Chapter 54: You Are Truly Not a Qualified Clan Leader

Watching Shisui leave, Yuhara sighed helplessly. He had intended to resolve the trouble himself, having promised Shisui he could handle such matters. Additionally, Yuhara wanted to teach Itachi a lesson, as he had spent fifteen years fearing the shadow of Itachi's actions in the original story.

For fifteen years, he had contemplated 'brainwashing' Itachi but couldn't easily approach him due to Itachi being the clan leader's son. When he finally did approach, Itachi ignored him after Yuhara subtly expressed his thoughts. Shisui was different; they had grown up together, although Yuhara had been too young to speak freely about certain political views. He feared Shisui might report to the elders, bringing trouble upon himself.

Things had to be done step by step; rushing them wasn't possible. Yuhara always planned based on his clearly stated positions. Shisui, unlike Itachi, accepted Yuhara's stance despite some disagreements, maintaining their good relationship—this marked the difference between Shisui and Itachi.

Shaking his head, Yuhara turned back to Uchiha Fugaku and continued, "Although some unexpected things have happened, I believe Shisui can handle the trouble."

"Yes, Shisui can handle it," Fugaku sighed and nodded. "Let's continue the meeting. Yuhara, please go on. I truly want to see how unqualified I am in your eyes."

"Clan leader Fugaku, your incompetence lies in not recognizing reality, in your compromises, and in your indecisiveness," Yuhara stated calmly, looking at Fugaku.

"As a clan leader, the most important thing is to face reality. Do you remember your decision during the Nine-Tails' attack?"

The Nine-Tails' night was a turning point for the Uchiha, making things worse for them. Participants remembered Fugaku's decision to follow an elder's order to halt all support actions. Fugaku had explained it as following the Third Hokage's order to clear suspicions of controlling the Nine-Tails. Yuhara bringing this up puzzled many, including Fugaku.

"Yuhara, that was the Third Hokage's order, I…" Fugaku began, only to be interrupted by Yuhara.

"No, Fugaku, it wasn't necessarily the Third Hokage's order," Yuhara said, shaking his head and speaking seriously. "Do you remember the dire situation back then? The Third Hokage was on the front lines against the Nine-Tails. How could he have had time to give such an order? More strength meant a greater chance of defeating the Nine-Tails. You might argue Uchiha were suspected of controlling it, but the best way to clear that suspicion was by directly confronting it!"

Fugaku opened his mouth but said nothing, while Yuhara pressed on.

"Even if we believe it was the Third Hokage's order, I have a question. Eight years ago, who was the Hokage? Was it Hiruzen Sarutobi or Minato Namikaze?"

Fugaku's face changed drastically, and so did everyone else's. Indeed, regardless of whether Sarutobi issued the order, the critical issue was who the Hokage was at that time!

"Fugaku, your failure to recognize reality made the clan miss the best chance to prove ourselves. This decision's chain reaction allowed the village to push us to a more remote area during reconstruction after the Nine-Tails incident. The reason is simple: we didn't clear our suspicions, and you made another mistake by compromising instead of firmly opposing it, essentially accepting everything!"

Yuhara's words pierced everyone's hearts like a sharp sword, and their gazes inevitably turned to Fugaku. Even his staunchest supporters now looked at him.

Fugaku clenched his fists, clearly struggling and in pain, but he didn't refute Yuhara's words. Reflecting on his past actions, he realized Yuhara might be right.

"As for your indecisiveness..." Yuhara sighed, his tone softening. "Externally, the situation has worsened, but internally, you never tried to unify the clan's thoughts or correct wrong ideologies. The moderates' excessive compromises lead to inevitable destruction, as you've shown us. Meanwhile, the hardliners are too extreme, aiming to restore Uchiha's honor without a clear goal. Does this mean Uchiha should oppose all of Konoha?

Konoha is vast with many ninja clans. How can Uchiha alone fight against all of Konoha? With clans like Hyuga, Ino-Shika-Cho, Inuzuka, Aburame, Kurama, and many civilian ninjas, what can we use to contend with all of Konoha? Are you assuming our leader is still Uchiha Madara? They can outlast us, yet you let such thoughts grow stronger!

You never tried to unify the clan's thoughts but balanced two factions, leading both to believe they were right, causing internal division. Every clan meeting is like a marketplace, unable to produce practical solutions. Clan members lack clear, unified goals. This is the change you brought as clan leader!"

Yuhara paused, looking at Fugaku sternly. After a moment, he asked softly, "Fugaku, you are truly not a qualified clan leader."