Early the next morning, dark clouds blanketed the sky above Konohagakure, and a light drizzle had been falling steadily since dawn.
Within the Uchiha Clan Compound, the restless anger, agitation, and resentment that had hung over the clan for days had disappeared. In their place was a heavy atmosphere of suppressed grief and solemn sorrow.
Today was the day the Uchiha Clan would hold a clan memorial rite for those who had fallen on the battlefield.
From eighty-year-old elders to three-year-old children, every clan member rose early, changed into black mourning clothes, and prepared themselves for the ceremony.
Although the village would eventually hold a memorial service for all shinobi who died in the war, that event could only take place after the frontline forces—aside from the normal garrison troops—had fully withdrawn. Since no date had been confirmed yet, the Uchiha Clan naturally could not keep waiting and therefore organized their own memorial rite in advance.
Of course, a clan memorial and the village's official ceremony carried different meanings, so holding both was not considered redundant.
In fact, it wasn't only the Uchiha. Most ninja clans—and even many civilian shinobi families—in Konoha did the same thing, merely on different scales.
Well… not exactly the same.
Compared with the other clans, the Uchiha Clan's memorial rite had one key difference.
It was held at the Uchiha ancestral grounds.
The ancestral grounds of the Uchiha were located along the banks of the Naka River, south of Konoha, where the Naka Shrine stood. The Uchiha had lived there for thousands of years, generation after generation.
In fact, Konohagakure itself had originally been built upon the Uchiha's territory.
In a sense, all the land currently used by the village had once belonged to the Uchiha decades ago.
However, when they allied with the Senju Clan to establish the village, the Uchiha donated all that land without compensation.
Yet in the original history, after the Nine-Tails Attack, the village used that incident as an excuse to expel the Uchiha from the new clan district near the center of Konoha, forcing them back to their old ancestral grounds.
Such a fate…
was truly tragic.
By around eight o'clock, the members of the Uchiha Clan stepped out of their homes and gathered in the clan square.
No commands were needed.
Everyone instinctively remained silent, simply waiting quietly.
Once everyone had assembled, Uchiha Fugaku, the clan head, raised his hand slightly and led thousands of Uchiha clan members out of the compound.
The civilians walked in the middle, while Uchiha shinobi guarded the perimeter. The thousands of people formed a long, solemn procession.
The Root and ANBU operatives who had previously been openly stationed outside the clan compound had already withdrawn several hundred meters away, hiding their presence.
They had indeed received orders to prevent the Uchiha from leaving the compound at will.
But attending a clan memorial ceremony was hardly something trivial.
None of them dared provoke the Uchiha at such a moment.
Nor did the civilians along the streets dare gossip as they usually would when they saw the Uchiha procession.
They weren't fools.
Picking trouble with the Uchiha today would likely get them killed on the spot—and their deaths would mean nothing.
Thus, the Uchiha procession smoothly arrived at the Naka Shrine on the banks of the Naka River.
After several shinobi spread out to stand guard, a few Uchiha clan elders stepped forward and began presiding over the memorial ceremony.
This memorial rite was different from previous years.
Not only would they honor the Uchiha who had fallen in battle, they would also perform ancestral rites.
The ceremony would last the entire day.
And all of this—
was preparation for the Uchiha Clan Assembly that would take place that night.
Every Uchiha had heard at least something about the reason behind tonight's meeting. They knew this assembly might determine the fate of the entire clan.
Therefore, not a single person complained.
And it wasn't just the Uchiha.
Because Uchiha Ren had made no effort to conceal it, many factions within Konoha were also aware of the importance of this meeting.
All eyes were fixed on the Uchiha.
Inside the Hokage Office, Hiruzen Sarutobi was even wearing battle armor beneath his Hokage robes, prepared for any emergency.
Meanwhile, 1,200 elite shinobi drawn from Root, ANBU, and the ninja recently withdrawn from the front lines had already been secretly deployed.
They were hidden throughout the village under the command of Minato Namikaze, waiting for orders.
Even Orochimaru, who had not been seen for days, had been dragged out of his laboratory by Hiruzen and placed on standby inside the Hokage Tower.
The rain grew heavier.
The dark clouds thickened.
And the atmosphere within Konoha became increasingly oppressive, filled with the tension of imminent danger, as though every rustling leaf might conceal an enemy.
Everyone was waiting.
Waiting for the outcome of the Uchiha Clan Assembly.
At that very moment, on a small riverbank along the Naka River, Uchiha Ren sat calmly on a large rock wearing a straw raincoat, leisurely fishing despite the rain.
Behind him stood Uchiha Shisui, whom he had not seen for several days. Shisui's expression was grave as he reported something to Ren .
"Brother Ren , the Fire Daimyō has agreed to our request… but he also set a very harsh condition."
Shisui looked exhausted. For the sake of Ren 's contingency plan, he had been running back and forth between Konoha and the Daimyō's court for several days without proper rest.
Ren 's expression did not change.
"Why didn't you contact me directly using a summoning animal while you were at the Daimyō's residence?"
Shisui explained,
"The condition is harsh, but the Daimyō doesn't seem worried we'll refuse. He's already given me what we wanted and told us to take our time considering it."
Ren asked calmly,
"What condition?"
"A political marriage," Shisui said with a bitter smile.
"The Daimyō said that when his court cooperated with the Senju Clan in the past, their relationship was secured through marriage. Naturally, the Uchiha Clan shouldn't be an exception."
Ren raised an eyebrow.
"Our clan doesn't exactly have any outstanding unmarried women recently…"
He paused, then looked at Shisui.
"So the Daimyō has taken a liking to you? Planning to make you his son-in-law?"
"Not me," Shisui shook his head.
"If it were me, it wouldn't be such a harsh condition. I'd be willing to make that sacrifice for the clan. But unfortunately, my status isn't high enough."
"The Daimyō wants the Uchiha Clan Head… or the clan head's son."
Ren frowned.
"That's troublesome. Fugaku is already married, and Itachi is only five or six years old this year."
Shisui hesitated for a moment before carefully reminding him:
"Brother Ren … don't forget."
"After tonight…"
"You will be the Uchiha Clan Head."
"Me?!"
Ren looked up sharply, staring at Shisui in surprise.
"That's right."
Shisui nodded, confirming that Ren had heard correctly.
Ren 's expression turned serious.
This condition…
was indeed extremely harsh.
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