The elders' dispute was settled in the blink of an eye. In less than ten minutes, everything had been decided.
Just then, Uchiha Hirotomo spoke slowly. "Since no one has any objections, I hereby officially announce that Uchiha Kō has become the sixth elder of the Uchiha Clan!"
As soon as he finished speaking, the crowd fell silent, then erupted into enthusiastic applause and cheers.
But Uchiha Hirotomo was unmoved by the excitement. He continued, "Additionally, Lord Hokage specifically instructed me to bring Uchiha Kō to an important meeting, so I ask that you kindly clear a path for us." With that, a faint smile appeared on Uchiha Hirotomo's face.
The crowd and the elders didn't hesitate. They quickly moved aside, opening up a wide path. Uchiha Kō walked steadily in front, while Uchiha Hirotomo followed at an unhurried pace.
The two of them continued on until their figures disappeared at the edge of the clan grounds.
After they left, the previously quiet crowd burst into commotion. People began whispering among themselves, discussing what had happened.
"Big Brother, I don't know why, but Uchiha Kō's face seems familiar to me!" The Fifth Elder furrowed his brow slightly and turned to ask the Great Elder, deep in thought.
The Great Elder smiled faintly and gently stroked his beard. "Fifth Brother, you were still young when that happened, so it's only natural that you've forgotten. Actually, Uchiha Kō looks remarkably like Lord Madara did in the past—almost eighty percent alike! And that's not all. His talent and the unique air he exudes with every movement are practically identical to Lord Madara's." At this, the Great Elder threw his head back and laughed.
The Fifth Elder nodded slightly in agreement. A trace of reminiscence showed on his weathered face. His thoughts flashed back to his childhood. He had been only five or six years old when, by a stroke of luck, he had witnessed the legendary Madara Uchiha with his own eyes.
Though a long time had passed, the shock of that brief glimpse had left a deep impression on his young heart.
Meanwhile, the atmosphere elsewhere was somewhat tense.
"Kō, wasn't that a little too ruthless?" Uchiha Hirotomo furrowed his brow and let out a heavy sigh, looking helplessly at the cold-faced Uchiha Kō beside him.
Uchiha Kō gave a cold snort, a chill in his eyes. "Hmph! Some people have spent so long willingly acting as someone else's lapdog that they can even bring themselves to attack their own clansmen. For scum like that, I'd say my methods were already quite merciful."
Uchiha Hirotomo nodded helplessly at this, seeming to want to say something. "Sigh... The Fourth Elder..."
But before he could finish, Uchiha Kō abruptly stopped and lifted the corner of his mouth in a faint, mirthless smile. "What? Does the clan leader want to use this opportunity to give me a good scolding?"
Faced with Uchiha Kō's question, Uchiha Hirotomo hurriedly waved his hands and shook his head. "No, no! Come on, attending the meeting is more important right now!"
In his mind, offending a rare genius of the clan over one misbehaving Fourth Elder would be a terrible trade.
After receiving his answer, Uchiha Kō gave a small nod. The two of them continued walking toward the Hokage Building.
Along the way, they passed many clan leaders and elite shinobi from other families. Some exchanged nods with them; others stopped for a brief greeting.
Among them were Tsunade, Jiraiya, Orochimaru, and the heads of the Ino-Shika-Cho clans. There were also two others whose eyes were white!
Uchiha Kō narrowed his eyes slightly, thoughts racing through his mind.
After a moment's consideration, he came to a conclusion: the shorter man was most likely Hyuga Hiashi. As the eldest son of the Hyuga Main Family, his status was undoubtedly extraordinary.
As for the tall, dignified elder beside him, there was no doubt he was Hiashi's father. But Uchiha Kō didn't know the man's name.
Just then, Uchiha Hirotomo followed Uchiha Kō's gaze. When he saw the Hyuga father and son, a faint smile appeared on his face, and he spoke softly. "Kō, look over there. The older man is Hyuga Akagi, the current head of the Hyuga Clan.
And the handsome young man standing beside him should be his eldest son, Hyuga Hiashi, if I'm not mistaken."
Uchiha Kō nodded slightly to show he agreed with Uchiha Hirotomo, then gave a quiet hum in response. After that, he turned to Uchiha Hirotomo and thanked him.
Once that was done, the two walked side by side toward the Hokage Building. An important meeting was waiting for them.
Tsunade had been in low spirits. Having to attend a meeting first thing in the morning was a real drag. But then she spotted Uchiha Kō, and her eyes lit up. She walked over to him.
With a smile, she gave Uchiha Kō's broad, solid shoulder a light pat and said brightly, "Hey, Kō! I never expected to run into you here!"
Uchiha Kō had been focused on what was in front of him, but the instant he heard that familiar voice, he came back to himself. The corners of his mouth lifted in a faint smile, and he replied softly, "Yeah, what a coincidence, little Tsun."
Jiraiya overheard their conversation and his eyes widened until they looked ready to pop out. He stuck out his long tongue, his face full of shock and disbelief.
What did I just hear? Little Tsun? What's going on? He quickly turned to look at Tsunade, hoping she would explain.
Tsunade's pretty face flushed slightly, like a ripe apple.
To his surprise, she showed no sign of anger. Instead, she seemed a little shy and embarrassed.
Just then, Jiraiya felt as if someone had stabbed him straight through the heart. A sharp pain struck him, and it seemed a deep crack was slowly spreading through his chest.
Nearby, Orochimaru narrowed his long eyes slightly and gave a couple of soft chuckles.
He gently patted Jiraiya on the shoulder and teased, "Come on, stop spacing out. The old man's still waiting for us!"
After speaking, he turned to look at Uchiha Kō in the distance, a mischievous smile on his face that made it impossible to tell what he was thinking.
Uchiha Hirotomo, standing among the crowd, was completely stunned by what he had just seen.
He never would have guessed that the shrewd Uchiha Kō he'd seen the night before had such a close relationship with the highly esteemed Princess Tsunade—close enough to call her by a nickname!
Tsunade's face was still a little red, but less than two seconds later, she said to Uchiha Kō, "Come on. This is probably your first time attending a meeting. Remember to listen more and speak less, Kō. That's basically all you need to do to get through the meeting."
Uchiha Kō smiled and nodded. "Okay."
The two walked shoulder to shoulder into the Hokage Office, leaving Uchiha Hirotomo alone in the corridor, questioning everything.
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