Chapter 261: 260-Systemic Isolation
The murmurs in the great hall rumbled like the low growl of a storm on the horizon, filling the space with uneasy tension. Shinobi leaned in toward one another, their voices hushed but urgent, as the dissatisfaction spread like wildfire.
At the head of the room, Fugaku Uchiha stood tall, his face impassive as he allowed the whispers to fill the hall. His sharp eyes scanned the crowd, waiting for the restless murmurs to settle before continuing his address.
Beside him, Daichi sat with his usual stoic expression, his posture as rigid as ever. His face, like a stone mask, gave nothing away. To anyone else, he might have appeared indifferent, but Renjiro knew better.
Daichi was calculating, always watching, always measuring the room. The two other clan elders flanked them, both similarly unreadable, yet their silence spoke volumes. They were biding their time, waiting for Fugaku to continue, as if waiting to gauge the exact temperature of the room before reacting.
Renjiro stood among the gathered shinobi, his dark eyes watching the exchange from a distance. He leaned casually against a pillar, arms folded across his chest, seemingly unaffected by the rising tension around him. But inside, he was alert, keenly observing the mood of the clan. His thoughts wandered briefly as he assessed the situation.
'This is only going to get worse,' Renjiro mused silently. 'I can already tell.'
Fugaku finally raised his hand for silence, and the room fell into a grudging quiet. His voice, when he spoke again, was even, calm, and authoritative—though it did little to ease the bubbling unrest.
"In addition to the reduction in mission quotas, we've received notice from the Hokage's office that the salaries of those working in the Uchiha Police Force will also be reduced."
It was as if Fugaku had thrown a lit match into a dry forest. The room erupted almost instantly. Angry voices filled the air, louder and more forceful than before. The initial grumbling had been just that—grumbling—but this was something else. This was full-blown outrage.
"What?!" A shinobi from the back row shot to his feet, his eyes blazing with fury.
"How are we supposed to support our families if our mission earnings are slashed, and now our salaries too? How does the village expect us to survive?"
He wasn't alone. The crowd was growing restless, more shinobi adding their voices to the growing storm. Renjiro watched, his arms still crossed, but his mind was racing.
He could hear the anger in the voices, could see the way frustration rippled through the room like a wave, and he knew—this wasn't just about money. This was about respect. Or rather, the lack of it.
'Wait… if the mistreatment of the Uchiha started this early, I can't really blame them for their attempted coup in the future,' Renjiro thought to himself. His gaze drifted over the crowd, watching the tension escalate.
'But what kept them from taking such radical measures almost two decades from now?'
It was a valid question. The clan's pride was undeniable. The Uchiha had always felt they deserved more than they received from the village, and rightly so. But there had been no coup—yet. So what had held them back all these years?
Renjiro couldn't shake the feeling that he was witnessing the early signs of a much larger problem. The Uchiha were being mistreated, yes, but he hadn't realized just how deeply the resentment ran when he passed through the different media of the franchise. Now, watching it all unfold in front of him, he could see the cracks starting to form.
Another shinobi spoke up, his voice sharp with frustration. "The village just opened new mines recently! We all know they're making more money than ever. Don't tell us this is about 'economic struggles'—the village is deliberately cutting our funding!"
The room exploded again, voices rising as more shinobi added their complaints to the mix. Renjiro turned his head slightly, glancing at Kagami, who stood beside him, arms crossed as he frowned at the chaos unfolding before them.
"This isn't right," Kagami muttered under his breath, his frustration clear.
"How are we supposed to protect the village if they keep cutting our resources?"
Renjiro glanced at his old friend, his brow furrowing slightly. "It's not about protecting the village anymore. This is about keeping us in check."
Kagami didn't respond, but Renjiro could see the same realization dawning in his eyes. The truth was hard to ignore. The Uchiha clan was being systematically weakened, their influence curtailed, and their power kept at arm's length.
And now, with the cuts to both mission quotas and salaries, it was clear that the village leadership wanted to keep them even more isolated.
As the unrest in the hall grew louder, Fugaku tried once again to bring order to the meeting, but the voices of dissent were too many, too strong. It wasn't until Daichi spoke that the room fell into a tense silence.
"Enough," Daichi's voice cut through the air like a sharp blade.
He didn't shout, but his tone was cold and commanding, the kind that demanded obedience. The crowd quieted almost immediately, though Renjiro could still feel the tension simmering beneath the surface.
"The decisions made by the village leadership are final," Daichi said, his gaze sweeping across the room. "We will continue to fulfil our duties to Konoha, as we always have. The Uchiha clan is strong. We will endure these hardships."
There was a long, uncomfortable silence. No one dared to speak up again, but the discontent was still palpable, like the lingering smell of smoke after a fire. Slowly, reluctantly, the shinobi began to settle back into their seats, though their anger was far from quenched.
Renjiro let out a quiet breath, his mind still racing. 'So this is how it begins,' he thought, the weight of the situation settling heavily on his shoulders.
'So this is how the Uchiha rebellion takes root.'
The meeting continued in tense silence, with Fugaku and the other elders moving through the remaining agenda items quickly. They voted on a few minor matters affecting the clan—none of which seemed to hold much significance given the larger issues at hand. Finally, after what felt like an eternity, the meeting began to wind down and then it came to an end.
"Thank you all for attending," Daichi said smoothly, though his voice was laced with finality. "We will reconvene when necessary. Dismissed."
The shinobi in the hall slowly began to file out, though the air was still thick with resentment. Renjiro glanced at Kagami and Obito, giving them a brief nod as he prepared to leave. But before he could take more than a few steps, a young Uchiha approached him, bowing respectfully.
"Renjiro-san," the boy said, his voice polite but nervous. "Daichi-sama requests your presence in his office."
Renjiro raised an eyebrow, his curiosity piqued. 'Daichi wants to speak with me?' he thought, his mind immediately racing through possibilities.
He glanced back at Kagami and Obito, offering them a small shrug.
"I guess I'll be heading off now," Renjiro said with a smirk, though his thoughts were far from light. "Daichi wants a word."
Kagami chuckled softly, shaking his head. "Good luck with that. Let's hope it's nothing too serious."
Obito, ever curious, blinked up at him with wide eyes. "See you around, Renjiro-san."
With that, Renjiro made his way through the twisting corridors of the Uchiha headquarters, his thoughts still lingering on the tension in the hall. The resentment in the clan was growing, and it was only a matter of time before something snapped. Fortunately, Renjiro knew that the resentment would fester for about two decades before the clan decided to take action.
But for now, he had more immediate concerns—namely, whatever Daichi wanted from him.
When Renjiro arrived at Daichi's office, the door was slightly ajar. He pushed it open and stepped inside, expecting to wait. But to his surprise, Daichi was already there, seated calmly behind his desk, hands clasped together.
'Strange… I just left him in the hall,' Renjiro thought, narrowing his eyes slightly.
'A shadow clone, maybe?'
Daichi looked up, offering Renjiro a faint, knowing smile. "Renjiro," he greeted him warmly, his tone disarming.
"I've been hearing interesting things about you."
Renjiro tilted his head, intrigued. "Interesting things, huh?"
Daichi's smile widened ever so slightly. "I heard that you joined the ANBU."
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