After Yuhara's position as clan leader was officially confirmed, the attending clan members quietly took their leave.
However, Yuhara, Shisui, Uchiha Sō, and Uchiha Takechi remained behind—and even Fugaku, who had planned to leave, was asked to stay.
Yuhara becoming clan head marked the end of one phase, but there were still many follow-up matters that needed handling.
For instance, after a discussion, both Takechi and Sō agreed the clan should hold a celebration to boost morale.
Yuhara didn't object—morale was definitely important for the battles ahead.
"Hold it tomorrow? Is that even possible? We haven't informed Konoha yet, and the Guard Division stuff still isn't settled, right?"
Yuhara was full of question marks—this felt a bit rushed to him.
"Well, Clan Leader Yuhara,"
Fugaku, now acting in place of Sō and the others, stepped in to explain.
"Now that you're the Uchiha clan head, you also inherit the position of head of the Guard Division by default."
"Though I still need to prepare a formal resignation file for the division, that's just procedure—we'll notify Konoha afterward."
Yuhara nodded at the explanation. Damn, they really did treat the Guard Division like it was their family business.
Even though he understood how this kind of thing worked in that one island nation from his past life, it still felt a little weird to him.
Of course, he wasn't planning to manage the Guard the same way. He knew Sō and Takechi understood that too.
He was already thinking about restructuring parts of the Guard—personnel and positions included.
And now that he was clan head, the most pressing matter was the relationship between the Uchiha and the Hokage faction.
The Hokage might lead Konoha—but Konoha does not belong to the Hokage. That distinction was crucial.
Konoha was made up of ninja clans and tens of thousands of civilians. Yuhara knew the rift between the Uchiha and the current Hokage faction ran deep.
His talk with Nara Kotoha and the original story made it clear: many clans weren't happy with the Third Hokage's leadership—especially after what happened to the Hyūga.
Now that he was clan head, Yuhara had to respond to the goodwill shown by the Nara.
Not to mention, he'd already mapped out the future of the Guard. If the Hokage faction wanted the Uchiha to keep taking the heat quietly...
If they were going to manipulate public opinion to smear the clan...
Then fine. Yuhara would open the Guard Division to all ninja in the village.
Let's see if the Hokage loyalists still dared to keep spreading lies.
"Alright, we'll hold the celebration tomorrow—so long as security's airtight."
With his decision made, Yuhara organized his thoughts and continued.
"After the celebration, the real work begins. Elders, select a few clans—we're going to visit their leaders, Shisui and I."
"Visit... their leaders?"
His words made Sō and Fugaku raise their eyebrows. Takechi's face looked downright uncomfortable.
"Clan Leader, you're the head of the Uchiha. Visiting other clan leaders... that might be beneath your—"
"I understand, Elder Takechi."
Yuhara didn't let him finish, but he remained respectful.
"But I assume Elder Sō's told you about my plans for the Uchiha's future—especially the Guard Division."
"Yes, he has," Takechi nodded. He was aware of it.
Fugaku, on the other hand, looked a bit puzzled—he honestly didn't know much about these things anymore. As a former clan leader, he really had no place in this meeting, so he chose to stay silent.
"Then you should understand we need allies."
"Didn't I say it already? Many of Konoha's top clans aren't exactly thrilled with the Third Hokage right now, especially after the Hyūga incident."
Yuhara smiled faintly, letting his gaze drift toward Fugaku. He knew the man was listening.
But he didn't care if Fugaku heard this—none of it was a secret.
In fact, he wanted Fugaku—the man with Mangekyō—to feel included. Sharing semi-confidential info was his way of showing trust.
Honestly, Yuhara didn't want to be too cautious around him. Fugaku's earlier actions had genuinely moved him.
But still—this guy's son was Itachi. And in the original timeline, he had some seriously shady moments.
Yuhara knew Fugaku hadn't contacted Itachi for a month, but Itachi had already met the Third, and maybe even Danzō.
Worse, Itachi now had Mangekyō.
There was no telling what he'd do next—Yuhara couldn't afford to let his guard down.
He was reasonably sure Fugaku wouldn't betray him—based on what he'd seen so far.
But in canon, the man saw Itachi show him a vision of Konoha's "future," and then... just gave up and waited to die.
No resistance. No fight. Just "okay, son, go ahead."
Was that because his fatherly instincts kicked in?
Or was it guilt—wanting to die with the clan after failing them?
If it was the first, Yuhara had to be careful.
If it was the second, then once he confirmed a few things, he could fully trust him.
Lack of initiative could be fixed—just guide him toward what needed to be done. After all, he wasn't clan head anymore.
"You mean, while visiting, you'll be subtly sharing some key messages?"
Takechi wasn't dumb. He'd been in the political trenches a long time. His personality might've made him miss a few things—but he understood perfectly now.
"If that's the case, then yes—those visits would be valuable."
"Then it's settled. You two draft the list."
Yuhara finalized the matter, and Shisui nodded seriously in agreement.
"One more thing—if we want to change this clan, there are some things we must do. Otherwise, what's the point of me being clan head?"
"Also—do not slack on security. We're still in a vulnerable position."
"Yes, Clan Leader!"
Even Fugaku responded loudly with the others. Then they all stood and took their leave.
Yuhara stood too, but he didn't exit just yet—not because he had anything left to do.
But because, right in his vision, the system that had forcefully bound him to the Uchiha... was changing again.
(End of Chapter)