Chapter 75: The Two with Shattered Minds: The Uchiha Clan Meeting Begins!

Akio Shiba spoke calmly.

After speaking,

he left on some random excuse—after all, staying too long with these two might contaminate his own mind.

Meanwhile, on the other side,

Shisui and Itachi could not believe it, yet had no way to refute it.

After all…

Itachi might have been young back then, only briefly visiting the battlefield, but Shisui was different—he had participated in every stage of the Third Shinobi War.

So he knew well that Akio Shiba spoke the truth.

Batch after batch of genin had died right after graduation, even children who hadn’t yet graduated were forcibly sent to the frontlines, and fewer than one in ten survived.

In contrast,

the high-ranking officials of the Hidden Leaf held onto their power with virtually no losses—they never even set foot on the battlefield.

This statement…

if it had come from an Uchiha, he would never have listened, but hearing it from another clan’s mouth made him unable to ignore it.

Had he—been wrong all along?

Wait, damn it!

As if struck by a sudden thought, Shisui’s face turned pale.

Seeing this, Itachi couldn’t help but ask: “Shisui-nii, what’s wrong?”

“I just realized something,” Shisui said, voice trembling.

Itachi frowned in confusion.

But…

when he heard Shisui’s next words, his scalp prickled with dread.

“During the Third Shinobi War, I never saw a single clan member from the village’s high command!”

“I never thought deeply about it before, but your classmate’s words just made me recall the strange situation during the war.”

“Not only did the Hokage and the two elders never go to the frontlines—neither did any of their own clan members. I never saw them on the battlefield.”

“Sarutobi, Tonoki, Mizumon…”

“Logically, these three clans were sizable, yet I never encountered any of them on the battlefield—only a few in logistics or administration.”

“So here’s the question!”

“During the Third Shinobi War, the village was surrounded by four other shinobi villages, the frontlines on the verge of collapse, forcing the village to graduate children and send them straight into the brutal battlefield.”

“With the situation so dire, where were the Sarutobi and the other two clans’ members?”

“Why didn’t I see a single one of them on the battlefield?”

Shisui’s face darkened, his whole body trembling slightly.

Clearly,

the belief he had clung to was beginning to crumble.

After all, though he was stubborn and self-reliant, he was no fool—he had merely assumed his clan members were idiots, so he avoided talking to them, even refused to listen.

But now,

after hearing these words from a clan he respected, he could not help but hear them all, no matter how unpleasant they were.

Then,

he began subconsciously reflecting—even as he searched for counterarguments, he recalled the strange circumstances of the Third Shinobi War.

“This—can’t be true!”

Itachi’s face paled, and he shook his head instinctively.

But…

seeing Shisui’s increasingly grim expression, he felt his head splitting open.

Because he knew—Shisui would never lie to him.

But…

if all this were true, didn’t it prove Akio Shiba was right?

Was Uchiha Jin’s behavior actually correct?

Then…

if Uchiha Jin was right, didn’t that make them traitors within their own clan?

Previously, they had been able to fool themselves into believing their actions were for the village, for the clan.

Even when Fugaku sealed their chakra or gouged out Shisui’s eyes, they still believed they were right.

Their beloved Hokage would eventually set everything right.

But now?

With Akio Shiba’s words, their beliefs shattered completely.

…

The next morning,

in Jin’s courtyard, the atmosphere grew heavy.

The former training ground in the central courtyard had been converted into a meeting hall.

No choice!

Although Uchiha Madara’s residence was indeed vast, and in the past, the Uchiha clan’s reception room could easily hold their meetings.

Now, things were different!

With the addition of other shinobi clans, the clan’s meeting room was clearly too small.

Helpless, Jin had to move the meeting to the central courtyard’s training ground.

Still,

unlike the makeshift gatherings of the radical faction before, Jin—who now held full power—had arranged countless cushions and low tables, even placing a teapot and several teacups on each table.

After all, those qualified to attend this meeting were almost all clan leaders and elite members—could he really make them stand and listen to him?

Even if his strength was immense, he couldn’t afford to humiliate others, could he?

At least a minimum of respect was owed.

As time slowly reached nine o’clock, representatives from each clan began entering. Though no formal rankings existed, everyone chose their seats according to their clan’s size and strength.

“The Uchiha are considerate indeed!”

“Cushions alone are respect—yet they’ve even provided tables and tea.”

“Even during the village’s Jonin meetings, we only ever got a cushion.”

“Tables and tea? That’s high-level standard.”

“…”

Those present began speaking among themselves.

Their faces were relaxed, laughter and chatter filled the air—no visible worry about the future.

Yes!

The Uchiha were already powerful enough; now with so many other clans joining, even without a single civilian ninja among them, they could challenge—and even “restore order”—against the Hidden Leaf’s high command!

Self-preservation? No pressure at all.

Nara Shikamaru poured himself a cup of tea, then said to his side: “Our decision was right. At least judging by the Uchiha’s conduct, Hiruzen Sarutobi and the others are no match.”

“Though the Uchiha’s rise may mean we’ll never advance further, from today’s perspective, it’s still acceptable.”

“After all, our Pig-Deer-Butterfly clan’s ambitions were never that great!”

Shikamaru and Akimichi Choji sighed in response.

Then,

Shikamaru spoke: “I can’t judge the rest yet, but they’ve shown clear respect toward our clans—understandable, since the Uchiha are an emotionally intense clan. If Itachi’re their friend, Itachi never need to fear betrayal on the battlefield.”

“I’ve got a good impression of the Uchiha too,” Akimichi Choji shrugged. “And the Hokage position? Not worth touching—it’s a path to total destruction.”

“But now that we’ve shown ourselves, we’ll likely take full control of our clans from now on.”

“Kabuto and the other three will have to retreat behind the scenes.”