Chapter 465: When in Doubt, Ask Muyue

"I believe we should demand that the Third Hokage grant the Police Force the right to take the initiative to strike, no longer limiting us to maintaining order within the village. We can independently go out to fight enemies, and let those outsiders know the might of our Uchiha clan!" Uchiha Shigeki stated the purpose of convening the clan meeting.

He was dissatisfied with the current authority of the Police Force and believed the Uchiha deserved greater power.

Uchiha Shigeki thought his idea was quite good; when Konoha eliminates the enemy, the Uchiha clan would gain fame and profit—everyone benefits.

Uchiha Fugaku's expression shifted slightly; he hadn't expected Uchiha Shigeki to be so reckless.

The concept of the right to take the initiative means the Police Force could assemble personnel at any time to form troops and wage war. Uchiha Fugaku thought that even with his feet, he knew Hiruzen Sarutobi would never agree—this would divide the authority that only the Hokage possessed.

"I support Elder Shigeki's proposal. It makes perfect sense. Our Uchiha clan is so powerful; having us merely manage public security within Konoha is a gross underuse of our talents," a Uchiha jonin immediately declared.

"I also think Elder Shigeki's reasoning is sound. The more enemies we Uchiha kill, the safer Konoha will be, and that also protects Konoha's peace."

"Not just the right to take the initiative—the Police Force should have greater autonomy to freely add positions," another Uchiha ninja even felt they could demand more.

"I support it. War can train ninjas and help improve strength," Uchiha Inabi also chose to support Uchiha Shigeki.

Although he didn't dislike the Police Force work, Uchiha Inabi felt it was too easygoing; with the right to take the initiative, they could leave the village to fight whenever they wanted.

"The hawk faction within the clan is rising again." Uchiha Nobuhiro let out an almost imperceptible sigh.

Ever since Uchiha Setsuna's coup failed, the Uchiha hawk faction had suffered a major blow, with core members basically captured and imprisoned by Tobirama Senju.

Uchiha Nobuhiro had originally thought it would take at least several decades for the hawk faction to recover, but he hadn't expected them to grow strong again so quickly.

"I oppose it. The Third Hokage will absolutely never agree to this proposal. It will only make Konoha's leadership more wary of us Uchiha." Shisui stood up directly and said.

He was only eight years old now, and sitting on a cushion would have him buried in the crowd. To ensure everyone knew it was him, Uchiha Shisui, speaking, he chose to stand up.

Upon hearing someone completely reject his proposal, Uchiha Shigeki's gaze sharpened as he looked for the dissenter. Seeing that the speaker was the very Uchiha Shisui he had just praised, Uchiha Shigeki's expression turned somewhat unpleasant.

He had just been praising Shisui as the pride of the Uchiha clan, a genius of the Uchiha, and yet Shisui completely rejected him—giving him no face at all.

"Shisui, you're still young. There are many things you don't understand. At times like this, it's best to listen to your elders." Uchiha Shigeki tried to maintain a kind expression as he spoke.

Although he felt Shisui was being ungrateful, Uchiha Shigeki couldn't really say anything harsh to Shisui right now.

Because it was Uchiha Shigeki himself who had just elevated Shisui; if he now disparaged Shisui, he would be slapping his own face. So even though Uchiha Shigeki was displeased, he had to endure.

But this time, Uchiha Shigeki saw Shisui clearly. Shisui would never endorse hawk faction ideals. From now on, Uchiha Shigeki would definitely not mention Shisui again; he would choose to promote Obito instead.

Obito seemed easier to convince. When he deliberately exaggerated Obito's contributions, Obito would correct him. That kid was too straightforward.

"That's right, Shisui. At your age, you should read more clan history and listen more," a hawk faction Uchiha followed up.

"I don't recall any rule in the clan meeting that those too young cannot speak. Although I'm only eight, I am a jonin just like Elder Shigeki." Shisui rebutted with clear logic and emphasized his ninja rank.

Some hawk faction Uchiha who were about to scold Shisui immediately shut their mouths, because many of them were only chunin—lower in rank than Shisui.

Although Uchiha Shigeki had said Shisui was the youngest jonin, Shisui's height and appearance were too deceiving; it was hard for everyone to imagine this was a Konoha jonin.

"In the clan meeting, any clan member who is a ninja can speak freely." Uchiha Fugaku thought for a moment and nodded.

Uchiha Fugaku was neither hawk nor dove; the clan head had no such classification. He only stood on the side of the Uchiha's interests.

Uchiha Shigeki's proposal was simply too absurd. Submitting such a suggestion to Hiruzen Sarutobi and other Konoha higher-ups would only make them more wary and would not bring tangible benefits to the Uchiha. So Uchiha Fugaku spoke up in support of Shisui.

Uchiha Shigeki glanced at Uchiha Fugaku, then looked at Shisui and said:

"I indeed cannot guarantee the proposal will pass one hundred percent, but I believe that not passing does not mean the effort was wasted. We need to let Konoha's leadership know the Uchiha clan's demands. Our Uchiha deserve treatment matching our strength!"

Shisui inwardly thought this was bad. Uchiha Shigeki was too eloquent; he tied his own starting point to the entire Uchiha clan, making it seem as if Shisui was sabotaging the clan's good fortune. He also framed Hiruzen Sarutobi's rejection as an injustice toward the Uchiha, so even if it truly failed, it wouldn't harm Shigeki's reputation within the clan.

As Shisui expected, many Uchiha ninjas immediately became excited, and some who had remained silent began leaning toward Uchiha Shigeki.

Shisui's mind raced as he thought about how to refute Uchiha Shigeki and how to abort this absurd proposal.

The history and politics Shisui usually learned from Muyue finally came in handy. After combining them with the actual situation of the Uchiha, Shisui quickly arrived at an answer.

To accomplish his goal, he needed two key points. The first was to make the Uchiha ninjas realize the infeasibility of the proposal—'may not pass' and 'certainly will not pass' are two different things.

The second was to obtain an identity that would allow him to compete on equal footing with Uchiha Shigeki; otherwise, the first point could not be developed.

To make the Uchiha realize the proposal's infeasibility, Shisui would need to explain it in detail, so that even political idiots could understand it was impossible.

If he did not have an identity equal to Uchiha Shigeki's, the Uchiha would be biased against his words, thinking he was just mindlessly opposing their favorite elder. Uchiha Shigeki could also use sophistry to counter any potential loopholes in his arguments.

Shisui knew the Uchiha clan too well. This was not a family that could be reasoned with just by being right.

But achieving equal status is actually difficult, because becoming an elder is not something that happens overnight.

Although Shisui rendered meritorious service in the war, merits in the village and merits in the clan are two different things. It's basically impossible for Shisui to become an elder at the age of eight.

However, Shisui had a clever trick in mind.

The Uchiha clan had its own traditions in this regard. As long as Shisui defeated Uchiha Seiho in combat, even though Seiho was an elder and Shisui was only an eight-year-old child, everyone would still consider Shisui and Uchiha Seiho as equals.

"Should I challenge Uchiha Seiho directly here? Wouldn't that be a bit too extreme?" Shisui hesitated.

Shisui wasn't worried about not winning; he felt he could most likely win. Having broken through in his Breathing Technique, he was now confident he could solo-kill one of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen. Ninja of that level were rare even among the Uchiha. Uchiha Seiho's raw strength was at most comparable to his, with a very low probability of being stronger.

Shisui's confidence actually came from his huge information advantage.

Flame Breathing Chakra Mode and Armament Haki were things Uchiha Seiho could not possibly understand. Conversely, Shisui knew the ninja of the Uchiha clan like the back of his hand.

What Shisui hesitated about was that if he directly challenged and defeated Uchiha Seiho like this, it would cause Seiho to have a mental breakdown, leading him to recklessly oppose Shisui and ultimately affect Shisui's subsequent plans.

In other words, Shisui did not want to exacerbate the internal conflicts within the Uchiha any further; he wanted to unify all of the Uchiha's strength.

Uchiha Nobuhiro was about to speak up in support of Shisui; he could not sit by and watch the Hawk Faction of the Uchiha clan expand.

"The matter of the right to take initiative is of great importance. The clan meeting is adjourned and will be reconvened one week later, at which time we will discuss it further." At this point, Uchiha Fugaku spoke.

Originally, at this time, one of the Dove Faction elders should have stepped forward to refute Uchiha Seiho.

Because Uchiha Seiho had placed himself on the side of the entire Uchiha clan, Uchiha Fugaku, as the clan leader, could not stand in opposition to the Uchiha.

But no matter how Uchiha Fugaku hinted, the Dove Faction elders only showed helpless expressions, indicating they were willing but unable. So Uchiha Fugaku had to use a delaying tactic, adjourning and postponing the clan meeting. As the clan leader, he had that right.

"The clan leader's insight is keen. This matter is indeed of great significance to us Uchiha. Another week of deliberation is indeed better. However, even important matters cannot be delayed indefinitely. Indecision is a great taboo." Uchiha Seiho directly agreed to Uchiha Fugaku's proposal.

Uchiha Seiho's line of thinking was clear: he could not prevent Uchiha Fugaku from exercising his rights.

Unless he could concentrate the majority of the Uchiha's strength to propose removing Uchiha Fugaku from the position of clan leader, but that was impossible because Fugaku's ability and strength were acknowledged by everyone.

Rather than uttering useless words, Uchiha Seiho chose to go along with Uchiha Fugaku and praise him up, so that next week Uchiha Fugaku would not be able to play the same trick again.

Uchiha Fugaku could only nod reluctantly. Buying one more week was better than nothing; perhaps within that week he would think of a solution.

"Then let's adjourn." Uchiha Fugaku announced the end of the clan meeting.

The Uchiha clan members left in groups with their acquaintances, excitedly discussing the content of this clan meeting.

"Obito, the clan meeting is over. We can go back." Shisui gently poked Obito next to him, who was lost in thought.

Obito had been spacing out ever since he had exchanged a sentence with Uchiha Seiho, and it continued until now.

"Oh, oh, it's over? Then let's go back." Coming back to his senses, Obito stood up and nodded.

After realizing Uchiha Seiho was a boring adult, Obito directly used the "Walk-Divine Technique" and immersed himself in his own world, ignoring all external conversations.

"Obito, you go back first. I have a little something to take care of." Shisui shook his head and replied.

Although the clan meeting was adjourned, the crisis had not been resolved. He had to find a way to resolve this crisis without exacerbating the Uchiha's internal conflicts as much as possible.

"Alright then. I'll head back first. Goodbye, Shisui. Goodbye, Uncle Nobuhiro." Obito nodded and waved goodbye.

Then Shisui looked at Uchiha Nobuhiro. "Uncle, please go back too. I have something to do elsewhere."

"Mm, if you need help, you can come straight to my house to find me," Uchiha Nobuhiro replied.

He also needed to go find the Dove Faction Uchiha to discuss the current Uchiha situation.

Finally, Shisui glanced at Uchiha Fugaku, who had not yet left.

Based on Uchiha Fugaku's performance at the clan meeting, Shisui judged that Fugaku also did not favor Uchiha Seiho's proposal, but was forced by some reasons not to say more in support of him.

"Shisui, is there something you need?" Uchiha Fugaku asked after noticing Shisui's gaze.

After this clan meeting, Uchiha Fugaku admired Uchiha Shisui even more. Although young, his thinking ability had surpassed that of many adult Uchiha. In this regard, Obito fell far short.

"Nothing. Goodbye, Uncle Fugaku." Shisui shook his head, said goodbye, and left.

Although Uchiha Fugaku also opposed Uchiha Seiho, it was clear that Fugaku didn't have any good countermeasures; otherwise, he wouldn't have needed to delay for a week.

After leaving Nanga Shrine, Shisui headed straight for the main district of Konoha and arrived at the front door of Mugetsu's home.

Shisui was not alone. Since he couldn't think of a good solution himself, he came to seek out his trusted teacher, Mugetsu.

Shisui knocked on Muyue's door, and after entering Muyue's house, he told Muyue about the difficulties he encountered without holding anything back.

"Your general idea is not a problem," Muyue said after listening.

"Do you mean for me to challenge Elder Shengqing within this week and then explain at the clan meeting?" Shisui asked.

Muyue shook her head in denial. "Since you don't want to become a mortal enemy with Elder Shengqing, you can't be so direct."

"Isn't Uchiha Fugaku supporting you? You can have Uchiha Fugaku hold a martial arts exhibition on the pretext of improving the quality of clan ninjas, where outstanding members receive guidance from an elder, and the elder guiding you 'happens' to be Elder Shengqing. Then you defeat him with an attitude of 'barely being better.'"

If Shisui really challenged and directly defeated Uchiha Shengqing at the clan meeting, Muyue felt that given the Uchiha's mental state, Uchiha Shengqing might even go berserk.

After understanding Muyue's words, Shisui instantly felt his eyes light up; in that way, even if Uchiha Shengqing lost, he wouldn't hold too much of a grudge against him.

After all, it was all a coincidence; it's just that Shisui was too strong. When an Uchiha loses, they won't complain that the opponent was too strong, they'll only think that they themselves are not strong enough.

"Don't hold too much hope either; it depends on the person. Some people will still bear a grudge no matter what, because you made them lose face," Muyue reminded.

No matter how tactful it is, as long as Shisui defeats Uchiha Shengqing in public, losing face is unavoidable.

"Mm, I understand." Shisui nodded, and then asked a question that puzzled him.

"I feel that Elder Shengqing is very quick-witted; he should know that this matter cannot succeed, so why would he do such a thing?"

Shisui didn't believe that someone with the level of discourse Uchiha Shengqing had displayed could fail to see through this matter.

This isn't a small matter like raising salaries or benefits; it involves some core rights.

"Sometimes things that are unfavorable to the group are not necessarily unfavorable to him," Muyue said earnestly.

"You might think this incident is very serious, causing Konoha's upper echelons to be wary of the Uchiha, but from Uchiha Shengqing's perspective, the Uchiha were already being watched by Konoha's leadership. What's one more point? As long as there's no coup, Konoha's leadership won't do anything to the Uchiha."

"On the other hand, after being rejected by Konoha, Uchiha Shengqing can further stir up the emotions of Uchiha ninjas and expand the hawkish faction. For him, this is a matter of benefit with no harm."

Shisui was silent. He realized that he had still underestimated Uchiha Shengqing; he was still lacking too much experience in various aspects.

"Fortunately, I have Teacher Muyue." Shisui thought thankfully; if he had followed his own ideas, it probably would have ended up a mess.

xhytd