Whether he truly could not remember or was merely pretending, Uchiha Feng made no judgment. He simply smiled and said, "The Elder Council was established years ago by my lord to resolve dissatisfaction and disputes among the various clans. In the early days of the village, conflicts between clans were quite severe, so mediation was necessary. Though such acute problems no longer exist, I still believe it would be best to reestablish this so-called Elder Council. It could share the Hokage's workload!"
Sarutobi Sasuke frowned. Uchiha Feng's indirect maneuver was far more unexpected than he had anticipated; it was not an outright challenge. "That's all?!"
"Could it be that Lord Sarutobi wishes to remain uninvolved?" Uchiha Feng countered without explaining himself.
"Remain uninvolved?!"
Sarutobi Sasuke was somewhat puzzled by those final words. Uchiha Feng rose, turned around, and stood on the pavilion steps with his back to Sarutobi Sasuke as he spoke.
"We shall see the outcome in three days. I only hope that, for the sake of my lord's past assistance to you and your son, you will not truly cast aside old ties once the tea has gone cold!"
"Farewell!"
Three days later...
Uchiha Feng stood and looked over the more than thirty clan representatives present. He gave a slight bow in gratitude for their attendance, then said, "I represent the Uchiha Clan and Konoha in thanking all of you clan elders for honoring us with your presence!"
The moment Uchiha Feng finished speaking, Senju Tobirama's anger surged. His declaration that he represented Konoha had been so certain, and with the two brothers right there, Uchiha Feng was clearly treating them as if they did not exist. Just as he was about to rise, Senju Hashirama calmly pressed down on his thigh, preventing him from standing.
"Listen!"