What? The Patriarch is Dead? That's a Good Thing!

"The current Uchiha clan head has been confirmed dead in battle!"

"Before his death, he issued an order for Uchiha Fugaku to serve as acting clan head."

"His remains are currently being transported back to Konoha."

The high-ranking officials of Konoha were visibly shaken.

Following the death of Hyuga Hishu, a member of the Hyuga clan's main branch, another key figure from a major ninja clan had fallen in battle.

Moreover, the person who died was the head of the Uchiha clan.

It seemed the intensity of the battlefield was about to escalate even further.

For the first time, the typically rigid face of Uchiha Zonyan revealed an unconcealable expression of grief.

Unlike the others who were shocked, Xuandou, who had originally intended to coast through the meeting, felt his eyes light up upon hearing the news.

The Uchiha clan head is dead?

This is a good thing!

The position of clan head is now vacant.

Doesn't that mean he has a chance too?

He must compete for this position of clan head!

According to the original plot, Fugaku would officially succeed as the Uchiha clan head after the war.

But Fugaku's political maneuvering was truly hard to compliment.

Despite holding the Mangekyo Sharingan and having geniuses like Shisui and Itachi within the clan, he ultimately ended up with the destruction of his entire clan.

Even if he had just started a rebellion, it wouldn't have resulted in the clan's annihilation.

One could only say that, in the position of clan head, tying up a ninja dog would have done a better job than Fugaku!

Now that he had bound himself to the Clan System, rather than letting Fugaku lead the Uchiha to a dead end, he might as well fight for it himself!

At this moment, the meeting was still ongoing.

Hiruzen Sarutobi took a deep drag of his pipe, slowly exhaled a thick cloud of smoke, and said in a deep voice:

"Given the current situation, you are all pillars of Konoha. Do you have any thoughts?"

Mitokado Homura pushed up his glasses, his tone grave:

"The death of the Uchiha clan head likely means the war will escalate further..."

"Exactly!"

Danzo immediately took over the conversation.

"We should immediately draw personnel from the various ninja clans in the village and rush them to the front lines! We must not let the enemy villages seize the initiative!"

Hyuga Hiashi immediately retorted coldly:

"Our clans' combat strength has almost been sent out in full force; what remains is only enough to maintain the basic operation of the village. Where else can we draw people from?"

Utatane Koharu spoke slowly:

"I don't think so. Isn't there a group of children about to graduate from the Ninja Academy? Graduating them early could also fill the gaps on the front lines."

"Well said! I completely agree!"

Mitokado Homura immediately echoed.

"What does it matter if they are young? In this war, both Hatake Kakashi and Uchiha Shisui have become famous at a young age, haven't they?"

Hiruzen Sarutobi did not express his stance, instead looking at Uchiha Zonyan, who had remained silent since the meeting began.

"Does the Uchiha clan have any thoughts?"

Faced with the Hokage's sudden inquiry, Uchiha Zonyan seemed still immersed in the grief of the clan head's death.

This caused him to freeze for a moment upon hearing Hiruzen Sarutobi's question.

Xuandou, sitting beside him, knew: his opportunity had arrived!

To compete for the position of Uchiha clan head, the first step was to demonstrate his own political ability.

He possessed memories from Blue Star and knew the development of the Naruto World plot like the back of his hand.

Therefore, he was fully confident in using this information gap to stun everyone present.

Thus, he immediately turned his head and whispered to Uchiha Zonyan:

"Great Elder, may I speak on behalf of the Uchiha?"

Uchiha Zonyan, already in a state of mental confusion due to the clan head's death, did not know how to respond.

Thinking that Xuandou was now a Jonin possessing the Three-Tomoe Sharingan, he was indeed qualified to represent the Uchiha clan.

After hesitating for a moment, he nodded immediately.

Xuandou stood up.

The gazes in the conference room converged upon him—curiosity, scrutiny, and indifference all present.

He met those gazes and spoke with steady composure:

"The Uchiha's assessment differs entirely from the views previously expressed. The Uchiha believes that not only will the war not escalate, but it will conclude within this very year!"

This was, of course, no idle talk from Xuandou.

It was currently Konoha Year 50.

According to the original plot, the Third Shinobi World War was destined to end precisely in Konoha Year 50!

As soon as Xuandou finished speaking, a few faint snickers echoed through the meeting room.

Hiruzen's expression remained unchanged on his aged face as he countered directly:

"What is the basis for the Uchiha's judgment?"

Facing the Hokage's retort, Xuandou did not flinch and continued his analysis:

"First, Minato successfully destroyed the Kannabi Bridge during the Battle of Kannabi Bridge. With the lifeline of Iwagakure's supply lines severed, the war between Konoha and Iwagakure can effectively be declared over."

The high-ranking officials of Konoha flickered their eyes upon hearing this.

Xuandou was not wrong.

Ever since the Battle of Kannabi Bridge concluded, Iwagakure and Konoha had begun to gradually withdraw the ninjas stationed along their shared border.

A ceasefire between the two nations had become almost a certainty.

Seeing the expressions of the high-ranking officials, Xuandou knew he had hit the mark and pressed his advantage:

"Secondly, Iwagakure is currently fighting a two-front war against Konoha and Kumogakure. Once we cease hostilities with Iwagakure, they will be able to pull a massive number of ninjas and deploy them into the Land of Lightning. I conclude that the Third Raikage will inevitably suffer a crushing defeat, with the possibility of him losing his life entirely!"

"Once Kumogakure loses the Raikage, the war will be even harder for them to sustain."

The death of the Third Raikage was one of the landmark events of the Third Shinobi World War, and it had left a deep impression on Xuandou.

However, several high-ranking Konoha officials nearby burst into laughter upon hearing Xuandou's statement.

A few of them even began whispering to one another.

"Did I hear that right? He just said the Third Raikage would die in battle?"

"That is the strongest Raikage in history; how could he possibly die so easily?"

Danzo, standing to the side, spoke up to reprimand him directly:

"Hmph, ignorant brat, what do you know!"

"The current Third Raikage holds the titles of both the Strongest Spear and the Strongest Shield. How many in Iwagakure could possibly pose a threat to him?"

"It is impossible for him to die so easily!"

Following this, several more mocking gazes were cast toward Zong Yan, as if to say:

Is this the youth of your Uchiha clan?

The Uchiha clan's political insight is as poor as ever.

Elder Zong Yan felt his cheeks flush under the weight of those stares.

He felt a pang of regret; letting Xuandou speak had indeed been too rash.

Even to his own ears, such an exaggerated prediction sounded absurd.

He tugged on Xuandou's sleeve from below, signaling him to sit down quickly and stop embarrassing them.

Just then, a Root ninja suddenly appeared behind Danzo.

The ninja whispered into Danzo's ear for a moment.

Danzo's expression shifted from his initial composure to one of shock.

His knuckles, gripping his cane, turned slightly white.

Hiruzen, noticing the change in the situation, immediately asked:

"Danzo, what has happened?"

Danzo remained silent for a moment, casting a complex look at Xuandou before speaking stiffly:

"Urgent report from the front lines... Iwagakure dispatched ten thousand ninjas to launch a surprise attack on Kumogakure. The Third Raikage fought the enemy alone, battling for three days and three nights... until he died of exhaustion."

Dead silence.

Danzo's words caused the expressions of the Konoha high-ranking officials to freeze.

The gazes that had previously held mockery slowly shifted to astonishment, disbelief, and finally, profound suspicion.

Dozens of eyes refocused on Xuandou.

This... he had actually been right?

Was this really the same politically inept Uchiha clan as before?

In past Konoha high-level meetings, the Uchiha clan members would only sit there acting aloof.

Even when they did speak, they never offered anything of substance.

Since when did the Uchiha become so politically astute?

And to have their words verified immediately after speaking them!

It was no wonder Danzo's expression turned so ugly upon receiving the intelligence; he had been slapped in the face on the spot by an Uchiha brat.

Danzo's face flickered between pale and livid, yet he still forced a cold snort:

"Hmph! The Uchiha must have obtained the intelligence in advance!"

Many people hearing this suddenly realized: That's right, it must be so!

The Uchiha must have obtained the intelligence beforehand and then deliberately come to the high-level meeting to show off.

They turned their gazes toward Zong Yan, only to be surprised to find that this Uchiha Great Elder was equally bewildered, perhaps even more confused than they were.

Zong Yan was indeed stunned.

The Uchiha obtained intelligence in advance?

But why did he, the Great Elder in charge of clan affairs, know nothing about it?

Hiruzen took in Zong Yan's expression.

He looked deeply at Xuandou, then reached a conclusion:

Could he truly be a genius?

After taking a deep drag of his pipe, he said to Xuandou:

"Please continue your analysis."