The Old Con Artist

Uchiha Sou knelt formally on the floor, his face stern and unsmiling. The aura of someone long accustomed to authority bore down on the room, and even his pose as he rested with his eyes closed carried the majesty of a superior.

"Sit."

Uchiha Feng remained calm and unhurried as he slowly knelt across from him. His movements were sluggish and cautious, making him seem like a frail old man in his twilight years.

"Tea."

A maid entered carrying tea and carefully set it on the low table between them.

Uchiha Feng was silent for a moment. He picked up his tea and took a sip, then looked at Uchiha Sou's stern, indifferent expression and asked softly, "Great Elder, do you think what I did was inappropriate?"

His question was blunt, directly addressing how he had gone against him last time without any beating around the bush.

"Heh."

Seeing how direct Uchiha Feng was, Uchiha Sou sneered. Still, he did not immediately turn hostile, because he could not quite understand why this old man had come tonight...

It seemed he was not here to beg for forgiveness.

"It seems you misunderstand me. Don't you think Fugaku is rather lacking?"

"What exactly are you trying to say?" Uchiha Sou suddenly opened his eyes and demanded.

He was truly angry now. What he valued most was his grandson, yet this old bastard had not only embarrassed him last time, but had come looking to slap him in the face again?

Did he really think he could throw his weight around just because he was old?

If he did not explain himself, he would not be leaving so easily tonight. Did he think Uchiha Sou had no temper at all?

"Great Elder, please calm down and let me explain..." The slow, aged voice sounded once more.

Uchiha Sou was growing increasingly impatient...

Heh.

After chuckling inwardly and mocking Uchiha Sou's poor self-control, Uchiha Feng finally said leisurely, "Great Elder, you should know that the boy who knocked Fugaku unconscious is exceptionally gifted. He is even a year younger than Fugaku..."

"You're saying my grandson is inferior to him?" Uchiha Sou's expression turned frightening, nearly reaching the brink of an outburst.

"At present, he is indeed inferior."

Before Uchiha Sou could erupt, Uchiha Feng quickly continued, "Don't you think it is necessary to give Fugaku an opponent?"

"Hm?" Uchiha Sou's anger stalled at those words, and he seriously considered what Uchiha Feng had said.

Before Uchiha Sou could think further, he continued, "I have some impression of that boy. He is a rather withdrawn child, but he works hard. He has the aptitude to become a Jonin. But what about Fugaku? Fugaku has first-rate aptitude and extraordinary talent, yet he is far too lax in his training. He spends every day laughing and playing with a group of children his own age. Sooner or later, he is bound to suffer for it."

"Rather than letting him stumble badly in the future and fail to get back up, it would be better to let him endure a little hardship now. After all, children fighting and squabbling cannot cause any real trouble. But if he grows up without changing, I fear he will be unable to shoulder great responsibilities in the future..."

"Besides, no matter how outstanding that wild boy may be, he is still a member of the Uchiha Clan. As long as he is Uchiha, he will obey the Uchiha Clan's orders. He is a fine sword blank. With gradual tempering and polishing, he can become the Uchiha Clan's sword—perhaps even a sword in Fugaku's hand one day. You do not want Fugaku to have no sword to wield in the future, do you? If it is a treasured sword, we should not break it. We should polish it well!"

Uchiha Sou remained silent for a long while. During that time, he unconsciously nodded, clearly agreeing with Uchiha Feng. Though Fugaku could not exactly be said to be unharmed... After all, he had been unconscious for a day and dizzy for three whole days.

Still, it was only a minor hardship overall. Fugaku had not suffered the slightest physical injury.

Seeing that Uchiha Sou said nothing, Uchiha Feng felt that these words had not completely moved the old man. He could only speak again. "Sigh, you must know to some extent that your boy is always eyeing my girl with rather inappropriate intentions... I do not want my girl to marry a weak man in the future, no matter how much power he may have!"

For Katsuo's sake, Uchiha Feng had even dragged out his most beloved granddaughter to be used as bait!

What he said was an undisguised show of weakness and goodwill.

"Cough, cough!!!"

Uchiha Sou had been sipping tea when he heard this, and immediately choked. Uchiha Feng had gone this far and shown such goodwill, so Uchiha Sou was no longer silent.

"Heh, how could that be? What the Third Elder said makes perfect sense. I have indeed spoiled Fugaku too much lately, letting him become lawless and neglect his training. I will have someone specifically supervise his training from now on!"

"As for that boy... I was never angry with him, much less would I bear even the slightest grudge against him. He is only a child, after all. Third Elder, you think of me too harshly, don't you?"

"Yes, yes, this old man was overthinking it..." Uchiha Feng hurriedly explained.

"In that case, this old man can rest easy and sleep soundly..." Uchiha Feng nodded and trembled as he rose to his feet.

"Great Elder, please retire early. This old man shall take his leave. Once a man gets old, he becomes sleepy before the night has even grown deep..."

"Third Elder, take care of your health. Someone, see the Third Elder out for me!"

Uchiha Sou rose to show his respect. Taking the posture of a junior, he supported Uchiha Feng by the arm and summoned a maid.

By this point, Uchiha Feng had achieved all N of his goals for the night. On one hand, he had made sure that little brat Fugaku would stay away from his granddaughter from now on. That brat would surely suffer for quite some time, and tonight counted as a little revenge against him...

On the other hand, he had helped Katsuo out of his predicament, so the child would not only be unable to return home, but would also surely be troubled by his own family in the future. He was giving them a warning in advance.

And on yet another hand, he had painted a few rosy pictures for Uchiha Sou, lest this petty and mean-spirited junior use his power to suppress the people and interests of his branch.

After Uchiha Feng had completely departed, he asked the empty room, "What do you think Uchiha Feng came here for tonight? Give me your thoughts."

As soon as Uchiha Sou spoke, two Jonin emerged from behind a concealed sliding door beside him. They were his trusted guards and advisers.

After all, he was no longer young. His strength had greatly declined and he required protection, while his mind and judgment had also deteriorated somewhat. Whenever he encountered unusual or troublesome matters, he would seek the opinions of his confidants.

"..."

The two fell silent for a moment upon hearing this. Then one of them said, "Based on the Third Elder's words, he came for Young Master Fugaku. But objectively speaking, he came to protect that boy."

"Perhaps... the Third Elder wants to forge that wild boy into a sword in his own hand?"

Uchiha Sou frowned deeply at those words, his expression turning extremely unpleasant. Yet the more he thought about it, the more reasonable it seemed.

At that moment, the other Jonin spoke.

"Yuanfang, don't think of the Third Elder in such dark terms. Think about it—at the Third Elder's age, by the time that sword can be drawn from its sheath, he likely will not live to see it. Even if he does, he will certainly lack the strength to wield it!"

"I think... we truly misunderstood the Third Elder. He really is considering Young Master Fugaku's interests and planning for Young Master Fugaku's future. Everything he has done is probably for Miss Mikoto's future."

"We all know that Young Master Fugaku likes to hover around Miss Mikoto. We know it, and the Third Elder knows it as well. From what the Third Elder said at the end, he has no intention of interfering with the two of them. He simply does not quite approve of Young Master Fugaku..."

"He is probably worried that Young Master Fugaku will be unable to protect his precious granddaughter in the future..."

"That's right! You're right. I dote on Fugaku so much, so isn't it only natural for him to worry about Mikoto's future? Yuanfang, you truly misunderstood the Third Elder..."

The Jonin named Uchiha Yuanfang bowed and admitted his mistake.

Had Uchiha Feng been present, he would certainly have warmly thanked the Jonin who spoke in his defense...

Little did they know that he had sold out even his most beloved granddaughter tonight, all to buy time for Katsuo to rise and grow stronger!

In his heart, Katsuo was now countless times more outstanding than Fugaku. He had already placed all his bets on him!