Three-Year Pact, Lu Ming's Ambition

"Trust?"

Lu Ming sneered at Shisui's words, cutting short his unrealistic fantasy.

"Shisui, you think those old foxes in the leadership who play politics are far too pure."

"They handed the Military Police Force to us not out of trust, but as part of decades-long suppression disguised as praise!"

Shisui froze in place, his lips moving slightly, yet he could not say a word.

Lu Ming raised one finger and pointed into the air.

"Think about it. What does the Military Police Force do?"

"Maintain order in the village, arrest criminals, mediate disputes."

"At its core, it is a job that offends people! Today, you arrest a gambler from East Street; tomorrow, you fine a merchant from West Street. Over time, what will the civilians think of us?"

"But..." Shisui wanted to argue, but found himself unable to say anything.

"No buts."

Lu Ming raised a second finger.

"The leadership gave us the authority to enforce the law, yet excluded us from Konoha's core of power."

"ANBU, the Elders Council, the Hokage Advisors—among the positions that truly decide Konoha's future, how many Uchiha are there? Not one!"

"They treat us like guard dogs, dumping all the dirty, exhausting work that offends people onto us, while secretly allowing the villagers' resentment toward us to spread."

Lu Ming's voice grew colder and colder.

"The arrogance in our bones, combined with the roughness of our enforcement, is indeed a problem among our clansmen."

"But if the leadership had truly accepted us, they could have stepped in long ago to mediate these conflicts."

"But what did the Third Hokage do? What did Danzo do? They did nothing!"

"They stood in the Hokage Building, coldly watching the divide between the Uchiha and the villagers deepen, watching us become rats scurrying through the streets in this village!"

Shisui sucked in a sharp breath. He had always believed the villagers hated them because the clan had not done well enough.

Lu Ming's words tore away the Konoha Leadership's warm and gentle mask, exposing the bloody calculations beneath.

"The leadership's long-term suspicion and suppression are the core reason we have fallen to this state."

Lu Ming lowered his hand and looked at Shisui.

"But what made the situation even worse was our esteemed clan head."

At the mention of Fugaku Uchiha, Lu Ming gave a cold snort.

"As clan head, Fugaku was weak to the extreme!"

Lu Ming berated him.

"After Nine-Tails Night, the leadership used their suspicions of us as an excuse to forcibly move the Uchiha compound to the edge of the village."

"Faced with such unreasonable exclusion, what did Fugaku do? He did not even dare make a peep. He obediently led the entire clan away!"

Shisui clenched his fists.

That relocation was a pain no Uchiha clansman could ever let go of.

"Faced with the leadership's relentless pressure, all he knew was compromise and retreat. Did he think surrendering benefits would buy peace? He was completely wrong!"

"His weakness would only make the leadership think we were easy to bully. It would only make the clansmen lose heart completely!"

Lu Ming stepped forward, his presence imposing.

"What is a clan head supposed to do? Lead the family toward prosperity and protect every clansman's dignity!"

"Fugaku had never fulfilled his duty to protect the clansmen. His bottomless concessions directly gave rise to the radicals within the clan. He personally pushed the Uchiha into a dead end!"

The clearing fell silent.

Only the rustling of leaves in the wind could be heard.

Shisui breathed heavily, cold sweat sliding down his cheeks from his forehead. Lu Ming's words had completely overturned everything he had once believed.

"Lu Ming, you told me all this..."

Shisui swallowed with difficulty.

"What exactly do you want to do?"

Lu Ming reined in his anger, his expression turning solemn.

"Shisui, I need your help."

Looking at Shisui, Lu Ming spoke each word clearly.

"I want to replace Fugaku and become the Uchiha's new clan head."

Those words left Shisui stunned, and he instinctively took half a step back.

Seizing power!

Lu Ming actually wanted to take the position of clan head!

"Do not rush to refuse."

Lu Ming gave Shisui no chance to catch his breath and immediately laid out his promise.

"As long as I become clan head, I will thoroughly unite the clan's strength."

"I will pull out the radicals' poisonous fangs, and I will sweep away the moderates' cowardice."

"I will make the entire village, the Third Hokage, and Danzo recognize the Uchiha's strength and value once more!"

Lu Ming spread his arms, his tone confident.

"I will end the leadership's suppression of us. I will restore the Uchiha Clan's glory."

"I will make them understand that without the Uchiha, Konoha could not stand in this Shinobi World at all!"

Shisui stared at Lu Ming. There was no madness in Lu Ming's eyes, only absolute calm.

"Why should I believe you can do it?" Shisui asked through gritted teeth.

"Because of this."

Lu Ming held up three fingers.

"Three years. Here, I will make a Three-Year Pact with you."

"Give me three years. If I cannot fulfill the promises I made to you today, if I cannot free the Uchiha from their current predicament, I will step down willingly and let you deal with me as you see fit."

Shisui fell silent, his mind racing.

The current situation had already rotted beyond repair. Fugaku's weakness could not ease the leadership's suspicions, while the radicals' madness would only drag the clan into an abyss.

He possessed great strength, yet had no idea how to break the deadlock.

Looking around, in the entire Uchiha Clan, only the man before him had seen through everything.

There was no better solution.

Lu Ming's plan was the only hope of saving this clan.

Shisui's body slowly relaxed. Looking at Lu Ming, he nodded heavily.

"Alright. I will assist you."

Shisui gave his answer.

"But you must promise that you will never start a civil war."

"Of course."

Lu Ming smiled.

"I told you long ago that I would never seize power through force. I have already made thorough preparations to deal with Fugaku and the leadership."

Lu Ming smiled calmly.

Konoha's bustling commercial street.

As evening approached, the street was crowded with people, and merchants' cries rose and fell.

Sasuke Uchiha took small steps, tightly clutching his brother Itachi's sleeve as he weaved through the crowd.

"The two had just finished registering at the Ninja Academy and were preparing to return to the clan compound.

"Itachi, slow down."

Sasuke tugged at Itachi's sleeve, sounding slightly out of breath.

"Hurry up, Sasuke. Dinner is almost ready. If we get back late, Father will scold us again."

Without even turning his head, Itachi quickened his pace.

At the corner.

Sasuke was walking too quickly and failed to notice a little boy running out in front of him.

Bang!

The two collided solidly.

Sasuke reacted quickly and steadied himself, but the little boy fell flat on his backside. The candied hawthorn skewer in his hand also fell to the ground and became covered in dust.

"Waaah—!"

The little boy looked at the candied hawthorn skewer on the ground and burst into loud tears.

The commotion drew the attention of nearby passersby. A crowd quickly gathered, pointing at Sasuke and Itachi.

"Oh my, how could you run into someone like that?"

"Look at the fan crest on their clothes. They are Uchiha brats."

"No wonder they are so arrogant. They do not even watch where they are going. The Military Police Force is always throwing its weight around, and even their children behave like this."

The surrounding comments reached Sasuke's ears.

Sasuke frowned.

He clearly had not done it on purpose, yet the moment these people saw the Uchiha crest, they pinned every kind of malice on them.

Sasuke clenched his fists, just about to argue back.

A large hand suddenly pressed down on his shoulder.

Startled, Sasuke turned around and saw Lu Ming standing behind him without him knowing when he had arrived.

"Big Brother Lu Ming!"

Sasuke and Itachi called out at the same time.

Lu Ming gave them a slight nod, then walked past Sasuke and approached the crying little boy.

He crouched down, pulled an exquisitely wrapped piece of candy from his pocket as if by magic, and held it out to the boy.

"Little man, you cannot cry just because you took a fall. This candy is for you as compensation. It is even sweeter than candied hawthorn."

Lu Ming smiled gently.

The little boy stopped crying, timidly accepted the candy, and sniffled twice.

Lu Ming stood and looked toward the little boy's mother, who had hurried over. He dipped his head slightly.

"I am sorry. My younger brother was walking too quickly and bumped into your child. It was our fault."

The little boy's mother had originally intended to get angry, but seeing Lu Ming's sincere attitude and flawless manners, more than half her anger faded.

"It... it is fine. Children bump into things all the time."

The mother pulled the little boy over and replied somewhat awkwardly.

The villagers watching the scene also exchanged looks.

They were used to the Uchiha clansmen's lofty, arrogant manner.

Now that someone so reasonable and polite had suddenly appeared, they were left speechless and could only disperse resentfully.

Lu Ming turned around and looked at Sasuke and Itachi before him.

"Big Brother Lu Ming, he was the one who ran out in front of me..."

Sasuke was still unconvinced.

"Sasuke."

Lu Ming interrupted him.

"Outside, no one cares whose fault it was."

"They will only see the Uchiha symbol. If you want to change how others see you, arguing is useless."

Sasuke lowered his head, only half understanding.

Lu Ming reached out and ruffled Sasuke's hair, then looked at the Ninja Academy admission notices in the boys' hands.

"Did you just finish registering?" Lu Ming asked.

"Yeah." Sasuke raised his head and said proudly, "I was assigned to Class A!"

Lu Ming was somewhat surprised.

Class A was the Ninja Academy's core elite class.

Lu Ming looked at the two boys before him, who carried the Uchiha's hopes for the future, and his expression grew serious.

He placed both hands on Sasuke's shoulders and looked directly into his eyes.

"Sasuke, listen carefully."

Lu Ming said in a deep voice.

"Now that you have entered Class A at the Ninja Academy, you are no longer just an ordinary child."

"From today onward, you must take the Uchiha Clan's honor at the academy as your own responsibility."

Sasuke straightened his chest and nodded heavily.

"Many people in the village are prejudiced against us, and many want to see us make fools of ourselves."

Lu Ming emphasized his words.

"What you must do is not argue with them. Use your strength and your performance at the academy to prove the Uchiha's power to the entire school and all of Konoha! Prove that we are the undisputed number one clan!"

Those words ignited Sasuke's fighting spirit, and he answered loudly.

"I understand, Big Brother Lu Ming! I will never disgrace the Uchiha!"

Standing to the side, Itachi also clenched his fists, his expression resolute.

Lu Ming looked at the two energetic brothers and smiled in satisfaction.

He straightened up and threw out his final offer.

"Determination alone is not enough. There should be a practical reward as well."

"As long as you take first place in the school-year exams, I will give you a custom-made chakra weapon."