“Humph, worried?”
Uchiha Ken-ta, who had lost his son, scoffed at the so-called worry expressed by the elders, saying, “Uchiha clan ninjas are not afraid of death! Especially now, the war on the front lines is at a critical juncture, and everyone is sending troops to the front. Our future Uchiha clan leader has to withdraw from the front line due to danger. How absurd! How will other clans view our Uchiha clan?”
“Also, it was agreed upon that the clan leader position would be determined based on achievements after the war ends. Now, my son has died, but Fugaku hasn't achieved anything. He wants to take over the clan leader position, it's just a pipe dream!”
Uchiha Ken-ta grew increasingly angry as he spoke: “Father, Shota, we absolutely cannot agree, absolutely not!”
“I agree with Ken-ta. Elder Hokaku, a deserter cannot be a leader of our Uchiha clan!” Uchiha Shota echoed from the side.
Whether it was due to the long-standing friendship between the two major lineages or for the honor of the Uchiha clan, Uchiha Shota stood firmly by his good brother and in-law.
“A deserter and a coward, naturally, cannot be the leader of our Uchiha clan, and they won’t be approved by the Elder Council. Their real intention should not be this.”
Compared to his agitated son, Uchiha Hokaku, with more experience, was much calmer.
Uchiha Ken-ta and Uchiha Shota's concerns would definitely have been considered by the other elders. Their true goal must be…
“They do want Fugaku to immediately take over the clan leader position, but they wouldn't do something as stupid as making him leave the battlefield. Their aim should be to get you two to, while refuting that Fugaku cannot be a deserter, to propose that Fugaku takes over as clan leader directly on the front line.”
“That way, the clan leader position can be confirmed. Moreover, once Fugaku becomes clan leader, his safety on the front line will be guaranteed.”
The Uchiha clan leader candidate and the Uchiha clan leader are two completely different positions.
The former only represents themselves and the Uchiha forces who support them. On the battlefield, they can only be a vanguard, charging into battle.
The latter, however, is different. They represent the entire Uchiha clan, both the front line and the rear. All Uchiha ninjas will be under their command. Their role is no longer that of a charging vanguard, but a strategist commanding from the center.
The difference in safety between a general and a commander on the battlefield is clear.
“I see, that’s why they had that attitude.”
Uchiha Shota, the head of the fourth lineage, looked enlightened after hearing Elder Hokaku’s words.
During the Elder Council meeting, he had felt a bit strange. When confronted with the third lineage's desire to be a deserter, a behavior that clearly damaged the clan's reputation, other than himself and Ken-ta who strongly opposed it, the other elders seemed to tacitly agree. Now he understood their true goal.
“Directly assume the position of clan leader on the front line?!”
On the other side, Uchiha Ken-ta, after hearing his father’s explanation, was momentarily stunned. Then, his expression became agitated again: “Father, we cannot agree. Since the initial agreement was that the clan leader position would be determined based on achievements after the war ends, then the confirmation of the clan leader position must be after this war ends.”
At this time, Uchiha Ken-ta realized the seriousness of the situation. If the third lineage wanted to make a deserter the clan leader, this would definitely not be accepted by his father.
But if it was ‘directly succeeding to the clan leader position on the front line,’ then his father, who always valued the clan above all else, might not be so resolute in his attitude.
Sure enough, Uchiha Hokaku didn't respond to his son immediately this time, but fell into deep thought.
From a personal standpoint, as a grandfather who had lost his grandson, especially a grandson he had cultivated from a young age as a future clan leader with great expectations, his feelings were actually the same as Uchiha Ken-ta's.
He didn't want the other clan leader candidate to immediately take over the clan leader position, and even if he did, it had to be according to the initial agreement, after the war ended.
After all, the reality was that their branch not only lost a loved one but also the possibility of the clan leader position.
However, Uchiha Hokaku's identity wasn't just that of a grandfather who lost his grandson, he was also an elder of the Uchiha clan. From the perspective of the clan, for the sake of clan stability and the clan's interests, he needed to compromise.
The Uchiha clan leader position had been vacant for too long. If it remained vacant, the Uchiha clan might split and face internal conflict.
Since the previous clan leader, Uchiha Madara from the sixth lineage, left the clan, the Uchiha clan leader position had remained vacant until now.
Although there were contenders for the clan leader position, they all refused to acknowledge each other. To avoid civil war, the Uchiha Elder Council, after intense negotiations, finally reached a decision: ‘The best among the next generation will be clan leader.’
As a result, among the children born around the time of the establishment of Konohagakure and before the previous clan leader Uchiha Madara left the clan, Uchiha Kagami from the second lineage stood out.
Combined with the fact that he was favored by the Second Hokage, whether it was to bridge the gap between the clan and the village caused by the previous clan leader, to ease the relationship between the clan and the village, or simply due to Uchiha Kagami's own excellence, he became the most suitable candidate for clan leader.
Therefore, the Elder Council, for once, unanimously agreed that Uchiha Kagami would be clan leader. They just needed to wait for him to complete his final mission: to accompany the Second Hokage to the Cloud Hidden Village to participate in negotiations to end the war.
In fact, at that time, everyone believed that this mission posed no danger. But who could have imagined that internal strife would break out in the Cloud Hidden Village, ultimately leading to the deaths of the Second Hokage and Uchiha Kagami.
Although the circumstances were complex and convoluted, regardless, the outcome was that the Uchiha clan leader position continued to be vacant.
Before Uchiha Kagami died, there was no dispute over the clan leader position, but after his death, the dispute resurfaced.
In the end, the Uchiha Elder Council reached the same conclusion as before: ‘The best among the next generation will be clan leader.’
Only this time, ‘the next generation’ referred to the children born around the time of the First Great Ninja War.
And finally, from this generation, two stood out: Uchiha Shisui from the first lineage, born in the year of Konohagakure 18, and Uchiha Fugaku from the third lineage, born in the year of Konohagakure 19.
As if in a cycle, this time, the Second Great Ninja War broke out, and one of the two candidates has already died in battle. The other is also under constant threat of death.
If both candidates die on the battlefield this time, and the same situation as after Uchiha Kagami's death occurs again, will the Uchiha clan leader position remain vacant and they will have to keep waiting for the next generation to grow up?
Thinking about this, Uchiha Hokaku turned his head towards the delivery room next to him, his eyes hardening.
Almost at the same time, a loud cry echoed from the delivery room.
“Waah—waah—waah—”
“The baby is born!”
Whether it was Uchiha Hokaku who had just made up his mind, Uchiha Ken-ta who was still excited, or Uchiha Shota who was waiting for an answer, all three turned towards the delivery room the moment the cry rang out.