Naruto: Uchiha Rejects Konoha

"Yagami, are you suggesting that we ignore the police department's affairs? But this will only escalate the conflict between us and the village."

Shisui, who had just regained some strength, immediately spoke up. He viewed improving relations between the clan and the village as his mission and naturally didn't want to see these tensions worsening.

"Shisui is right, and the police department is the only power the Uchiha have. If we abandon it, we'll be squeezed out of the power centre altogether," the Fifth Elder agreed. Even though Shisui was still recovering, his stance bolstered the Supporting Faction's confidence.

"Chi~~~"

Hearing this, Yagami couldn't hold back a laugh, casting a mocking look at the Fifth Elder and the Supporting Faction.

"Uchiha Yagami ! What do you mean by that? Are you mocking the old man?"

The Fifth Elder, a respected high-ranking member of the clan, was unused to such disrespect, especially from someone younger.

"Fifth Elder, I respect you as an elder, but you should be more reasonable! How can you still be so naive at your age?"

"You!"

The Fifth Elder started to respond, but Yagami was suddenly right in front of him, his blood-red Sharingan spinning slowly, emanating a powerful presence that made the elder visibly uncomfortable.

"Too late to awaken the Sharingan? Or just afraid to use it? You coward..."

Good grief! Was Yagami out of his mind? It was one thing to challenge the elder's stance, but to confront him directly like this?

"You..."

The Fifth Elder's face darkened; he hadn't expected Yagami to take things this far, and being insulted in front of so many people was a serious affront.

"Everyone saw what happened earlier. Why does Konoha refuse to treat us as allies? I don't understand why the Fifth Elder keeps wanting to cosy up to the village. Is it so he can let similar things happen again?"

Ignoring the elder, Yagami addressed the assembled Uchiha.

At his words, many recalled the events that had just unfolded. In the same village, the higher-ups had brazenly stolen their clan's bloodline limit. The thought left them seething.

"Of course, a head-on confrontation with the village isn't ideal either. Though we're skilled in battle and unafraid of death, we shouldn't throw our lives away against Konoha. It's not worth it."

As he said this, Yagami glanced at the Fourth Elder and the Radical faction. Though their stance was stronger than the Supporting faction, their constant talk of coups ignored the broader consequences for the clan's survival.

Yagami might not be overly concerned with the clan's welfare, but at this stage, the existence of the Uchiha clan had more benefits than drawbacks.

"So, after all that, what did you actually say? It doesn't mean much..." the Fourth Elder commented with a frown, unsure of what Yagami intended.

"I'm just weighing the pros and cons of both sides. Getting close to the village is like putting a warm face on a cold shoulder—it gains us nothing.

On the other hand, opposing the village risks putting the entire clan on the brink of extermination. Are you prepared to see the Uchiha erased from the ninja world?"

"So, the next step is to remove the clan from this vulnerable position. In other words, Uchiha must change and grow in relative peace with the village until we reach a point where the village can no longer influence us."

"As you saw earlier, when we stand united, the village won't dare to confront us directly. With that in place, we'll have the time we need to make changes."

Reflecting on the Third Hokage's demeanour toward the Uchiha earlier, many members nodded in agreement.

"It sounds good, but achieving that won't be so simple."

The Fifth Elder's face was grim. Though he didn't intend to oppose Yagami just to be difficult, he was aware of the challenge involved, albeit not fully attuned to the broader picture.

"It's really not easy to accomplish, so we need to take it step by step.

Let's start by addressing the impression of the villagers that you value, Fifth Elder! You've worked hard on this issue for a long time, so you should know exactly why the village views us Uchiha poorly."

"That's right! In addition to the arrogance of some clansmen, which makes them hard to approach, the main reason is the police department's history of harsh law enforcement.

That's why I wanted the clan to adopt a more peaceful approach in these matters," the Fifth Elder responded, clearly agitated. This kid had just given him a hard time, and now he was suddenly agreeing with him.

"Your idea has merit, Elder, but the method is wrong.

The police department, as a law enforcement agency, will always be unpopular.

As long as we remain involved in the police department, this impression won't change.

Whether we enforce the law harshly or peacefully, we won't gain public favour, and it'll only cause frustration among our clansmen.

So, the first step in changing things is to remove ourselves from the quagmire of the police department."

Abandon the police department?

The Fifth Elder immediately wanted to object, as it was the last source of power Uchiha had in Konoha. To his surprise, the patriarch, who had always remained neutral, stopped him with a look.

"I think many people don't understand why we'd do this. That's fine—I can explain. But first, you need to understand what's called the 'Uchiha Threat Theory'..."

Seeing the puzzled expressions around him, Yagami felt it was necessary to clarify why Konoha held such resentment toward the Uchiha.

In simple terms, the villagers had been conditioned by Danzō and other Hokage executives to believe the Uchiha clan constantly sought power and aimed to seize the Hokage's position.

Relinquishing control of the police department would render this claim baseless. They say we're power-hungry, but by stepping back, we show that we don't care about power at all. The so-called 'Uchiha Threat Theory' collapses."

"The logic is sound, but if we suddenly withdraw from the police department, the village may resist," Fugaku remarked. Having listened to Yagami 's explanation, he could grasp the reasoning.

"Of course, but aren't there already complaints from the villagers? Those clansmen who have received complaints will be suspended and called back.

Then, we'll use the excuse of a manpower shortage to restrict our patrol area to within the Uchiha district.

As for other areas, we won't concern ourselves with them!"

Yagami spoke nonchalantly; the villagers' complaints served as a perfect pretext—why not take advantage of it?

"It's a clever strategy to retreat! Calling the clan back to the family does more than simply relinquish power," Fugaku mused, a faint smile on his face.

After understanding the "Uchiha Threat Theory," he no longer felt attached to the police department's authority. From this vantage point, it was easy to see Yagami 's underlying intent.

Previously, the Uchiha had made too many enemies due to this minor authority, yet they were still criticized for maintaining the village's law and order.

Villagers had come to take it for granted, overlooking the fact that the so-called "harsh enforcement" was meant to protect their own rights.

"Danzō is still Hokage's assistant. After such a loss today, he'll undoubtedly try to cause trouble through the police department. At that time, it'll fall to you, Patriarch, to explain to the Third Hokage."

"Leave it to me! You're right; we Uchiha do need to change," Fugaku said, taking a deep breath.

With his agreement to Yagami 's approach, things would progress smoothly within the clan, and for once, neither the Radical faction nor the Supporting faction had anything to argue about.