Naruto: The Flame That Reshapes Fate

"Rēn, just who do you think you're threatening?"

Elder Homaru's eyes widened in fury.

Yelling was one thing, but ending with a direct threat? That was too much. He always thought the Uchiha should be proud and domineering—but this was overboard. Was this how one gained support, by threatening others?

Before Rēn could even respond, Uchiha An, the only female elder, stepped forward and walked toward Uchiha Genshi and the others. Uchiha Ranzan immediately stepped back two steps, clearing a space for her.

At that moment, Of the six elders, four had now declared their support for Rēn.

"Elder An… I didn't expect this…"

Rēn glanced at the stern-faced elderly woman. This support was unexpected.

"An?!"

Elder Homaru stood dumbfounded.

"Opposing the coup, are you?"

Elder Nobusaburō muttered as he glanced at Uchiha Fugaku, whose expression remained cold and unreadable. He sighed inwardly, but ultimately stepped forward behind Elder An to join the group supporting Rēn. Now five of the six elders had made their position clear.

Only Elder Homaru was left, eyes bulging like brass bells.

"Nobusaburō, even you… You used to argue so loudly it gave people headaches, but now…"

Muttering his complaints, Elder Homaru suddenly dashed across the floor and stood back alongside his old companions.

In the end, they were still elders who could listen to reason.

Rēn's harsh words were grating, but they weren't without merit. A coup should never be taken lightly, nor spread around carelessly to the point where everyone in the village knows about it. That only made it look hopeless from the start. 

If Fugaku had truly supported the coup, he should have clamped down on the clan's loose talk from the start. Instead, he was forced into going along with the mob.

In comparison, Rēn, who openly opposed the coup right in front of its supporters, showed far more backbone. He truly had the bearing of a clan head.

"A lion leading sheep can defeat a sheep leading lions. That's something Rēn once said to me casually. Supposedly it's a quote from a hero of the Warring States period."

Elder Ryūji looked at his old friends and sighed. "We chose the wrong person back then. Fugaku… is too easily swayed."

Elder Genshi, Elder Jun, and Elder Nobusaburō all lowered their heads. A deep sense of guilt gnawed at them.

They too bore responsibility for the clan's decline.

Then—

"A sheep leading lions? That's an interesting metaphor."

Elder An smiled.

"Looks like we really were blind back then. But there's no point talking about the past. As long as we make the right choice now, it's enough."

The sharp-tongued but open-minded elder began scolding her old comrades.

"The past is beyond our control. But the future is still worth hoping for, right? What matters now is supporting Rēn. You can go home and regret it all you want, but stop making everyone uncomfortable here."

"An, you really…"

Elder Genshi shook his head, helpless.

Already a grandmother, and still with such a sharp tongue.

Even so, the other elders clearly pulled themselves together and silently looked toward the jonin in the crowd.

And so, the clan's jonin began shifting positions. Those on the right side moved back to make room for the ones approaching from the left. In less than half a minute, aside from a few still standing behind Uchiha Fugaku, the rest of the jonin had all shown their support for Rēn.

Whether they were moved by Rēn's words, intimidated by his threats, or simply following the elders' signals—

In the end, the result was exactly what Rēn had expected.

He had been wary of Fugaku possibly awakening the Mangekyō Sharingan and erupting into violence, but the former clan head held himself in check so well it was impossible to tell if he even had the Mangekyō or was simply that good at hiding it..... or it could simply be his nature as a quiet coward. 

It was like Schrödinger's Mangekyō.

Rēn shook his head. Whatever the truth, the fact that Fugaku wasn't making a move worked in his favor. His goal in publicly criticizing Fugaku was to diminish his influence and prevent him from stirring up trouble later. He had never planned to purge or kill the former clan head. Letting him fade into the background was more than enough.

Still, Looking at Fugaku's face, it was calm, expressionless, the same as always—Rēn couldn't shake the feeling that the man wasn't angry or bitter about being forced to step down. In fact, he seemed… relieved?

That couldn't be, right? No matter how indecisive, he couldn't possibly be that passive.

As Rēn pondered this—

"Rēn, here's the clan head seal."

Without needing to be asked, Uchiha Fugaku handed over the seal he had carried with him.

And just like that, Rēn understood.

He watched as Fugaku, now moving with a lighter step, stepped aside to make room for the elders. Feeling the faint warmth of the seal still in his hand, Rēn finally confirmed it—Fugaku had never had strong convictions. 

Strip away that stern face, and his indecisiveness was obvious.

He lacked initiative, had a weak will, and always let other's opinions steer him. He kept shifting between loyalty to the village and duty to the clan.

He didn't even show resentment when the clan chose Rēn instead. He simply accepted it.

And so, with the six elders presiding and over forty jonin bearing witness, Uchiha Rēn officially assumed the title and responsibilities of clan head.

Originally, the Uchiha didn't use a seal for the clan head position.

The fan symbol was the real mark of the Uchiha leader.

But after Madara Uchiha's defection and the fan's disappearance, the new leadership created a seal to represent the title. It couldn't compare to the legendary fan, which was said to be a divine artefact. The seal was merely a symbol of authority.

"Rēn, from this moment on, you are the new head of the Uchiha clan."

Elder Genshi looked at his fifteen-year-old grandson, patting his shoulder with a complicated expression.

"The future of our clan now rests with you. I don't know if this was the right decision… Just do your best."

"Don't worry, Grandpa. The glory of the Uchiha will continue under my leadership."

Rēn stood tall, like a pine rooted in solid stone.

In front of the former clan head, the elders, and all his fellow clansmen, he solemnly made his vow.

The transition of power was complete. True to the Uchiha clan's Warring States roots, the process was direct and efficient. No ceremonies, no fanfare. Quick and to the point, just as tradition dictated.

------------------------

You can read 40 high quality advanced chapters as well as 2 daily chapters on!

Patreon(.)com/IDKjust