As the saying goes, plans never keep up with changes. Life's journey is always full of unpredictable surprises. But Rēn didn't dislike such surprises. A future that can be seen through at a glance is dull enough to kill one's motivation. It's the unknown, the unpredictable, the chaotic future that's worth looking forward to and chasing!
No matter how others saw it, Rēn liked this kind of life—one filled with tension and excitement.
It made him feel truly alive.
Under his breath, he muttered, "I underestimated you, Clan Head. A move that hits three targets with one arrow. Quite impressive…"
He walked quickly along the stone-paved road beneath blooming sakura trees. The breeze carried an elegant, refreshing fragrance, but inside Rēn burned a fire that fueled his fighting spirit. His crimson eyes were focused and sharp.
After leaving the clan head's estate, Rēn didn't return home immediately. Instead, he took the shortest path in his mind to circle around and began gathering his core allies.
Uchiha Ranzan.
Uchiha Chihaya.
Uchiha Akitarō.
Uchiha Futaba.
Uchiha Jun.
Uchiha Hokuto.
One by one, all loyal supporters were brought together.
Even Shisui joined in the end.
"Rēn, doing this now… isn't it too fast?" Shisui was uneasy. Even though he had made up his mind, that didn't mean his doubts had vanished. He was simply the kind of person who couldn't stop worrying.
"We do not have enough time."
Rēn shook his head lightly. "If we wait past tonight, we'll probably be sent to the border. It'll be nothing but sand or seaweed from then on."
"I hate seafood," said Chihaya with a frown. She was overly serious by nature and a bit of a hopeless beauty. As Rēn's childhood friend, they had fought together on the eastern front. Back when they were slaughtering Mist shinobi by the dozens, they had also choked down random seafood.
Mostly because the cooks were terrible.
They just threw things together however they wanted. Everyone forced themselves to eat whatever came out of the pot. After a while, they all grew sick of it. Rēn included.
"So, if we don't want to eat seafood again, we need to succeed tonight. Otherwise, it's either seaweed stew or fighting those old bastards head-on." Rēn encouraged them.
"Then I'll go with chopping down Danzō," Hokuto said, gripping the handle of his sword with an eager smile. The kid had no concept of fear. Like a rooster looking for a fight, he was always ready to throw hands.
"Watch your mouth. Rēn is becoming clan head tonight. Once he's in charge, we'll deal with Danzō properly."
Ranzan smacked the back of Hokuto's head to shut the hothead up.
Under the cherry trees, their group of young shinobi made a noisy spectacle walking down the cobbled street. They drew attention from many clansmen at home. Once people realized that everyone in this group was a jōnin, those with sharp minds started guessing that something big was about to happen. Some suspected they were about to stage a coup with the clan head's support.
Rēn didn't waste time on the clan's conspiracy theorists. After gathering his squad, he led them straight back to his home. At this hour, his parents were at their workshop, and his younger sister was at the Ninja Academy. Only Uchiha Genshi was in the yard, sitting under the old cherry tree and enjoying the flowers.
"Grandpa."
Rēn stepped forward.
"Ready to begin?" Genshi acted like he didn't see the people trailing behind his grandson. Calmly, he poured wine from the bottle into a handmade clay bowl. The deep red liquid swirled inside.
"Yes. The clan head gave me quite a dilemma. If I can't achieve my goal tonight, I'll be transferred to the border defense unit tomorrow. From what I know of the higher-ups, if I step outside the village, they won't let me reach the border alive."
Rēn spoke seriously.
"Clever tactic. Seems we weren't entirely blind when we supported Fugaku as clan head."
"No. The more capable Fugaku is, the more damage he'll cause when he gives up on the clan." Rēn's attitude remained firm. The Uchiha massacre carried out by Itachi and Obito had succeeded precisely because Fugaku chose not to resist.
There were many veteran jōnin in the clan, some of whom could match someone like Kakashi years later. But because the clan head never took command, the clan scattered in chaos. Without a unified defense, they were taken down one by one. Konoha's strongest clan fell without inflicting any real damage.
"Why are you so sure Fugaku will give up on the clan?"
"Just a gut feeling."
Rēn answered plainly.
Even if things didn't play out the same as before, that didn't mean he was ready to smile and play nice with Fugaku and his son.
To put it simply—he didn't like them. And fortunately, he was not in a position where he had to pretend he did.
Genshi stared at him for several seconds, then looked away. He tilted his head back and emptied the wine bowl. After placing it beside him, he asked, "So, what's your plan?"
"Grandpa, I need you to speak with Elder Ryūji and Elder Homaru. Use the authority of the elders to call for an assembly at the Naka Shrine."
"Not enough."
Genshi shook his head and raised three fingers.
"Just the three of us won't do. If the other three elders oppose us, and the clan head does too, then the request for an emergency assembly won't be approved. We need at least four. One more to avoid complications."
As he spoke, he looked past Rēn—at Shisui.
Currently, the Uchiha clan had six elders who assisted the clan head. Genshi, Rēn's grandfather, was a guaranteed supporter. Elder Ryūji was Genshi's close friend, and his granddaughter was none other than Chihaya—Rēn's childhood friend. Then there was Elder Homaru, who declared his support just last night.
That made three.
"Shisui, I need you to convince Elder Jun to support me."
Rēn turned and looked Shisui straight in the eye as he made the request.
Shisui might not have many close friends in the clan, but behind him stood Elder Jun—none other than the direct cousin of the famous Uchiha Kagami. Unlike his short-lived cousin, Elder Jun had survived and remained one of the clan's elders.
"I… I understand."
Shisui hesitated for a second, then agreed.
"I'm counting on you, Shisui."
Rēn didn't waste time dragging it out. Calling an assembly at the Naka Shrine was just the beginning. He needed more support from within the clan. The succession of a new clan head wasn't something a few elders could decide by clapping their hands. The Uchiha had a long-standing assembly tradition and took internal opinion seriously.
Of course,
Every participant in the assembly was a ninja. Ordinary non-shinobi members of the clan wouldn't be involved in such matters.
To secure the majority at the assembly, Rēn needed to gather as much support as possible before it started.
Fortunately, His team could help contact many of those potential supporters.