Uchiha Yuan sat calmly in place.
Neither Uchiha Fugaku nor the three elders, nor the two captains from the Police Force, raised any further objections.
The other Uchiha clan members present with three-tomoe Sharingan glanced at one another—none of them stepped forward in opposition either.
Among the Uchiha, those with three-tomoe Sharingan were absolutely considered core members.
Excluding those still on the battlefield and the eight high-ranking Uchiha seated at the front, there were sixteen three-tomoe Sharingan users at Naka Shrine today.
Doing the math, the total number of Uchiha with three-tomoe Sharingan should be fewer than 50.
Of course, that's the number after the Third Great Ninja War.
Even before the war, Uchiha Yuan estimated the total was likely under 100.
The true backbone of the Uchiha was those with one or two tomoe Sharingan.
Just like how the backbone of Konoha was its chunin.
Half of the Uchiha jōnin with three-tomoe Sharingan had fallen in the war; the losses among the one- and two-tomoe users were even worse.
These losses were the main reason why the Uchiha couldn't fully control the Police Force.
As Uchiha Yuan sized up the other three-tomoe members, the clan leadership was pondering: Why did Uchiha Yashiro lose to Yuan in a genjutsu duel?
Among the Uchiha, genjutsu duels essentially came down to a battle of ocular power.
No matter how talented Yuan was, he had only awakened the three-tomoe Sharingan a year ago. Yashiro, on the other hand, was nearly 40 years old and had awakened his three-tomoe in his early 20s. With so many years of accumulation, Yashiro's ocular power should have been superior.
So why did he lose?
"Could it be that Yuan possesses the same eyes as I do?" wondered Uchiha Fugaku at the head seat.
Of course, Yuan hadn't awakened the Mangekyō Sharingan.
According to canon, among the Uchiha clan, only Fugaku—then clan head—had awakened Mangekyō.
When Yuan first awakened his three-tomoe, his ocular power (瞳力) stat was 300. Now, it was nearing 500.
Numerically speaking, Yuan's ocular power with just a three-tomoe Sharingan was nearly twice that of an average three-tomoe user.
So he was confident that, aside from Fugaku, no one else present could surpass him in ocular power.
Yashiro trying to mess with him using genjutsu was just asking to be humiliated.
Yuan had taken the opportunity to crush Yashiro—someone with decades of prestige in the clan—and in doing so, successfully cemented his own presence in front of the Uchiha leadership.
"Ahem... everyone, Yashiro's not feeling well, so let him rest for now. Let's get to the real topic."
"I believe everyone here already knows that Hatake Kakashi, student of Minato Namikaze, has received a Sharingan from our clansman Uchiha Obito. I've gathered you all here to discuss how we should handle this matter."
A clan member asked,
"Clan Head, we'd like to know—did Kakashi forcibly take Obito's eye, or was it a gift?"
"We've already confirmed it: Obito, before dying, gifted the eye to Kakashi," Fugaku replied.
"If that's the case, there's no need to pursue Kakashi's unauthorized transplantation. We should just retrieve the Sharingan, right?"
"That's what I think too. Taking back the eye is enough."
"Shouldn't we respect Obito's final wish? After all, it was his decision to give the eye to Kakashi."
"Obito was just a 12-year-old kid! What would he know? Our clan's kekkei genkai must never be allowed to leak!"
The room buzzed with debate among the three-tomoe Sharingan users.
Fugaku didn't stop them. Instead, he turned to Yuan.
"Yuan, you've returned representing Mei. What's Mei's stance?"
"Mei-senpai wanted to first confirm whether Kakashi forcibly took the eye. If not, he believes we should respect Obito's final wish."
"Respect his wish?" Uchiha Yuu asked. "So Mei thinks we should let our bloodline ability be handed to outsiders?"
"Not at all," Yuan answered. "Mei-senpai simply believes we should respect Obito's choice—as he was one of us.
Of course, our bloodline can't just be given away. Mei-senpai believes we should ask the village for tangible compensation in return."
"So we're putting a price on the Sharingan? Absolutely not!" snapped Uchiha Yuu in opposition.
"Wait a moment, Elder Yuu," said Uchiha Chizan. "I actually think a trade is worth considering."
Yuu was stunned. He hadn't expected Chizan to say that.
"Chizan, do you know what you're saying?" Yuu asked coldly.
"Elder Yuu, do you remember Setsuna?" Chizan asked with a smile.
"You're suggesting we trade this Sharingan for Setsuna's release?"
"No way! Absolutely not. Setsuna was ordered captured by the Second Hokage himself. If we propose using the eye to get him back now, it'll only deepen the village's suspicions of our clan."
"This is a moment where we could use the Sharingan to ease tensions with the village. The war is ending soon—we need to be thinking about the Uchiha's future!" Uchiha Icarus objected immediately.
Even Fugaku's expression changed at the mention of Uchiha Setsuna.
Yuan, meanwhile, was utterly confused. He had no idea who this Setsuna was.
"Elder Icarus, who is this Setsuna?" Yuan asked.
"You're still young—it's normal not to know," Icarus replied. "That guy's a madman.
He was an elite jōnin of our clan, awakened his three-tomoe before age 20, and joined the Police Force.
He inherited Madara's will and ideals. He deeply resented the Second Hokage's policies toward our clan and yearned to wrest back authority from the Senju.
He was a hardcore Hawk faction member who eventually incited rebellion among clan members. The Second Hokage discovered it.
In the end, Setsuna was captured by ANBU and imprisoned."
(To Be Continued...)