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The lunch where they could not eat their fill finally ended. Uchiha Sasuke certainly had impressive pomp—he had just been born, yet the entire clan's High-End Combat Power had come to celebrate his birthday.

Compared to him, what Crown Prince? They were nothing but stinking fish and rotten shrimp.

Although he had not heard any useful information, Qingfeng had still noticed something.

For example, Clan Head Uchiha Fugaku seemed closer to Elder Uchiha Eagle. As for Uchiha Setsuna and Elder Baru, they seemed utterly loyal to the Uchiha, yet there appeared to be some distance between them and Clan Head Fugaku.

Now that lunch was over, there was no point thinking so much about it. It was safer to hurry back to training. Relying entirely on Shadow Clones for training was still a little too slow.

After waiting for a long time, he realized that these people had no intention of leaving at all. Some had already quietly sat in the rest area with their eyes closed, resting.

What was going on?

Shisui was still carrying out a mission at the border and had not returned. Itachi was nowhere to be seen either; he had probably gone to see his little brother.

He could not find anyone to ask, but he did not dare leave rashly either. What if this was some Uchiha tradition? If he just left, would that not expose him?

Pretending that no one had noticed, he headed into the back courtyard. At a time like this, he had to find Itachi before he could feel at ease.

Following the route he had taken that morning, he went to see whether Itachi was there.

Only when he reached the end did he see Itachi sitting on the steps, soothing Little Sasuke.

"Itachi, why aren't those people up front leaving? What are they waiting for?"

Uchiha Itachi did not stop rocking the swaddling clothes.

"A clan meeting will be held soon. It's mainly to summarize the clan members' losses and discuss future development."

"It shouldn't have anything to do with me, right? Can I leave?"

"Only those who have awakened the clan's Kekkei Genkai and Jonin can attend this kind of meeting. If you are not qualified, you would not even be notified."

So today's gathering had two purposes. First, the Clan Head wanted to show off his younger son. Second, they were holding a clan meeting.

He really did not want to attend something so boring.

"It's about time. Let's go together."

Itachi sent Uchiha Sasuke back to the room, then left with Qingfeng.

As everyone gathered, the Uchiha elite assembled together and followed Fugaku directly outside.

Qingfeng, trailing at the back, was somewhat puzzled. "Itachi, isn't the meeting being held here? Why are we going out?"

"The clan meeting is held in Uchiha Naka Shrine. We also report on the Uchiha's recent situation to Uchiha Kami. It happens once or twice a year, depending on the circumstances."

Qingfeng was speechless. Gathering the clan's High-End Combat Power to hold a meeting at a shrine, out in the open like this—anyone would suspect the Uchiha of plotting rebellion.

No wonder so many people considered the Uchiha a hidden danger. This damned arrogance.

He just wanted to ask: was it still too late to withdraw from this illegal gathering?

Just as Qingfeng had expected, after worshipping Uchiha Kami at Naka Shrine, he was too far away to hear what Clan Head Fugaku said. Then Fugaku formed Hand Seals with both hands, and a huge stone shifted aside, revealing an underground passage.

There was absolutely no mistake. This was where the Uchiha would later plot to seize the position of Hokage by force.

Proud and arrogant, completely unaware of what it meant to show weakness to the enemy.

Itachi and Qingfeng entered the underground space with everyone else.

He had originally thought it was just a small place, but after entering, he found that the space was quite large. There was even a dedicated conference room.

Qingfeng looked around and, sure enough, saw a stone tablet standing directly beneath the shrine. This should be the tablet Black Zetsu had tampered with. Unfortunately, without activating the Sharingan, it was completely blank.

It was nothing but a lie. Qingfeng could not even be bothered to open his eyes and look at it.

If he had the chance, he had to destroy that harmful stone tablet.

Everyone entered the conference room and took their seats. There were four seats beside the central table, and only the Clan Head and Elders were qualified to sit there.

When the Clan Head said, "Let's begin," the conference room fell silent. The Elders took out notebooks and began their reports.

First, they reported the Uchiha population and the number of Ninja.

Dozens of Jonin, combined with such brazen behavior—no wonder Konoha's upper ranks had always been wary of them.

This was still their postwar number. Before the war, it had probably exceeded a hundred. After the Senju disbanded, the Uchiha were unquestionably the number one clan.

War inevitably brought casualties. There was nothing to be done about that.

Qingfeng had no interest in any of this. He was getting sleepy just listening.

After all combat losses had been counted, they moved on to handling the aftermath.

The first matter was the standards for survivor benefits for the families left behind by fallen Ninja: widows, orphans, the elderly, the weak, the sick, and the disabled.

The original standards had become somewhat unsuitable as the village developed and grew.

Elder Uchiha Eagle was the first to propose new standards. "Previously, survivor benefits were distributed at fifty thousand ryo per person every month. Now, civilians and Ninja will be differentiated."

"Those without Ninja talent will remain at fifty thousand ryo. Those capable of becoming Ninja will receive seventy thousand ryo."

"If an orphan receiving these survivor benefits awakens the Sharingan, they will receive an additional One Million Ryo subsidy."

In short, civilian benefits would remain unchanged while Ninja benefits would be increased.

Qingfeng had wanted to object to such preferential treatment, but then he remembered the One Million Ryo Fugaku had given him.

It was only right for Ninja, such a high-risk group, to receive better benefits.

Besides, everyone seated here was a Jonin. The proposal to improve Ninja benefits passed unanimously.

With these basic matters settled, it felt as though so many Jonin had come merely to listen in. The final decisions still rested with the Clan Head and Elders.

"From now on, everyone will still need to take on more missions. Those clan members in the Guard Division must also wholeheartedly protect the village. I'm counting on everyone."

As Fugaku spoke his concluding words, the meeting entered its final stage.

Qingfeng had been ready to leave, but he had not expected Elder Setsuna to suddenly stir things up.

"With the Uchiha's strength, being granted only the authority of the Leaf Village Military Police Force is clearly discrimination against the Uchiha."

As soon as Elder Setsuna finished speaking, quite a few Ninja began echoing him.

"That's right. We're the number one clan in the Ninja World. Never mind the Hokage—we don't even have a consultant position."

"Even smaller clans can serve as Konoha Jonin Squad Leader..."

"This is looking down on the Uchiha."

"We're constantly subjected to difficulties in the village."

"The Anbu even dare to poach people from the Guard Division. They have no respect for us at all."

"I think some people want to replace the Guard Division..."

The entire conference room suddenly became lively. What everyone was saying amounted to the same thing: the Uchiha should be the Hokage.

Qingfeng's head began to ache. Did these Jonin have no brains? The Fourth Hokage had only recently taken office, and the war had just ended, yet they already wanted to expand the power in their hands. Would it not be better to take this opportunity to have a few more children?

They should learn more from Clan Head Fugaku. For the prosperity of the Uchiha, having more children was the right thing to do.

Danzō and Root, those few small fry, had not shown their faces at all lately. The Anbu were the Hokage's direct subordinates, so it was only natural that the Uchiha Guard Division ranked below them.