Naruto: Starting from the time when the Six Paths of Pain was Kira Yoshikage

Chapter 116 When you are strong enough, you will take back everything that belongs to you.

Even the Uchiha clan, stationed on the outskirts of the village and isolated from news, knew of the Hyuga clan's current predicament. The Uchiha and Hyuga were known as the two great clans of Konoha, and many members of the Uchiha clan secretly competed with the Hyuga, from minor rivalries about the talents of their own members to major competitions about the two clans' prestige and status within the village. However, after the Nine-Tails' attack, the Uchiha's already low reputation in Konoha plummeted. Forget about being on par with the Hyuga; now, even being properly regarded by the villagers was a distant dream.

Seeing the Hyuga clan suffer a setback, many Uchiha members maintained a gloating, spectator-like attitude, gathering outside the clan's training grounds or council hall to discuss the matter.

"Hey, I never thought the Hyuga would be in this mess. Where did their swagger go?" "Yeah, let's see how they get out of this. Are they really going to hand over the main family's eldest daughter?" "It's good that they're handed over. Let them taste what it's like to be trampled underfoot!" "I heard it was the clan head who did it. This is going to be a good show."

These harsh comments were all observed by Uchiha Setsuna, the only remaining elder of the Uchiha clan. He stood under the corridor of the council hall, leaning on his cane, his brows furrowed, his face showing no joy but rather a heavy expression.

Upon learning the news, he went straight to the clan leader, Uchiha Fugaku.

"Fugaku, what's your opinion on the Hyuga clan's affairs?" Elder Setsuna's voice carried a hint of barely perceptible urgency.

Upon hearing this, Fugaku pondered for a moment, then looked up at Elder Setsuna and said calmly, "Elder, this matter concerns the Hyuga clan and has nothing to do with the Uchiha clan. We should just observe how things unfold."

"Unrelated?" Elder Setsuna suddenly raised his voice, staring intently at Fugaku's perpetually expressionless face: "You really think so?"

"Yes." Fugaku put down the jade pendant and leaned forward slightly. "Although we and the Hyuga are both powerful clans in Konoha, we are now in dire straits and there is really no need for us to get involved."

"The two great clans of Konoha?" Elder Setsuna slammed his cane heavily on the ground as if he'd heard the funniest joke in the world. "Do you think the Uchiha clan still resembles a great clan? What great clan would be driven to the outskirts of the village, forced to live in a desolate forest? What great clan wouldn't even be allowed into village council meetings or Jonin group meetings? What great clan would be completely excluded from the center of power, without even a voice?"

The Uchiha clan's situation in Konoha is extremely awkward. Not a single member of Konoha's high-ranking officials is from the Uchiha clan. Despite having many clan members with three-tomoe strength comparable to Jonin, there isn't a single Uchiha in the entire Konoha Jonin team.

Despite controlling the Konoha Police Force, the village's law enforcement agency, they have little actual enforcement power. Their headquarters are located on the outskirts of the village, and they have little influence over the affairs of the powerful ninja clans within the village, let alone the common people.

What law are you enforcing? Are you punishing the animals in Konoha Forest?

"Fugaku, wake up!" Elder Setsuna's voice was tinged with weariness. "We Uchiha have long since distanced ourselves from Konoha. To put it bluntly, even if someone were to wipe out our entire clan one day, it would probably just be one less annoying person for Konoha. It wouldn't have the slightest impact!"

"Everyone else can laugh at the Hyuga clan, but not us Uchiha... Our situation is far worse than theirs!"

Upon hearing this, Fugaku's expression finally changed. He remained silent, his fingers unconsciously tapping the table, making a "tap-tap" sound.

"Elder, what do you mean?"

"We need an ally!" Elder Setsuna's eyes flashed with a sharp light, his tone resolute. "And now, that ally has been delivered to our doorstep! The ones in the wrong are those Cloud Ninja, who sneaked into the Hyuga main clan in the middle of the night, attempting to steal their bloodline limit. This is something no clan with a bloodline limit can tolerate! We must stand up and support the Hyuga; we absolutely cannot let them hand them over!"

Over the years, the Uchiha clan's greatest predicament has been their isolation and lack of support. Neither other major ninja clans nor smaller clans dependent on Konoha were willing to befriend them, let alone form alliances. They were like a deserted island, struggling to survive amidst Konoha's suspicion and exclusion.

Hinata's current predicament has given them an opportunity to break the deadlock.

Anyway, the Uchiha clan already has a bad reputation among the villagers, so attracting another wave of hatred from the villagers won't have any impact. It's also a good thing that their base is on the edge of the village, at least no villager will dare to come here and cause trouble.

If the Uchiha clan can form an alliance with the Hyuga clan, the two powerful clans joining forces, although they still cannot bring the Uchiha clan back to its peak, will at least be in a better situation than they are now.

This is the rightful and just path of the true king...

However, after hearing Elder Setsuna's words, Fugaku did not immediately agree. His face still showed a look of deep concern: "But if we support the Hyuga, what if the Cloud Village really uses this as an excuse to start a war? After the Nine-Tails' attack, Konoha's strength has not yet recovered. It simply cannot withstand another major war. At that time, our Uchiha's situation will only be worse!"

"Start a war? They don't even deserve it!" Elder Setsuna sneered upon hearing Fugaku's concerns, his eyes filled with disdain. "Konoha suffered heavy losses because of... that night. We ended the Third Shinobi World War with victory... Do you think Kumogakure didn't suffer any losses in the Third Shinobi World War? If a real war breaks out, they won't gain anything!"

"If Kumogakure really had the ability to wipe out Konoha, do you think those warmongers wouldn't have started a war? What's with signing a non-aggression pact... This place itself is a sign that they can't win."

"In the name of Elder Uchiha, I am certain that the Cloud Village is bluffing."

He paused, then continued, "To put it another way, even if Kumogakure really dares to start a war, Konoha isn't without options..."

Think about it, Iwagakure and Kumogakure have been rivals for decades. Don't they want to take this opportunity to give Kumogakure a good beating? If Konoha were willing to act as a go-between, uniting with Iwagakure to teach this overconfident Kumogakure a lesson they'd never forget... do you think Kumogakure would sue for peace or continue the war?

Fugaku frowned, seemingly considering the feasibility of the matter. Elder Setsuna did not urge him, but sat opposite him, sipping his tea slowly.

He believed that his words would surely convince the clan chief, Nature.

Anyone with normal intelligence knows how to make the right choice.

However... it took Fugaku a long time to speak slowly.

"Elder, this matter requires further consideration. Let me think about it some more."

Fugaku pressed his fingertips against his brow, his tone still hesitant.

In fact, Fugaku was not unaware that Elder Setsuna's words made sense. However, in his mind, a mere ally was clearly not worth the Uchiha offending the Konoha leadership again. What he wanted to do was to ease the tension between the Uchiha and Konoha, rather than escalate the conflict. In his view, this was what the Uchiha should be doing at this stage.

Fugaku was unaware that easing tensions between the two sides was impossible unless the Uchiha could capture the culprit behind the Nine-Tails' attack and convince the entire Konoha leadership.

The former is incredibly difficult, unless the Uchiha awakens several pairs of Mangekyou Sharingan at once, and Obito has to keep causing trouble. The latter is even more absurdly difficult than the former.

The elder's eyes widened instantly. Fugaku's answer was completely unexpected. Then he wondered what the other was hoping for... At that moment, he really wanted to pry open the other's head to see what was inside!

"Fugaku, you..." He suddenly stood up, his cane slamming heavily on the ground, but he swallowed the words back.

He looked at Fugaku's tense profile. He had already said so much, yet the other party was still hesitating. Knowing that saying more would be futile, he could only flick his sleeve heavily and turn to leave.

"Elder Setsuna!"

Fugaku's voice rang out behind him, but Uchiha Setsuna no longer hesitated. When he came out of his clan head's house with a gloomy expression, the night wind blew up his clothes, but it could not dispel the sorrow between his brows.

"Let's take it slow... damn it, let's take it slow! Every minute we delay in this kind of thing can lead to endless variables, the Cloud Village envoy..."

The authorities are still putting pressure on the village, and the Hyuga clan is on the verge of collapse. Once they compromise and hand over the hostages, it will be harder than climbing to heaven for the Uchiha to find such an ally again.

This is the only way to change the Uchiha's situation!

But what could be done? The one who could make the final decision was Fugaku. The Uchiha clan only had one head, and Setsuna Uchiha was merely an elder, and one who had been imprisoned by Konoha for many years. Although he could mobilize some clan members, his power was extremely limited...

According to the prophecy of the Sage of Six Paths, the Uchiha clan has only a few years left. No, we can't let the Uchiha's legacy be destroyed here!

Since the clan leader cannot be relied upon, one must take action oneself.

"You're back? How did it go? Did you convince your chieftain?"

When Elder Setsuna returned to his home and pushed open his wooden door, the oil lamp in the corner of the room flickered, and a clear and steady voice drifted into his ears first. There he saw Nagato, who had come from Hyuga Hizashi, sitting in Elder Setsuna's room.

He sat calmly in the main seat, the dim light casting his shadow on the tatami mat, obscuring much of his expression.

Elder Setsuna almost instinctively closed the door tightly. After confirming that there were no Konoha ANBU spies around, he walked a few steps to the other party, knelt down straight, his forehead pressed against the cold floor, and said in a tone of respect that was almost pious: "Ancestor, as you expected, Uchiha Fugaku... did not agree."

The Sage of Six Paths possessed the Sage's Eye (Rinnegan), and his eldest son, Indra, was the ancestor of the Uchiha clan. Therefore, Nagato, who inherited the Rinnegan, was roughly equivalent to the Sage of Six Paths' successor. Thus, Nagato was the successor of the Uchiha clan's ancestor, so rounding up, Nagato was equivalent to the ancestor of the Uchiha clan.

Regardless of whether the Rinnegan belonged to Nagato himself, that's the logic. And since Nagato says so, then so be it. If you disagree, let Madara Uchiha jump out of his coffin.

"As expected."

Indecisiveness is a defining characteristic of Fugaku Uchiha. If it weren't for this personality, how could someone with an extreme personality have remained unmoved by the death of Shisui Uchiha, the clan's strongest fighter, and even willingly sacrificed himself while watching his own son deliver the gift of clan annihilation?

Perhaps Fugaku Uchiha had some ability and strength, and was a good father, but he was definitely not a good clan leader.

As the clan leader, one should put the interests of the clan first.

As Nagato spoke, he reached for the ceramic cup on the table, took a small sip of the coarse tea inside, and frowned imperceptibly. "What a pity... this is one of the few remaining opportunities for the Uchiha to change the status quo."

The tea... wasn't anything special, but it was the only decent tea Elder Setsuna had.

The tea served to guests by the oldest and only surviving elder of the Uchiha clan was inferior to the tea that Hyuga Hizashi, the head of the Hyuga clan's branch family, drank casually on a daily basis. This alone is enough to show how embarrassing the Uchiha's current situation in Konoha is.

"Please, sir, save the Uchiha! Save your descendants!"

Uchiha Setsuna, kneeling before Nagato, did not hesitate for a moment, thumping several times with dull thuds, and a faint red stain quickly seeped from his forehead.

Perhaps in Konoha's eyes, Uchiha Setsuna was a dangerous individual who inherited Uchiha Madara's will and was a potential threat to the Uchiha clan, but without a doubt... his love for the Uchiha clan was genuine, even surpassing his own life for his family.

He'd do anything for the future of the Uchiha clan.

That's why Nagato chose him.

Faced with Uchiha Setsuna's plea, Nagato neither agreed nor refused, but instead asked him a question: "Does the Uchiha wish to remain in Konoha or leave?"

"grown ups..."

Uchiha abruptly looked up, a bead of blood rolling down his chin and into Nagato's purple-tinged Rinnegan eyes. He understood; the question itself was a response. He took a breath and enunciated each word with exceptional clarity: "Konoha was founded by the Uchiha and Senju clans. To put it bluntly, without the Uchiha, there would be no Konoha today. But what about all these years? The higher-ups treat us like monsters, and the villagers see us as irredeemable enemies. We haven't done anything wrong, yet they've relentlessly pushed us, squeezing our living space down to this small patch of land along the Naka River. Even our clan children are watched when they try to enter the Ninja Academy. What's the point of staying in a place like this?"

As he spoke, his eyes turned bloodshot, his throat tightened, his fists clenched until his knuckles turned white, and his voice trembled slightly with barely suppressed emotion: "But... but I'm not reconciled! This was originally our Uchiha home! During the Warring States period, this land was the base of the Uchiha and Senju clans. Konoha was built on our own land, and in the end, we've become outsiders living under someone else's roof. How unwilling we are!"

Uchiha Setsuna felt a heavy weight pressing on his chest, making it hard to breathe.

To say that Konoha bullied the Uchiha was really harsh. It was alright during Hashirama Senju's time, but by the time of Tobirama Senju, they practically wore their wariness of the Uchiha on their sleeves. They were so wary of the Uchiha that they would curse them for their own mishaps, like "it's an evil Uchiha conspiracy."

Originally, things would have improved after the Fourth Hokage took power, but unfortunately, Minato Namikaze died, and on top of that, he had a clan leader like that...

"Leaving doesn't mean never coming back... When you've accumulated enough strength, strong enough to overturn everything, then you can personally take back everything that belongs to you."

Nagato's voice slowly rang out, seemingly carrying a power that could stabilize the soul, each word striking Uchiha Setsuna's heart.

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