Unleashing the Power of the Tongue

As Yu's voice faded, the hall fell into a profound silence.

A moment later.

"Long live the Young Clan Head!"

"Long live the Young Clan Head!"

The enthusiastic roars echoed throughout the entire hall.

At the same time, Yu's system notifications were chiming incessantly. Aside from the occasional string of Malice Points in the thousands, the screen was almost entirely flooded with a massive influx of Gratitude Points.

In the ten-plus minutes Yu had spent establishing his authority, he had harvested nearly twenty thousand Gratitude Points.

His Malice Points had also increased significantly, reaching over ten thousand. With roughly two hundred people present at the clan meeting, the fact that he could reap so many Gratitude Points suggested that the majority of the clansmen now truly acknowledged him.

They had even begun chanting "Young Clan Head"—a title that carried the weight of the clansmen's recognition, far surpassing Yu's own self-proclamation. If he maintained this momentum, then whenever Fugaku decided to step down, his position as the next Uchiha Clan Head would be set in stone.

Watching the fervent "leeks" below, Yu nodded in satisfaction. He raised a hand slightly, and the hall instantly fell silent.

Yu glanced at Elder Liehuo, who was glaring at him with hostility, and a faint smile tugged at the corner of his mouth. "Nice look in your eyes. I hope you can keep that up in the future!"

With a casual wave of his hand, Yu cast the Five Elements Spirit Gathering Technique toward the kneeling Elder Liehuo. Instantly, the old man's burned arm was enveloped in a five-colored glow, and the wounds began to heal at a visible rate, scabbing over and falling off in seconds.

As for the beard and hair, Yu left them as they were; that was his punishment. After all, he didn't want such a high-quality "leek" to die from his own fire poison.

Leeks, huh! I just love that stubborn look you get when you can't stand me but can't kill me either.

In the eyes of the Uchiha clansmen, they saw their Young Clan Head wave his hand again, casting a healing-style ninjutsu toward the stunned Elder Liehuo. The elder, who had been preparing to flee, watched as his charred right hand rapidly sprouted fresh skin, returning to its original state.

This miraculous scene caused the pupils of the clansmen and elders alike to constrict.

At this moment, everyone looked at the youth sitting calmly at the seat of honor below Fugaku as if he were a rare, priceless treasure.

It was well known that many in the Uchiha clan were proficient in Fire Style, Lightning Style, and genjutsu, but very few were skilled in medical ninjutsu—let alone a technique like Yu's, which could bring the dead back to life and regrow bones.

Yu, however, felt nothing. The Five Elements Escape Technique from the Daoist arts was not merely a simple offensive spell; it was a comprehensive guide to the manipulation of the five elements. As long as his comprehension of the various elemental laws was sufficient, these techniques were second nature to him.

Liehuo looked at the youth on the high platform, wanting to say something, but he pursed his lips and remained silent, returning to his seat without a word.

The most direct result was that the Malice Points on his system panel, which had been at one thousand, instantly dropped to five hundred.

Yu twitched his lips and looked at Liehuo sitting below. "Don't do that, old man! I still prefer your rebellious, unyielding look."

"Cough! Cough!"

Seeing that the hall had returned to calm, Fugaku coughed twice. "Since everyone has no objections, let us hear your Young Clan Head's proposal."

Fugaku was overjoyed. Originally, he had only wanted his son to come and display his strength, using his eldest son's excellence to intimidate the radical faction that constantly opposed him.

He never expected that his son, relying on a display of exquisite fire control, would actually secure his position as the next Clan Head.

Although his status wasn't entirely stable yet, he believed that as long as his son continued to perform this brilliantly, his position would eventually become as immovable as a mountain.

Yu scanned the clansmen who were watching him with rapt attention.

"The high-level officials' suppression of our Uchiha clan is common knowledge. Blindly yielding is a sign of cowardice, but based on reality, we currently lack the strength to resist the entire village, so concession has become an inevitability."

Everyone had assumed that as the Clan Head's son, his words would favor his father's side, but the more they listened, the more confused they became. He wasn't taking either side, so what was he planning? If not for the strength Yu had just demonstrated, someone would have likely started causing a scene by now.

"Therefore, in the face of this situation, unity is the most important thing for the Uchiha. Regarding the relocation of our clan grounds, we cannot argue against the village on moral grounds.

"Because it is not just the Uchiha clan moving; all families in the village are undergoing adjustments. If only our clan makes a fuss, it will make the Uchiha appear as though we do not understand the bigger picture.

"However! The fact remains that this is unfair. As the center of Konoha, our original clan grounds, if the village forces us to move to the remote Naka River, then the village must provide sufficient benefits to compensate for this injustice.

"They cannot use the excuse that the village is at war or that the border of the Land of Lightning is tense to force the Uchiha clan to make sacrifices. Do our Uchiha ninjas not bleed at the border of the Land of Lightning? Has our clan not made contributions to the village?

"Why should we be the ones bleeding and weeping? What are the warriors on the front lines fighting for, risking their lives to protect the village? Is it so their families and children can be sacrificed once more?

"This is the reason why our Uchiha clan will not agree to this. Those who carry firewood for the masses should not be allowed to freeze to death in the snow. This is a simple principle. If the Hokage doesn't understand it, and the high-level officials of Konoha don't understand it, then the village cannot blame the Uchiha for standing up to resist. It is the village that is being unjust, not the Uchiha failing the village."

"Therefore, a united Uchiha is a powerful Uchiha! This is my proposal: we go to the village high-level officials and demand compensation. Without compensation, the Uchiha clan will never relocate. Does anyone have any other opinions?"

As Yu's impassioned words faded, the entire meeting hall fell into a deathly silence. At this moment, all the clansmen below stared blankly at the youth on the platform.

They had always known the village was unfair and that this was a conspiracy by the high-level officials, but none of them had been able to articulate such a clear and righteous argument.

It was unknown how much time had passed...

"I support the Young Clan Head. Yes, we should demand compensation from the village!" Uchiha Yashiro, who had been silent for a long time, looked at Fugaku with a serious expression.

"I agree as well!" Another elder stood up.

"Me too!"

"And me..."

Of the seven elders in the Uchiha clan, six had already stood up.

Everyone had assumed that Elder Liehuo, being part of the hardline faction, would not stand, but to their surprise, he stood up without hesitation and looked at the still-shocked Fugaku.

"Fugaku, I have to say, you've had incredible luck to have such an excellent son." After saying this, he gave Yu a look of genuine appreciation.

Yu's heart sank. No, don't do this! Old man, I want your rebellious look back. And what is this +100 Recognition Points? I really liked you the way you were before! Yu screamed internally.

Fugaku gradually regained his composure, but upon hearing Liehuo's words, his face couldn't help but darken. "Since the elders have all agreed, I will report the results of this meeting to the Hokage. As for the outcome... it all depends on how the Hokage chooses to handle it."

Fugaku didn't want to argue with Liehuo anymore; he had already lost enough face for one day. As an elder of the clan, he still had to be given a way to save face.