Chapter 20 020: What the Hell Are You Looking At, Dumbass!
As Uchiha Fugaku's words faded, low murmurs immediately broke out across the room.
"Does this have something to do with the Nine-Tails?"
"It's possible."
"Lately, I've noticed the other ninja clans in the village looking at us differently."
"The village elders must be making another move."
"Damn it. I heard rumors these past two days claiming that the Nine-Tails' appearance that night was controlled by our clan's Sharingan."
"Someone is trying to drag our name through the mud!"
It had been a long time since the last clan meeting. Calling one now gave many members a bad premonition.
It was simply too much of a coincidence.
How long had it even been since the Night of the Nine-Tails?
Holding a clan meeting at a time like this was obviously related to that night.
"Silence!"
Uchiha Fugaku barked out the order. A red glint flashed in his eyes, which had already transformed into the Sharingan. Three tomoe spun slowly within his irises.
The room instantly fell dead silent.
Meeting Fugaku's gaze sent a chill down the spines of many present, prompting them to uncomfortably lower their heads.
Truth be told, as the head of the Uchiha clan, Fugaku was more than qualified in terms of personal combat strength. After all, he had already earned the moniker Wicked Eye on the battlefield.
The visual prowess of his eyes undoubtedly far surpassed everyone else present. Even among fully matured three-tomoe Sharingan, there were still differences in power.
Seeing the atmosphere return to order, Fugaku's expression grew even more solemn. He took a deep breath and spoke in a heavy tone, "Our Uchiha clan is currently facing a serious problem."
No one made a sound, but many expressions shifted drastically.
For the clan head to say such a thing meant the matter was definitely not trivial.
Sure enough, Fugaku continued, "The village elders have decided to relocate the Uchiha clan to the western edge of the village. They have designated an area there to serve as our new compound."
The crowd seemed unable to process this at first. Many looked bewildered.
Relocate the compound?
What an absurd concept.
They were the Uchiha!
The very same Uchiha who had founded Konoha alongside the Senju!
How dare the village elders even suggest such a thing?
"Impossible! That's absolutely impossible!"
A man leaped to his feet, his eyes glowing crimson as he glared fixedly at Uchiha Fugaku.
"Clan Head, how could this be? We are the Uchiha! How could the village elders make such a decision?"
Others stood up as well, their faces twisting with fury.
"Those damn elders! What exactly are they trying to pull? What gives them the right to treat us like this?"
In an instant, the crowd erupted in righteous indignation.
Every single person present—whether they were usually mild-mannered or the type to constantly preach about Uchiha pride—found this completely unacceptable.
"Yeah! We must demand an explanation from the elders! What are they trying to do?"
"We Uchiha will never accept such humiliation!"
"Exactly! If it comes down to it, we'll go to war with the village!"
"That's right! The elders have always been suppressing us anyway. We might as well use this opportunity to show them the true power of the Uchiha."
It was glaringly obvious to everyone. The village elders' prejudice against the Uchiha was so blatant that no one in the room could stomach it.
Fugaku's expression was grim, but he didn't lose his temper. Instead, he stated darkly, "This was a resolution passed by the Jonin Council."
The moment those words dropped, the clamor in the room came to a screeching halt.
The Jonin Council held a very unique position in the village. While they usually kept a low profile, they wielded immense influence during critical moments.
For instance, high-risk missions in the village, such as A-rank and S-rank assignments, generally required the Jonin Council's review and approval before they could be issued.
Furthermore, the Jonin Council had the authority to discuss and vote on Hokage successions and war mobilizations.
Any other major village affairs also had to pass through their meetings.
Normally, the Hokage held the highest decision-making power in the village and could settle ordinary matters with a single word. However, to ensure fairness, certain decisions required the backing of the Jonin Council.
In other words, anything passed by the Jonin Council represented the consensus of the vast majority of the village.
After all, every Jonin represented either a clan or a prominent family. The collective weight of so many Jonin made the council's importance self-evident.
This was exactly why the Uchiha present were instantly rendered speechless upon hearing that the resolution had been passed by the Jonin Council.
They clearly understood what this meant: it wasn't just the village elders targeting the Uchiha anymore, but the majority of Konoha itself.
No matter how strong the Uchiha were, they couldn't claim to be capable of suppressing the entire village.
"W-Why?"
Someone asked in confusion, their voice stammering.
Fugaku took a deep breath and said solemnly, "I'm sure everyone is well aware of the Nine-Tails' appearance that night. However, I doubt any of you know why it appeared, or what caused it to attack the village."
Many felt their hearts sink as a sense of dread washed over them.
Fugaku continued, "The Nine-Tails was being controlled. And the one controlling it was an Uchiha."
As his words fell, the room grew so deathly quiet that everyone's breathing could be clearly heard.
One man clenched his fists tightly and spoke with a hoarse voice, "Impossible. That's absolutely impossible. That's the Nine-Tails! Who among us has the power to control a monster like that?"
Many nodded in agreement.
But inexplicably, someone cast their gaze toward Uchiha Taiga, who was sitting in the corner.
Taiga, who had been enjoying the show, noticed the stare and looked over. It was Uchiha Hadai, the man who had notified him about the meeting that morning.
"What the hell are you looking at, dumbass!"
Taiga immediately cursed out loud.
His voice wasn't quiet, instantly drawing everyone's attention.
Hadai's gaze couldn't have been more obvious; he was clearly suspicious of Taiga.
So, Taiga didn't hold back in the slightest.
Hearing the insult, Hadai's face twitched violently before he finally looked away.
The others were also unwilling to provoke Taiga—the clan's anomaly—at a time like this, and quickly refocused their attention on Uchiha Fugaku.
Fugaku ignored the brief interruption and said, "I understand why you find it hard to believe, but... it is the truth. Many people saw it with their own eyes that night. The Third Hokage has personally confirmed this, and so has... Uchiha Taiga."
At that, everyone in the room turned their eyes back to Taiga.
They suddenly remembered that the first person to engage the Nine-Tails that night was the very teenager sitting in the corner.
They had subconsciously ignored him earlier... No! To be precise, they had intentionally ignored him.
Because that night, Uchiha Taiga had actually fought the Nine-Tails. Not only that, but he had single-handedly driven the beast out of the village, which undoubtedly proved his immense strength.
It was precisely this strength that most people present were unwilling to acknowledge.
After all, Taiga had always been an outcast within the clan, and their feelings toward him were incredibly complicated.
"That's right, the Nine-Tails was controlled by an Uchiha. Well, isn't everyone pleasantly surprised?"
Taiga didn't coddle them. The corners of his mouth curled up into a confident smirk.
"What's wrong? You're all usually so arrogant, constantly preaching about Uchiha pride. Controlling the Nine-Tails! Do you know how much glory that brings? Think of the prestige! Why aren't you happy?"
Taiga simply stood up, walked to the center of the room, and spoke again while meeting everyone's gazes.
"Smile! Why aren't you smiling? Do you just not like smiling?"
If glares had a temperature, Taiga would have been melted into a puddle by the collective stares of everyone in the room.
The Uchiha clansmen looked at him as if they wanted nothing more than to skin him alive.
"Silence!"
Uchiha Fugaku shouted, stepping down from the head seat and stopping right in front of Taiga.
"What are you trying to do? Hmm?"
Facing the interrogation, Taiga's smile didn't waver. "Nothing much. I just wanted everyone to realize that this is the glory of the Uchiha. After all, that's the Nine-Tails, the strongest of the Tailed Beasts. Being able to control it is pretty damn impressive."