"Rustle, rustle, rustle!"
Sunlight softened the sound of the wind, scattering through the gaps between the leaves and casting tiny spots of light across the grass.
In the treetops, several Anbu crouched on branches amid the peaceful spring scenery. They watched the people below while lifting their masks to chew on the dango in their hands.
"Honestly, I've never seen a genius like her..."
Watching the girl who had nearly mastered the Three Jutsu, Asuma exclaimed in admiration.
"That's only natural. Haku's talent is among the best I've seen in anyone her age."
The casual agreement came from beside him, instantly irritating Asuma. He looked at the guy sitting next to him, surrounded by a pile of things as if he were on a picnic, and said helplessly, "That may be true, but shouldn't you be the one learning the Three Jutsu?"
Qing Xuan leaned lazily against the tree trunk, looking every bit as listless as Kakashi.
"It's the same whether I learn them or she does. The Hokage approved it!"
Asuma had always been rebellious, but ever since meeting Uchiha Qing Xuan, he'd found that he could almost understand his old-fashioned father.
"You're being way too irresponsible! A ninja has to build a strong foundation while they're young, or they'll regret it later! What kind of example are you setting by slacking off like this?"
At that, Qing Xuan perked right up.
"Ohoho~"
He drew out the sound, like one of the gossipy old ladies in the clan. "Is this really the same Asuma Sarutobi who used to do whatever he wanted and love his freedom? I can't believe those words came out of your mouth!"
Asuma froze, suddenly at a loss for words. But Qing Xuan had no intention of letting him off so easily. He swung the skewer in his hand and pointed it at him.
"You're the Sarutobi Runaway who got scared off by a mere Orochimaru, and you've got the nerve to lecture me?"
Going for someone's weak spot and kicking their good leg out from under them had always been one of Qing Xuan's specialties.
As expected, Asuma looked ashamed at the teasing. A mere Orochimaru? You don't even take one of the Sannin seriously?
Of course, he was also embarrassed about what he'd done the day before.
When Orochimaru told him to leave, he genuinely hadn't suspected anything. After all, what kind of bad intentions could Orochimaru possibly have?
But halfway home, he remembered what Qing Xuan had said. The more he thought about it, the more something seemed off, so he hurried back to report it. Thankfully, he hadn't been too late.
It was just that his old man had given him a strange look...
"Don't put it like that! You may not know this, but the Anbu wouldn't have been deployed without me!"
Asuma scratched his head, feeling thoroughly miserable. He'd never imagined someone like Orochimaru would defect! Though that guy's constant gloominess had always made him uncomfortable...
The two sat chatting on the grass, watching Haku train hard nearby. She really was a beast.
"Now that you mention it, I've noticed the village's security has gotten tighter lately. Is that because of Orochimaru too?"
Qing Xuan asked just to keep the conversation going. They had nothing else to do, and maybe he could pry some information out of the Hokage's silly son.
Asuma didn't disappoint. When he was young, he hadn't been particularly careful about what he said, and he liked talking about this stuff with Qing Xuan. Besides, it wasn't exactly classified information. He raised his eyebrows. "Peace is just around the corner."
"Oh?"
"The Cloud representative is supposed to come to the village in the next few days to sign an alliance..."
That afternoon.
Fugaku Uchiha's study.
"What? The Cloud delegation is coming to the village?"
Old man Fugaku slapped the table in shock. He was the head of Konoha's Military Police Force, yet he hadn't heard a thing about Konoha and the Cloud signing a peace treaty?
The Uchiha who had hurried over for the meeting all wore different expressions. The most outraged was old man Setsuna Uchiha.
The old man's Three Tomoe appeared at once. He slammed the table and shouted, "I knew those bastards didn't care about the Uchiha! They keep everything from us and shut us out of everything! Whenever anything happens in the village, the Uchiha are always the last to know!"
Unable to contain his fury, he glared with bloodshot eyes, as if his Three Tomoe might evolve at any moment. "What are they trying to do?!"
Qing Xuan sat calmly to one side, quietly watching him put on a show. He knew exactly what the old geezer was up to.
But you're overdoing it! Can't you tone it down a little?
"Ahem!"
The interruption brought Fugaku back to his senses, and his anger cooled.
He looked around at the clan's pillars and asked, "What should the Uchiha do next?"
As soon as he finished speaking, a pair of Sharingan eyes after another turned toward the little figure eating dango.
Fugaku followed their gaze and immediately grew annoyed. Eating, eating, eating! All you do is eat dango all day! Just wait until you get fat—you'll know what trouble is then!
"Qing Xuan, what do you think we should do?"
The study fell completely silent.
That moment showed just how much influence Qing Xuan currently held within the Uchiha Clan.
The impact of everything he had done recently was on full display.
Not a single other Uchiha spoke. Even the clan leader's son couldn't command this kind of standing.
"What should we do?"
Under the gaze of the Uchiha bigwigs, the little rascal leisurely swallowed his last dango. A glimmer of pure, unfiltered wisdom flashed in his eyes.
"Obviously, we should use this chance to make a big fuss!"
Those words struck a chord with the other Uchiha.
"Well said, Qing Xuan!"
Elder Shana was the first to leap out in support.
"I knew I was right about you!"
A few others, including the conservative Elder Homen, looked worried.
"Don't worry. I know what I'm doing."
Qing Xuan smiled confidently and said quietly, "I already have a detailed plan. And..."
As he spoke, his smile grew more and more sinister, making Fugaku frown beside him.
He remembered how Liu Yun used to smile like that, too. Whenever he did, something bad was bound to happen...
"I've already found out when the Cloud delegation will arrive in Konoha..."
The way Qing Xuan said it, with that wicked grin, made the other Uchiha feel uneasy. It was as if they really were conspiring behind closed doors to hatch some terrible plot.
Only Elder Shana seemed as excited as if he'd been given a shot of adrenaline. The more he heard, the more thrilled he became.
"And then?"
The little old man's face flushed with excitement. He felt as if the thrill of leading the hardliners into a coup years ago had returned.
"We secretly go outside the village..."
He gave the same sinister smile as Qing Xuan and made a throat-slitting gesture.
Everyone got the idea. They'd assassinate the delegation, pin the blame on the higher-ups, provoke conflict between the two villages, and let them fight it out. They'd weaken the higher-ups while sitting back to watch, and in the end, the Uchiha would take control of everything!
At once, several hardliners began breathing heavily. Even a few conservatives exchanged glances, then thought, Maybe... it could work?
They might be conservatives, but if it really could achieve the ultimate goal, they could afford to be a little more radical!
And so the Uchiha in the study really began plotting...
Before you continue