Chapter 47

This time, even quite a few neutrals and conservatives stood on Uchiha Natsume's side.

What Hiruzen Sarutobi had done this time was just too infuriating!

"We worked our asses off for so long before. Are we supposed to throw all that effort away just because we suffered a little grievance?"

Uchiha Natsume gritted his teeth, his expression ugly. "I know everyone's angry."

Nagasawa Uchiha stepped forward to speak. He was the head of the conservatives.

It had not been easy for this bunch of old men to survive the battlefield. After staying in the village for so long, what they feared most was seeing the stable days they had barely managed to get overturned.

Because of those few words, the two sides clashed again.

It was always like this. They had not even discussed proper business yet, and the conference room was already thick with tension.

The veins on Uchiha Fugaku's forehead twitched, and he simply released his chakra to suppress the scene. "All of you, shut up."

"We haven't even laid out the whole problem. What are you arguing for?"

With that shout, the entire room fell silent.

Everyone's gaze focused on the clan head. "Nagasawa is right. We can't smash all the results we struggled for before just because we got too fired up."

"But regarding this matter, I'll go to the higher-ups and demand an explanation."

"The rest of you, keep doing what you're supposed to do. Follow the old rules."

"But remember one thing—all this time, there have been plenty of people in the village keeping their eyes on us Uchiha."

Fugaku said it all in one breath.

Natsume's face darkened.

This again.

Muddling through, balancing things out, offending no one.

It was not just the village that made people feel stifled. Even their own clan was just as infuriating. "Understood, clan head."

That was what he said, but the fire in his heart burned hotter and hotter.

The meeting went on for more than two hours.

At first, they were mediating conflicts. After that, it was all about the clan's own messes—treatment, position assignments, resource distribution.

When the meeting ended, everyone wore a different expression.

Once most people had left, only Shisui, Itachi, Sasuke, and Fugaku remained in the conference room.

[Sasuke originally wanted to slip back, eat, and then grind levels, only to be grabbed by his dad.]

"Dad, the meeting's over."

"Can I leave now?"

Sasuke's tone carried displeasure.

It was not that he had no ideas, but someone had to listen when he spoke.

Without enough strength, anything he said was just air.

He might as well seize the time to train. "Sasuke's suggestion played a role in this matter."

Fugaku ignored whether he could leave or not, and instead threw the topic onto Sasuke.

Shisui continued, "Sasuke's way of thinking should be something the entire clan learns from."

"Whether it's his ability to stay calm, his angle when looking at things, or the way he uses his head."

"I think this path suits us Uchiha best."

He genuinely thought highly of Sasuke.

He was even trying to think through things according to Sasuke's pattern himself.

Itachi was even more direct. "Brother Shisui is right."

"In the past, we didn't really listen to the voices of the clansmen below us."

"Actually, before doing things, listening more to our own clansmen can help us avoid a lot of detours."

"I think we can start spreading Sasuke's way of thinking through the whole clan right now, so everyone can benefit from it together."

"Huh?"

"What are you talking about?"

"I'm just a kid. I just want to train properly, and after I get strong, lie flat."

The corner of Sasuke's mouth twitched, his face full of reluctance. "Shouldn't things like this be something powerful people like Big Brother, Dad, and Brother Shisui worry about?"

The trouble in the Uchiha household had temporarily settled down somewhat. Although his mission still had not popped up the two words "completed," he guessed it would be soon. He just wanted to honestly hide away and develop, then come out for a stroll once he was ridiculously strong.

This—wasn't this forcing him into the eye of the storm...

"We'll do the work."

Uchiha Fugaku got straight to the point, giving him no room to beat around the bush. "Sasuke, properly sort out that set of ideas of yours, and your angle on looking at things."

"We'll help you polish it, and in the future, we'll use it as the Uchiha Clan's code of action."

This second son of his was a top-class seedling, whether in training or brains. Fortunately, he had paid attention in time. Otherwise, he really would have wasted this talent!

"I..."

"Your allowance doubles!"

Before Sasuke could finish, Uchiha Fugaku directly raised a finger. "But I..."

"As for the ingredients and medicinal herbs you want, the clan will provide whatever it can."

"You can also advance an entire year of allowance ahead of time."

"Fine, deal!"

Faced with his old man's lavish terms, Sasuke completely gave in.

In no time at all, he wrote out a full page of grand, lofty stuff like the Three Beauties and Five Virtues, and the highest good being like water, making it as profound as possible. "Done."

After ten minutes, Sasuke stuffed the scroll into Uchiha Fugaku's hands. "Done?"

Uchiha Fugaku lowered his head and scanned the words on the scroll, and his entire person was a little dazed.

He even suspected that this kid had prepared the goods long ago, and that his troubled look just now had purely been for bargaining. "Dad."

"Brother."

"Brother Shisui."

"I've given you the stuff. I need to go refine chakra, so I'm out."

Sasuke turned and ran, giving Uchiha Fugaku no chance to ask anything else.

What a joke. Sasuke himself had not fully understood this stuff in his previous life.

China's culture was broad and profound. Using it to fool his own family was more than enough.

Looking at Sasuke, who had vanished without a trace, Uchiha Fugaku called Shisui and Itachi over, and the three of them looked at the words on the scroll together.

Before long, all three of their faces had squeezed into bitter expressions. "That kid Sasuke really lives according to this stuff?!"

"Seems like it really is. Look at this line: water benefits all things and does not contend. Isn't that talking about lying flat... But even after lying flat, you still have to shoulder responsibility..."

"This is great wisdom!"

Whatever life philosophy they comprehended had nothing to do with Sasuke anymore.

At this moment, Sasuke had already begun focusing on refining chakra.

After his physique improved, combined with his continuous tempering of his cells, the amount of chakra he could refine now had directly risen by a large chunk compared to before.

While Uchiha Fugaku and his sons were still pondering over that, in the Hokage's office.

Hiruzen Sarutobi was also worrying. "What's the big deal?"

"In the past, haven't they always gotten through things like this?"

"If we give them too many benefits, it'll only make them push for more, and they'll be even harder to control."

"Besides, we still haven't completely fallen out with Root, so this is perfect for letting them keep working."

"They're all Konoha's fighting power. Once we have everything in our hands, how will the other villages still have the qualifications to fight us?"

Sarutobi Asuma spoke with great enthusiasm, but Hiruzen Sarutobi's expression grew uglier and uglier.

Hiruzen Sarutobi had originally felt that there was nothing wrong with the move he had made against the Uchiha.

But after Asuma's speech, the more he listened, the more he felt something was off.

This way of handling things simply pleased neither side.

He had already offended Danzo to death, and he had not gained the slightest goodwill from the Uchiha side either. "Enough."

Hiruzen Sarutobi raised his hand, stopping Asuma from continuing. "Asuma, some things aren't as simple as you think."

"Look—"

He began to lay out, one by one, the little bits of experience he had accumulated over the years for his son to hear.

At his age, he was no longer young.

Outside, the other ninja villages were eyeing Konoha like tigers watching prey.

Those people from the Hidden Cloud Village, those fellows from the Hidden Sand Village—which day did they not want to stir up some trouble in the Land of Fire?

Inside, there was the Root Organization, the Uchiha, the major ninja clans...

All this surface calm hid undercurrents beneath.

If Asuma could not prop himself up within a short period of time, then Konoha was something he simply would not be able to take over.

After being lectured by his old man like this, Asuma felt a breath of anger stuck in his chest, but he did not dare make a sound.

He could only stand there obediently and listen.

It was not until late at night that Asuma finally walked out of the Hokage's office.

—On Danzo's side. "Heh. With just a little prodding, that old thing Hiruzen really took the bait."

"Now this is where it gets interesting."

"Have the people sent to make contact with Asuma been arranged?"

A layer of a smile hung on Danzo's face.

This time, on the surface, it looked like he had taken a loss, but in reality, he had schemed both Hiruzen Sarutobi and the Uchiha into it. "It's already been arranged."

"Asuma just came out of the Hokage's office. From the look of it, he got scolded."

"At a time like this, if we reach out a hand to him, he has no reason not to take it."

The Root member replied cleanly. "Very good."

"Continue according to the original plan."

Danzo nodded in satisfaction.

—The next day, the village returned to its original appearance again.

Everything that had happened before seemed as if it had never happened at all.

In the valley outside the village.

Sasuke lay sprawled on the ground, unable to move at all. "Sasuke, training like this, aren't you afraid of crippling yourself?"

Although Susanoo had already trained with him so many times, every time he saw Sasuke like this, he was still a little worried about his mental state.

After all, who could stand lying on the ground eating dirt all the time?

"No."

"Let me recover on my own for a while. Mr. Susanoo, go rest first."

Sasuke's voice was weak and powerless.

Right now, he had no mind to feel upset over this bit of frustration.

Before his eyes, the system panel was floating there.

[Ding, Uchiha Defense Mission II: Help the Uchiha escape their public opinion predicament][Incomplete]

[Reward: Purification Technique]

[Purification Technique: Can remove curse marks, seals, curses... and a series of negative states]

Those large words "Incomplete" made Sasuke's heart turn uneasy.

Logically speaking, at this juncture, Danzo and Hiruzen Sarutobi should not have the free time to target the Uchiha.

So why was this mission not finished yet?

In the village, he also had not heard any bad talk about the Uchiha.

It looked like someone else was still making trouble behind the scenes!

Just over twenty minutes later, Sasuke's stamina had almost completely recovered, and his injuries had mostly healed as well. "Do you still want to continue?"

Susanoo popped out again at this moment.

Seeing that Sasuke's mood seemed off, he asked. "Mr. Susanoo, send me back first."

"There's something I want to confirm."

Sasuke thought for a while, then said softly.

Today's special training was already wrapped up, and with this mission weighing on his mind, he really could not settle down and keep training.

Sasuke made up his mind to personally walk around the village. "All right." Susanoo answered, and with a flicker of his figure, the two disappeared from the spot.

After returning to the clan compound, Susanoo turned back into magatama. Sasuke hung it around his neck, pushed open the door, and walked outside.

Konoha's streets were no different from usual. Some people greeted him, and he nodded in response too.

Everything looked so normal it was absurd.

But the more it was like this, the more Sasuke's heart felt unsettled. Why did this silence feel just like the dead stillness before a storm?

"Sasuke?"

A familiar voice suddenly came from behind him.

Sasuke turned his head and froze. "Teacher Iruka?"

The person who had come was Iruka from the Ninja Academy, wearing his signature kind smile. "Sasuke, summer vacation is already more than half over. Why haven't you gone out to play with the other children?"

He paused, then added, "Still burying your head in bitter training here?"

Sasuke nodded. "Mm, I'm training. Did you need me for something, Teacher?"

As for Iruka, Sasuke could not say he liked him, nor could he say he disliked him. This person was just an ordinary nice guy. In the original work, he had at least shone a few rays of light onto Naruto. Of course, he was also an ordinary jonin who had been thoroughly washed by the Will of Fire. "I just happened to see you, so I called out." As Iruka spoke, the smile on his face faded a little, and his tone became serious. "Right, Sasuke. There's some gossip in the village. Just listen and forget it. Don't take it to heart. Do your own things properly, and the adults will handle the rest. Keep it up."

These words came out of nowhere, leaving Sasuke completely confused. "...Teacher, did something happen?" He tilted his head and asked directly, "Can you tell me about it?"

Iruka sighed. "Looks like you really don't know. Recently, someone has been spreading word that the Uchiha Clan staged that previous incident themselves to make themselves look good... You know, that incident where a Sharingan wielder attacked villagers."

It had to be said, Iruka's warm heart was truly hopeless. As long as he knew something, he spilled every last bit of it.

Finally, he patted Sasuke on the shoulder and urged him, "Don't be afraid. Just train steadily and make yourself stronger. Leave these annoying matters to us adults."

Only after saying that did Iruka leave at ease.