Chapter 39 - I Advise You to Understand the Hokage's Ideology First

Uchiha Setsuna looked seriously at Hanma, waiting for him to answer his question.

Hanma gazed at the ceiling, silently appreciating the Ukiyo-e on it, not saying a word, and feeling a pang of bad luck in his heart. He couldn't understand why the old man had gone crazy today, solemnly inviting Hanma over to discuss the important matter of the clan's prosperity. As soon as he got here, the old man threw out a bombshell, saying, "In the upcoming war, the Uchiha clan will fully support any of your needs. We will surely claim the Hokage position!"

These words left Hanma speechless. He hadn't felt this dumbfounded even when facing Hanzo's deadly poison. Where on earth did this old man get his confidence from? Ever since Setsuna revealed his Mangekyou Sharingan, the other clan members had strange reactions. They were both excited about the reappearance of the Mangekyou Sharingan and skeptical because they saw Uchiha Setsuna lying in a hospital bed for over two months.

"This Mangekyou Sharingan... how could it not take care of Uchiha Hanma? Must be that Setsuna-sama doesn't know how to use it properly."

"Maybe Brother Hanma is just too strong, but in any case, he is part of our Uchiha clan."

Under such bizarre circumstances, their attitude toward civilian ninjas and villagers also shifted closer to Hanma's stance, becoming more friendly. As a result, even the police force, which had always been despised by the villagers, had seen a recent rise in their reputation. Because of this, Setsuna surprisingly thought that this was a sign of villagers starting to love the Uchiha clan, a manifestation of popular sentiment, thus thinking it was time to make a move for the Hokage position.

Looking at Setsuna dressed in Sengoku-era attire, and the kaishaku blade by his side, Hanma sighed. This was clearly a pressuring stance, so he reluctantly spoke: "I say, old man Setsuna, didn't you claim to inherit Uchiha Madara's will? His will was to become Hokage?"

However, this question might very well elicit a "yes" from Madara, who is likely lying underground somewhere. Setsuna snorted heavily, not answering the question directly, and said: "The so-called Hokage is the strongest person in Konoha. Clan leader Madara only gave up voluntarily back then."

"And now, you have the potential to become the strongest in Konoha, so it's time to claim the position that should belong to our Uchiha clan!"

Hanma's expression grew nuanced. It seemed Setsuna hadn't seen the Buddha on the Battlefield transformation during the Valley of the End battle. Besides, hadn't he always been accused of being unorthodox? Why were they pinning their hopes on him now?

Due to the Sharingan's mental effects, most Uchiha who had awakened their eyes became paranoid and gloom-ridden. Not only were their attitudes cold and arrogant, but their words were also harsh. In such a dreary Konoha atmosphere, joining Kumogakure might actually be preferable. People there were straightforward and only settled matters with their fists, without dwelling on Uchiha's issues too much—it could lead to some decent development.

However, to the Uchiha, Kumogakure was just a bunch of begging hillbillies. How could they, the founders of Konoha, move to such a bleak and desolate place? Getting back to the point, there were many reasons why the Uchiha couldn't become Hokage in the current Konoha Year 37.

First of all, the Uchiha clan's most proud strength was actually not up to the standard for competing for Hokage. Within Konoha, there were over two hundred ninjas with Jonin-level abilities, while the Uchiha clan had just about thirty ninjas with Three Tomoe Sharingan. Among these, some were old men from the Sengoku period; although strong, their days were numbered. Ever since taking on the police force duties, the Uchiha had been restricted to handling trivial matters within the village. The new generation lost the nourishment of battlefield blood and hatred, thus losing power.

The Senju lineage had already taken key positions in Konoha's higher echelons and had a large number of supporters behind them. Uzumaki Mito was still alive, and other clans like Akimichi, Nara, Yamanaka, and Aburame were stalwart supporters. They had also absorbed many civilian ninjas and discovered geniuses like White Fang, Jiraiya, and Orochimaru, holding a significant numerical advantage.

In stark contrast, within the entire Konoha, apart from a cat selling ninja tools, the Uchiha couldn't find any friendly ninja clan. The Uchiha had always been in an isolated and helpless state since the village's establishment. During the Sengoku period, far too many Uchiha fought fiercely and stained themselves with too much blood, holding blood feuds with most ninja clans. Due to their arrogant demeanor, they always presented a cold face and failed to mend relationships post village establishment; instead, they exacerbated the situation. The Uchiha had few friends but plenty of enemies.

In such a dire situation, Hanma being forced to the forefront was like asking him to take the blame himself. Even if he later overwhelmed the ninja world and silenced everyone with absolute power, what meaning would it have? Having overwhelming strength without unifying the ninja world—what was he planning to continue into Boruto's era?

The only feasible solution now was for Hanma and Tsunade to quickly have a child capable of Buddha on the Battlefield transformation, solving everything instantly. Hanma took a deep breath, out of options, and prepared to correct Setsuna's thinking with classics from his previous life.

"Clan Leader Setsuna, tell me, how many clan meetings have we held? How many policies have we proposed, and how many have we executed? Haven't they all been more of the same?"

"You want me to compete for Hokage, then I have something to say. Who are the people supporting Hiruzen? Who does Uchiha have now? Whom do you want me to lead?"

"Look at the state of Uchiha now; just this many people. Those like Iron Fire and Hachidai are Jonin, but can they take on the role? Definitely not! They don't have the ability, understand?"

"If we keep fantasizing like this, we won't just lose to the Senju clan, next will be the Sarutobi clan, then the Ino-Shika-Cho trio, and eventually, there will be no one left, and we might even lose the police force!"

Setsuna's face turned red with shame and indignation. Finally finding a reason to retort vehemently: "From Konoha's inception, our Uchiha clan is one of the founders! We were the earliest ninja clan to join Konoha, every brick and tile here has Uchiha's contribution. We deserve the Hokage position as a reward!"

Hanma made exaggerated gestures, with the virtual image of a certain man appearing behind him. "Oh, thank heavens! Think about it, the Hokage election—Uchiha never laid a solid foundation since the village's inception. Even if we get a nomination, how can you guarantee winning the Jonin vote?"

"Be practical, I advise you all to understand the clan's internal issues and the ideology of Hokage first. Madara has already run away; why are you still inheriting his will? He lost Kurama to Hashirama at the Valley of the End. How do you explain that?"

Hanma criticized Setsuna with heart-wrenching severity. Seeing Setsuna's dumbfounded expression, he nodded in satisfaction; the "football scripture" still had strong destructive power. Kicking away the kaishaku blade beside Setsuna, he turned and left in large strides. This matter relied on Setsuna's enlightenment; it couldn't be solved in a few words.