"Whoa, what the hell? You old creep, get away from me! I don't need your admiration!"
But what left everyone utterly dumbfounded was that when Fourth Elder Uchiha Sanhe praised him, Uchiha Chen looked horrified and struck a defensive pose, backing away repeatedly as he said things no one could understand.
Uchiha Sanhe didn't really know what Uchiha Chen meant by "old creep," but the meaning of what he said afterward was clear enough. It was no different from slapping Sanhe in the face in front of everyone.
Uchiha Sanhe's sunken eyes suddenly widened, making him look terrifying. In his hoarse voice, he said,
"Uchiha Chen, although I admire you, you should still understand basic manners. I won't hold what just happened against you. Quickly prepare a room. I have something important to discuss with you."
Then Uchiha Sanhe turned to Uchiha Itachi.
"Clan Leader Itachi, I have some private matters to discuss with Uchiha Chen. I'd appreciate it if you could do me the favor of stepping aside."
His words sounded respectful enough, but his tone was full of imperious command.
Uchiha Itachi furrowed his small brows and was about to say something when Uchiha Chen spoke first.
"Hold on. You're the Fourth Elder, right? Did you forget that this is my home? I'm the one in charge here."
"Uchiha Chen, I've already given you plenty of face. Don't push your luck."
Though Uchiha Sanhe was usually composed, he was finally starting to lose his temper.
Seeing that Uchiha Sanhe was about to erupt, Uchiha Chen remained completely calm.
"Fourth Elder, I know you're in a hurry, but don't rush."
"As the owner of this house, whether you even have the right to hold anything against me is beside the point. There's something I have to hold you accountable for!"
Then, amid the confused looks of Uchiha Sanhe and the others, Uchiha Chen pointed at the front door, which had been kicked off and badly mangled, and shouted,
"I just finished rebuilding this house, and I only moved back in a few days ago. Now you've destroyed the front door. You have to compensate me!"
"I see. It's only a door. I'll pay you for it. Then can we get down to business?"
Uchiha Sanhe suddenly understood. No wonder the kid had been so hostile from the start. If this was really all about the door, then it made sense. If you were after money, they could settle everything easily!
"Come on, Fourth Elder. I told you not to rush. We need to discuss the compensation properly. For example, how much are you planning to pay?"
Uchiha Chen raised an eyebrow and grinned impishly.
"Hmph. It's just a door. It's worth no more than three thousand ryo. I'll pay you double—no, ten times that!"
Uchiha Sanhe gave a dismissive chuckle.
"Thirty thousand ryo is acceptable, I suppose. Of course, there's more than that to discuss. We still need to talk about the other compensation."
Uchiha Chen nodded with "satisfaction," rubbing his chin.
"Other compensation?"
Uchiha Sanhe furrowed his brows. This wasn't going in the direction he'd expected.
"Uchiha Chen, don't push your luck!"
Uchiha Hikari, who had been seething behind Uchiha Sanhe, finally couldn't take it anymore. He sprang forward and pointed at Uchiha Chen in anger.
"I'm talking to your master. What right does a dog like you have to bark? Get out of here!"
Uchiha Chen glanced at Uchiha Hikari, not taking him seriously at all, and scolded him outright.
"You're asking for it!"
Uchiha Hikari's face flushed red, his eyes blazing as if they might shoot fire.
"That's enough. Stand down!"
Uchiha Sanhe barked. Uchiha Hikari shuddered, then obediently retreated behind him.
"Tsk, tsk, tsk. Fourth Elder, you really need to keep your subordinate in line. He has no discipline at all!"
Uchiha Chen was acting like a smug little bully, taking full advantage of the situation.
"I'll discipline him myself. Let's talk about the compensation first..."
Uchiha Sanhe forced down his anger, the corners of his mouth twitching. But as an elder and a senior member of the Uchiha Clan, he had to put important matters first.
He had come here today for a reason. As long as he achieved his goal, what was the harm in putting up with this?
"Mm, that's more like it. Fine, I'll keep it simple. You kicked open my front door and gave me a fright, so you owe me compensation for emotional distress. Repairing the door will take time and waste mine, so you owe me lost wages. I was already still recovering from serious injuries, and after that fright, what if I end up with some kind of—"
As Uchiha Chen went on and on, tossing out all sorts of terms they'd never heard before, the veins on Uchiha Sanhe's forehead bulged and his breathing grew heavier.
But to Uchiha Chen's surprise, even in his fury, Uchiha Sanhe merely closed his eyes slowly. After a long while, he opened them and said,
"Enough. Just name a price. How much compensation do you want?"
"Oh? Since you're being so straightforward, I'll be straightforward too. Just ten small goals—pay me ten billion and we're even!"
Uchiha Chen's eyes shifted as he named a figure he knew well. Of course, he'd only inflated it tenfold.
"Ten billion!!!"
Everyone present was so shocked their eyes nearly fell out. Even Uchiha Itachi was stunned. When Uchiha Chen started talking about all those expenses, everyone had realized he was planning to fleece them.
But nobody had expected him to go straight to outright robbery!
"Fine. I agree."
What no one could have imagined was that after only a brief hesitation, Uchiha Sanhe agreed outright.
Uchiha Chen: ...
Whoa, he agreed that easily? I should've asked for more!
"All right, since you're being so sincere, just tell me what you want."
"Heh. Since we've come this far, I won't beat around the bush. I came here to recruit you into my ranks!"
"What? You want me to work for you?"
Uchiha Chen had already guessed why Uchiha Sanhe had come, but he still put on an astonished expression.
"That's right!"
Uchiha Sanhe nodded. If that person hadn't insisted that he bring Uchiha Chen into his ranks, why would he have offered such a huge sum?
"Then... what's in it for me?"
"Didn't I already agree to give you ten billion ryo?"
"Hey, hey, one thing has nothing to do with the other. That ten billion is compensation from you. What does it have to do with the benefits of joining you?"
Uchiha Chen tilted his head, looking utterly harmless.