"Lord Clan Head?"
Xuandou frowned at once when he heard that.
"When did our Uchiha Clan elect another new Clan Head?"
The clansman guiding him hurriedly explained:
"Before the previous Clan Head passed away, he designated Lord Fugaku to succeed him as Acting Clan Head."
Xuandou's gaze darkened slightly. He asked no more questions and followed the man toward Fugaku's residence.
Upon reaching a Japanese-style courtyard, Xuandou was led into the reception room.
Two people were already kneeling inside: Uchiha Fugaku and Uchiha Yashiro.
They seemed to be discussing something. When Xuandou entered, Fugaku spoke first, his tone even:
"Xuandou, you're here. Sit."
Xuandou nodded, but just as he was about to sit, Yashiro's cool voice came from beside him:
"Do young people these days not even know to bow when they see the Clan Head?"
He cast a sidelong glance at Xuandou, his voice laced with sarcasm:
"I truly don't know why Lord Hokage would promote a junior with no respect for his elders to jonin, let alone let him command an army of shinobi."
Xuandou paused, stopping just before he sat down.
He slowly turned his gaze toward Yashiro and spoke calmly:
"I am your junior, yes. But I led three hundred clansmen to defeat Sunagakure, forced them to pay reparations to Konoha, and ended the Third Shinobi World War."
"The Uchiha became a renowned shinobi clan in the Shinobi World through strength, never through seniority."
He took half a step forward and stared at Yashiro.
"But you keep going on about being my elder. So tell me, elder, what have you accomplished for the Uchiha?"
Yashiro's expression stiffened, and he craned his neck defiantly.
"You... you're in no position to judge my achievements!"
"Achievements?"
Xuandou scoffed.
"You went to war with the Clan Head. He died in battle, yet here you sit without a scratch."
"Where were you when the Clan Head was surrounded? If you can't explain that, I might suspect someone deliberately allowed his death for the sake of claiming his position."
"What nonsense are you spouting!"
Yashiro shot to his feet, his face flushed red.
"How could I possibly..."
"Enough!"
Fugaku cut him off sternly, his own expression darkening.
Xuandou's words openly targeted Yashiro, but weren't they also an insinuation against him?
The Clan Head had died in battle, while they, his guards, had failed to protect him. That failure of duty was difficult to escape.
Fugaku drew a deep breath and waved Yashiro away.
"Go outside first. I'll speak with Xuandou alone."
Yashiro glared fiercely at Xuandou, then rose and left in a huff.
Only after the door slid shut did Fugaku turn to Xuandou, his tone softening:
"Yashiro is rigid, but he means no harm. Don't take it to heart."
Xuandou did not respond to that and went straight to the point:
"May I ask why you called me here? If it's nothing urgent, I still need to report to the Hokage."
Before he finished speaking, the room's door slid gently open.
A graceful, gentle figure entered carrying a tea tray.
She was a woman in a deep purple kimono, her long black hair gathered into a low bun, with a few strands falling softly beside her snow-white neck.
Her figure was full and well-proportioned, the kimono's sash cinching her slender waist. A stretch of fair skin showed where her collar lay slightly open.
It was Uchiha Mikoto.
At the very moment Mikoto appeared.
A system notification sounded in Xuandou's mind:
[Ding! Female shinobi with excellent potential detected.] [Name: Uchiha Mikoto Kekkei Genkai: Three-Tomoe Sharingan Strength: Jonin Overall rating: S]
Upon seeing Mikoto's system notification, Xuandou immediately straightened his back.
He also turned his gaze toward Mikoto.
She knelt before the tea table and deftly poured tea for the two men.
Her sleeve slipped back to reveal a stretch of pale wrist. Her fingertips were slender, and her movements as she poured were graceful and composed.
"Please forgive the humble tea."
She spoke softly, dipping her head slightly toward Xuandou with a gentle smile on her lips, then rose and walked away with measured steps.
Xuandou lifted his teacup, took a small sip, and savored its flavor.
Fugaku spoke then, returning to the subject:
"In seven days, the clan will hold a meeting at Naka Shrine to elect a new Clan Head."
He looked at Xuandou, his tone earnest:
"Xuandou, your military achievements are illustrious, and your prestige is at its height. I hope you'll support me in succeeding as Clan Head."
After a brief pause, Fugaku offered his terms:
"If I become Clan Head, the position of Director of the Konoha Military Police Force will be yours."
When he finished, he watched Xuandou quietly, a measure of confidence in his eyes, as though he had offered a sufficiently generous price.
But Xuandou kept his gaze lowered as he savored his tea, unmoved.
Fugaku frowned slightly and added:
"When I step down in the future, I'll also give you my full support in succeeding me as Clan Head. What do you think?"
Xuandou finally raised his head.
Fugaku thought his terms had persuaded Xuandou, only for the first words out of Xuandou's mouth to be:
"I'll also be running for Clan Head this time."
The room fell silent in an instant.
Fugaku froze, unable to reply for a long while.
Xuandou seemed entirely unaware of the frozen atmosphere. His gaze drifted casually toward the door, seeking another glimpse of Mikoto.
Instead, he saw a small face peeking through the gap in the paper door. The child was about seven years old, with black hair and black eyes, his quiet gaze revealing precocious intelligence.
It was Uchiha Itachi.
A meaningful glint passed through Xuandou's eyes, and he stood.
"If there's nothing else, I'll take my leave."
He gave Fugaku a slight nod, then turned, slid open the door, and walked out.
As soon as Xuandou left, Yashiro slipped inside and said indignantly:
"Clan Head! That brat doesn't know what's good for him!"
"When you secure the position of Clan Head, you must teach him a lesson."
Watching the swaying door curtain, Fugaku said softly:
"Confirmation of the Clan Head's position requires the approval of the three elders."
"We already know Elder Zongyan explicitly supports him succeeding as Clan Head."
Fugaku fell silent for a moment, then murmured:
"The Hero Who Ended the War... heh."
Meanwhile, Xuandou left the Uchiha Clan Compound and headed straight to the Hokage's office building.
Inside the Hokage's Office, the Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, held a pipe in his mouth as he discussed something with the two advisors, Utatane Koharu and Mitokado Homura.
When Xuandou entered, both advisors fell silent at once, their gazes settling on him with complicated expressions.
News that Konoha had routed Sunagakure and forced them to sign a peace treaty had long since spread throughout the Shinobi World.
Along with it came news of the staggering spoils and reparations.
It could be said that many of Konoha's shinobi clans had made a fortune this time.
Yet the clans behind these two alone had received none of it.
As a result, the looks they gave Xuandou were hardly friendly.
Hiruzen, however, smiled and beckoned him over:
"Xuandou, you're back."
"Lord Hokage, I've come to report the results of this campaign."
"There's no hurry."
Hiruzen spoke kindly.
"You've only just returned to the village. There's no harm in resting for a few more days. Everyone in the village is calling you the Hero Who Ended the War now."
Xuandou lowered his head modestly:
"It was everyone's combined effort. I was merely lucky."
As he spoke, Xuandou took three scrolls from inside his clothes and handed them to Hiruzen.
The instant the three scrolls appeared, they drew the attention of everyone present.
They all knew it was time to distribute the spoils!
Xuandou continued his report:
"The assets obtained within the Land of Wind totaled 5.6 billion ryo. The shinobi from the participating clans received half, leaving 2.8 billion ryo."
The corner of Utatane Koharu's eye twitched, and she was filled with envy toward the major shinobi clans.
That was 2.8 billion ryo!
Even a small share would have been enough to greatly increase a clan's strength and train a large new batch of shinobi.
Yet now, all that money had gone into other clans' pockets!
She could not help regretting that she had not sent her clan's shinobi to participate in the campaign.
Beside her, Mitokado Homura was equally envious.
So he put on a stern expression and criticized Xuandou:
"Commander Xuandou, all of this money should have been handed over to the village for centralized distribution. Allocating it to the clans without authorization is, I'm afraid... against the rules, isn't it?"