Chapter 7 Clan Chief
After the events at the village entrance concluded, Uchiha Touhuan, having obtained what he wanted, returned to the clan compound with his fellow clansmen.
On the way back, some radical clansmen wanted to say something, but seeing Uchiha Touhuan's retreating figure, they wisely kept quiet.
Once back at the clan compound, Uchiha Touhuan turned around and said, "I know everyone has many questions, so let's hold a clan meeting while everyone is here."
Everyone present naturally had no objections. The clan shrine was lit, but when Uchiha Touhuan took his seat, he unceremoniously sat in the first position below Uchiha Fugaku.
The elders exchanged glances, tacitly accepting this fact. In the Uchiha clan, strength was paramount; even if Uchiha Touhuan, who had awakened the Mangekyou Sharingan, wanted to be clan chief, they would support him.
As for Uchiha Fugaku, who had remained silent the entire way, he glanced at Uchiha Touhuan and then continued to remain silent.
"Are all the Chunin and above ninjas in the clan present?" Uchiha Touhuan asked after everyone was seated.
"They're all here," Uchiha Inahime replied first.
"Alright, then, the first thing is, I want to become the head of the Uchiha clan. Who agrees, who disagrees?" Uchiha Touhuan threw out his trump card right from the start.
Compared to the intrigue with the Hokage's faction, Uchiha Touhuan chose the simplest and most direct approach when it came to internal clan matters.
Upon hearing this, the clan members present immediately fell into chaos. Shisui and Itachi in the crowd looked at Uchiha Touhuan with incredulous eyes.
At this moment, a dove-like elder organized his thoughts before speaking: "Touhuan, now that you've awakened the Mangekyou Sharingan, in theory, there's no problem for you to take the position of clan head. However, you haven't participated much in clan meetings over the years, and you don't understand the clan's issues very well. It's too hasty to take the position of clan head so hastily."
"That's right, Dou-huan, you should learn about the situation within the clan first, and then become the clan leader in a year or two." At this moment, the radical elder also spoke up in support. Judging from Uchiha Dou-huan's speech at the village entrance just now, it seemed that Uchiha Dou-huan was not on their side.
"Heh." Uchiha Touhuan chuckled contemptuously. "I know the situation within the clan very well, which is why I don't attend clan meetings."
"Tell me, after so many clan meetings over the years, what results have you reached?" Uchiha Touhuan braced himself on the table, scrutinizing each elder seated at the front. "Is it a direct armed rebellion, or simply surrendering to the village? If you could reach a consensus, I wouldn't be sitting here today."
"Disorderly arguments will only drag the clan into chaos and abyss. The Uchiha clan doesn't need these endless clan meetings, but a leader who can guide them out of their predicament. One voice is enough for the clan!"
Uchiha Touhuan's words resonated deeply. The clan members looked at each other, falling into silence.
"I support Touhuan becoming clan leader!" At this moment, Uchiha Inahisa stood up, breaking the silence first.
Today, Uchiha Touhuan's effortless slaughter of nearly a hundred Root ninjas before his eyes had made him a fanatical follower of Uchiha Touhuan.
"Douhuan has the Mangekyou Sharingan! I also support him becoming the clan leader!" Uchiha Zaidou chimed in with his support.
Soon, led by the two, the young men of the clan voiced their support for Uchiha Touhuan to become the clan leader.
"Enough!" Uchiha Fugaku suddenly spoke, silencing the commotion. He then looked at Uchiha Touhuan: "Touhuan, judging from your words, you must already have a plan."
"Since I'm standing here, I naturally have a well-developed plan. Surely, with Clan Leader Fugaku's insight, you can see the future of our clan," Uchiha Touhuan said, looking directly into Uchiha Fugaku's eyes.
Although Uchiha Touhuan's words were somewhat veiled, Fugaku understood his meaning. Uchiha Touhuan had probably guessed that he also possessed a pair of Mangekyou Sharingan.
While revealing his own Mangekyou Sharingan now would secure his position as clan leader, could he really afford to expose himself?
If only one pair of Mangekyou Sharingan were enough to keep some members of the clan calm, then once those Mangekyou Sharingan were exposed, the last vestiges of composure within the Uchiha clan would vanish. At that point, rebellion would be inevitable. Fugaku Uchiha looked at Touhuan Uchiha meaningfully, and after a long while, he finally spoke, "Very well, I, as the clan head, bear the responsibility for the clan's current predicament. Touhuan, the clan is entrusted to you."
"Clan Head!"
"Father!"
Itachi and Shisui immediately cried out in alarm. Unlike the other clan members, they were acutely aware of Touhuan Uchiha's madness. Although Touhuan's words at the village entrance seemed to be from the village's perspective, Shisui had clearly remembered Touhuan's insane pronouncements from the previous night.
"Don't disappoint the clan members, Touhuan." Fugaku Uchiha ignored Shisui and his son, gently patting Touhuan's shoulder and making way for him.
Before heading to the village entrance, Fugaku Uchiha had already used his Mangekyou Sharingan, which allowed him to glimpse fragments of the future, to survey everything. Uchiha Touhuan's appearance had brought about unexpected changes to the future. Although the future was still unclear, it was far better than the completely hopeless one he had hoped for. Therefore, Fugaku had no lingering attachment to the position of clan leader.
"As I wish." Uchiha Touhuan arrived at Fugaku's seat but didn't immediately sit down. Instead, he looked at the elite members of the Uchiha clan before him and slowly spoke: "The Uchiha clan has been a glorious clan since ancient times. We are only facing a slight difficulty now. I will lead everyone to rebuild the glory of the Uchiha, and I will not keep this glory to myself."
"We will obey the clan leader's orders! Loyalty!" Uchiha Inahashi, already a devoted fan of Uchiha Touhuan, saluted, mimicking Touhuan's gesture at the village entrance earlier.
With a leader in place, all the young members of the Uchiha clan, except for Shisui and Itachi, stood up and saluted.
"Loyalty! Sincerity!"
Seeing this, even some elders who still had doubts about Uchiha Touhuan's succession as clan head could only remain silent.
Uchiha Touhuan looked at the crowd below with satisfaction. Although most of the Uchiha clan members weren't particularly bright, as long as they had a leader, their loyalty was absolutely trustworthy.
"Now, I have two announcements to make," Uchiha Touhuan gestured for everyone to quiet down.
(End of Chapter)