The power of the Mangekyō Sharingan was beyond doubt. Ninja below the Kage tier had no means of resisting it.
Even Kage-level experts would find it extremely troublesome to face the Mangekyō.
The Uchiha being hailed as the strongest clan in the ninja world was no empty claim—it was well founded.
"Akihito, have you truly made up your mind to replace the clan head?"
Uchiha Masato voiced the final doubt lingering in his heart.
Although many within the clan were dissatisfied with Uchiha Fugaku, that dissatisfaction did not include Akihito.
The clan head's family had just produced a stunningly talented heir, yet Akihito suddenly wanted to contend for the position.
It was only natural that Masato and Tetsuya found this somewhat abrupt.
"I don't particularly want to—but it has to be done."
Akihito shook his head, his gaze unwavering.
Fugaku had treated him well. He had even shielded him from quite a few overt and covert attacks.
As one of the two most outstanding geniuses among the younger generation of the Uchiha, Akihito was frequently targeted by Konoha's higher-ups.
Whenever he left the Uchiha compound, ANBU operatives would trail him.
If not for his status as Vice Captain of the Police Force, Danzō's Root might have already moved against him directly.
If Fugaku had been capable of properly guiding the Uchiha, Akihito wouldn't have minded supporting him.
Unfortunately, Fugaku was indecisive by nature. At this critical juncture, such a man was unfit to lead the Uchiha clan.
"Fugaku doesn't even understand where the clan's real problem lies!"
"He keeps compromising with Konoha's higher-ups, allowing the conflict between the clan and the village to intensify. At this rate, the Uchiha's extermination is only a matter of time!"
Akihito lifted his head and let out a long breath.
The Uchiha's predicament wasn't simply about being targeted by Konoha's leadership.
The Police Force's law enforcement duties inevitably offended people. The major clans of Konoha—and even civilian ninja—harbored resentment toward the Uchiha.
Even if the Uchiha successfully staged a coup, no one would support an Uchiha becoming Hokage.
Public support had always been in the Hokage's hands.
In the past, it was the Senju brothers. Now, it was Hiruzen Sarutobi and the Konoha leadership.
The Uchiha lacked popular backing—that was the root of the problem.
After the Second Hokage passed away, Hiruzen shamelessly crowned himself the "Strongest Hokage."
In Akihito's view, it was nothing but a joke.
When Hashirama and Madara were active, who dared to boast like that?
After the twin gods fell, and Senju Tobirama—master of Water Release and forbidden techniques—perished alongside the Gold and Silver Brothers of Kumogakure, grandiose titles began sprouting like bamboo shoots after rain.
"Hanzo of the Salamander, the Demigod."
"The Strongest Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi."
"The Strongest Kazekage…"
What was laughable was that most of the ninja world actually believed those titles.
Only veterans like the Third Tsuchikage, Ōnoki—who had once witnessed true power—remained clear-headed.
Fugaku had never once considered changing Konoha's perception of the Uchiha.
He naïvely believed that peaceful coexistence with the higher-ups would gradually resolve the clan's crisis.
But that was absolutely impossible.
Why did Konoha's leadership target the Uchiha?
Was it a misinterpretation of the Second Hokage's will? Or the Uchiha's rebellious temperament?
In the end, it all came down to fear and covetousness of the Uchiha's power.
Years ago, when the Nine-Tails was unleashed, the entire village had been helpless.
Yet the Uchiha's Sharingan could easily control a tailed beast.
Just imagine—if Konoha's jinchūriki fell under Uchiha control, could the current leadership still guarantee their authority and status?
A man is innocent, but the possession of a treasure invites disaster.
Whether the Uchiha harbored treasonous intent was irrelevant.
What mattered was that if they ever did, no one could restrain them.
The old men weren't particularly strong—but they were obsessively attached to the power in their hands.
Even after Namikaze Minato became the Fourth Hokage, Hiruzen still wielded real authority like a retired emperor behind the throne.
As for Danzō, no matter who served as Hokage, he remained Konoha's shadow emperor.
To someone like Danzō, any power beyond his control was a threat. If it couldn't be used by him, it would be suppressed, marginalized—or destroyed.
Over the past two years, quite a few Uchiha clan members had mysteriously disappeared.
Akihito suspected most of their corpses were lying somewhere within Root.
According to the original timeline, before long Danzō would ambush the Uchiha prodigy known as "Shunshin no Shisui."
Only four years remained until Uchiha Shisui's death.
Danzō had likely already transplanted Sharingan and was secretly practicing the incomplete forbidden technique of the Uchiha—Izanagi.
The power of the Sharingan was the original sin.
Even with the Second Hokage, Senju Tobirama, Akihito believed coexistence would have been possible.
Tobirama was powerful—he had defeated Uchiha Izuna, who wielded the Mangekyō Sharingan.
He had the confidence to control the Uchiha and thus had no need for excessive suppression.
But Hiruzen Sarutobi and Shimura Danzō?
They couldn't.
The mere thought of the Sharingan controlling a tailed beast would make their scalps tingle.
Hiruzen bore the title of "The Professor," yet in his old age, even sacrificing his life only cost Orochimaru a pair of arms.
Danzō was even worse—charging at Susanoo with a kunai, sacrificing himself to seal half a bridge… baffling maneuvers not even worth mentioning.
Against Uchiha Shisui, the so-called "Shadow Hokage" was completely outmatched. He fell into genjutsu in a single exchange and relied on Izanagi to launch a sneak attack, barely managing to steal one of Shisui's eyes.
Root mobilized in full force, yet Shisui still escaped—only to ultimately take his own life.
Incompetent—yet dreaming of controlling everything.
Konoha's higher-ups were truly laughable.
As for the Uchiha, though individually powerful, many clan members had developed the bad habit of blind arrogance. Coupled with the authority granted by the Police Force, the clan had grown excessively inflated.
They had already become a target of public criticism—yet still didn't know how to rein themselves in.
No wonder Konoha's leadership sought to suppress and marginalize them.
If the Uchiha wanted to change their fate, they had to unite the clan and present a single front against external threats.
Strength reigned supreme—this was the truest reflection of the entire ninja world.
Seeing Akihito's unwavering resolve, Masato and Tetsuya said nothing more.
They had already harbored complaints against Fugaku. As long as Akihito was certain, they would follow him to the end.
Akihito calmly issued his instructions.
"Secretly contact the clan members willing to follow me."
"Tomorrow at the clan assembly, I will formally challenge for the position of clan head."