Izuna had just pushed the door open and stepped inside. He had missed part of what was said, catching only something from Jing Xiu about wolves and dogs.
"My foolish little brother, how old are you now? And you're still thinking about pet dogs all day?"
"Our Uchiha Clan's shuriken techniques are the best in the Shinobi World. Are you going to abandon the noble Uchiha name and take the Inuzuka name instead?"
"Don't say your big brother didn't warn you. If you really make that choice, I'll break your legs myself!"
He folded his arms, raised his chin, and looked at Jing Xiu with a haughty expression.
Had Izuna been a little older, someone might have mistaken him for Madara at that moment.
Madara looked fondly at Izuna, then at Jing Xiu.
"Enough, Izuna. Jing Xiu and I have something important to discuss."
"If you want, you can stay and listen. But you mustn't tell anyone what we discuss today, not even Father. Can you promise me that?"
As Madara asked the question, his eyes turned into the scarlet Three-Tomoe Sharingan. Though he restrained his formidable Jōnin aura, Izuna still felt as if he were suffocating.
Madara doted on Izuna, but he had to protect Jing Xiu too.
The "Lure the Snake from Its Den" mission had shown Madara that the clan's leadership did not value Jing Xiu. Even his father, Uchiha Tajima, had planned the mission with the intention of sacrificing him.
As their older brother, he naturally had to protect his only two remaining younger brothers.
Izuna swallowed, staring straight into Madara's Three-Tomoe Sharingan. Facing that mountain-like pressure, he shouted, "Don't underestimate me! I'm the man who's going to become the Uchiha Clan's leader!"
At his words, faint smiles appeared on both Madara's and Izuna's lips.
Had Jing Xiu been a little older, he would have looked almost exactly like Madara did at that moment.
Madara placed his right hand on Izuna's head and tousled his hair. "Then stay here and listen carefully. If there's anything you don't understand, wait until we're finished before asking."
He turned back and nodded to Jing Xiu.
Jing Xiu gathered his thoughts. "Madara, do you think..."
Madara cut him off with a wave, fixing him with a stern look. "Call me Big Brother!"
Jing Xiu felt rather helpless. He had never expected the normally stern, unsmiling Madara to show such a childish side in front of him.
He shrugged. "The Senju as they are now-or rather, the Senju Clan with Butsuma Senju leading them-are undoubtedly the strongest of the three great clans."
"If we think of the Land of Fire as a jungle, then the current king of that jungle is the Senju of the Forest."
"The Uchiha, having lost their clan leader, are like a vicious wolf in that jungle. They're incredibly powerful and could dominate almost the entire forest."
"But against the fierce tiger that is the Senju, even that vicious wolf has to give ground."
"The Hyuga Clan without Hyuga Tennin at the helm is like a hunting dog. It can kill most of the animals in the forest, but it can't afford to provoke either the tiger or the wolf."
Madara nodded. Jing Xiu's analogy was certainly apt.
Beside them, Izuna looked thoroughly indignant. But when he caught Madara's fierce glare, he could only commit his objections firmly to memory. Foolish Jing Xiu.
Just wait until your big brother teaches you a lesson. Calling our Uchiha Clan a wolf-what utter nonsense!
Madara considered it. "So you're saying that if the wolf wants to stand against the tiger, it has to join forces with the dog."
Jing Xiu nodded.
Madara fell into a long silence.
He stood and reminded Izuna once more, "Izuna, nothing you hear in this room can leave it. Do you understand?"
Izuna patted his chest. "Don't worry, Big Brother. I'm not foolish like Jing Xiu. I'm..."
Before Izuna could finish, Madara tousled his hair again, then set off for the residence of Uchiha Yamashiro, the First Elder.
Izuna watched Madara leave with a faint sense of disappointment. Then he spotted Jing Xiu gazing into the distance and rubbed his hands together, ready to teach him a proper lesson.
But Jing Xiu paid Izuna no further attention. He vaulted up to the third floor, then closed his eyes and began meditating, using the Golden Light Mantra together with the source of life to nourish his body.
Uchiha Yamashiro showed no surprise when he saw Madara. "Young clan leader, have you thought of a way forward?"
Madara waved a hand. "Uncle Yamashiro, there are no outsiders here. There's no need to be so formal."
"I have a few ideas, but I'd like your help thinking them through."
Madara repeated Jing Xiu's tiger, wolf, and dog analogy to the Uchiha First Elder.
As the First Elder listened, he smiled inwardly in satisfaction. To think the proud, arrogant Uchiha would produce such a calm and wise young clan leader.
And he's exceptionally gifted, a genius our clan sees only once in a century. Heaven truly favors the Uchiha.
With a young clan leader like him, the Uchiha will surely surpass the Senju and become the strongest clan in the Shinobi World.
Once Madara finished, the Uchiha First Elder set aside his wandering thoughts. "Our Uchiha Clan is indeed at a crossroads between survival and destruction."
"If you intend to carry out this strategy, young clan leader, we must carefully consider whom to send as an envoy to the Hyuga Clan."
"This person must carry sufficient weight within the Uchiha Clan, fully agree with your views, and be able to rein in Uchiha pride."
Listening to the Uchiha First Elder, Madara finally recognized the value of these stubborn old men. He also understood why Tajima had always made him learn from the clan's elders.
They really do have things worth learning from.
Though that was what he thought, Madara's face lit up with delight. "It seems you've already found a suitable candidate, First Elder."
The Uchiha First Elder stroked his beard and smiled, as though everything were under his control.
Seeing this, Madara hurriedly cupped his hands in salute. "Please enlighten me, First Elder."
Seeing the normally proud and arrogant Madara Uchiha treat him with such respect pleased the Uchiha First Elder even more. "In my opinion, the Fourth Elder is the best choice."
"The Fourth Elder must answer for the defeat at the Battle of Ueno in any case, and that defeat was precisely what sparked the conflict between our clan and the Hyuga Clan."
"Sending the Fourth Elder would serve as a show of weakness. Besides, the defeat at Ueno has tempered his disposition considerably."
Madara considered this, then cupped his hands in another salute to the First Elder. "Thank you for your guidance, First Elder. I hope I can count on your full support at tomorrow's clan meeting."
The Uchiha First Elder smiled faintly, while inwardly he was delighted. So what if you're a genius?
Even if you become clan leader one day, you'll be nothing more than my enforcer in wars against outsiders. When it truly matters, you'll still need me to turn the tide.
There was a reason the proud Madara had humbled himself so much before the Uchiha First Elder, even cupping his hands in salute.
Naturally, it had all been Jing Xiu's suggestion.
As Madara left his residence, Jing Xiu had tossed him a note.
It explained why the Uchiha First Elder had brought him forward at this particular moment to take charge of the clan's affairs.
The Uchiha were divided into numerous factions, and Madara lacked the absolute strength Tajima had possessed.
To get the Uchiha moving, Madara needed, at the very least, to maintain an outward balance among the clan's major factions.
As he walked, Madara cursed inwardly. A bunch of old foxes. With a powerful enemy at our doorstep, they're still holding back.
When I become clan leader, the Uchiha will have only one will-mine!
In a cramped, gloomy cave, Uchiha Black Wolf was truly like a lone wolf hidden in the darkness, quietly licking his wounds.
His remaining eye brimmed with hatred. "Uchiha Tajima, I'll make you pay in blood!"