Impeaching the Clan Head, Yashiro's Surprise Attack

The shock Shisui had brought had yet to subside among the crowd when heavy footsteps sounded from the entrance to Naka Shrine's underground chamber.

This time, more than one person descended the stone steps.

Seven elders entered the meeting hall. The Uchiha Clan's highest ruling echelon had all arrived.

The Grand Elder at the front leaned on a cane, his expression impassive.

These seven elders usually kept secluded and rarely appeared together like they did today.

At the sight of the seven elders, the previously noisy underground chamber fell silent.

Whether radicals or conservatives, every clansman straightened their backs and lowered their heads.

As everyone waited for the elders to take their seats, some clansmen noticed something unusual in the hall.

"Wait... look over there!"

A conservative clansman lowered his voice and pointed toward a corner on the right side of the hall.

Several people nearby followed his finger and drew sharp breaths.

More than a dozen young faces had appeared in the corner. They wore uniform dark combat uniforms and stood ramrod straight.

What truly drew attention were their eyes.

Within the dim underground chamber, all of those young clansmen had activated their Sharingan.

Three tomoe spun within every pair of scarlet eyes.

"Th-this is impossible?!"

Uchiha Inabi's eyes widened.

"Thirteen people, and every one of them has a Three-Tomoe Sharingan?"

"When did the clan gain so many young top-tier experts? As one of the Military Police Force's higher-ups, how had I not heard a single word?"

"They're Lord Lu Ming's people!"

A clansman beside him recognized several of the faces.

"The one standing at the front is Tekka Uchiha, who nearly died on the Iwagakure battlefield two years ago."

"He hadn't even awakened a single tomoe back then, yet he already has three tomoe now?!"

Suppressed whispers spread throughout the hall.

Thirteen newly awakened Three-Tomoe Sharingan—this was a force enough to make the Konoha Leadership tremble.

As everyone reeled from the appearance of those young powerhouses, unhurried footsteps came from the stone stairs.

Tap, tap, tap.

The steps were not loud, but they rang especially clearly through the silent underground chamber.

A young man in a loose robe entered the hall.

Uchiha Lu Ming!

The moment they saw him, the entire underground chamber of Naka Shrine erupted.

"Lord Lu Ming!"

The thirteen young elites with Three-Tomoe Sharingan in the corner immediately dropped to one knee and bowed their heads when they saw Lu Ming.

Many young clansmen who had received Lu Ming's favor, as well as veterans Lu Ming had saved on the battlefield, all clenched their fists and stared at the approaching man.

Lu Ming had spent years devoted to training. He rarely attended clan meetings and never accepted the village's routine missions.

He had even refused to join the Uchiha Clan's core power institution—the Military Police Force.

Yet everyone present knew that this man possessed immense prestige within the clan.

He was not only the genius who had driven back the Third Tsuchikage with an S-rank Lightning Release, but also the savior of countless clansmen.

The young Three-Tomoe powerhouses he had personally trained displayed his foundations to everyone.

Lu Ming's arrival brought the shock in the hall to its peak.

Fugaku Uchiha, the clan head seated in the place of honor, frowned deeply upon seeing Lu Ming appear.

Fugaku's gaze sharpened as his hands gripped the fabric over his thighs.

He understood Lu Ming far too well.

This young man always planned before acting and never involved himself in meaningless conflict.

Not only had he come to Naka Shrine tonight, but he had also brought out those young powerhouses under his command. He definitely had not come merely to listen in.

Lu Ming... what exactly are you trying to do?

Fugaku silently speculated, a powerful sense of foreboding enveloping him.

Lu Ming was going to make a major move tonight, one that might even completely shatter the clan's existing balance.

Ignoring the reverent looks around him, Lu Ming walked straight to the front of the hall and took a seat closest to the Elders Council.

Once Lu Ming was seated, the Grand Elder heavily struck his cane against the ground.

Thunk!

The sound silenced the entire hall.

"Everyone is here."

The Grand Elder looked around, his aged voice echoing through the underground chamber.

"I hereby declare this emergency clan meeting officially begun."

As his words fell, Naka Shrine sank into a tense silence.

Over a hundred pairs of scarlet Sharingan focused on the Grand Elder.

No one even dared breathe as they waited for the central matter of this emergency clan meeting to be revealed.

The radicals awaited an order to go to war, while the conservatives prayed for peace to continue.

The silence persisted for a full half minute.

Finally, Fugaku Uchiha, seated in the place of honor, could no longer restrain himself.

As the clan head, he knew nothing about the purpose of this meeting. The sensation of being sidelined left him deeply uneasy.

Fugaku broke the silence first, staring at the Grand Elder as he asked,

"Grand Elder, tonight's emergency clan meeting was convened so hastily that even I, the clan head, received no advance notice."

"Just what matter concerning the clan's survival is important enough that it had to be announced tonight?"

Dissatisfaction and accusation seeped through Fugaku's tone.

The Grand Elder met Fugaku's gaze but did not answer.

Instead, he turned to look at Uchiha Lu Ming, who sat not far away.

"Fugaku, you asked the wrong person."

The Grand Elder's voice remained utterly calm.

"This emergency clan meeting was not convened at the Elders Council's own initiative."

The Grand Elder paused, then extended a withered finger directly toward Lu Ming.

"This emergency clan meeting was convened at Uchiha Lu Ming's request," the Grand Elder stated frankly.

An uproar swept through the hall.

In an instant, everyone's attention shifted from the Grand Elder and focused squarely on Lu Ming.

Fugaku's brow furrowed as his heartbeat quickened and a sense of crisis rose within him.

"Lu Ming's request?"

Fugaku stared at the young man, his mind racing.

He had always tried his utmost to win Lu Ming over.

To show Lu Ming goodwill, he had not only tacitly allowed him to freely cultivate his own influence within the clan, but had also given him the green light on resource allocation at every turn.

He had always believed that although Lu Ming did not participate in clan affairs, he at least stood on his side.

Yet now, Lu Ming had bypassed him, the clan head, and directly persuaded the seven elders to convene an emergency clan meeting!

This meeting was aimed at him!

Under the stunned, confused, and wary gazes of the crowd, Lu Ming rose to his feet. Looking directly at Fugaku Uchiha in the place of honor, his voice reached every ear.

"I summoned everyone here tonight for only one matter."

Lu Ming raised a hand and pointed directly at Fugaku Uchiha's face, his tone domineering.

"I am publicly impeaching clan head Fugaku Uchiha!"

The entire underground chamber fell silent. Everyone's eyes widened and their mouths fell open.

"Ever since Nine-Tails Night, the Konoha Leadership's suppression of us Uchiha has never stopped!"

Lu Ming raised his voice.

"On fabricated charges, the leadership forcibly moved our clan grounds to the edge of the village. Fugaku, what did you do? You chose to yield!"

"The leadership secretly fueled the flames, making the villagers resent the Military Police Force and treating us like watchdogs. What did you do then? You still chose compromise!"

Lu Ming advanced on Fugaku step by step, his powerful presence forcing the surrounding clansmen to retreat again and again.

"You blindly kept showing weakness and yielding, thinking you could gain peace. But what did that bring us?"

"It brought even worse bullying from the leadership and the humiliation of our clansmen being unable to hold their heads high in the village."

Lu Ming shouted angrily.

"You utterly lack the ability and resolve to lead the clan through this crisis. A weak and incompetent man like you is unfit to remain the Uchiha Clan's head!"

The entire hall exploded into chaos.

"Im-impeach the clan head?!"

"My god! Lord Lu Ming actually wants to remove the clan head outright!"

Everyone stared at Lu Ming in disbelief. In Uchiha history, publicly impeaching the clan head was simply unheard of!

Fugaku himself was utterly stunned. He stared at Lu Ming with wide eyes, his lips moving slightly.

He had never imagined that the genius he had always treated well and tried to win over would, at this crucial moment, drive a blade directly into his heart!

He had never imagined that Lu Ming would directly target his position as clan head!

"Outrageous!!!"

Just as Fugaku was too shocked to speak, two furious roars rang out.

Uchiha Yashiro and Uchiha Inabi—

These two were Fugaku's most steadfast supporters and powerful higher-ups in the Military Police Force. They immediately charged from the crowd in fury.

"Lu Ming! Who the hell do you think you are, spouting nonsense here?!"

The three tomoe in Yashiro's eyes spun wildly as he pointed at Lu Ming and cursed.

"The clan head has toiled day and night for the clan. What gives someone like you, who only knows how to hide away and train, the right to judge him?"

"Publicly impeaching the clan head is treason! It is utter defiance!"

Relying on his status as captain of the Military Police Force and Fugaku's loyalist, Yashiro paid no heed to Lu Ming's terrifying strength.

In his eyes, Lu Ming's actions were rebellion. He had to defend the clan head's legitimate authority!

"Why waste words with him? Take down this traitor!"

Inabi also drew his ninja blade, killing intent surging from him.

"You're courting death!"

Yashiro roared, giving no one time to react.

His legs tensed as he directly activated the Body Flicker Technique.

Whoosh!

Yashiro vanished from where he stood, turning into an afterimage as he launched a surprise attack before Lu Ming.

He gripped a kunai tightly and thrust it forward with a piercing rush of wind.

Squelch!

The sound of a blade piercing flesh rang out.

Yashiro had used the Body Flicker Technique to launch a direct surprise attack, striking Lu Ming in the chest with his kunai.