In the study.
Watching everyone suddenly start plotting, Fugaku felt completely bewildered.
He didn't understand.
Qing Xuan had only come back to share some information. How had things escalated to the point of starting a war?
After thinking it over, he did feel it might work, but did they really have to go this far?
It was true that the Uchiha deserved better treatment, but surely they couldn't do this?
How was this any different from treason?
He couldn't help looking toward the source of all this—Setsuna Uchiha!
That old man was always stirring things up behind the scenes. What had Qing Xuan even said to make him start urging them to assassinate the delegation? He really had been too lenient with him.
Just as he was about to stop them from entertaining such dark thoughts, the little fellow beside him let out a scornful laugh.
"Seizing power by force?"
Qing Xuan took his foot off the low table, then hopped right up onto it and waved a finger dismissively.
"That's so unsophisticated. As noble Uchiha, shouldn't we be even better at strategy than at using force? Can't we use our wits to make them willingly give us what we deserve?"
Everyone stared at him in surprise.
They could use strategy?
Seeing their reaction, Qing Xuan was taken aback too.
"Seriously? Have you all been thinking about how to seize the Hokage's seat by force this whole time? What have you been discussing at your meetings all these years?"
His words rang out in the silence. His voice wasn't loud, yet it left everyone's ears buzzing.
Even Fugaku began to reflect.
What had they all been doing at their meetings over the years?
Complaining about the Uchiha Clan's current situation? Condemning the Second Hokage for treating them like dirt? Grumbling that the Third Hokage and the village leadership didn't consider the Uchiha human?
What else had there been?
Discussing whether they should launch a coup by force?
After thinking it over, Fugaku shuddered. Cold sweat broke out across his body.
All these years of meetings... They seemed to have accomplished absolutely nothing!
They were always complaining! Always grumbling! Always arguing with one another! And they'd never done anything useful!
At once, the old men's faces turned red.
After Elder Shana's coup was suppressed, the hardliners had lost all momentum. The clan was unhappy with its current standing in Konoha, but no one had entertained any more extreme ideas.
Like frogs in slowly heating water, they'd settled for getting by. Faced with the village's relentless pressure, they'd retreated step by step. If they waited until they had nowhere left to retreat before considering their options...
More people began to break out in a cold sweat.
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The system notification rang in his ears. Qing Xuan raised an eyebrow, thinking, As expected of me. A few words were enough to change the fate of an entire clan.
How could these warriors, who only knew how to fight, understand the charm of the Middle Kingdom's schemes and stratagems?
Just watch me talk you into knots!
"As the saying goes, the highest good is like water. Water benefits all things and does not contend. It stays in places that people disdain, and so it is close to the Dao. In dwelling, be grounded; in the heart, be profound; in giving, be kind; in speaking, be sincere; in governing, be orderly; in work, be capable; in action, be timely. Because it does not contend, it is without fault."
The six-year-old boy spoke with such eloquence that the Uchiha were left blinking in confusion.
Wait, he'd just been speaking in plain language. Why had he suddenly switched to classical Chinese?
They could barely understand him!
While the Uchiha stood there bewildered, Qing Xuan continued, "The best strategy is to thwart the enemy's plans; the next best is to break up their alliances; the next is to defeat their armies; the worst is to lay siege to their cities."
Before they could think it over, he went on:
"Winning a hundred battles out of a hundred is not the best of the best. Subduing the enemy without fighting is the best of the best."
They were stunned. Completely stunned!
It all sounded very reasonable, but they could barely understand it...
Several people opened their mouths to ask questions, then worried it would make them look uneducated. The study fell into another strange silence.
In the end, Elder Shana was the one who spoke.
"Qing Xuan, just tell us what we should do!"
The Uchiha all chimed in agreement. They couldn't argue with that!
As expected of the Young Clan Head! He was incredible!
Such eloquence, such talent—no wonder the Third Hokage had taken him on as a student.
Even Clan Head Fugaku had fallen silent.
He was clearly giving Qing Xuan's plan his tacit approval.
"Then I'll be direct!"
Qing Xuan waved a hand, then asked a completely unrelated question.
"Which clan is wealthier, us or the Hyuga?"
Everyone turned to Elder Homen, who hadn't said a word.
Elder Homen looked at Fugaku in confusion. He didn't know why Qing Xuan had suddenly asked, but after receiving Fugaku's nod, he thought for a moment and answered, "We should be a little wealthier."
Qing Xuan nodded and continued to dwell on an unrelated topic. "I heard the eldest daughter of the Hyuga Clan is about to turn three?"
The other Uchiha were even more bewildered. They couldn't understand how they'd gone from discussing a coup to the Hyuga girl's birthday. They felt they couldn't keep up with Qing Xuan's train of thought.
"It's in a few days," Fugaku replied gravely with a nod. He couldn't figure out why Qing Xuan had suddenly asked either.
"The three-year-old birthday of the Hyuga main family's heir..."
A Uchiha elder suddenly spoke up.
This was Elder Ganin. He was even older than Elder Shana, and had no particular talent. He'd simply lived long enough. At clan meetings, he usually sat off to the side like a mascot, but when it came to the customs and bad habits of the various clans, no one knew more than him.
"It's an extremely important occasion for the Hyuga. Every Hyuga ninja takes it seriously..."
The old man spoke slowly in his aged voice, then raised his cloudy eyes to Qing Xuan. "Young Clan Head, are you planning to make a move against the Hyuga?"
At his words, the others began to understand. They turned their gazes toward Qing Xuan, but he showed no reaction. He simply said to Elder Ganin, "It seems the Hyuga are more like a noble clan than the Uchiha, don't you think, Elder Ganin?"
"Who could disagree? Traditions ought to be observed. They've already forgotten many of the customs passed down by the previous generation..."
The old man looked more and more pleased with Qing Xuan. Even the cloudiness in his eyes seemed to clear, and they brimmed with approval.
The Uchiha frowned. Then they heard Qing Xuan ask, "We have a child who's about to turn three, too, don't we?"
"Sasuke."
With everyone watching, even Fugaku began to feel the strain. He looked at Qing Xuan with a stern expression for the first time and warned him, "Don't you dare target your little brother!"
"Why would I target Sasuke?"
Qing Xuan pursed his lips. "What do we usually do for Sasuke's birthday?"
That question stumped Fugaku.
What did they do?
He'd been away on a mission for Sasuke's first birthday. On his second birthday, the Security Force had clashed with villagers, and the village's biased response had angered the clan. They'd spent the whole day holding a clan meeting.
Thinking about it, he really had never given Sasuke a proper birthday celebration...
"See? That's the difference."
Qing Xuan clapped his hands. "The Hyuga can mobilize their entire clan to celebrate the main family's heir, while the son of the Uchiha Clan's leader can't even have a decent birthday."
His calm words echoed through the study. The proud Uchiha were left hanging their heads in shame at Qing Xuan's criticism.
"How much could a birthday really cost? You can't even match the Hyuga Clan in this, yet you still call yourselves Konoha's foremost noble clan? You have to earn your reputation yourselves. If you don't even bother with appearances, who's going to treat you like a noble clan? Instead of holding clan meetings every day, you'd be better off putting more thought into raising your standing!"
At that moment, Qing Xuan's voice seemed to ring out in everyone's heart.
"Does the Uchiha's prestige really have to come from force? There are other ways! Just look at the Hyuga. They inspire more respect than the Uchiha!"
The Uchiha suddenly felt that made a lot of sense, though something about it still seemed off...
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