The outbreak of war was sudden.
Just as the smaller ninja villages outside the Five Great Ninja Villages were beginning to grasp what the Infinite Tsukuyomi really meant, the war that would maintain order in the ninja world had already begun.
The battleground: the Land of Fire.
Even from a great distance, they could see the enormous sphere in the sky. And the towering blue Susanoo created an overwhelming shockwave of power.
People had never witnessed such a form of combat before. For the first time, they understood what it meant to face the pinnacle of Uchiha power.
"The Uchiha's ultimate strength."
Konoha Village was home to a branch of the Uchiha clan, located not far from the Valley of the End. Uchiha Fugaku was in the middle of receiving his formal inauguration ceremony from his father. From today onward, he would officially become the clan head of the Uchiha.
Yet, the expressions of the clansmen were complicated.
There was no other reason—rumors about Uchiha Madara were no longer a secret in the ninja world. They knew that the once domineering clan leader was up to something.
Some felt excitement; others were worried.
Uchiha Madara—there had been a time when he was the clan's very symbol of faith. Even after Madara left Konoha and his name became taboo, many still held deep respect for him. That was undeniable.
Compared to Madara, these Uchiha who had lost their ambition seemed out of sync with the clan's traditions. Or to put it bluntly—were they still worthy of being called Uchiha?
Conflict, doubt, resentment.
No one believed the Uchiha clan could stand tall alone.
This clan was truly sick.
Although Konoha had long been at peace, the Hokage seat remained empty. Some people, unwilling to remain idle, began to have their own ideas.
Today, besides attending the new clan leader's inauguration, there was another agenda.
Inside the clan shrine, the old clan leader—Fugaku's father—finally breathed a sigh of relief after announcing the completion of the ceremony. Although it had been previously decided that Fugaku would become the next clan head, only now was it official.
It should have been a proud moment for him. After all, his son was taking over as the next leader, and no one objected. This was supposed to be a good thing. But seeing the slightly disgruntled and complicated look in his son's eyes, he could only sigh helplessly.
The Uchiha… things really hadn't been going well lately.
Madara was causing trouble outside, and the internal opinions within the clan were deeply divided. These matters left him exhausted.
It was time to leave these headaches to his son.
Madara was the same. He had made the once-safe Uchiha anxious and uneasy. Even now, outsiders looked at them with strange, wary eyes. After all, Madara still carried the Uchiha name, which inevitably reminded people of the clan and its infamous figure.
In time, the people of the village would always think of Madara.
"Clan head!"
Suddenly, a voice broke out from the crowd.
"Your subordinate has a suggestion, and I hope you'll consider it."
It was the son of one of the five elders. Fugaku glanced at him and nodded wearily. He knew this kid well—he'd always been a fanatic, and Fugaku could practically guess what he was about to say even before he spoke.
But Fugaku had only just taken office; he wasn't about to start listening to radical advice.
Receiving Fugaku's tacit approval, the young man looked around at the gathered clansmen and stepped forward boldly.
"Clan head, please seek the position of Fourth Hokage of Konoha for the sake of our clan's interests!"
As expected.
The old clan head beside them sighed.
The desire for the Uchiha to become Hokage and control Konoha's power wasn't a new idea. Honestly, he himself felt a bit indignant. Yes, Konoha was co-founded by the Uchiha and Senju clans. The First and Second Hokages had been Senju. Even that useless Third Hokage was a student of the Second Hokage. Despite being a disgraceful student who even plotted to wipe out his master's clan, technically, he was still of Senju lineage.
By all rights, the Uchiha should have had a Hokage by now.
This wasn't a new grievance.
But over the years, they'd been thoroughly suppressed. When the First Hokage rose to power, there wasn't a single strong contender to challenge him, so they had no grounds to make demands. By the time the Second took office, they didn't even dare to play political games anymore.
Before they could react when the Third was appointed, the old guard had already been pushed out of the picture.
Yet now, they saw an opportunity. A real chance to claim the Hokage seat.
But recently, Senju Yukika had returned. The leaders of Konoha's clans had practically all rushed to the Hokage building to greet him—the Uchiha were no exception.
To be honest, while Konoha's villagers marveled at Yukika, the Uchiha were far from pleased. Why had they never enjoyed such admiration, despite their own contributions to Konoha?
Sure, they hadn't done as much for the village, but why did the Senju get all the glory?
Senju Yukika had been their ally during the Second Great Ninja War, and his strength was admirable. But when it came to interests, they weren't willing to compromise.
It wasn't even about Yukika personally. Everyone knew the Senju had long since withdrawn from Konoha.
"Clan head, please raise the issue of becoming Konoha's Fourth Hokage at the next council meeting."
When Fugaku didn't respond, the young man pressed him again.
"We haven't discussed this matter before."
Fugaku sighed, clearly wanting to avoid the topic. But it was true—when the Third Hokage stepped down, the Senju clan had already announced their departure from Konoha. The Uchiha had held similar clan meetings back then, but most had suggested waiting to see what happened. Eventually, Konoha stabilized under the current system without a Hokage. Everyone had grown used to it.
Plus, they all knew that Konoha's leadership still revolved around the Senju. If they wanted power, they'd have to be prepared for war with Senju Yukika.
"Clan head, the situation has changed."
The young man's eyes gleamed.
Yes—the times had changed. That was why he dared to push his point so forcefully.
"The ninja world has changed. The Senju are no longer admired but resented."
"Other than Konoha, the Five Great Ninja Villages are all unhappy with the Senju."
"And sooner or later, they'll clash with our former clan head, Uchiha Madara. Everyone knows Madara is gathering Jinchuriki. Once Madara eliminates the Senju, even if we stay out of it, we'll still be labeled as part of Madara's faction."
"So, it's best to act early!"
"Even if we do nothing, we'll still be under suspicion."
"If this keeps up, our clan will be marginalized again!"
That was a fact.
Just look at the way Konoha villagers viewed the Uchiha—it said everything.
But… becoming Hokage?
Fugaku smiled bitterly.
It wasn't that simple. Even if he put himself forward, who would support him given the widespread mistrust of the Uchiha?