Chapter 16: A Makeshift Stage?

After Uchiha Setsuna, representing the Uchiha, and Danzo, representing the Third Hokage, engaged in a round of passionate bickering, the people who could actually make decisions stepped onto the stage.

Uchiha Fugaku was mild and soft-spoken, lacking decisive leadership, and was most skilled at compromise and procrastination.

The Third Hokage, Sarutobi Hiruzen, had a soft personality and lacked decisiveness; externally, he was even more prone to compromise than Fugaku.

Even when the leverage triggered a fierce conflict, the two soft-hearted leaders reached a compromise in an instant and decided to end the conflict by each taking a step back.

Of course, refusing to compromise also requires a cover; if one's stance is too soft, it will deal a heavy blow to supporters, damage morale, and cause hearts to drift away.

Once hearts are scattered, how can one manage such a massive mess?

Thus, the two lined up to build momentum and made people take sides!

The Uchiha were dressed in uniform clan-style attire, everyone glaring with their crimson Sharingan, standing in three rows behind Uchiha Fugaku.

Even nine-year-old Shisui Uchiha was in the ranks.

There were even more ninja standing behind Sarutobi Hiruzen: the Konoha F4, the Ino-Shika-Cho clans, the Aburame Clan, the Inuzuka Clan, the Anbu, and Root; the dense crowd of heads looked quite oppressive.

Standing in the ranks of the Yamanaka Clan, Yamanaka Chujiu watched the scene before him; he felt no worry or excitement, but rather, he really wanted to laugh.

No matter how one looked at it, this scene resembled Brother Ho-Nam from "Young and Dangerous" showing off his numbers.

He had always known that the world was a giant makeshift stage, and Konohagakure was a relatively less rotten makeshift stage in the Ninja World.

But the scene before him proved that Konohagakure didn't even qualify as a makeshift stage.

At best, it was a gang draped in a layer of legal clothing.

After setting up the backdrop, pulling out the biggest display of force, and having people pop their heads out to trade harsh words, the entire procedure was considered complete.

The Uchiha felt they had shown off their prestige tonight, while the other ninja clans and the Anbu felt that the Third Hokage could still suppress the Uchiha, perfectly satisfying the needs of both leaders.

Next, they respectively suppressed the radicals on their sides, restored order, and finally had a face-to-face exchange.

Uchiha Fugaku gave up on investigating the Shanty Town, and Sarutobi Hiruzen would not pursue the Uchiha for killing the Root ninja.

Furthermore, he promised to hold a meeting in his office tomorrow to discuss the conditions for the Uchiha Clan's relocation again; move they must.

At the same time, Sarutobi Hiruzen announced the complete demolition of the Shanty Town, declaring that Konohagakure must never have such a living hell!

With both sides reaching a reconciliation and providing an explanation to the villagers, the matter was completely over.

Everyone dispersed and went home to sleep.

The Uchiha left first, and while still on the road, Uchiha Fugaku and Uchiha Setsuna started arguing.

Fugaku initiated the attack: "Elder Setsuna, you went behind my back as Clan Head to mobilize the clan's elite ninja; isn't that a bit inappropriate?"

Setsuna didn't indulge him either: "Clan Head, you have such great prestige today; have you ever thought about why you were able to stand tall in front of Sarutobi Hiruzen today?"

"It was me!"

"It was I who took the initiative to mobilize the clan's ninja and have a real fight with Root, fighting for our prestige and fighting for deterrence!"

"It was also me! I stood up to Danzo head-on and scolded him back for his unreasonable meddling."

"Our efforts gave you a chance to speak with Sarutobi Hiruzen; not only do you not think we have merit, but you think we are meddling, is that it?"

Fugaku was left speechless, staring blankly at Elder Setsuna, feeling as if he had become a different person, making him feel like a stranger in every way.

Uchiha Setsuna's heart was filled with passion, and the inspiration coming from Yamanaka Chujiu was endless, causing his combat power to skyrocket.

"Do you think I've become a different person?"

"Clan Head Fugaku, it's not that I, Setsuna, have changed, but that I am completely disappointed in you and have not a shred of respect left!"

"Let me be clear: I, Uchiha Setsuna, believe that you, Uchiha Fugaku, are not fit to be the Clan Head of the Uchiha Clan!"

"If the four Elders and I had consulted you, besides telling us to abandon the action and not to meddle, would you have made any other decision?"

"Starting seven or eight years ago, from the moment you returned to the village after the war with Sunagakure, you changed!"

"You are no longer the 'Wicked Eye' Fugaku who once dominated the world; you have become a soft, slug-like, spineless Fugaku!"

"I don't know what you've encountered, but if you can't change your current state, I will not respect you as Clan Head!"

"You are unworthy!"

Uchiha Fugaku was flushed red from the scolding but couldn't utter a single word in return; in the end, he could only snort coldly and flick his sleeves in displeasure as he left.

Uchiha Setsuna was even angrier: "Look, just by speaking the truth, he gets so angry he leaves his clansmen behind; where is his sense of responsibility as a Clan Head?"

His voice was exceptionally loud, enough for all the Uchiha clansmen to hear, and clear enough for the departing Uchiha Fugaku to hear as well.

Uchiha Fugaku hadn't expected that his departure would also be a mistake.

But he truly had no face to turn back, so he could only bite the bullet, pretend not to hear, and use the Body Flicker Technique to leave quickly.

While the Uchiha were arguing, Sarutobi Hiruzen and Danzo were also bickering on the other side, but it didn't affect the other ninja clans from going home.

After confirming that Uchiha Fugaku had run off, Yamanaka Chujiu lifted his influence over Uchiha Setsuna.

As the mastermind who intervened halfway through tonight's sudden conflict, he had not only developed a new ability for the Mind Severing Realm but also achieved all his goals; it could be said his harvest was full.

Especially the mental control over Uchiha Setsuna, which could maintain the other party's independent thinking and naturally convert his own thoughts into the other party's inspiration without leaving a trace.

Such an operation was indeed overly cumbersome, but it would absolutely leave no traces; even if Yamanaka Inoichi were to perform a memory search himself, he would be unable to discover it.

This method was more terrifying and more secretive than turning someone into a puppet; even Yamanaka Chujiu himself felt a lingering fear.

He secretly made up his mind that he must set restrictions on this new ability as soon as possible, otherwise, he didn't know when he might become addicted to manipulating hearts and fall into depravity without realizing it.

Suddenly, Yamanaka Inoichi spoke up and asked: "Chujiu, what do you think of tonight's events?"

Yamanaka Chujiu collected his thoughts and pondered for a moment before saying: "Tonight's events prove two things: first, the internal division of the Uchiha Clan has intensified, and Uchiha Fugaku's authority has declined significantly."

"Second, the Third Hokage's handling of affairs... is becoming increasingly muddled; I truly find it hard to accept."

Yamanaka Chujiu's words were filled with regret, as if he were lamenting that iron could not be turned into steel.

Although he treated Sarutobi Hiruzen as an enemy and the worse he performed the easier he was to deal with, the fact that the Hokage of Konohagakure was in such a sorry state also made him feel very unhappy.

Yamanaka Inoichi nodded and said: "Shikaku, Choza, and I feel the same as you; the sacrifice of the Fourth Hokage was truly too..."

Yamanaka Inoichi suddenly stopped, and Chujiu exchanged a glance with him, tacitly agreeing not to continue the topic.