“Trust?”
Lu Ming sneered at Shisui’s words.
He interrupted Shisui’s unrealistic fantasy.
“Shisui, you think those old foxes in the High Command who play politics are far cleaner than they actually are.”
“They didn’t give us the Police Force out of trust; it’s a decades-long scheme of excessive praise and suppression!”
Shisui stood frozen, his lips twitching, but he couldn’t say a single word.
Lu Ming extended a finger and pointed it in the air.
“Think about it, what is the Police Force for?”
“Maintaining public order in the Village, arresting criminals, and mediating disputes.”
“Essentially, it’s a job that offends people! Today you arrest a gambler from the East Street, tomorrow you fine a merchant from the West Street. Over time, how will the civilians see us?”
“But…” Shisui wanted to argue, but found he didn’t know where to start.
“There are no ‘buts’.”
Lu Ming extended a second finger.
“The High Command gave us the power of law enforcement, yet they exclude us from Konoha’s core of power.”
“The Anbu, the Council of Elders, the Hokage Advisors—those positions that truly decide Konoha’s direction—how many Uchiha are there? Not a single one!”
“They treat us like guard dogs, shoving all the dirty, offensive work onto us, while secretly allowing the villagers’ resentment toward us to spread.”
Lu Ming’s voice grew colder and colder.
“Pride in our bones combined with rough law enforcement—this was originally an issue with our clansmen.”
“But if the High Command truly accepted us, they could have stepped in long ago to mediate this conflict.”
“But what did the Third Hokage do? What did Danzo do? They did nothing!”
“They just stood in the Hokage Building, coldly watching the opposition between the Uchiha and the villagers deepen, watching us become pariahs in the Village!”
Shisui gasped, his scalp tingling.
He had always thought it was the clansmen who weren’t doing well enough, causing the villagers’ dislike.
Lu Ming’s words directly tore away the warm mask of the Konoha High Command, revealing the bloody calculations beneath.
“The High Command’s long-term suspicion and suppression are the core reasons we’ve fallen to this state today.”
Lu Ming lowered his hand and stared at Shisui.
“But what made the situation even worse is our ‘good’ Clan Head.”
At the mention of Uchiha Fugaku, Lu Ming gave a cold snort.
“As Clan Head, Fugaku is weak to the extreme!”
Lu Ming denounced,
“After the Night of the Nine-Tails, the High Command used suspicion of us as an excuse to forcibly move the Uchiha Clan’s territory to the edge of the Village.”
“Faced with such unreasonable exclusion, what did Fugaku do? He didn’t even dare to let out a fart, and obediently moved the whole clan!”
Shisui clenched his fists.
That relocation was a pain that all Uchiha Clan members could not let go of.
“Faced with the High Command’s constant pressure, he only knows how to compromise and retreat. Does he think ceding interests can buy peace? Dead wrong!”
“His weakness only makes the High Command think we’re easy targets, and it only makes the clansmen lose heart completely!”
Lu Ming took a step forward, his aura overbearing.
“What is a Clan Head for? To lead the family toward prosperity and to protect the dignity of every clansman!”
“Fugaku has never fulfilled his responsibility to protect the clan. His bottomless concessions directly fostered the rise of the Radical Faction within the clan. He personally pushed the Uchiha to a dead end!”
The clearing was silent.
There was only the rustling of wind through the leaves.
Shisui panted heavily, cold sweat sliding down his forehead.
Lu Ming’s words had completely overturned his previous understanding.
“Lu Ming, you’re telling me all this…”
Shisui swallowed hard,
“What exactly do you want to do?”
Lu Ming restrained his anger, his expression becoming serious.
“Shisui, I want you to help me.”
Lu Ming looked at Shisui and said word by word,
“I want to replace Fugaku and become the new Clan Head of the Uchiha.”
These words caused Shisui to turn pale with shock, and he subconsciously took half a step back.
Seizing power!
Lu Ming actually wanted to seize the position of Clan Head!
“Don’t be in a hurry to refuse.”
Lu Ming didn’t give Shisui a chance to catch his breath, immediately throwing out his promise,
“As long as I become Clan Head, I will thoroughly integrate the clan’s strength.”
“I will pull the fangs of the Radical Faction and sweep away the cowardice of the Moderates.”
“I want the entire Village, the Third Hokage, and Danzo to once again face the Uchiha’s strength and value!”
Lu Ming opened his arms, his tone confident,
“I will end the High Command’s suppression of us, and I will reshape the glory of the Uchiha Clan.”
“Let them know that without the Uchiha, Konoha cannot stand in this Ninja World at all!”
Shisui stared at Lu Ming.
He didn’t see madness in Lu Ming’s eyes, only extreme calmness.
“Why should I believe you can do it?” Shisui asked through gritted teeth.
“By this.”
Lu Ming held up three fingers.
“Three years. I’ll make a three-year promise with you here.”
“Give me three years. If I cannot fulfill the promise I made to you today, if I cannot lead the Uchiha out of its current predicament, I will step down voluntarily and let you deal with me as you wish.”
Shisui fell silent.
His mind was racing.
The current situation was already rotten to the core.
Fugaku’s weakness couldn’t appease the High Command’s suspicion, and the Radical Faction’s madness would only lead the family into the abyss.
He himself had great martial power, but didn’t know how to break the deadlock at all.
Looking around, in the entire Uchiha, only the man before him had seen through everything.
There was no better solution.
Lu Ming’s plan was the only hope to save this clan.
Shisui’s body slowly relaxed.
He looked at Lu Ming and nodded heavily.
“Fine. I will assist you.”
Shisui gave his answer,
“But you must guarantee that you will never provoke a civil war.”
“Of course.”
Lu Ming smiled,
“I’ve said it before, I will never rely on force to seize power. To deal with Fugaku and the High Command, I’ve already made full preparations.”
Lu Ming smiled with composure.
…
The bustling commercial street of Konoha Village.
As evening approached, people came and went on the street, and the cries of vendors rose and fell.
Uchiha Sasuke took small steps, tightly clutching the sleeve of his brother Itachi, weaving through the crowd.
The two of them had just finished their enrollment procedures at the Ninja Academy today and were preparing to head back to the clan territory.
“Brother Itachi, walk slower.”
Sasuke tugged at Itachi’s sleeve, his voice a bit out of breath.
“Hurry up, Sasuke. It’s almost dinner time. If we get back late, Father will scold us again.”
Itachi quickened his pace without looking back.
At a corner.
Sasuke was walking too fast and didn’t notice a little boy running out in front of him.
Thud!
The two of them collided solidly.
Sasuke reacted quickly and steadied himself, but the little boy fell on his bottom, and the candied haws in his hand fell to the ground, covered in dust.
“Wah—!”
The little boy looked at the candied haws on the ground and burst into loud tears.
The commotion attracted the attention of nearby passersby.
A crowd quickly gathered, pointing and whispering at Sasuke and Itachi.
“Oh dear, how could they run into someone?”
“Look at the fan symbol on their clothes; they’re kids from the Uchiha family.”
“No wonder they’re so arrogant, not even looking where they’re going. The people from the Police Force are usually overbearing, even their children are like this.”
The surrounding discussions reached Sasuke’s ears.
Sasuke frowned.
He obviously didn’t do it on purpose, but as soon as these people saw the Uchiha crest, they pinned all sorts of malice on them.
Sasuke clenched his fists, just about to speak up in rebuttal.
A large hand suddenly pressed on his shoulder.
Sasuke was startled and looked back to see Lu Ming standing behind him, though he hadn’t noticed when he’d arrived.
“Big Brother Lu Ming!”
Sasuke and Itachi called out at the same time.
Lu Ming nodded slightly to them, then stepped past Sasuke and walked to the crying little boy.
He knelt down and, like a magic trick, pulled a beautifully wrapped candy from his pocket and held it out to the little boy.
“Little man, you shouldn’t cry over a little fall. This candy is for you; it’s even sweeter than candied haws.”
Lu Ming smiled gently.
The little boy stopped crying, timidly took the candy, and sobbed twice.
Lu Ming stood up, looked at the little boy’s mother who had hurried over, and bowed slightly.
“I’m sorry, my younger brother was walking too fast and bumped into your child. It was our fault.”
The little boy’s mother had originally wanted to lose her temper, but seeing Lu Ming’s sincere attitude and impeccable manners, her anger mostly dissipated.
“It’s… it’s fine, it’s normal for kids to have bumps and scrapes.”
The mother pulled the little boy close and replied somewhat awkwardly.
The surrounding villagers watching the scene also looked at each other.
They were used to the Uchiha clansmen’s haughty, nose-in-the-air attitude.
Suddenly encountering someone so reasonable and with such a good attitude left them with nothing to say, so they could only disperse resentfully.
Lu Ming turned around and looked at Sasuke and Itachi.
“Big Brother Lu Ming, he was clearly the one who ran out himself…”
Sasuke was still a bit indignant.
“Sasuke.”
Lu Ming interrupted him.
“Out here, people don’t care whose fault it is.”
“They only see the Uchiha crest. If you want to change people’s opinions, arguing is useless.”
Sasuke lowered his head, seemingly understanding.
Lu Ming reached out and ruffled Sasuke’s hair, then looked at the Ninja Academy enrollment notices in their hands.
“Just finished the enrollment procedures?” Lu Ming asked.
“Yes.”
Sasuke looked up and said proudly,
“I was assigned to Class A!”
Lu Ming was a bit surprised.
Class A was the core elite class of the Ninja Academy.
Lu Ming looked at these two young boys who carried the future hopes of the Uchiha, and his expression became serious.
He pressed both hands on Sasuke’s shoulders and looked him straight in the eye.
“Sasuke, listen well.”
Lu Ming said in a deep voice,
“Since you’ve entered Class A of the Ninja Academy, you’re no longer just an ordinary child.”
“From today on, you must take the Uchiha Clan’s honor in the academy as your own responsibility.”
Sasuke straightened his chest and nodded heavily.
“There are many people in the Village who are prejudiced against us, many who want to see us fail.”
Lu Ming added emphasis,
“What you must do is definitely not argue with them. You must use your strength and your performance in school to prove the Uchiha’s power to the whole school and the entire Konoha! Prove that we are the deservedly number one clan!”
These words ignited Sasuke’s fighting spirit, and he answered loudly,
“I understand, Big Brother Lu Ming! I will never let the Uchiha down!”
Itachi, standing to the side, also clenched his fists, his expression resolute.
Lu Ming looked at the two motivated brothers and smiled with satisfaction.
He straightened his body and threw out the final incentive.
“Determination alone isn’t enough; there needs to be a practical reward.”
“As long as you two can take first place in the year-end exams, I will give each of you a specially made Chakra weapon.”