In the Uchiha clan, Clan Head Fukutsu had heard his daughter's retelling to the events and called upon his son Fugaku for an impromptu family meeting.
After hearing of the situation, neither of the two men was pleased to say the least.
"Tou-san, do you think Hokage-sama is aware?" Fugaku asked.
Fukutsu shook his head with a sigh.
"You're missing the point, my son." The clan head spoke.
"Be it by maliciousness, incompetence or negligence, nothing changes the fact that he continues to allow slights towards the clan. Utilizing Mei in a manner close to a sacrificial piece without any need is merely one such slight." he added.
Mei's ears perked up at that.
"The clan has been facing problems? Why have I not heard anything about it?" The bespectacled girl inquired.
"It is not common knowledge, only me and a few others have been discussing it as it is not yet noticeable for most clan members." Fukutsu replied.
With a solemn expression, he then decided to explain things more thoroughly to his children.
"Originally, I only meant to pass this burden onto Fugaku as my heir but with your rapidly growing strength and Three Tomoe Sharingan, you can share it as well Mei." He started, Mei had not yet told him of her Mangekyo.
"The village, despite its outward unity, is internally split into various political factions."
"These are the Clan faction, powerful but divided; the Civilian faction, weak and young but united and finally, the Hokage faction which is slightly more complicated."
"The clans are considered a faction?" Mei questioned.
Her father had mentioned that the faction was divided but she could hardly see any traces of communality between the clans.
"Not in an organized way but when the Hokage wants to put policies in places that increase his power over the clans or takes an action against a particular clan in a way that can create a precedent for them to do it to others, then the clans put up an united front." Fukutsu explained.
"The Civilian faction is made up of the village's clanless shinobi, they are still very weak and lacking in numbers but this will change as time goes on. They may seem like a loose group but their interests are largely the same so they are a lot more united than they first seem."
"The Hokage faction has the most power due to their position as Konoha's leaders, giving them legitimate authority over everyone else. They are made up of the Hokage, his advisors and their respective clans with forces like the Anbu at their disposal as well."
"Naturally, due to their strong position and legitimacy, the Civilian Faction supports them so long as they don't favor the clans and some of the clans also join up in exchange for special privileges and such."
"There is also a Neutral faction made up of those who avoid the politics and only get involved when the village itself comes into jeopardy but they are unimportant unless things get extreme."
Fugaku had already been taught all of this, it was for Mei's benefit that Fukutsu gave this crash course into village politics.
"And how does this tie into our clan's not so apparent problems?" Mei inquired.
"That is the thing. The clans are too powerful, making the Third Hokage's authority weaker than his predecessor so the Hokage faction takes a stance of suppression, not too overt as to trigger rebellion but plenty noticeable." Her father replied.
"And since our Uchiha clan currently stands as Konoha's strongest, the Hokage focuses his attention and suppression on us, more so than the other clans." Fugaku added with a nod from Fukutsu.
"So the Hokage and his people suppress us, disrespect us, use us as they please and we do nothing about it because he's the Hokage?" Mei questioned, hostility creeping into her tone.
'It appears my daughter is more combative than I thought, more than my son, that's for sure.' Fukutsu thought to himself.
"What can we do? Our Uchiha clan lacks allies in the village. We can only try to assuage concerns over our loyalty and hope that the Hokage will see reason." Fugaku responded to his sister.
Fukutsu sighed.
He knew that would never work. Madara's shadow was too strong, the possibility of the Magekyo Sharingan alone was enough for the village leadership to always remain wary of them.
However . . .
"That may no longer be the case, son." Fukutsu spoke.
Mei and Fugaku immediately turned to him, the latter with a disbelieving expression.
"The core of the conflict Mei was caught up in is Mito-sama's ward. This means a wedge has been driven between the Hokage faction and their most powerful support." The Uchiha clan head explained.
"But while that might have been a problem when he just took over from Second Hokage-sama, now that he has already solidified his position, Third Hokage-sama no longer needs that support." Fugaku argued.
"Maybe he doesn't need it . . . But he cannot lightly antagonize her either. Right?" Mei pointed out.
Fukutsu nodded with pride.
'Fugaku is a great shinobi with a lot of untapped potential but as a leader, he is lacking in many areas. Unexpectedly, Mei seems to have the boldness, cunning and decisiveness that a clan head should have.' He mentally evaluated his children.
"As Mei said, antagonizing Mito-sama is a very dangerous thing to do, politically or otherwise." Fukutsu started.
"As one of the village's founders and wife of the first Hokage, she represents legitimacy, having her as an adversary damages the Hokage factions greatest advantage, as the princess of the Uzumaki, she represents a powerful long time ally of Konoha in Uzushio."
"She is also the most powerful individual in the village and the Jinchuuriki of the Nine Tailed Fox, making her near untouchable." The Uchiha clan head concluded.
"But she is old, as she weakens, her importance and say will take a big hit." Fugaku cautioned.
"So long as Uzushio and the Uzumaki are around, she'll always have a say but you are correct, the value of Mito-sama's support will decrease as time passes." Fukutsu responded.
"Then isn't it imperative to act fast? Take full advantage while we can?" Mei questioned.
"We can't be reckless regarding such critical matters and change takes time, time that we don't know if Mito-sama has." Fugaku argued.
If only he knew . . .
Uzumaki Mito's power was only growing as time went on these days.
"You're too conservative sometimes, son." Fukutsu pointed out.
"The Uchiha clan is being forced into a slow decline. With war on the horizon, the Hokage will have the means and legitimacy to press our clan much harder. If we want to make a change, it is best we do it while we're still strong." He declared.
In truth, Fukutsu had long made his decision regarding this matter and arrangements had been made over the last year to that effect.
He merely wished to test his children's mindsets and turn it into a teaching moment.
'Preparations are mostly complete within the clan, the elders will make sure everyone falls in line and Mito-sama has quietly acquiesced to our attempt to forge a connection through the boy.' Fukutsu thought to himself.
'And if she comes along, the remnants of the Senju will likely come with her, as will support from the Uzumaki, at that time we'll practically be more legitimate than the Hokage as we're the actual founders of Konoha.'
The Uchiha clan head saw it, Mito saw it, Shiki saw it, the Hokage saw it but no one made any overt moves yet.
No one wanted to tear open the facade yet, but tensions were rising, the looming war only making them worse, it was only a matter of time.
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Hey, Author here!
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