Saving the Uchiha clan starts with becoming the clan leader.

[Chapter 27 Choosing Sides (Seeking votes! Seeking investment!)]

"anything else?"

Fugaku Uchiha stared at Sogen. "What other mistakes in decision-making did you make besides the Nine-Tails' attack?"

Instead of answering whether the decision made on the night of the Nine-Tailed Fox's rampage was right or wrong, he cleverly avoided the question with a rhetorical question.

"Shall we change the subject? Never mind..." Zongxian shook his head slightly and continued, "The second mistake was when the clan was relocated. Despite the objections of the clan members, you, the clan chief, agreed to the relocation plan, which completely exiled our clan to the edge of the village and physically excluded us from the village's social circle."

Hear this,

Fugaku Uchiha shook his head.

“Zongxian-kun, our clan had no choice but to relocate our clan territory. The higher-ups, under the guise of rebuilding the area destroyed by the Nine-Tails, have redrew the territory plans for all the major clans in the village. I understand that this is the village's way of suppressing us, but we have no choice. We either have to fight the village to the end and have a complete showdown, or we have to obey the order to relocate our clan territory. However, given our clan's strength at the time... it was impossible for us to win a battle against the village.”

"So, Chieftain, you chose to endure humiliation and bear the burden, hoping for a future revenge?"

Zongxian pressed for an answer.

"That's right. The conflict between the village and the clan has a long history and needs to be addressed carefully..."

"So, what plan have you come up with?"

"this······"

Fugaku Uchiha's face stiffened.

Isn't that obvious? If they had really come up with a good solution, how could the Uchiha clan have ended up like this?

"It seems that you haven't come up with anything after spending so much time on this, Clan Chief... Never mind, let's change the subject. Clan Chief, you must know that many clan members are planning a coup to overthrow the Third Hokage's rule and put the Uchiha clan in control of Konoha... What do you think?"

Zongxian did not dwell on the issue of relocating the clan's territory.

The relocation of the clan's territory was ultimately just a derivative event of the Nine-Tailed Fox's chaos. It was brought up separately only to remind the clansmen of the unpleasant memory of how the clan chief, in order to protect the overall interests of the village, forced the clansmen to accept the relocation.

"To put it more bluntly, Chieftain, do you support or oppose the coup?"

This question is indeed extremely straightforward.

The clansmen all turned their gazes toward Uchiha Fugaku.

Even though not all Jonin are involved in the coup plot yet, most of the Jonin in the clan have heard about it. Some support it, some oppose it, and some are undecided... Regardless of their faction, everyone's attention is currently focused on the clan leader.

In the end, the clan chief will have to make a statement regarding such a major event as a coup.

"Sōgen-kun, are all the decision-making mistakes you mentioned over? Are there only those two things?" Uchiha Fugaku once again avoided this dangerous question, trying to change the subject by asking Sōgen a question in return.

"The question I just asked is the third one."

Zongxian replied.

Fugaku Uchiha's face twitched instantly, and he almost couldn't help but laugh out of anger. Good heavens, was this person certain that he would make the wrong choice?

"Chieftain, please answer! Do you support the coup or oppose it?"

Zongxian pressed on relentlessly.

Fugaku Uchiha stared at Sogen for a few seconds, then shifted his gaze to the clansmen in the secret room. He noticed that most of them had expectant looks in their eyes, and his mind involuntarily recalled the information gathered by his secret team: two-thirds of the clansmen favored a coup…

"Of course I support it!!!"

After pondering for a moment,

Fugaku Uchiha said decisively, having made his decision.

The next second, Shisui, standing behind the elders, revealed undisguised disappointment in his eyes.

but--

"Hey! This time you've really shown some guts."

Elder Huowan offered a word of praise.

Most of the Jonin in the secret room also had happy expressions on their faces.

This reveals the tribe's inclination towards a coup.

only--

"If I were the clan chief, I would resolutely oppose the coup." Zongxian said proudly in a voice that everyone could hear, turning around to face the crowd, completely ignoring the astonished looks of the clan members. "Alright, everyone, take sides! Those who support Clan Chief Fugaku stepping down and me succeeding him, please stand on my right. Those who oppose Clan Chief Fugaku stepping down, please go to my left."

The tribespeople were still a little confused.

To be honest, most people think that Zongxian would support the coup. There's no way around it, given how young Zongxian is and how domineering he is with the nickname "Flame Demon." In their eyes, Zongxian should be among the most radical ones!

No one expected Zongxian to oppose the coup.

Is this a joke?

While everyone was still in a daze, Shisui was the first to step forward, walking from the left side of Sogen to the right side of the opposite side, and was the first to show his support for Sogen. He loved his family and his village, and such a coup was unacceptable to Shisui.

Fugaku Uchiha's statement completely extinguished the last glimmer of hope in his heart.

"Grandpa, let's go quickly!!"

Seeing that Shisui had gotten there first, Uchiha Chihaya frowned unhappily, grabbed Elder Ryuji beside her and walked to the other side, standing with Shisui.

Uchiha Genji, the grandfather of Sogen, was a step behind. The old man was not in a hurry. With his hands behind his back, he walked leisurely across the dilapidated central field and came to Elder Ryuji's side, standing side by side with his old friend.

then,

Uchiha Arashiyama, Uchiha Akitarou, Uchiha Futaba, Uchiha Jun, Uchiha Hokuto... Sogen's friends also stepped out of the crowd, instantly increasing the number of people around Elder Genji and Elder Ryuji to nine.

Elder Jun walked calmly to Shisui's side, no longer showing the impulsiveness he had when they met under the torii gate.

As Uchiha Kagami's cousin and the one who raised Shisui, one can imagine what his values ​​are. His respect for his clan is genuine, but he truly finds it difficult to accept something like a coup.

Even so

Only these ten people expressed their stance, which is only a quarter of the forty-odd Jonin present.

"Zongxian, what exactly are you doing?"

Elder Huowan was furious, his beard bristling and his eyes wide with confusion. How could Zongxian, this brat, oppose a coup?

"Elder Fireball, a coup is a forbidden tactic that our clan can only use as a last resort. Unless we are truly out of options, I would never use such a method that would harm the enemy a thousand while damaging myself eight hundred. You don't actually think that defeating the Third Hokage and Danzo means the coup has succeeded, do you?"

Zongxian looked around at everyone: "What makes you think that the Hyuga, Aburame, Ino-Shika-Cho clans would be willing to submit to our clan's rule? Once this coup begins, our enemies will not only be the Third Hokage and Danzo, but also the ninja clans in the village and the huge number of civilian ninjas. If you want to know why?"

"The reason is simple: if we initiate a coup, we will be the destroyers of order, while those clans and commoner ninjas are the beneficiaries of the current system. Use your brains, do you think they would want our coup to succeed?"

"Don't fucking get all worked up and start talking about a coup! Coup my ass! Use your brains, all of you! We're not united, we're not strong enough, what kind of coup are we going to pull? Are we just going to walk into someone else's clutches? Are you afraid that the Third Hokage and Danzo won't have a reason to wipe out our clan?"

Zongxian's voice grew louder and louder as he spoke, until he finally started cursing.

This attack not only shocked the clansmen, but also intimidated several elders.

"Madara Uchiha is dead. Without Madara Uchiha, do you still think you're the Uchiha who could defeat only the Senju clan, who could dominate the entire ninja world? Stop fooling yourselves. Even if we really had the ability to defeat the Hyuga, Aburame, and Ino-Shika-Cho clans, how would we deal with the Kirigakure, Iwa, Kumo, and Suna clans?"

"Enough with the nonsense, everyone continue to choose sides. Oh, and let me make this clear beforehand: anyone who dares not support me, I will personally break their arms and legs and throw them to my right. So... think it over carefully before making your choice."

Finally, having calmed his anger, Zongxian added another sentence in a composed manner.

[Chapter 28: The New Clan Chief (Seeking votes! Seeking investment!)]

"Zongxian, who are you threatening?"

Elder Huowan's eyes widened in anger.

There's nothing I can do. I could tolerate the initial insults, but what's with the final threat?

He thought the Uchiha clan should be arrogant and domineering, but... wasn't this a bit too overbearing? Was it really necessary to threaten others into supporting him?

However, before Elder Fireball could get a reply from Zongxian, Uchiha An, the only female elder beside him, started walking towards Uchiha Genji and the others. Uchiha Arashiyama, who reacted very quickly, took two steps back to make room for Elder An.

So far,

Of the six elders in the clan, four have already expressed their support for Zongxian.

"Elder Xing... I never expected this..."

Zongxian glanced at the aloof old lady; this was unexpected support!

"Ah Xing?!"

Elder Huowan was dumbfounded.

"Are you against a coup?"

Elder Shinzaburo muttered a few words to himself, glanced at Uchiha Fugaku whose face was as gloomy as ever, sighed softly in his heart, but still took a step and followed Elder An to join the camp supporting Sogen. Now, five of the six elders had expressed their opinions.

Only Elder Huowan remained, his eyes wide open like copper bells.

"Shinzaburo, even you... You guys used to make so much noise it hurt people's ears, but I never expected this time..." Muttering complaints, Elder Huowan ran as fast as the wind, and in the blink of an eye he was standing with his old friends again.

Regardless, as elders, they are still able to listen to reason.

Zongxian's rant was harsh, but it did have some merit. A coup should be approached with extreme caution, not spread privately and openly, making it public knowledge and eroding any hope of success.

If Fugaku truly supported the coup, he should have controlled the words and actions of his clansmen from the beginning, instead of passively choosing a coup under the pressure of their will.

In contrast,

Sogen, who dared to declare his opposition to the coup in front of so many clansmen who supported it, truly possessed a more dignified and patriarchal demeanor than Fugaku.

"A flock of sheep led by a lion can defeat a flock of lions led by a sheep." This is a quote that Zongxian mentioned when we were chatting. It is said to be a famous saying of a hero from the Warring States period. Elder Longsi looked at his old friends and sighed softly, "We chose the wrong person back then. Fugaku... is too easily influenced by others."

Elder Xuanshi, Elder Jun, and Elder Xinsaburo all lowered their eyes, feeling a sense of guilt gnawing at their hearts like insects.

They also bear an undeniable responsibility for the family's current predicament.

At this time,

"A sheep leading a pride of lions? An interesting metaphor."

Elder Xing laughed.

"It seems we old folks were indeed blind back then. But there's no use dwelling on the past. As long as we choose the right people this time, that's all that matters!" This slightly cold-smiling old lady was surprisingly magnanimous and easygoing, even going so far as to lecture her old friends.

"We can't change the past, but the future is still worth looking forward to, isn't it? What's important now is to support Zongxian's rise to power. Regret can wait until you old good-for-nothings go home and do whatever you want with it, but don't be so annoying and nagging here."

"Ah Xing, you... sigh!!!"

Elder Xuan Shi shook his head helplessly. He's already a grandson-holding man, yet his mouth is still so sharp!