**Impeaching the current clan leader for incompetence?**
The members of the Uchiha clan were stunned. Has anything ever happened in the history of the Uchiha clan?
Even Uchiha Madara's position as clan leader only ended when he left the Hidden Leaf Village. But with Madara's strength, no one would have dared to impeach him anyway. After all, the Uchiha weren't fools—though arrogance and stupidity can sometimes overlap, no one was arrogant enough to challenge Madara.
"Sougen, do you really understand what you're saying by proposing to impeach the clan leader?"
An elder stepped forward.
This elder, with graying hair and beard, was named Uchiha Shinzaburo.
Among the six elders, he was truly neutral—neither blindly supporting the clan leader nor particularly close to Sougen. All of his actions and words came from the perspective of the clan's best interest.
"Elder Shinzaburo, I am fully aware of what I'm saying. If the clan leader weren't unfit for the position and had failed repeatedly in his responsibilities, I wouldn't be bringing up this impeachment now," Sougen said firmly.
"Perhaps many people see this as a simple power struggle, and in a sense, it is. But I can say with a clear conscience that everything I'm doing is for the sake of the clan!"
Sougen's words rang out loudly.
"Unfit for the position? I admit my talents are not exceptional, but Sougen, when you say there have been multiple decision-making errors, I'd like to hear what exactly you think was done wrong," Uchiha Fugaku, the current clan leader, finally stepped forward.
Being ousted through impeachment and voluntarily stepping down are two completely different things.
If Sougen succeeded in impeaching him here, Fugaku's authority within the clan would plummet.
Seeing Fugaku speak up, Elder Shinzaburo stayed silent, as he was also curious about these supposed errors in judgment. Many of the other clan members were also listening closely.
Only Elder Genshi, Elder Ryuuji, Shisui, and Arashiyama, who had heard Sougen's theories before, knew what was coming next. Nᴇw novel chapters are publɪshed on novel✦fire.net
"The Nine-Tails' Rampage."
Sougen threw out this phrase.
Fugaku frowned slightly. "What about the Nine-Tails' Rampage?"
"There's a huge problem with how it was handled, don't you think?" Sougen asked loudly, furrowing his brow. "Why didn't we support the Fourth Hokage? Why didn't any of our clan's Jonin lift a finger to protect the village that night? To be honest, haven't you all been complaining recently about how the village discriminates against and oppresses us? Well, I'd say we deserve to be ostracized and suppressed!"
Sougen's gaze moved from Fugaku to the other clan members, especially those staunchly in favor of a coup.
As expected, hearing Sougen's words, many people's expressions changed, and they looked at him with hostility.
"What are you staring at me for? Am I wrong? If we didn't help when the village was in danger, why would they consider us one of their own? Isn't being ostracized and oppressed the result of our own actions?"
Sougen glared back at the hostile looks from the clan members and continued bluntly.
"Who said we were too scared to act?" One hot-tempered clan member shouted angrily. "It was the clan leader who ordered us to stay within the compound!"
"At the time, the situation didn't allow us to act rashly," Fugaku interjected quickly before Sougen could respond. "The Nine-Tails was being controlled by the Sharingan. Although the one controlling it wasn't someone from our clan, we were under suspicion. And besides, the Third Hokage had given orders that we weren't to leave the compound. The village's ANBU surrounded us…"
"Sougen, you were only ten years old at the time, but surely you remember the situation?"
"I do! I was there myself, so of course I know what happened. And that's exactly why I'm questioning your decision, clan leader. Why did you follow the Third Hokage's orders when the Fourth Hokage was in power? And if you knew we were under suspicion, shouldn't that have been the best opportunity to clear our name?"
Sougen retorted sharply.
"At such a critical moment, you made the wrong decision, which led to our clan's complete estrangement from the village. Not only the Third Hokage and his faction, but also the families who lost loved ones in the Nine-Tails' attack started to distance themselves from us. This isolation, clan leader, is your doing."
"If only I had had more influence back then… But even convincing my grandfather wasn't enough." Sougen sighed regretfully.
"Sougen, the decision to stay within the compound was made after discussions between Fugaku and us," Elder Shinzaburo interjected, feeling the need to be fair.
"The problem, Elder Shinzaburo, is that you are not the clan leader. Fugaku is. Advising is the elders' duty, but making the final decision and taking responsibility for the outcome is the role of the clan leader. Clan leader Fugaku, are you trying to blame the elders for misleading you?"
Sougen's words were sharp, leaving Elder Shinzaburo momentarily speechless.
At the same time, Elder Shinzaburo realized he might have made a mistake. His earlier statement had practically admitted that the clan had made the wrong decision that night. Fugaku's face darkened further, and Shinzaburo's well-intentioned intervention had only made things worse.
Without Shinzaburo's interruption, Fugaku could have continued debating the right or wrong of the decision. But now, his options were reduced to either admitting a mistake or blaming the elders for bad advice.
"Sougen, my point was that the decision that night was made collectively by the clan leader and us. No, wait, I didn't mean…" Elder Shinzaburo tried to backtrack, but he struggled to find the right words.
In truth, he too had regrets. He had often wondered if things might have turned out differently if they had intervened that night—if the Fourth Hokage had survived, maybe the clan wouldn't have fallen to its current state.
"Elder Shinzaburo, I understand you want to share the burden with the clan leader, but this is a matter of life and death for the clan. It's not the time for helping each other out. I hope you understand."
Sougen took advantage of his sharp tongue, leaving Elder Shinzaburo speechless with anger.
The other clan members whispered among themselves, exchanging opinions. Uchiha Arashiyama, along with Uchiha Akitaro, Uchiha Hokuto, and Uchiha Jun, quietly mingled with the crowd, subtly guiding opinions toward regretting their lack of action during the Nine-Tails' Rampage.
To be honest, their guidance wasn't even necessary.
The Uchiha clan's pride made them disdain cowardice. Many of them weren't relieved they didn't die in the Nine-Tails' attack; rather, they regretted not having the chance to show off their power in such a grand event.
Moreover, they weren't fools. They could tell that Sougen's logic wasn't just clever argumentation—it made sense.
And slowly, minds began to change.