"A betrothal, and a Fire Style Shinobi."
Fugaku was puzzled.
They should be showing weakness now, waiting for the coup.
A marriage alliance at this critical juncture would cause some problems, but it was still acceptable.
But what did he mean by a Fire Style Shinobi?
Ling Tian nodded. "I may need your help with a few things later. Since we can't keep it hidden, we might as well declare our intentions openly. If we don't, people will think we're plotting something."
He continued calmly, "As for the second request, I'll have someone accompany you to the battlefield. This time, I intend to win over Ino-Shika-Cho and Hyuga Hiashi on the front lines, while dealing Sunagakure a painful blow...
"But first, I need a Shinobi proficient in Fire Style. You wouldn't want someone to see our coup as a chance to exploit our weakness, would you, my friend?"
"Can we really succeed?"
Fugaku hesitated. After a day of excitement, he had begun to worry.
If they failed, the Uchiha Clan would be finished.
"My friend, weren't you the one who said we'd have a ninety percent chance of success if the plan worked?"
Ling Tian smiled. "Relax. Besides the people already involved, we now have another expert whose strength rivals the Sannin helping us. And I guarantee that once the war ends, Jiraiya and Tsunade will disappear from the Leaf Village."
Despite Ling Tian's smile, Fugaku felt a little afraid.
How could he make gaining another Kage Level expert and making two of the Sannin disappear sound so easy?
Was he planning to take his people onto the battlefield and eliminate Jiraiya and Tsunade?
Fugaku had misunderstood.
That was why he felt a little afraid.
But why did he also feel a flicker of excitement beneath that fear?
If Ling Tian was telling the truth, then the Uchiha Clan's decades-long dream would come true in his hands!
"My older brother, Torifu Akimichi, Orochimaru, you, and two more Kage Level experts. With Jiraiya and Tsunade absent, we'll have six Kage Level fighters. Even if those clans don't join us, as long as they don't stand in our way, our chances of success will be one hundred percent."
Ling Tian continued, "So we only need to win over Ino-Shika-Cho and keep the Hyuga neutral, and victory is ours. The Third and the three Advisors will die!"
Fugaku took a deep breath and feigned composure. "Can you tell me who those two are?"
"Sorry, I can't reveal their identities yet."
Ling Tian shook his head. "All I can say is that one is from the village. The Higher-Ups were simply too ineffectual to discover him. As for the other, you'll meet him soon."
"A Taijutsu Shinobi and a Fire Style Shinobi?"
Fugaku stared into his eyes as he spoke, seemingly trying to confirm his suspicion.
"You figured it out. That's right. They're the two who fought outside the village today."
Ling Tian did not disappoint him, allowing just the right flicker of surprise to cross his face.
"The Higher-Ups were too ineffectual to discover him... The one from the village is Might Duy, isn't he?"
Fugaku was probing, but his tone was full of certainty.
"Heh." Ling Tian smiled faintly. "That's right. It's him."
Since Fugaku had guessed, there was no need to hide it. Otherwise, having him constantly suspect one thing or another would only cause trouble later.
The Uchiha were trapped in a dead end. Aside from a coup, they had no other way out.
Shisui, that deluded boy, and Itachi, who could betray his clan but never his village, did not understand this. But Ling Tian believed Fugaku certainly did.
As for making an Uchiha the Hokage, that was impossible unless, after a successful coup, they could also defeat the Hyuga and prove stronger than the major clans combined.
As long as the others had the strength to resist, no one would let an Uchiha become Hokage.
That made this ally a natural member of their side, and they would pose no threat after the coup either.
Once his older brother became Hokage, all they needed to do was manage their relationship properly.
These thoughts flashed through Ling Tian's mind in an instant.
"Might Duy."
At last, the composure Fugaku had maintained cracked. He hurriedly asked, "So the two who fought outside the village today were Might Duy and the person you recruited?"
"That's right."
Ling Tian nodded again. "Today's fight outside the village was to test Senior Dai's strength. As for the other man..."
He paused, then continued coldly, "He's not someone I recruited. He... is my man."
"Your man."
Only then did Fugaku look seriously at the fifteen-year-old boy before him for the first time.
Even if Ling Tian could bring them together for a coup, that only proved he had a good head on his shoulders.
Being White Fang's younger brother was not enough either!
After all, strength ruled supreme in the Shinobi World!
Without strength, everything else was hollow.
At first, Fugaku truly had not thought much of him. This was merely a partnership.
But now Ling Tian was telling him that he had a Kage Level Shinobi serving under him, one who might even rival White Fang.
That was terrifying!
Could a weakling make a Kage submit to him?
Was that possible?
Seeing the shock in Fugaku's eyes, Ling Tian could not help smiling.
Then he switched panels.
The instant he switched to Fourth Baby, his entire bearing changed.
When his blazing eyes fixed on Fugaku, his overwhelming presence swept toward him as well.
Before Fugaku could speak, Ling Tian stood up. "My friend, do you know how I persuaded Orochimaru?"
"I told him that the Leaf Village was too small."
"What I want is the entire Shinobi World."
"Now, I want to tell you the same thing. During that time, your Uchiha could grow twice as strong, five times as strong, even ten times as strong!"
"As long as you stay true to yourself, I guarantee that under your leadership, the Uchiha will surpass even Madara Uchiha."
"Whether it's the Mangekyo or the eternal Mangekyo, you'll have a chance at both."
Fugaku Uchiha drew another deep breath. Only after a long while did he regain his composure. Stunned, he asked, "You want to bring our Uchiha under your command?"
"No, that was never my intention."
Ling Tian shook his head. "I hope the relationship between the Uchiha and me can be like the relationship the Uchiha once had with the village, each supporting the other. Don't worry. I'm not the Senju brothers, and I won't suppress those who helped me succeed by using a difference in ideals as an excuse."
"How can I trust you? How can I believe you aren't just using us?"
"Just as Orochimaru said today, destroying the four nations and unifying this Shinobi World is my ideal. And that doesn't conflict with your desire to strengthen the Uchiha and let your clansmen live with their heads held high, does it?"
"Destroy the four nations, unify the Shinobi World, strengthen the Uchiha, let our clansmen live with their heads held high..."
Fugaku Uchiha murmured blankly. At that moment, how Ling Tian knew about the Mangekyo and the eternal Mangekyo no longer mattered to him.
What mattered was the choice he would make.
"My friend, I don't have time to let you think it over. If you agree, find me a Shinobi proficient in Fire Style right now. If you don't, pretend I never said any of this."
At those words, resolve gradually filled Fugaku's eyes. "..."
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