The Struggle Between the New and Old Crown Princes Ends

Uchiha Mikio thought of the benefits of Feng doing this, and he could not help but think about the Uchiha's days in Konoha...

The Uchiha Police Force enforced the law conscientiously, only to be accused by the villagers of being cold and heartless, of only bullying their own people. They told the Uchiha that if they had any guts, they should go bully the enemy at the border.

And the straightforward Uchiha truly did go to the border and fought bravely against the enemy. They risked life and death many times and earned countless merits, yet not only did they receive few rewards, they were also inexplicably accused of awakening their Sharingan by lacking camaraderie and watching their comrades die before their eyes without a shred of concern.

The proud Uchiha, however, mostly never bothered to explain. They did not want to, nor did they disdain to use the deaths of their comrades to win sympathy.

Even if the few Uchiha willing to explain tried to do so, they could not stir up any waves against the majority of Konoha's people, who had been deliberately led to vent all their unwillingness and grief over the sacrifice of their loved ones onto the Uchiha.

And so, the Uchiha became a hated, despised presence in the village.

In response to this situation, the Uchiha Clan developed two different approaches and split into two factions.

One faction endured the higher-ups' oppression in silence, hoping that someday a conscientious leader would emerge and treat the Uchiha fairly. Its representative was the clan head, Uchiha Fugaku.

The other faction shouted about revolution every day, wanting to fight the higher-ups to the death, rebuild Konoha, and become Hokage.

Before his death, Uchiha Mikio had belonged to the faction that wanted to fight the higher-ups to the death.

But now, thinking of what Uchiha Feng had done in the Tea Country, Uchiha Mikio could not help but look down on every clansman other than himself and Feng, including the ancestors buried in the ground.

Heh... What the hell were we Uchiha doing in Konoha before? Why were we so bent on shouting about fighting and killing every day, willing to stake the entire clan just to become some village chief?

Look at this place. Look at what Feng did!

He did not stake the entire clan. Not even a single drop of Uchiha blood was spilled. By relying only on him, Uchiha Mikio, a fairly skilled Uchiha genjutsu expert, he was about to effortlessly take control of an entire country.

One had to know that there were at least dozens of Three-Tomoe Sharingan in the Uchiha Clan whose genjutsu proficiency was about the same as his, Uchiha Mikio's.

If we hauled them all out and let Feng teach them a thing or two, then damn it, our Uchiha Clan would control the entire Ninja World sooner or later!

At that thought, Uchiha Mikio instantly flushed red with excitement. He turned and returned to Feng's side, saying excitedly,

"Feng, when are we going back to Konoha to bring the other clansmen over?"

As the caster, Feng could not know every thought in Uchiha Mikio's mind after reviving him with the Impure World Reincarnation Jutsu, but some of the other's general thoughts would still be conveyed back to Feng.

Thus, knowing roughly what Uchiha Mikio had just been thinking, Feng replied,

"Senior Mikio, don't rush. Let's wait until we've completely taken control of the Tea Country first.

If we start thinking about other things before we have the Tea Country under control, one mistake could ruin everything.

On the other hand, once we fully control the Tea Country, we'll have experience to draw on when we take over other places. It will be much easier."

"Alright!!! I'll listen to you." Uchiha Mikio forcefully suppressed the excitement in his heart and replied loudly.

At the same time, he became even more determined to help Feng with all his strength.

It had not been easy for the straightforward Uchiha to produce someone so adept at schemes, much less a top-tier schemer capable of leading the Uchiha out of their predicament and into glory and greatness.

Therefore, he had to protect him well. He absolutely could not let anything happen to Feng.

?! Wait!!!

If I go guard the Daimyo at the Imperial Residence, what if the weak Feng runs into trouble?

Uchiha Mikio could not help worrying. He immediately looked at Feng with concern and said,

"Feng, if I go to the Daimyo Palace, what will you do?!

You are the future of our Uchiha Clan. Nothing must happen to you.

How about we wait a little? I won't go to the Daimyo for now?"

"Uh, don't worry. I care about my own life more than anyone."

After saying that, Feng formed hand seals with both hands, Tiger → Snake → ..., then slammed both palms onto the ground.

He silently recited in his heart, Impure World Reincarnation Jutsu: Summon.

Three coffins rose from the ground. Inside lay the Second Hokage, Tobirama Senju; Konoha's former Nine-Tails Jinchūriki, Kushina Uzumaki; and an ordinary Chunin, Rin Nohara.

However, because Feng had not awakened the three of them, the three people revived by the Impure World Reincarnation Jutsu lay quietly inside without the slightest movement.

Then he smiled at Uchiha Mikio.

"See, Senior Mikio? If anything really happens, I'll awaken them. With the strength of the Second Hokage and the former Nine-Tails Jinchūriki,

even if the Kage of the Five Great Shinobi Villages come, they won't be able to do anything to me."

"Right, how did I forget you still had these two trump cards?

Heh, in that case, I'll listen to you and go watch the Daimyo."

Uchiha Mikio slapped his forehead hard, cursing himself for having a pig brain. Then he left according to Feng's instructions.

After Uchiha Mikio left, Feng truly shut his doors to visitors. From then on, no matter who came, he did not allow them inside.

He ignored everything outside and focused solely on staying home, either training or brainwashing his newlywed wife. As for the things men and women liked to do, sorry, they were both minors. Feng could not yet bring himself to be that depraved.

Within the Tea Country's capital, the struggle between the new and old Crown Princes did not stop just because Sekito, the capital's protector, refused to participate.

On the contrary, the conflict between the two sides grew even fiercer.

The former Crown Prince held up a bloodstained handkerchief bearing the word "Help," claiming that it had been sent by the Daimyo. He therefore concluded that the new Crown Prince must have used despicable means to control their father, the Daimyo, in order to obtain the position of Crown Prince.

Thus, he gathered many ministers who had long pledged allegiance to him and assembled private soldiers, intending to storm the Daimyo Palace and rescue his imprisoned father.

The new Crown Prince knew very well that he had not controlled his father. Naturally, he believed that his father, the Daimyo, had willingly bestowed the position of Crown Prince upon him personally. If his father was not handling affairs, then everyone should listen to him.

In the new Crown Prince's eyes, his older brother, the former Crown Prince, gathering private soldiers to attack the Daimyo Palace was rebellion and treason. He was a traitor who should be completely eradicated.

However, the capital's four Guard Corps all belonged to Feng and had long been sternly warned by him not to interfere in anything.

Thus, when the new Crown Prince wanted to gather troops and wipe out the former Crown Prince, he discovered that he had no soldiers under his command. He was immediately frightened out of his wits.

Fortunately, though, the Daimyo Palace still had a Samurai Corps of a full hundred men.

Those hundred men were the strongest group personally selected by the Daimyo from throughout the Tea Country. They obeyed only the Daimyo's commands and no one else's.

Therefore, the new Crown Prince, who believed himself to be his father's beloved treasure, hurriedly sought help from his father, the Daimyo, and borrowed the Samurai Corps.

Uchiha Mikio, who guarded the Daimyo and controlled him, strictly followed Feng's instructions and had the Daimyo grant every request the new Crown Prince made.

Then, outside the Daimyo Palace, a chaotic battle began that might have been the largest in the history of the Tea Country's capital.

The former Crown Prince's side mainly consisted of the household retainers and private soldiers of numerous nobles and ministers. They were neither particularly weak nor particularly strong, but they had overwhelming numbers—several hundred men—as well as several rogue ninja recruited by the nobles.

The new Crown Prince's side had only a hundred men, but they were the Tea Country's most elite Samurai Corps. A few of the samurai were about as strong as Genin.

After both sides assembled their forces and arranged a battle, the former Crown Prince's side naturally had poor discipline, since its private soldiers had been gathered in haste.

Relying on their numerical advantage, they charged first, surging in disorder toward the coordinated samurai formation, which advanced and retreated in orderly ranks.

At first, the private soldiers held the upper hand through sheer numbers and hot-blooded fervor.

But as the battle dragged on and both sides began suffering casualties, their passion and fervor gradually faded.

The difference between hastily gathered private soldiers and elite troops trained over a long period began to show.

Among the private soldiers, some retained their fervor and passion and continued charging forward fearlessly,

but others saw their comrades constantly falling and began hesitating to advance.

The worst were those who could not endure the battlefield's flying flesh and blood and simply broke down, crying as they fled.

Yet the elite samurai formation remained as orderly as ever. Following the tactics they practiced daily, they advanced step by step and slowly punched through the disorderly private soldiers.

After breaking through them, the Samurai Corps did not bother with those too afraid to advance or those who had broken down and fled in tears.

They swiftly turned around and charged at the private soldiers who still had the courage to gather together and continue fighting.

And those who dared to keep fighting were also the strongest among the private soldiers.

These experts were mostly rogue ninja. They were not particularly powerful, but their various ninjutsu were highly lethal.

Only after repeatedly charging several times and suffering more than ten casualties did the Samurai Corps finally rout the private soldiers led mainly by rogue ninja.

After that, the entire private army collapsed and fled in all directions.

All that remained was a completely one-sided pursuit and slaughter.

As the Samurai Corps' temporary commander, the violent-tempered new Crown Prince naturally showed no mercy.

Especially not toward the former Crown Prince, the core figure of the private army.

The new Crown Prince led the Samurai Corps in pursuit all the way to the city gates, where he hacked the former Crown Prince into a pile of minced flesh.

After that came various small-scale street battles and chance encounters, which continued until nightfall before finally ending.

Standing on the roof of his own home, Uchiha Feng watched the triumphant new Crown Prince return in high spirits, along with the Samurai Corps, which had suffered equally heavy casualties. He too revealed a satisfied smile.