Uchiha under control.
Uchiha Ya quickly grasped Ren 's meaning and said,
"Ren , you mean that you and Minato Namikaze are partners?"
Ren nodded and emphasized his words.
"Not just partners—comrades who share the same ideals."
Uchiha Setsuna frowned slightly.
"Ren , it's not that I don't believe you. But everyone knows about the relationship between Minato Namikaze and Hiruzen Sarutobi. Without some concrete proof, it's hard for us to imagine that Minato is actually on our side."
His suspicion was understandable.
During this period, Hiruzen Sarutobi had been openly grooming and promoting Minato Namikaze as his successor.
On top of that, Minato had once publicly "suppressed" the Uchiha clan. With only Ren 's words as evidence, it was difficult for everyone to dispel their doubts.
"I can vouch for Ren 's words."
Uchiha Fugaku, who had remained silent until now, finally stepped forward.
"First, Orochimaru. My eldest son, Uchiha Itachi, is currently receiving treatment under him. That alone proves Orochimaru can be trusted."
"Second, Minato Namikaze… In fact, my relationship with Minato is quite close. My wife Mikoto and his fiancée, Kushina Uzumaki, are also close friends. Everyone here knows that. We simply haven't interacted much recently because of the unusual circumstances."
As Fugaku finished speaking, the people in the secret chamber suddenly realized something.
Before the recent turmoil in the village began, the relationship between the Fugaku couple and the Minato couple had indeed been very good.
Uchiha Mikoto was even one of Kushina Uzumaki's few confidantes.
Because of this, the entire Uchiha clan had once held a favorable impression of Minato.
But recently, incidents within the village had been occurring one after another. When news spread that Minato intended to take control of the Konoha Military Police Force, many assumed he was simply carrying out the will of the Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi.
As a result, resentment toward Minato had gradually formed within the clan.
Only after Fugaku's reminder did they realize something—
The sudden "falling out" between Minato Namikaze and Uchiha Fugaku had indeed been somewhat abrupt.
Uchiha Ren raised his hand, stopping the murmurs below.
"Everyone, whether Minato Namikaze is truly one of us will naturally become clear in time."
"But I must remind you of one thing."
"Before Minato firmly secures the position of the Fourth Hokage, regardless of whether he is actually one of us or not—on the surface, he absolutely cannot appear to be aligned with the Uchiha."
"You understand what I mean, right?"
The Uchiha clan was somewhat special.
Aside from a few extremists who occasionally appeared, there were rarely true traitors within the clan. Moreover, Ren had already placed those unstable individuals under his control.
Otherwise, he would never have revealed Minato's situation at this moment.
At the same time, because the Uchiha were such a peculiar clan, if things were not explained clearly enough, no one could predict what strange conclusions they might arrive at.
That was why Ren had chosen to reveal Minato's involvement.
"Understood!"
Although the Uchiha were not particularly skilled in social nuance, they were far from stupid. With Ren explaining matters this clearly, they immediately grasped the deeper meaning behind his words and nodded in agreement.
"Wait."
Uchiha Setsuna still frowned.
"Ren , there's something I still can't understand."
"Even without the support of the Uchiha clan, Minato Namikaze becoming the Fourth Hokage is practically guaranteed."
"On the contrary, if he receives our support, he might actually lose Hiruzen Sarutobi's backing—and with it, the position of Hokage."
"In that case, why would Minato take such a risk to befriend the Uchiha?"
After Setsuna spoke, many Uchiha—including Uchiha Ya—also revealed puzzled expressions.
With Setsuna's reminder, they realized something:
Minato gaining the favor of the Uchiha seemed like a thankless task.
All eyes turned to Uchiha Ren , waiting for his explanation.
"Elder Setsuna, your reasoning is correct—under normal circumstances."
Ren smiled slightly.
"But have you ever considered a question?"
"Why did Hiruzen Sarutobi abandon his direct disciple, Orochimaru, and instead support Minato Namikaze, who belongs to the next generation?"
"..."
Setsuna was momentarily speechless.
In his mind, both Orochimaru and Minato were inheritors of Hiruzen's will, so he had never really considered the difference.
Ren continued with a faint smile.
"Orochimaru rose to prominence during the Second Shinobi World War, and then experienced the Third Shinobi World War. It has been more than a decade since then."
"He has repeatedly served as the supreme commander on the battlefield. Although his personality is somewhat cold, over the years he has cultivated his own network."
"He may not have influence throughout all of Konoha, but he definitely has his own trusted subordinates."
"In terms of ability, qualifications, and experience, Orochimaru is actually more suitable than Minato Namikaze to become the Fourth Hokage."
"But have you considered this?"
"If Orochimaru truly became Hokage, he would certainly assign key positions to his own trusted people."
"That would not only reward his subordinates, but also allow him to use people he trusted."
"But the number of positions in Konoha's departments is limited—each post already occupied."
"If Orochimaru's people move in, the current occupants would have to step down."
"And whose people are currently occupying those positions?"
Ren 's smile widened, but his eyes carried a trace of disdain.
"For Hiruzen Sarutobi!"
Uchiha Ya slapped his thigh and exclaimed excitedly.
"No wonder Hiruzen abandoned Orochimaru and chose to support Minato Namikaze!"
"Minato only rose to prominence during this recent war. In terms of foundation, he's nowhere near Orochimaru."
"If Minato becomes the Fourth Hokage, he won't have many trusted subordinates of his own. He'll have no choice but to continue using Hiruzen's people."
"But if that happens, everyone under Minato will essentially belong to Hiruzen."
"Even if he becomes the Fourth Hokage, he'll just be a puppet pushed onto the stage by Hiruzen!"
With Uchiha Ya's explanation, the other Uchiha finally showed looks of realization.
"Exactly."
Uchiha Ren seized the moment and continued.
"So if Minato Namikaze does not want to become a puppet, he must establish his own faction."
"He needs his own trusted subordinates."
"And we, the Uchiha—are those trusted subordinates."
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