Chaos

Qile, who had become the focal point for everyone present, felt an intense, overwhelming sense of embarrassment wash over him. At this moment, he truly felt like dying.

Impulsive...

Damn it!

The main thing was that he had watched Madara set aside his arrogance to plead with his clansmen in such a painstaking manner.

One had to understand that, based on the image and attitude Madara displayed in the anime, there had never been anyone capable of making Madara offer such patient persuasion.

The reason the Uchiha Clan was feared by everyone boiled down to only two points.

The first was the immense combat power of the Uchiha Clan itself.

The second was, without a doubt, Madara himself!

However, once the Uchiha Clan lost Madara—the clan leader capable of contending with the First Hokage—the entire Uchiha Clan would be like a blade that had lost its scabbard. Although the blade remained incredibly sharp and could easily sever any obstacle, as it continued to kill and was worn down by the passage of time, it would eventually become dull. In the long run, it would inevitably snap, losing its former edge.

"Qile?" Madara murmured softly, his brows slightly furrowed.

He naturally had an impression of Qile; after all, following the unfortunate passing of his own younger brother Izuna, Qile's lineage could be considered one of the few relatives he had left.

Even if the awakening of the Sharingan in Qile's lineage was truly disappointing.

Even so, Madara, who was always known for being impartial and cold-blooded, had ultimately granted Qile's lineage a few conveniences.

If not for that, their bloodline would likely have been ruthlessly wiped out like cannon fodder long before Qile was even born, leaving no chance for a lone sprout like him to remain...

Just moments ago, he had used his own sensory abilities to detect the presence of Qile and Kagami.

However, in his eyes, they were merely two young, ignorant children wanting to join in the excitement.

Although he was usually extremely serious and rarely smiled, this did not mean he did not love his clan and his people.

Because of this, he hadn't taken it to heart when Qile and Kagami eavesdropped on their conversation. He had originally intended to go and warn them after the clan meeting concluded; as long as they didn't spread his words, it would be enough.

After all, the things he had just said would reach the ears of certain people before tomorrow anyway. So, having two more children hear it didn't really matter to him.

In stark contrast to Madara's calm and composed demeanor, the Uchiha clansmen at the meeting seemed to have suddenly found an outlet to vent their pent-up emotions. Like a tidal wave, they launched a barrage of questions at Qile, their posture suggesting they wished to pour all their dissatisfaction and confusion onto him.

"This is the highest-level clan meeting; it is not a place for two wet-behind-the-ears children to participate."

"Where is the security? How could they let people in like this!"

"Get out!"

"To dare enter the clan meeting at such an age!"

Listening to the clansmen, who were as noisy as a chaotic market, Qile frowned slightly. Instead of feeling nervous, he scratched his head in resignation; he could understand their mindset.

When a person feels they have wronged someone, they often exhibit one of two completely different reactions.

The first is endless sycophancy—a posture of desperately trying to make amends and gain forgiveness, as if they want to express all their apologies through such means.

The second is the exact opposite: infinite anger, as if the guilt deep within their hearts has transformed into fury, using that anger to mask their shame!

And these clansmen naturally knew very well that failing to stand up and support Madara, the current clan leader, was almost equivalent to an act of subtle betrayal.

The guilt and unease in their hearts naturally made them feel they had wronged Madara.

However, simple sycophancy would have no substantive effect on Madara. How could a figure as dignified and proud as Madara ever care for flattery?

But if they were to show anger toward Madara, they truly didn't dare!

In this tense and subtle atmosphere, the sudden appearance of Qile provided them with an outlet to vent their inner emotions...

"Shut up!" Madara's voice rang out slowly. It was not loud—even "quiet" would be an understatement.

Strangely, as his seemingly plain words fell, the clan meeting, which had been as noisy as a vegetable market, instantly fell into dead silence.

"Pfft..." Witnessing this sudden shift, Qile, who was struggling to hold it in, could no longer control his emotions and burst into laughter without any regard for his image. The sound was exceptionally abrupt in the silent space.

Hearing Qile's irrepressible laughter, the clansmen's eyes seemed to ignite with fire.

Of course, they didn't want to kill Qile; they weren't deranged to that extent.

They only wanted to pull down Qile's pants and give his little bottom a sound thrashing.

Just to let Qile know how terrifying the anger of an Uchiha elder could be...

"Alright, leave. Remember, you heard nothing of what happened here today." Madara looked seriously at Qile, who was trying to stifle his laughter, and also spoke slowly to Kagami, who stood to the side with a look of bewilderment.

From the bottom of his heart, he didn't take what Qile had just said seriously. In his view, Qile was just a mischievous child who perhaps hadn't even understood the meaning of his words.

"Clan Leader, I said I want to follow you," Qile immediately stated again, firm and earnest, his small face full of anticipation and sincerity.

Since he had already stepped out, he might as well openly and honestly side with Madara.

Judging by Madara's performance just now, he had not yet fully evolved into the cold-blooded, heartless ultimate form he would become later.

Because of this, Qile could accurately judge in an instant that as long as he firmly stood with Madara, even if Madara didn't take him along for some reason, his life would definitely not be in any danger. At most, he would just suffer some minor exclusion from others.

However, if he successfully sided with Madara, he would receive extremely generous rewards from him. Things like basic ninjutsu scrolls or Madara's past cultivation insights were things those ninjas dreamed of but could rarely obtain.

After all, even Obito, that "idiot," could be trained by Lord Madara into a prodigy. Although it was largely due to the benefits of his own Sharingan, it could not be denied that Madara had trained Obito very well.

Furthermore, by maintaining a good relationship with Madara, he would have the opportunity to meet that somewhat dim-witted First Hokage in the future. When that time came, he could just use a little bit of trickery...

Hehe...