Projection magicians starting from the Uchiha clan

"I thought that person would be Fugaku, but he disappointed me."

His tone was filled with disappointment and anger. He had once held high hopes for Fugaku, believing that he could become the leader of the Uchiha clan and lead his people out of their current predicament.

However, Fugaku's retreat greatly disappointed him.

"Even though he has awakened the Mangekyou Sharingan, he still doesn't dare to stand up and fight for the status of his clan."

His anger gradually surfaced as he spoke, and his hand unconsciously tightened its grip, shattering the teacup under the pressure.

The sound of the teacup shattering was crisp and sudden, attracting the attention of the ninja standing outside the door.

They instantly appeared, knelt on one knee in front of her, and prepared to receive instructions.

He waved his hand in a flash, indicating that there was nothing seriously wrong. "It's alright. Pack your things and leave."

His voice returned to calm, but his eyes still flickered with dissatisfaction with Fugaku and consideration for the future of his clan.

The ninjas obeyed, quickly and efficiently clearing away the debris before silently retreating to once again guard the door.

"I thought Fugaku was a promising talent, but I was only half right. He's good at planning but indecisive, all bark and no bite. He didn't even dare to announce that he had opened his kaleidoscope eyes."

Setsuna muttered to himself. It wasn't the first time he had seen the Mangekyou Sharingan. Such unique chakra could fool others, but it couldn't fool an old hand like him.

"What is he thinking? He's neither advancing nor retreating. Is he just going to let the Senju family slowly boil him like a frog in water?"

His question was tinged with sarcasm; he felt contempt for Fugaku's indecisiveness and regretted his past investment in him.

He stood up and paced around, contemplating what to do.

Setsuna already had a plan in mind. Since Fugaku was no longer reliable, there was a more suitable candidate.

"Battlefield hero, the man who single-handedly saved the battlefield of the Land of Wind, the man who could defeat the Sand Village ninja army, including the Kazekage himself, all by himself—let me see your magnanimity!"

His eyes gleamed with anticipation as he beckoned the ninjas outside the door to him. His crimson eyes fixed intently on them, he gave the order:

"You should send people to publicize Uchiha Iori's deeds extensively, especially his defeat of the enemy army with the Mangekyou Sharingan. Give it special attention."

"Then compare him to Fugaku Uchiha to highlight his incompetence. He caused us to lose clansmen on the battlefield, yet he couldn't achieve impressive results."

As the order was given, Uchiha Setsuna chuckled, his laughter echoing in the room, making the gloomy atmosphere even more intense.

He wanted to add fuel to the fire of this battle, for only a true sword could be forged in the flames.

He would gladly give up even if it meant using himself as the last fuel.

The ninja kneeling before Pakshasa was filled with doubt and unease. He couldn't help but voice his concerns: "That's the clan leader. Are you planning to remove him from power?"

“You were the one who helped him up there, and he didn’t do anything wrong. He was also very respectful to you. Now you’re turning around and attacking him. Won’t this cause conflict within the clan?”

The ninja spoke tactfully, saying that the radical faction's strength was far less than it would be in the future main story, although the radical faction's members fought bravely in the war, growing stronger with each death, and many powerful individuals emerged.

However, at the Chunin and Genin levels, their losses were also enormous.

Once internal divisions occur, the power of the moderates may quickly be surpassed, thus losing its voice within the clan.

The reason why most of the clan members in the main story were radicals was due to the influence of the Nine-Tails Night. After being falsely accused, the Uchiha clan members were driven from the center of the village to the edge of the village.

The Uchiha, who considered themselves innocent and were incredibly proud, naturally could not accept such unfair treatment. It was only natural that countless ninjas would turn from moderates and neutrals into radicals.

Currently, before the village-tribal conflicts become so intense, the moderates and radicals are still evenly matched.

The Grand Elder's actions are likely to disrupt the balance between the two factions.

"Hmph, how is Fugaku's current behavior any different from betraying us?" Uchiha Setsuna sneered, his voice revealing his dissatisfaction and anger towards Fugaku.

“I don’t care about power, but Fugaku’s current actions will only lead the Uchiha clan to their doom.”

He turned and stared intently at Yatsushiro, his eyes flashing with a scarlet light. He demanded, "Yatsushiro, choose. Will you pledge allegiance to me, or to Uchiha Fugaku?"

Yashiro felt immense pressure when faced with Setsuna's questioning.

He knelt before the instant, his inner struggle surging like a tide.

Faced with the Elder's coercion, he had to make a choice. "I...I...I will always be loyal to you." After making up his mind, his voice became firm and he no longer hesitated.

“Uchiha Iori wants a chance for a fair fight, so I will give him that chance.”

He had had enough of the Uchiha's situation, being used as a tool by the higher-ups, bearing the infamy, and receiving no reward.

"The Uchiha clan has been used to being kept in captivity. When there's trouble, they're pulled out to fight; when there's no trouble, they're just the disciplinary team. We bear all the blame, but we don't get any benefits."

Setsuna expressed her dissatisfaction to Yashiro.

"If things continue like this, the Uchiha clan will be wiped out sooner or later, so before I die, I at least want to see hope for change."

Setsuna looked at Yashiro and said, "I see Madara's shadow in him. If he fails, it means he's nothing special."

"But if he succeeds, you must dedicate all your loyalty to him, understand?"

“Yes, I understand,” Yashiro replied.

"Then let them go down. Give them a stage for a direct battle. If Fugaku fails in front of everyone, he won't have any other excuses."

"Yes." The Eighth Hokage of Uchiha used Body Flicker to leave, his figure quickly disappearing into the sunlight.

Uchiha Setsuna gazed into the distance and muttered to himself, "I've made two mistakes already. I hope that this third time, my choice will be the right one."

Chapter 89 The Loyalty of the Moderate Uchiha Kagami Clan (One more chapter coming later)

Iori and Shisui left Uchiha Setsuna's residence together. The two walked on the path in Konoha Village, and the sunlight shone through the treetops, casting dappled shadows on them.

Having dealt with the radicals, Iori felt a little relieved. He turned to Shisui and asked, "How many of your clansmen are willing to follow you?"

Shisui pondered for a moment, then replied, "Those who can be sure of following me are probably three Jonin and thirty Chunin."

His gaze became somewhat distant, as if he were recalling the past: "Apart from the companions I rescued in the Land of Water, the other companions were all people who had followed Ancestor Mirror."

When Shisui mentioned these people, his tone carried a hint of pride, but then became heavy:

“They made huge sacrifices in the past so that the village could accept its people, but now it seems that we were just being sentimental.”

His fists clenched, anger flashed in his eyes, tomoe appeared in his eyes, and cold chakra spread out uncontrollably.

After receiving urgent instruction from Iori, he finally understood what the higher-ups had done to the Uchiha clan.

His ancestor, Uchiha Kagami, led these moderate clansmen in fighting on the front lines. Countless comrades died on the battlefield, but they hoped that their sacrifice would earn them acceptance by the village.

However, after Uchiha Kagami's death, the clan lost its bridge of communication with the higher-ups, and these clan members were completely reduced to expendable resources.

This treatment alienated many moderate ninjas from Shisui; otherwise, the moderate faction, which could rival the radical faction, wouldn't only consist of the ninjas Shisui mentioned.

Iori sensed the intense fluctuations in Shisui's chakra and understood that Shisui's anger stemmed from both indignation at the fate of his clan and anger at himself for becoming an accomplice in the evil deeds.

Iori gently patted Shisui's shoulder and said:

"That's just how the world is. Sometimes our good intentions may not be understood or reciprocated. For those who waste our good intentions, death is their best fate."

As Iori spoke, a cruel smile appeared on her face.

Shisui took a deep breath to calm himself down, then nodded firmly: "Iori-nii, you're right. This humiliation must be repaid with their lives."

Before activating her cheat ability, Iori always acted with caution.

He treated Shisui's education in the same way. Although he provided some guidance, he was always careful and dared not say too much irrelevant stuff.

Iori knew that any significant intervention in the plot could trigger a butterfly effect, which could not only prevent Shisui from activating the Mangekyou Sharingan, but also make his precognitive advantage disappear.

It's important to understand that, without any special advantages, his knowledge of future plot developments is his greatest strength.

Therefore, until he was certain that he could gain enough benefit from it, he was actually the most steadfast defender of the plot.

He must ensure that his actions do not interfere with the plot in order to obtain information.

However, with the awakening of her cheat ability, Iori's plans and strategies underwent a complete transformation.

In the past, he had to act cautiously, worrying about the attention of higher-ups and potential threats, but now the situation has completely reversed.

Now, it's the turn of the higher-ups to fear Iori.

"Gather your people who follow you. At the upcoming clan meeting, I will need some of them to cheer me on."

A glint of light appeared in Iori's eyes. Since she was going to be the clan leader, she certainly couldn't be a lone wolf like Madara, with no one to follow her when she ran away.

These clansmen who are willing to follow Shisui are equivalent to his supporters, and when the Uchiha Corps is established in the future, warriors will definitely be selected from among them first.

"Where do you usually meet?" Iori asked Shisui as they walked side by side.

“Inside my house,” Shisui replied after a moment’s thought.

"Then I'll go to your house first, and you can gather everyone here." Iori checked the time and found that it was still early, so she planned to deal with both factions in one go today.

"Okay." Shisui replied briefly, then vanished in an instant to gather his loyal clansmen.

Iori walked quickly toward Shisui's house, his steps light and his plan progressing smoothly, making him feel as if he had divine assistance.

Upon arriving at Shisui's house, Iori went inside as if she knew the way well.

Following the path inside, Iori went straight to the reception room and sat in the seat of honor.

Sunlight streamed through the exquisite windows, bathing the lobby in a sacred and solemn atmosphere, adding to the space where an important gathering was about to take place.

In the lobby, Iori calmly brewed himself a pot of tea and drank it by himself. The warm sunlight shone on his face, casting a soft glow on his resolute features.

When Shisui led everyone to the reception room, they were greeted by this tranquil and harmonious scene.

Upon seeing Iori, he immediately knelt on one knee to show his respect and loyalty to her.

After seeing Shisui's actions, the other ninjas hesitated for a moment, but quickly followed suit and bowed to show their respect for their new leader.

Iori did not immediately go to help them up, but waited until they finished their actions before taking action.

"Alright, Shisui, you don't need to be so polite with me."

Iori spoke gently, helping Shisui to his feet and patting him on the shoulder.

The other ninjas also stood up and stood to the side, their eyes filled with anticipation and curiosity, wanting to know Iori's purpose in summoning them.

Iori looked around, then slowly spoke:

"My purpose in gathering you all here is simple. I intend to seize the position of clan leader from Fugaku Uchiha."

"The Grand Elder has already agreed to remain neutral. As long as we defeat Uchiha Fugaku, I will be the new clan leader."

The ninjas exchanged glances, and one of them mustered his courage to question Iori: "The clan leader is a battle-hardened elite Jonin. Are you absolutely certain of victory?"

Iori smiled arrogantly, his voice full of confidence: "Uchiha Fugaku is nothing special."