"Uchiha Tenka..." Uchiha Fugaku frowned slightly. Since he became the leader of the clan, he has had to deal with too many things, but after all, he is a member of his own clan, so he thought about it after a moment's thought.
"I remember that there was indeed this person. He was a very talented young man, but unfortunately... he died during a supply mission. Why, why did Chen-kun suddenly ask about him?"
His reaction was almost as expected by Senju Chen. Regret, regret, but nothing more. For the leader of a huge family, sacrifice is the norm, and his emotions have long been tempered by reality to be extremely tough.
"That's right," Senju Chen had already prepared his words, with a helpless smile on his face, "I have a friend named Might Guy, and his father, Matt Duy-senpai, is the same as Senior Tenka died in the same mission. Kai, this guy, has been talking about his father for some reason lately. I was so pestered by him that I couldn't help it, and seeing that the mission file was vague, I thought of coming to you to ask if there was any more detailed information."
This reason is reasonable and reasonable. It not only explains the motive of his investigation, but also puts himself in a righteous position to help his friends, perfectly concealing the true purpose.
"That's it." When Uchiha Fugaku heard this, a glimmer of understanding flashed in his eyes, and even a little approval. Working tirelessly to investigate an old case for a friend, this kind of friendship is extremely rare.
He shook his head and sighed, "Unfortunately, the details of that mission, as far as I know, are probably no different from the records in the file. All members of the team were killed at the time, and there were no useful clues left at the scene. In the end, it could only be characterized as an encounter with an unknown powerful enemy, and it became an unsolved case. We, Uchiha Clan, also tried to trace it, but in the end found nothing."
Is that really the case?
Although Senju Chen had already expected it, he was still a little disappointed when he heard Fugaku personally confirmed it. The black hand hidden behind the scenes had erased all traces too cleanly.
The topic seems to have ended here.
Uchiha Fugaku put down the tea cup and his eyes fell on Senju Chen again. This time, it became much hotter.
"Let's not talk about these old things." He changed the topic and said in a deep voice, "Chen-kun, in this Shinobi World war, you took the greatest credit. With the power of one person, you leveraged the entire war situation. This achievement is worthy of the Senju Clan."
"Uncle Fugaku is ridiculous, it was just a fluke."
"This is not a fluke." Uchiha Fugaku interrupted him, and his tone became extremely solemn, "This is strength and talent! What I said last time is still valid. Chen-kun, if you are interested in that position, I, Uchiha Clan, am willing to devote all my efforts to help you reach the top!"
The naked political covenant was once again thrown out.
Senju Chen's heartbeat missed half a beat at this moment. Looking at the man in front of him who had staked the fate of the entire family on himself, he felt filled with emotion.
He did not answer immediately, but picked up the tea cup and took a sip. The hot tea made his chaotic thoughts clear again.
"Clan Head Fugaku's kindness, I appreciate it." Senju Chen slowly put down the tea cup and met the other person's gaze with clear eyes, "But, I believe that my sister just went out to relax and will come back one day. Besides, I am still too young now, and that position is too far away for me."
This sentence is said to a very high level.
It not only points out the existence of the orthodox successor Tsunade, but also implies that he is "young" and unable to convince the public. The subtext is that even if he wants to be Hokage, Tsunade should succeed first, and then he should succeed as the next generation of Senju.
These words not only showed "respect" for her sister, but also did not completely block the possibility of the future. They gave Uchiha Fugaku an answer that was acceptable and willing to wait.
Sure enough, after listening to Uchiha Fugaku, the burning in his eyes subsided slightly, but it was replaced by a deeper recognition.
Don't be impatient, this kid has a promising future.
Seeing that the atmosphere was just right, Senju Chen suddenly changed the subject, with an exaggerated expression of exclamation on his face.
"By the way, speaking of this war, I heard that... you led your tribe to kill Third Mizukage of Kirigakure?" He leaned forward slightly and lowered his voice, as if he wanted to share some shocking secret.
"When I first heard the news, I was really shocked. I thought it was false information sent by the Ministry of Information."
"Uncle Fugaku, you and your tribe have done something great that shocked Shinobi World."
The corners of Uchiha Fugaku's mouth rose slightly uncontrollably.
This is the most glorious achievement in his life, and it is also the highest honor achieved by the entire Uchiha Clan, after Second Hokage. Even he cannot completely conceal the self-satisfaction that comes from his heart.
"It's just a fluke." He waved his hand, but his words were filled with humility and arrogance, "That Third Mizukage was too careless, and we found an opportunity. Moreover, in order to kill him, I, Uchiha Clan, also paid a high price."
"That's amazing! That's the shadow of a village!" Senju Chen's compliment was just right. Then, he seemed to have thought of something, and there was a bit of confusion on his face, "But... Uncle Fugaku, was the situation so urgent at that time? Why... didn't you inform my teacher Orochimaru, or Brother Minato and the others? Or, when you carried out such an important task, didn't you think of bringing Jonin from several villages with you? After all, there are more people with more efforts."
This sudden question was like a needle, gently pricking Uchiha Fugaku's softest nerve.
His smile froze slightly.
"The war situation was changing rapidly at that time, and there was no time to notify them." Fugaku quickly gave the answer, which was also the rhetoric he had prepared. "Moreover, our Uchiha clansmen have been fighting together all year round, and we have already become proficient in cooperating with each other. If we bring in outsiders, it is easy for mistakes to occur and affect the fighter plane."
This explanation sounds perfect.
However, Senju Chen seemed to not understand at all and asked an irrelevant question.
"Clan Head Fugaku," his voice was very soft, but like a heavy hammer hitting the silent air, "Have you noticed that recently... you Uchiha Clan seem to be a little rejected by the village?"
"Huh?" Uchiha Fugaku was stunned, then laughed self-deprecatingly, "Chen-kun is joking. Ever since we Uchiha took over Police Force, we have not been welcomed by the village. We do work that offends others, so it is natural for us to be ostracized."
He obviously did not understand the profound meaning of Senju Chen's words.
"No." Senju Chen shook his head, his gaze became as sharp as a knife, piercing the other person's heart, "I am not talking about the villagers, but the senior executives of Konoha. Clan Head Fugaku, haven't you noticed that in recent times, even you yourself have begun to gradually... be collectively alienated by the senior executives of Konoha?"
"..."
The smile on Uchiha Fugaku's face completely solidified.
He is not a fool.
Senju Chen's words were like a bolt of lightning, splitting open the fog in his mind.
When he came back this time, Hiruzen Sarutobi's attitude towards him had obviously become cold. In the recent high-level meetings, Utatane Koharu and Mitokado Homura had reservations about all the suggestions he made. He originally thought that this was because he was acting arbitrarily on the battlefield, which aroused their dissatisfaction, and that things would naturally get better after a while.
But now, with Senju Chen, a cold line connects all the seemingly irrelevant details.
The great achievement of killing Mizukage... the strange silence and alienation of the top brass after the war...
A thin layer of cold sweat broke out on his forehead.
"You... you mean..." Uchiha Fugaku's voice trembled for the first time, "These recent changes are all caused by... the killing of Mizukage?"