After the incident at the village entrance, Uchiha Douhuan, having obtained what he wanted, returned to the clan lands alongside his clansmen.
On the way back, some radical clansmen harbored a desire to say something, but upon seeing Uchiha Douhuan's back, they wisely kept their mouths shut.
Upon returning to the clan lands, Uchiha Douhuan turned around and said, "I know everyone has a lot of doubts. So, while everyone is here, let us hold a clan meeting."
Naturally, the people present had no objections. The lamps inside the clan shrine were lit, but when Uchiha Douhuan took his seat, he took the premier position directly below Uchiha Fugaku without a moment's hesitation.
At this, the various clan elders exchanged glances, tacitly accepting the reality. The Uchiha clan respected strength above all; even if Uchiha Douhuan, who had awakened the Mangekyo Sharingan, wanted to become the clan head, they would support him.
As for Uchiha Fugaku, who had remained silent the entire journey, he simply glanced at Uchiha Douhuan and continued to keep silent.
"Are all the ninja in the clan at the rank of Chunin and above present?" Uchiha Douhuan asked after everyone had taken their seats in turn.
"All are present," Uchiha Inabi replied first.
"Good. Then, the first matter: I am going to become the head of the Uchiha clan. Who is in favor, and who is against?" Uchiha Douhuan dropped a bombshell right at the start.
Compared to playing political games with the Hokage's faction, when it came to internal clan issues, Uchiha Douhuan chose the simplest and most brutal approach.
Upon hearing this, the clansmen present instantly descended into chaos. Shisui and Itachi in the crowd looked at Uchiha Douhuan with incredulous eyes.
At that moment, a dove faction elder gathered his thoughts before speaking, "Douhuan, now that you have awakened the Mangekyo Sharingan, logically speaking, there is no problem with you taking the position of clan head. However, for so many years you have hardly participated in clan meetings and don't understand the clan's issues very well. Taking the position of clan head so abruptly is still rushing things."
"That's right, Douhuan. You should first understand the situation within the clan and become clan head in a year or two," a radical elder also spoke up in support. Judging from Uchiha Douhuan's speech at the village entrance just moments ago, it seemed Uchiha Douhuan was not standing on their side.
"Heh," Uchiha Douhuan gave a contemptuous laugh. "I understand the situation within the clan extremely well, and that is precisely why I don't attend the clan meetings."
"Tell me, after so many years of clan meetings, what results have you managed to discuss?" Uchiha Douhuan pressed his hands against the table, scrutinizing every single elder sitting in the front rows. "Are you going to launch a direct armed rebellion, or simply surrender and yield to the village? If you had managed to discuss and reach a single definitive conclusion, I wouldn't be sitting here today."
"Disorderly bickering can only drag the clan down into chaos and the abyss. What the Uchiha clan needs is not these endless clan meetings, but a leader who can guide the clansmen out of adversity. The clan only needs one voice!"
Uchiha Douhuan's words were deafening. The clansmen looked at one another, plunging into silence for a moment.
"I support Douhuan in becoming clan head!" At that moment, Uchiha Inabi stepped forward, breaking the silence first.
The feat he had witnessed today, where Uchiha Douhuan had casually slaughtered nearly a hundred Root ninja all by himself, had turned him into a zealous devotee of Uchiha Douhuan.
"Douhuan possesses the Mangekyo Sharingan! I also support him becoming clan head!" Uchiha Zaido chimed in with his support as well.
Soon, led by the two of them, the young and able-bodied members of the clan voiced their support for Uchiha Douhuan to become clan head one after another.
"Enough!" Uchiha Fugaku suddenly spoke up, suppressing the commotion in the assembly hall. Then, he looked at Uchiha Douhuan. "Douhuan, judging by your intentions, you must already have a plan."
"Since I am standing here, I naturally already have a mature plan. Surely, with Clan Head Fugaku's insight, you can already see the future of our clan, can you not?" Uchiha Douhuan met Uchiha Fugaku's eyes directly as he spoke.
Although Uchiha Douhuan spoke somewhat cryptically, Fugaku understood his meaning—Uchiha Douhuan had likely guessed that he also possessed a pair of Mangekyo Sharingan.
Even though he could retain his position as clan head right now simply by revealing his own Mangekyo, could he really afford to expose them?
If there were only one pair of Mangekyo, perhaps some in the clan could still maintain their composure. But once his pair of Mangekyo were exposed to the outside, the very last shred of calmness within the entire Uchiha clan would vanish completely. At that point, rebellion would become an absolute certainty, whether they wanted it or not.
Uchiha Fugaku looked at Uchiha Douhuan with a profound gaze. After a long while, he finally spoke, "So be it. The clan has fallen into its current plight, and as its head, I cannot shirk the blame. Douhuan, the clan is yours now."
"Lord Clan Head!"
"Father!"
Itachi and Shisui instantly panicked. Unlike the other clansmen, they clearly knew the extent of Uchiha Douhuan's madness. Although Uchiha Douhuan's speech at the village entrance earlier had seemingly aligned with the village's perspective, Uchiha Shisui still remembered the crazy remarks Uchiha Douhuan made last night crystal clear.
"Do not let the clansmen down, Douhuan." Uchiha Fugaku ignored Shisui and his own son, gently patted Uchiha Douhuan on the shoulder, and stepped aside from his seat.
Before heading to the village entrance earlier, Uchiha Fugaku had already used his Mangekyo Sharingan—which was capable of seeing fragmented glimpses of the future—to foresee everything. Uchiha Douhuan's appearance had caused unexpected changes to the future. Though it was still not entirely clear, at the very least, it was far better than the original future where not a shred of hope could be seen. Therefore, at this moment, Uchiha Fugaku felt no lingering attachment to the position of clan head.
"It is exactly what I wished for." Uchiha Douhuan walked over to Fugaku's seat. Instead of sitting down immediately, he looked at the elite members of the Uchiha clan before him and slowly began to speak: "Since ancient times, the Uchiha clan has been a glorious clan, yet we are merely encountering a slight adversity now. I will lead everyone to reforge the glory of the Uchiha, and this glory is not something I will enjoy alone."
"Obey Lord Clan Head's orders! Loyal! Faithful!" Uchiha Inabi, already a devoted little fanboy of Uchiha Douhuan, imitated the gesture Uchiha Douhuan had made earlier at the village entrance and saluted sharply!
With someone taking the lead, the young members of the Uchiha clan—save for Shisui and Itachi—all stood up in unison and saluted.
"Loyal! Faithful!"
Seeing this, the few clan elders who still harbored doubts about Uchiha Douhuan succeeding as clan head had no choice but to remain silent.
Uchiha Douhuan looked at the people below with satisfaction. Although most of the Uchiha clan lacked brains, as long as they had a core pillar to rally around, their loyalty was entirely trustworthy.
"Next, I am announcing two matters." Uchiha Douhuan signaled for everyone to quiet down.