As the saying goes, plans can't keep up with changes. Life's journey is always full of unpredictable twists, but Sogen didn't mind these surprises. A future you could see coming a mile away was boring enough to sap anyone's drive. An unknown, uncertain, chaotic future? Now *that* was something worth looking forward to, worth chasing!
Whatever others might think, Sogen thrived on the thrill of a life full of excitement. It made him feel truly alive.
"Man, I underestimated you, Clan Head. A triple-shot move? That's some slick strategy…" Sogen muttered to himself.
He strode quickly along the slate path, cherry blossom trees in full bloom overhead, their delicate fragrance drifting through the air. But inside, his heart burned like a wildfire, his fighting spirit ignited, his scarlet eyes gleaming with determination.
Instead of heading straight home after leaving the clan head's mansion, Sogen took a detour, following the shortest route he'd mapped out in his mind. One by one, he rallied his staunchest supporters: Uchiha Arashiyama, Uchiha Chihaya, Uchiha Akutaro, Uchiha Futaba, Uchiha Jun, Uchiha Hokuto… and finally, even Shisui joined the crew.
"Sogen, isn't this… a bit too soon?" Shisui asked, his voice tinged with unease. Deciding to join didn't mean he'd fully shaken off his doubts. He was the type who was born to worry.
"No time to wait," Sogen said, shaking his head. "If we let tonight slip by, we might all be shipped off to the border by tomorrow. Eating sand or choking down sea fish for the rest of our days."
"I *hate* seafood," Chihaya grumbled, her overly serious personality making her scowl. As Sogen's childhood friend and a comrade who'd fought alongside him on the eastern front, she'd had her fill of poorly cooked seafood during their battles against the Mist ninja. The chefs' half-hearted efforts had everyone gagging, and over time, the whole group—including Sogen—had grown to despise it.
"Exactly! So to avoid a life of seafood, we've gotta pull off this coup tonight! Otherwise, it's either swallowing fish or drawing swords against those old geezers," Sogen said, rallying the group.
"I say we take out that old creep Danzo," Hokuto, the group's hotheaded troublemaker, said with a grin, gripping the hilt of his tanto tightly. The kid had no concept of fear—always ready to pick a fight, like a scrappy rooster.
"What're you yapping about? Sogen's gonna be clan head tonight, and then we'll have plenty of ways to deal with Danzo," Arashiyama said, smacking Hokuto on the back of the head to rein in the feisty kid.
Under the cherry blossoms, the group of young Uchiha marched noisily along the slate path, drawing curious glances from clan members at home. When people noticed that every one of them was a Jonin, the sharper minds in the clan started whispering. Were these kids plotting something big? Maybe even pushing the clan head to stage a coup?
Sogen didn't have time for their conspiracy theories. After gathering his core team, he led them straight to his house. His parents were at their workshop, his little sister was at the ninja academy, and the only one home was his grandfather, Uchiha Genshi, sitting under an old cherry tree, sipping sake and admiring the flowers.
"Grandpa," Sogen said, approaching.
"Ready to start?" Genshi asked calmly, as if he didn't notice the group trailing behind his grandson. He poured deep red sake from a bottle into a ceramic bowl, the liquid swirling gently.
"Yeah. The clan head's thrown me a tough one. If I don't pull this off tonight, I'm off to the border guard tomorrow. And knowing the village higher-ups, if I step foot outside the village, they'll make sure I don't reach the border alive," Sogen said seriously.
"Not a bad move. Guess we old-timers weren't totally blind when we backed Fugaku as clan head," Genshi said, his tone neutral.
"No, the stronger the clan head is, the worse it'll be for the clan if he gives up on us," Sogen said firmly. In the original story, monsters like Uchiha Itachi and Uchiha Obito had wiped out the entire Uchiha clan, and Fugaku's decision to not resist played a huge role in that disaster. The clan had plenty of battle-hardened Jonin—some even capable of going toe-to-toe with Kakashi years later. But without a clan head to lead and unify them, the panicked clan fought scattered and was picked off one by one, allowing the Leaf's most powerful clan to fall without much of a fight.
"Sogen, why are you so sure Fugaku would abandon the clan?" Genshi asked.
"Just a gut feeling," Sogen said bluntly.
Sure, some things might not happen the same way now, but that didn't mean he was ready to cozy up to Fugaku and Itachi. Plain and simple, he didn't like that father-son duo.
Genshi stared at Sogen for a good seven or eight seconds, then looked away, downing the sake in his bowl in one gulp. He set the empty bowl on the stone beside him and asked, "So, what's your plan?"
"Grandpa, I need you to get Elder Ryūji and Elder Himaru. Use your authority as elders to call a clan meeting at the Naka Shrine."
"That's not enough," Genshi said, shaking his head and holding up three fingers. "Just the three of us won't cut it. If the other three elders don't back you, and the clan head opposes it, the request for an emergency meeting won't pass. You need at least four elders to avoid any surprises."
His gaze shifted to Shisui, standing a short distance behind Sogen.
The Uchiha clan currently had six elders assisting the clan head. Genshi, Sogen's grandfather, was naturally on his side. Elder Ryūji, a close friend of Genshi's, was the grandfather of Chihaya, Sogen's childhood friend and the group's slightly airheaded beauty. Then there was Elder Himaru, who'd voiced his support for Sogen the previous night. That made three.
"Shisui, I need you to convince Elder Jun to back me," Sogen said, turning to face Shisui directly, his eyes locking onto his.
Despite Shisui's lack of close friends in the clan, he had the support of Elder Jun, the younger cousin of the legendary Uchiha Kagami. Unlike his short-lived cousin, Jun was not only still alive but also a respected elder.
"I… alright, I'll do it," Shisui said after a brief hesitation.
"Thanks, Shisui. I'm counting on you," Sogen said, not wasting time debating.
Calling a meeting at the Naka Shrine was just the first step. He'd need more clan members on his side. Something as major as changing the clan head couldn't be decided by a few elders alone. The Uchiha, with their long tradition of clan meetings, valued the opinions of their members—well, at least the ninja among them. Non-ninja clan members didn't get a say in these matters.
To gain the upper hand at the meeting, Sogen needed to rally as much support as possible before it began. Luckily, his tight-knit crew could help him pull in more backers.
*Hey, if you guys think this story's decent, toss me a vote, even just one! Your votes keep me motivated to keep writing!*
(End of Chapter)