Disaster from the Mouth

"Uchiha Siming, I—"

Uchiha Itachi gritted his teeth, but before he could finish, Uchiha Siming had already let go and reached over to Uchiha Shisui, giving his hand a firm squeeze.

Forget it.

He and Uchiha Siming rarely spoke anyway.

"You should learn from Shisui here. Then fewer people would call you a dead fish face."

Siming's voice came again.

Uchiha Itachi: "..."

Damn it!

Hounding him to death, was he?

He had never met anyone so infuriating!

"Alright, alright, we're all of the Uchiha Clan. No need to argue over such a small thing." Uchiha Shisui smiled helplessly, playing peacemaker. "Siming just speaks a little too warmly."

A flicker of thought passed through his eyes. He swept his gaze over the people Siming had just greeted.

There were Dove faction members, and Hawk faction ones too.

Which meant—

Siming wasn't part of the Hawk faction. The Hawk faction never took the initiative to greet the Dove faction. Sure enough, Siming had the breadth of mind to hope for harmony between the village and the Uchiha!

At that thought, the softness in his eyes deepened.

"Long time no see, Siming. Last time you came to the clan meeting, it seemed—" Uchiha Shisui stumbled over his words.

"I've never attended a clan meeting. Before, I was too young. Later, I had no time."

Siming kindly reminded him.

Why bother with a clan meeting?

They'd talk all night. With that time, he'd rather go to the Senju Clan and rack up hours!

"Uh... well, at the last clan meeting, the elder Xianren firmly believed the Uchiha shouldn't keep enduring, while the elder Yashiro thought the Uchiha should coexist peacefully with the village."

A trace of worry surfaced in Shisui's eyes. He sighed and glanced meaningfully at Siming.

"Last time, those two clashed fiercely. This time will probably be the same. Siming, what do you think?"

Siming knew these two well.

One represented the Hawk faction.

The other represented the Dove faction.

They could be said to embody the differing views within the Uchiha Clan, with the Hawk faction making up the majority.

"What opinion could an ordinary clan member like me have?"

Siming lazily clasped his hands behind his head, leaning back against the training post, looking utterly disinterested.

Shisui frowned slightly.

Back in the Hokage's office, Siming hadn't said that.

Could it be... that Siming had been lying to the Hokage?!

"The wheels of the era roll forward, never shifting for anyone's will. Without absolute power, everyone is nothing but an ant."

Siming let out a light laugh, his dark eyes suddenly landing on Shisui. "Just like you right now."

His words were airy.

But to Shisui's ears, they were like a needle, piercing the most sensitive part of his heart!

Shisui's eyes trembled.

That was right. This was exactly the state he was in now. No matter how he tried to mediate the relationship between the Uchiha and Konoha, there was never any progress. Instead, the conflict between the village and the clan only grew fiercer!

"Siming, do you have a way?"

Looking into the young man's dark eyes, Shisui inexplicably felt as if he had been seen through.

Both the mission Lord Hokage had given him.

And his current state of mind!

Siming said nothing.

He was waiting for an opportunity.

[Ding! Detected that Uchiha Shisui has fallen into confusion regarding the village and the clan. Lord Hashirama! Please help Shisui overcome his confusion quickly! Mission released: Shisui's Confusion!]

[Please help Shisui overcome his confusion and provide a feasible plan to resolve the Uchiha Clan's problems!]

[Mission Reward: Sage Body!]

The corner of Siming's mouth curled up. Now the time had come.

Any hesitation in the face of system rewards is disrespect to System Bro!

Just then.

The Clan Head with a middle-part hairstyle and a square face—the one who said his name was Fugaku—walked to the center of the stage.

As a member of the Uchiha Clan, you could afford to ignore the Hokage's face.

But you couldn't ignore the Clan Head's face.

"Shisui, no rush. We'll talk in detail after the clan meeting ends."

Siming wasn't in a hurry, but Shisui was so anxious he wished the meeting would end right now. And in truth, it wasn't much different from what Shisui had said—once the meeting started, after Fugaku finished a few opening remarks.

The Hawk faction's Uchiha Xianren and Uchiha Yashiro immediately launched into a mutual roasting session.

One couldn't wait to start a rebellion right then and there.

The other was so furious he cursed shamelessly, and the underlings below were even more riled up.

Uchiha Siming watched with great interest, but just then, Uchiha Xianren—maybe having a stroke—fixed a cold, sharp gaze on Uchiha Siming.

Instantly, a hint of delight appeared on his face.

Wait.

What the hell are you happy about!

I don't even really know you, man. Siming paused mid-crack of his sunflower seeds.

"Yashiro, let's not go far—the Senju Clan was just as submissive to the Third Hokage, and what was the result? How many Senju are left now?"

Uchiha Xianren snorted coldly: "A pure-blooded Princess Tsunade has already fled, and all that's left in Konoha is a half-breed Uchiha Siming!"

Hey!

Hey!

Wait, if you're going to talk, talk—why drag me into it?

Siming's face instantly darkened, his expression sour!

"Hmph! That was because of the First Hokage's 'Senju Village Integration' plan. The Senju Clan may be gone, but they've merged into the whole of Konoha!"

Uchiha Yashiro retorted, refusing to back down.

"Stop spouting nonsense!"

Uchiha Xianren sneered, as if hearing the biggest joke: "The First Hokage's 'Village Integration' plan was to have part of the Senju merge into Konoha, not the entire clan."

"Without a clan, the Senju's current state is our future!"

"Who knows, the Uchiha might end up worse than the Senju!"

He looked at Uchiha Yashiro with a gaze full of pity and contempt.

He felt that this old man, who had competed with him for decades, had lost his mind to actually believe in the Third Hokage and Danzo.

"Impossible!" Yashiro replied firmly: "The Uchiha Clan is an essential part of Konoha's strength. Without the Uchiha Clan, Konoha's power would take a huge hit. The Third Hokage would never do such a thing!"

He looked at Uchiha Xianren with nothing but helplessness and confusion.

When would this old man, who had competed with him for decades, finally see the importance of the Uchiha Clan?

"Tch!" x2.

The two glared at each other, then turned away, fuming.

The crowd below was noisy, not a single minute of peace.

Uchiha Fugaku's ears were numb from all these long-winded speeches; he was starting to get drowsy.

"Hey, wait—if you're going to talk, talk, but why curse me out?"

Uchiha Siming put down his sunflower seeds, stood up, and glared at Uchiha Xianren: "Old man, don't think just because you're older, I won't hit you!"

"Xianren, you're not young anymore—don't you know the principle that disaster comes from the mouth?"

The first half of Siming's words were more arrogant than the most arrogant Uchiha.

The second half was more serious than the most serious Uchiha, almost like their roles had swapped.

Huh?

Everyone gasped, and pairs of red eyes appeared across the Uchiha Clan.

Afraid of missing anything.

Uchiha Izumi clenched the hem of her clothes, her heart pounding wildly. She was also a half-breed, usually not well-liked by the clan. Hearing Siming's words, she was even more excited than he was!

Uchiha Fugaku's eyes widened, and he was suddenly wide awake.

Whoa!

There's new drama today!