Chapter 9 : Agreement??

Swish, swish, swish!

After a moment of tense silence, several eyes turned toward Uchiha Kinya, seeking confirmation of what Genya had just said.

Feeling the weight of their stares, Uchiha Kinya clenched his teeth and spoke, "I called you all here to discuss what Genya mentioned. Right now, I need a few elite ninjas. To prevent outsiders from taking advantage of us, I want to bring someone from our own clan into the Chamber of Commerce!"

"Uchiha Kinya, are you asking us to do business for you?" Uchiha Omura questioned sharply, his face showing clear disdain. His gaze toward Kinya was cold and unkind.

They were proud members of the noble Uchiha clan. How could they ever become mere ninjas for a Chamber of Commerce? Their duty was to the battlefield, to carry out missions for the village.

For Uchiha Kinya to suggest they join the Chamber of Commerce—wasn't that an insult to the Uchiha name?

The Uchiha will never be slaves, nor will they become subservient to anyone!

"Don't misunderstand me. I want you to serve as protectors for the Chamber of Commerce. If anything unexpected happens, or in an emergency, your skills will be needed!" Uchiha Kinya's words were deliberately gentle. What he truly wanted was for them to guard the goods.

But framing it as "protectors" sounded more respectable, making it harder for anyone to object.

"No, Kinya. I understand what you're asking, but we can't join the Chamber of Commerce!" Uchiha Omura shook his head firmly, looking Kinya in the eye. "If you're facing difficulties, we'll help you, but joining your Chamber of Commerce is out of the question!"

Several other Uchiha clan members nodded in agreement. They were resolute. Joining Uchiha Kinya's Chamber of Commerce was unthinkable!

Otherwise...

They would be mocked, alienated, and despised by the Uchiha clan!

Therefore, they could not—would not—join Uchiha Kinya's Chamber of Commerce!

"Omura, think it through. I'm serious about wanting you to join the Chamber of Commerce!" Uchiha Kinya pressed on, his tone more urgent now. The situation had come to a head, and he had to make his intentions clear.

Whether or not this plan succeeds depends on the outcome. If they truly disagree, he will approach other members of the clan.

"How could we, the Uchiha clan, work for a mere businessman like you? It would damage the honor of our clan!" The Uchiha members couldn't let go of their pride and started making excuses.

"I've told you all many times, this isn't a job—it's an offering!"

Uchiha Kinya repeated himself, emphasizing once again for the sake of Uchiha's dignity, "Just like you accept missions from Konoha, there are also missions to escort caravans. Wouldn't you take those?"

Genya was at a loss for words. Because of Konoha's exclusion, they were already struggling with daily necessities, yet they still clung to Uchiha's honor!

"Kinya, stop talking. This is about Uchiha's honor!" Uchiha Omura hesitated, glanced at everyone, and finally shook his head.

For the sake of Uchiha's glory, they refused to engage in business!

Even Uchiha Kinya, who was wealthy enough to rival a small village, was ignored by the clan.

"Alright, but Brother Omura, let me ask you one thing," Uchiha Kinya chuckled, then looked seriously at Omura and the other Uchiha members, "Can you still accept missions from Konoha now?"

His gaze swept across the other ninjas.

Suddenly,

Several Uchiha members fell silent. None of them spoke, and some even clenched their fists.

Ever since the Second Hokage, Senju Tobirama, when Uchiha Madara left Konoha, the Uchiha clan had been pushed away from the political center. 

Over time, their status in the village diminished. Though they were now in charge of the Konoha Police Force, they were not respected. The villagers only felt fear and distrust towards them.

Especially in recent years, after the Fourth Hokage's death and the Third Hokage's return to power, the Uchiha clan had been further marginalized. Among the large Uchiha clan, only a few had any influence in Konoha—or rather, only one person did.

Uchiha Shisui.

The rest of the clan had been almost entirely ignored.

"Brother Omura, you have two children at home, right? If you have no income, will you, as a jonin, rely on your family for support?"

"Uchiha Kai, your child has just been born too!" 

"And that's not all." 

Uchiha Kinya shared his thoughts. 

It's true that in recent years, Konoha hasn't treated the Uchiha clan fairly.

The group gradually fell silent, listening closely to what Uchiha Kinya had to say.

"Konoha wants to push our Uchiha clan out of the political center. So why should we care about them? We might as well go our own way. That way, we won't have to endure the Hokage's anger or the disrespect from Konoha's people!" Uchiha Kinya's voice grew more passionate, trying to rouse the emotions of those around him. 

"As for Konoha's future problems, let them deal with it themselves. We Uchiha won't serve them anymore!"

Uchiha Kinya continued to speak, and the others listened quietly.

Indeed, Konoha had been oppressing them. Even elite ninjas like them weren't getting any missions from the village!

After a while, Uchiha Kai, who had been standing silently beside Uchiha Omura, suddenly slapped his thigh in frustration and said angrily, "Yes, I'm done with this!"

He, too, was a Jonin. They had worked tirelessly for Konoha's peace, but Konoha wanted to isolate and suppress them.

Even when they were given missions, they were always the most dangerous ones, under the excuse that Uchiha ninjas were strong and could handle difficult tasks.

But because of these dangerous missions, the Uchiha had lost many strong warriors over the years. Their families were struggling, relying on support from the Uchiha clan and Uchiha Kinya to survive.

"Enough!" Uchiha Omura shouted sternly, though there was a hint of doubt in his eyes.

"Brother Omura, don't you see it by now? Konoha has been holding us back, using us to fight for them without giving us anything in return. Why should we listen to them? Why serve Konoha's leaders?"

He was sick of Konoha's treatment of the Uchiha Clan.

"Brother Omura, if we continue to follow Konoha, it will be an insult to our Uchiha pride. They suppress us, and we still have to please them!" Uchiha Kai's voice grew more determined. "I'm done with this. I'm following Brother Kinya!"

He had made up his mind to stay and support the Chamber of Commerce.

"Brother Omura, Uchiha Kai is right. It's foolish for us to keep working for Konoha!" At that moment, the other two nodded in agreement. They, too, decided to follow Uchiha Kinya.

Konoha doesn't treat them right, so why should they keep working for Konoha?

What nonsense is the Will of Fire anyway?

Finally, they understood.

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