Gento raised his eyes and looked ahead. The three elders of the clan were seated at the head.
Seated in the center was the Great Elder, Soen Uchiha. His brows carried authority, and he wore a dark gray haori over a plain kimono.
These past few days, his spirits had clearly improved a great deal.
The reason was simple; Gento had led the Uchiha clan to a great victory over the Hidden Sand Village, ending the war and allowing the clan, long burdened with the label of a "problem clan," to finally hold their heads high within the village.
Seated on the left was the Second Elder, Shingen Uchiha.
He was just over fifty years old, with a short beard on his upper lip, and a pair of narrow eyes that revealed sharp shrewdness.
He had overseen the clan's finances for over forty years.
Every expenditure and income within the clan, every asset, had passed through his verification.
Behind Shingen stood Fugaku Uchiha.
Fugaku stood upright, his expression solemn. When he saw Gento enter, their gazes briefly met before calmly shifting away.
On the right was the only woman among the three elders, Chie Uchiha.
She was seventy-three years old, her face kind, with smile lines at the corners of her eyes like blooming chrysanthemums.
She wore traditional shrine maiden attire, white robes with red hakama, and around her neck hung a three-tomoe jade pendant, the token passed down through generations of shrine custodians.
Elder Chie was responsible for the clan's rituals and ceremonies, as well as the affairs of the Naka Shrine. Prayers, funerals, and clan assembly invocations were all personally presided over by her.
Gento stepped forward and bowed respectfully to the three elders, neither humble nor arrogant.
Elder Soen raised his hand with a smile, unable to conceal the satisfaction in his eyes.
"Gento, it seems this old man did not misjudge you!"
"In this war, you have done extremely well!"
At the side, Elder Shingen coughed lightly:
"Soon, we can reminisce later. All the clan members are present; it is time to begin the main matter."
Soen nodded, then turned his gaze to Elder Chie:
"Chie, I'll trouble you."
Elder Chie slowly stood up.
She walked to the statue of the Sage of Six Paths in the center of the shrine, and from her sleeve took out an ancient sakaki branch offering.
It was a ritual implement made of fresh green sakaki branches tied with white paper streamers.
She waved the sakaki three times to the left and right before her, her movements slow and solemn, and the entire hall fell silent.
"Amaterasu Omikami, Izanagi-no-Mikoto, Izanami-no-Mikoto…"
The aged woman's voice echoed softly.
"The Sage of Six Paths manifests here; myriad patterns flow, the Sharingan inherits illumination.
"Today, the descendants of the Uchiha clan gather before you to establish a new leader, to inherit the crest of the fan, and to guard the legacy of the clan. We pray that the deities bear witness, and that the ancestors listen."
She returned the sakaki to the altar, then turned to face the assembled clan members.
"The clan council begins."
Elder Soen stood up, taking Fugaku and Gento by the hands and leading them to the center of the hall.
"Today, the position of clan head will be decided between these two.
"Myself, along with Shingen and Chie, will each cast one vote. The one who receives two votes will become the new clan head."
He paused, then raised his voice:
"Gento Uchiha is young and promising, both brave and resourceful.
"In this war, he led the clan against the Hidden Sand Village, achieving a great victory with zero casualties, bringing glory to our clan and protecting our people.
"Therefore, this old man's vote goes to Gento!"
Elder Shingen coughed lightly and spoke slowly:
"This old man holds a different opinion."
His gaze swept over Gento before settling on Fugaku:
"Gento indeed has military merit, but his promotion to Jonin has been too recent. Has he ever participated in clan administration? Has he ever coordinated disputes between shinobi clans? Has he ever commanded the Leaf Police Force?"
He paused, his tone firm:
"The position of clan head is not merely about fighting on the battlefield; it requires stability and clarity in governance.
"Fugaku is ten years older, has long served in key positions within the police force, and was personally entrusted by the former clan head to succeed him.
"This steadiness and experience are not something a young upstart can match.
"Therefore, this old man's vote goes to Fugaku!"
As soon as his words fell, everyone's gaze turned toward Elder Chie.
Two of the three votes had been cast… this crucial vote from Elder Chie would determine the future clan head!
Elder Chie remained silent for a moment before her aged voice slowly sounded:
"The former clan head died on the battlefield, sacrificing himself for the clan. In this old woman's view, the successor must not only possess administrative ability, but also strong personal combat power.
"Therefore, this old woman has decided that Fugaku and Gento shall compete in a match. The winner will receive this old woman's vote."
"Wah…"
An uproar instantly broke out within the hall.
"Who do you think will win?"
"Isn't it obvious? Fugaku-sama! He's so much older than Gento, and he's spent so many years in the police force; his experience speaks for itself!"
"Experience is experience, strength is strength! Gento-sama led the team that wiped out the main force of the Hidden Sand!"
"Anyway, I believe in Fugaku-sama."
"Then I'm betting on Gento-sama!"
Elder Chie coughed lightly, and the hall gradually quieted down.
She looked at Fugaku and Gento:
"Do either of you have any objections?"
The two looked at each other, then both shook their heads.
Elder Chie nodded:
"In that case, please move outside."
Outside the shrine was an open expanse of gravel ground, surrounded by towering ancient trees. The night wind passed through the treetops, stirring the bronze bells hanging from the eaves.
The clan members voluntarily stepped back, forming a human wall around the clearing.
Elder Chie stood before the steps:
"This match is only to determine combat strength. Both of you are talents of our clan; remember, you must not deal killing blows.
"Violators will be stripped of their candidacy for clan head!"
Seeing both nod, Chie immediately raised her hand:
"The battle begins!"
The moment her words fell, the two were already rapidly forming hand seals.
"Fire Release: Great Fireball Jutsu!"
"Fire Release: Great Fireball Jutsu!"
Two blazing fireballs collided violently at the center of the clearing. The waves of flame exploded outward, then both dissipated.
Without the slightest pause, the two continued forming seals.
Fugaku's hand seals were so fast that they were almost impossible to see.
In the end, the more experienced Fugaku completed his seals first.
"Fire Release: Great Fire Annihilation!"
A vast sea of flames surged from his mouth, overwhelming the field like a raging tide. Wherever the inferno passed, the gravel scorched black.
Gento had yet to complete his hand seals.
He could only continue forming seals while dodging at the same time.
Fortunately, Gento's Three-Tomoe Sharingan had activated.
Through rapid analysis with his dynamic vision, he barely managed to roll away just before being engulfed by the sea of flames.
Gento's hand seals did not stop.
Fugaku was thoroughly familiar with the clan's ninjutsu, yet the seals Gento was forming were unlike any he had ever seen before!
What kind of ninjutsu was this?
Below the stage, the Uchiha clan members were stunned by such an intense opening.
Seeing Fugaku take the upper hand, those who supported him began to cheer.
Those supporting Gento clenched their fists in nervous tension.
Even the elders at the side wore expressions of confusion:
Why were Gento's hand seals so unfamiliar?
Soen frowned slightly.
Shingen narrowed his eyes in silence.
Chie just watched.
At that moment, Gento finally completed his seals.
"Yin Release: Mind Rift Gate!"
The unknown ninjutsu immediately made Fugaku feel pressure.
His Three-Tomoe Sharingan activated instantly as he looked at Gento, attempting to capture a flaw in the technique.
However, the moment their eyes met, Fugaku's pupils contracted.
"Not good! It's genjutsu!"
He could never have imagined that Gento would use genjutsu against him!
Who would be foolish enough to use genjutsu against an Uchiha?
Fugaku panicked, but did not lose composure.
His Sharingan began to operate at once, attempting to reflect the genjutsu.
Yet that cold Yin-Attribute Chakra clung like a parasite, directly penetrating the Sharingan's defense and invading his consciousness.
It had no effect!
That's impossible!
What kind of genjutsu is this?!
Cold sweat began to form on Fugaku's forehead.
A powerful dizziness struck.
Fugaku bit the tip of his tongue, the pain barely allowing him to maintain a sliver of clarity.
At that very moment, Gento had rushed forward with a kunai in hand.
In Fugaku's vision, Gento's face suddenly changed.
It was no longer Gento.
It was Itachi.
His four-year-old eldest son, with those calm, precocious black eyes, was walking toward him.
Fugaku knew this was genjutsu.
He knew that was Gento, not Itachi.
Even so, strangely, no matter what, his fingers refused to move to form hand seals.
"What a powerful genjutsu…"
Fugaku understood that this was because the opponent's genjutsu had already reached an extremely high level.
Even though he had used his Sharingan to reflect it, eliminating most of its effects,
The genjutsu still deceived his subconscious.
"It seems I can only use that move!"
Outside the field, cries of alarm erupted.
"Why isn't Fugaku-sama moving?!"
"It's genjutsu! Gento-sama's genjutsu has immobilized Fugaku-sama!"
"Even the Sharingan can't reflect it? That's impossible!"
...
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