Naruto : Blazing Legend

Chapter 17: Changing the Status Quo

"Uchiha Rei!"

The shout cut through the musty air of the council chamber like a blade. Elder Goro's voice cracked with frustration—this was the fourth time he'd called my name, each iteration more desperate than the last. His graying hair, still fuller than his colleagues', trembled as he leaned forward in his seat.

I blinked slowly, the weight of reality settling back onto my shoulders. Minutes had passed while my mind wandered through the labyrinth of Uchiha's future—or lack thereof. The faces of Danzo and the Third Hokage flickered behind my eyelids, their calculating stares measuring my clan like livestock at auction. Every potential solution I'd considered felt like grasping smoke.

"You insolent brat!" Goro snarled, spittle flying from his lips. "How dare you ignore us? Do our words mean nothing to you?"

The other elders bristled with indignation, their ancient pride wounded. Only Elder Yun remained serene, that unsettling smile never leaving his weathered face—a expression I'd come to associate with men who'd seen too much death.

"Sorry, sorry," I said, forcing a laugh that tasted bitter on my tongue. "You've been talking for what feels like hours without saying anything meaningful. My mind wandered to more productive thoughts—like training."

The insult hit its mark. Goro's face flushed red, his hands trembling with barely contained rage.

"What is your decision?" he demanded through gritted teeth.

"About what, exactly?"

"About abandoning your foolish Anbu aspirations and joining the police force, where the clan can properly nurture your strength." The words dripped with condescension, as if I were a child being offered candy.

I studied their faces—these fossils who still believed in the glory days, who couldn't see the noose tightening around our necks. "I'll give you my answer," I said finally, "but first, clear the room. Everyone out—guards, attendants, everyone."

The temperature in the room seemed to drop several degrees. Hands moved instinctively toward weapons. In their eyes, I'd crossed from disrespectful youth to potential threat in a single sentence.

"You dare—" one of the guards began.

"Do it," Elder Yun commanded, his voice carrying the weight of decades. "All of you, out."

"But Elder-sama," the guard protested, genuine concern creasing his features. These men had served faithfully through the bloodiest conflicts our village had known.

"Don't worry," another elder spoke up, his Sharingan flaring to life—three tomoe spinning lazily in blood-red irises. "We didn't survive the Warring States period by being helpless old men."

The crimson glow of his eyes made my skin crawl. These weren't just clan elders; they were veterans of an era when death was as common as breathing. They'd probably stood beside Madara himself before his inevitable betrayal.

Once we were alone, the silence felt heavy enough to crush bones.

"What poison do you wish to whisper in our ears?" Elder Yun asked, though his tone suggested genuine curiosity rather than suspicion.

"I won't abandon my Anbu goals," I said flatly.

The words hung in the air like a death sentence. I could feel their disappointment, their anger, but I pressed on before they could explode.

"Before you start screaming, let me explain why. I refuse to be another caged bird in the clan's collection. You all know the village leadership views us with suspicion—we're too powerful, too independent, too dangerous to control completely. We're living reminders of Madara's defection, proof that Uchiha loyalty isn't absolute.

"The Second Hokage created the police force as a gilded cage. On the surface, it showed trust in our abilities. In reality, it isolated us from the village's power structure. While other clans earned merit through missions and warfare, we became glorified peacekeepers. No matter how well we serve, we'll never accumulate enough political capital to challenge for the Hokage position."

The room erupted. Goro slammed his fist on the table, wood splintering under the impact. "Damn that Tobirama! And his students—the Third is just as bad!"

"Silence, Goro," Elder Yun commanded, though his own composure seemed strained. "Continue, boy."

I felt a twisted satisfaction seeing their comfortable delusions crumble. These men needed to understand the trap they'd walked into, even if the truth destroyed them.

"You already suspected some of this, didn't you?" I asked, meeting Elder Yun's gaze.

"The pieces fell into place after the Second War," he admitted quietly. "I never imagined someone your age would see it so clearly."

"That's only the beginning of our problems," I continued, watching hope die in their eyes. "The police force isn't the blessing you think it is. Yes, it keeps our young people relatively safe from missions, protects their Sharingan from being harvested. But at what cost?

"While other clans bleed and die for the village, we maintain order in comfortable safety. How long before they start asking why the 'noble' Uchiha don't share their burdens? How long before resentment turns to hatred?"

Cold sweat beaded on their foreheads. They could see where this led.

"Every arrest we make, every law we enforce, creates another enemy. We're not peacekeepers—we're the village's collection agency, the ones who make life difficult for ordinary people. Day by day, we become more isolated, more hated. Our clan members grow angry at village leadership while civilians grow to despise us.

"When that pressure reaches its breaking point—and it will—what do you think happens to a clan that's completely isolated from the village's power structure and actively resented by its people?"

The question settled over them like a funeral shroud. I could see the answer in their eyes, even if they couldn't voice it.

"Impossible," one elder whispered. "Our contributions to Konoha—"

"Mean nothing if we're seen as parasites," I finished. "Contributions are forgotten. Fear and resentment endure."

"Even if your nightmare scenario comes true," another elder said desperately, "we could leave. Find somewhere else—"

"Where?" I asked quietly. "What village would welcome a clan of rogue ninja with legendary bloodline abilities? We'd be hunted to extinction within a year."

The silence that followed felt like standing in a graveyard at midnight.

Finally, Elder Yun spoke. "Do you have a solution boy, or did you come here just to dig our graves?"

I took a breath, tasting the fear in the air. "The police force needs to change. Open positions to civilian ninja—let them share the burden and the blame. Meanwhile, we need clan members out there earning merit through missions, proving our loyalty through blood and sacrifice. It won't be easy, and it might not work, but it's our only chance."

The four elders rose slowly, their movements heavy with the weight of understanding. Elder Yun's bow was shallow but sincere.

"On behalf of the clan, I thank you for opening our eyes. We will take your opinion into careful consideration."

I forced another laugh, though it came out hollow. "We're all Uchiha. If we're going to die, at least we'll do it with our eyes open."

As I left the chamber, I couldn't shake the feeling that I'd just signed all our death warrants. Maybe there was no salvation for a clan cursed by its own power. Maybe the best we could hope for was to choose the manner of our ending.

The corridor stretched ahead of me, dim and cold as a tomb. Behind me, I could hear the elders beginning to argue.

At least now they understood the true nature of their cage. Whether that knowledge would save them or simply make their final moments more bitter remained to be seen.

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