Revitalizing the Uchiha clan starts with becoming a Kage.

However, the shocking fact that Shoji had unexpectedly joined the Anbu, and the fact that Shoji had shown strength comparable to Uchiha Shisui in the northeastern border region over the past six months, caused Fugaku to subtly change his mindset.

Honesty.

This is a phrase that is easy to say but extremely difficult to do.

Fugaku did indeed want to resolve the dire predicament his clan was currently facing, but things rarely go according to plan. Leaving aside external factors, there were already very unstable elements within his own ranks. A year ago, some clan members, in a fit of rage, raised the slogan of a 'coup,' which he had forcibly suppressed, but now it has resurfaced. If the vast majority of the clan members choose to take this path...

Even Fugaku, the clan head, couldn't stop it.

But this is by no means the outcome that Fugaku wanted to see.

"So, is the clan chief going to take a desperate gamble?"

This time, it was Shoji's turn to lean forward slightly, as if he were interrogating Fugaku, his aura firmly locked on Fugaku, and he asked the question word by word.

"What? If I say yes, are you going to report this directly to the Third Hokage?"

Fugaku raised an eyebrow, looked back at Shoji, and said something that seemed to have a hidden meaning.

"I don't deny that such a possibility exists, Clan Chief. The Uchiha clan today is not the same as the Uchiha clan of our ancestor's time. Putting aside matters of righteousness, the most important point is, what are the consequences of throwing an egg against a rock? I think the Clan Chief doesn't need me to elaborate, does he?"

Ultimately, the path one chooses depends on one's own strength. If the Uchiha were truly strong enough to ignore all threats, Shoji and Fugaku wouldn't need to work so hard. If they couldn't bear it, they could simply choose a bloodless coup. But in reality, that would never be allowed.

A head-on confrontation is impossible, and compromising is equally difficult.

Even so, the latter has a slightly higher success rate than the former.

This is the biggest reason why Jiangsi wants to seek a peaceful solution!

If Shoji had even half the strength of a peak Eternal Eye Madara, he wouldn't be so timid and hesitant. Dissatisfied? He could have caused a huge scene in Konoha and forced Hiruzen Sarutobi and Danzo Shimura to submit!

But the reality is that it's not allowed.

There is no 'Hashirama Senju' in the village, and he is not 'Madara Uchiha' either!

"Heh, you're quite frank, General."

Fugaku smiled gently, his expression softening considerably at that moment. He genuinely believed that Shoji was truly dedicated to resolving the clan's current predicament, rather than being an opportunist.

"So, is Chief Fugaku willing to believe me?"

"How to say?"

"If the clan leader is willing to trust me, I hope that all external affairs of the clan will be entrusted to me, including those concerning the Third Hokage. The most important thing for the clan to overcome the current predicament is to work together and unify our thinking. I dare not say anything about some people, but I feel that the Third Hokage still has some sincerity and intends to peacefully resolve the conflict with our Uchiha clan!"

Believe it?

Fugaku stared intently at Shoji.

Suddenly, as if he had thought of something, he revealed a gentle smile and said, "Then I'll leave it to you, Shoji!"

57. Accurate Target

Based on the plot of the original work.

Based on his close observation, Shoji is over 80% certain that Fugaku Uchiha is a clan leader who cares deeply about his clan and treats people sincerely. Therefore, Shoji also believes that this clan leader is willing to open his heart to others. The most important reason why things went to such a terrible point in the original work is that Fugaku had no one to consult. The strongest person in the clan, Shisui, and his closest son, Itachi, did not trust their clan leader or their father, and both only wanted to follow their own paths.

Fugaku couldn't find anyone in the clan he could truly consult with. He had to bear everything alone. He faced suspicion and suppression from outsiders, and he also had to appease his clansmen and suppress the tempers of some hot-tempered clansmen. Although this clan leader certainly had many flaws, it cannot be denied that he had to bear immense pressure.

What Jiang Si needs to offer this clan chief is a place where he can vent his frustrations, a way to avoid bearing the burden of everything himself.

You manage the inner affairs, I'll manage the outer affairs!

Join forces to solve the biggest problem in the clan.

As for whether this clan leader is so cunning and ruthless as to deliberately deceive and exploit him with falsehoods, Jiang Si can only say that the probability is extremely low, even if this almost impossible thing happens.

What else could the general say?

There's nothing we can do but accept our fate.

The Uchiha clan truly deserved to be wiped out.

The general simply lay down and admitted defeat.

"Thank you for your trust, Chieftain. I will certainly not let the clan fall into the worst possible situation, at least not before I die!"

Jiang Si bowed deeply and responded in an extremely serious and solemn tone.

"So, Shoji, could you tell me your plan? While the general idea is to gain the recognition and trust of other ninja clans, and even more importantly, to make the Third Hokage and others believe in us, that's difficult to achieve, isn't it? In reality, I think the Third Hokage's decision to have you join the Anbu is less about trust and more about testing and probing, isn't it? Especially that Elder Shimura Danzo. As a leader among the younger generation of our Uchiha clan, you should know very well that he is the most hostile to our Uchiha clan. I find it hard to believe that Danzo would choose to trust and accept us."

The main issues have been agreed upon.

The next issue is the operational details.

Although Fugaku was indeed inspired by the clan meeting where Shoji spoke, and saw another way out for the clan, he found it extremely difficult to put into practice in the past six months.

As mentioned earlier, conscripting members of the tribe to fight on the border under such circumstances further agitated the sensitive nerves of that group of people, and it was later discovered that it did not benefit the situation at all.

At the higher levels, things remain completely frozen.

This put Fugaku in a very difficult position.

"The estrangement that has been built up over decades is not so easy to eliminate. My goal has never been to make these people completely accept us, but merely to reverse the current unfavorable situation, just like what our elders did. After Madara betrayed and fled, he returned and fought the First Hokage at the Valley of the End, which caused the village to be wary and suspicious of our clan. What happened after that?"

"Holding back our ambitions and biding our time, waiting for the right opportunity—this is the choice our elders made!"

"Later events proved the correctness of this strategy. Our clan has finally continued to exist peacefully. If it weren't for the Nine-Tails' rampage, or even if the Fourth Hokage hadn't died in battle, our clan's situation would have been fundamentally different. Now we've just returned to the starting point we were at decades ago."

"What we need to do is replicate this process, wait for the next 'Hokage' to appear, and then use our power to support that Hokage!"

Shoji looked intently at Fugaku and said in a deep voice.

"did you mean?"

Fugaku's eyes lit up, as if he had thought of something, and he said in a slightly urgent tone.

"Yes, that's my plan. As long as we can suppress the volatile atmosphere within the clan and obey the Third Hokage's orders as much as possible, the current crisis of the clan can definitely be suppressed for the time being. Moreover, both the Third Hokage and Shimura Danzo are already over fifty years old. We just need to be patient for a few years until the Fifth Hokage takes office. If all the problems are not solved, they can at least be greatly alleviated."

"Of course, the most fundamental solution is to find the culprit behind the Nine-Tailed Fox's rampage. This is the biggest deadlock and conflict in our clan and village!"

Jiang paused for a moment, then continued.

"But this is difficult, so the main plan for now is to be patient for a while. What I said before was to eliminate as much of the hostility towards our clan as possible. As long as we don't do anything excessive, even the ninja clans that hate our clan the most won't easily attack us."

"This is indeed a feasible plan, but have you considered that the Fifth Hokage might also inherit the ideas of the Third Hokage or even Shimura Danzo? Moreover, judging from the current situation, it will be very difficult to elect a Fifth Hokage, and the atmosphere in our clan has reached an extremely heated point, Shoji."

Fugaku naturally understood the meaning behind Shoji's words, but often plans can't keep up with changes. Initially, his plan was to rely on the Fourth Hokage, Minato Namikaze, to change the clan's predicament, but what happened next? The unexpected Nine-Tails attack still occurred.

“But even so, we only have this one path to take, because the second path only offers one choice. I think the clan leader wouldn’t want to see the clan go down that path either, would he? Although there is no such thing as 100% probability in the world, we all know very well that if the clan chooses the second path, destruction will happen overnight.”

Shoji shook his head, interrupting Fugaku with a solemn expression.

"So no matter how difficult it is, we must do it, otherwise, Chieftain, you should know better than me what the consequences will be."

"As for the issue of the Fifth Hokage, I think that in the current state of Konoha, there are only two people who are capable of taking on the role. Whichever of these two people becomes the Fifth Hokage will be very beneficial to the future development of our clan, and at the very least, it will ensure the continuation of our clan as before!"

Jiang Si held up two fingers, speaking softly.

58. This is the only choice.

Fugaku was taken aback at first.

Then, as if remembering something, a look of sudden realization appeared on his face.

"You mean those two officials?"

"That's right, I'm talking about Jiraiya and Tsunade. It can be said that in Konoha today, these two are the most qualified and capable of serving as the Fifth Hokage. No one else can compare to them. Moreover, I believe that the Third Hokage would be willing to let either Tsunade or Jiraiya serve as the Fifth Hokage!"

Jiang Si nodded and said.

If Hiruzen Sarutobi is indeed a gentle person, there is no reason why he would be unwilling to let his personal disciple become his successor.

All of this is connected.

In the original story, Tsunade eventually becomes the Fifth Hokage. What Shoji needs to do is to advance this process. Although Tsunade and Jiraiya both have their own inner conflicts or personality issues and are unwilling to return to the village to serve as Hokage.

But for the sake of the continuation of their own clan.

I have no choice but to work harder in this area. Whether it's Tsunade or Jiraiya, I must get one of them back to the village to serve as the Fifth Hokage. Only in this way can the Uchiha clan truly reach a turning point.

Moreover, he will be serving as the Hokage's direct subordinate ANBU, which will definitely give him plenty of opportunities and time to leave the village to carry out missions. Taking advantage of this opportunity, he will also have a certain amount of time and probability to find these two people.

Especially Tsunade.

Jiraiya would also wander around the barbarian world.

Tsunade, who enjoys gambling, basically never leaves the Land of Fire.

Because only the Land of Fire has the resources and environment to develop the gambling industry.

If you put in a little effort, you might find a way. Even if you ultimately fail to persuade them, the worst-case scenario is simply that you have to endure for a few more years.

The general's requirements are not high; he only needs the clan to maintain the current situation. Therefore, based on this, smoothing out the internal atmosphere becomes particularly important.

In times of necessity.

It may be necessary to take some unconventional measures.

"I understand what you mean."

At this point, Fugaku fully understood Shoji's meaning. Although he still felt that the road ahead was long and arduous, at least he could see hope. In Fugaku's view, Shoji's words had a certain rational basis, including the selection of the Fifth Hokage.

Indeed, there is no one more suitable than Jiraiya or Tsunade.

These two were already famous during World War II.

Fugaku understands their personalities very well. If one of them were to lead Konoha in the future, the Uchiha clan would indeed not need to worry about the worst-case scenario.

By that time.

He can once again embark on the same path as before, leaning towards the Fourth Hokage.

'Do we need to endure this for a few more years? It's difficult, but it's something we really need to do!'

Looking at Jiang Si's incredibly resolute expression.

Fugaku clenched his fists slightly before slowly releasing them, a resolute look emanating from the depths of his dark eyes.

"Therefore, we must stabilize ourselves and not give others any more excuses, Chieftain!"

The general said very sincerely.

An individual's strength is ultimately limited.

The future Shoji might be able to, but the current Shoji cannot single-handedly reverse the predicament of the entire Uchiha clan. Therefore, he needs help. No matter what he does, Uchiha Fugaku, as the clan leader, is an obstacle he cannot avoid. Either today or sometime in the future, Shoji will definitely have to talk to Fugaku in the near future.

Without the approval and assistance of this clan leader, it's not impossible for me to succeed on my own, but it would undoubtedly be much more difficult. As for replacing Fugaku as the clan leader, it's not that it's impossible, but it's too troublesome and too easy to run into problems. I would not only need to demonstrate strength that would convince the clan members, but I would also need to gain the support of at least two-thirds of the eight elders. It would be time-consuming, laborious, and could cause unpredictable consequences.