The shock brought by Shisui had not yet subsided among the crowd when heavy footsteps echoed from the entrance of the Naka Shrine’s basement.
This time, it wasn’t just one person walking down the stone steps.
Seven elders stepped into the venue; the highest power-holding class of the Uchiha Clan had arrived in full force.
Leading them was the Great Elder, leaning on a cane with an expressionless face.
These seven elders usually lived in seclusion and rarely made a public appearance together like this.
Seeing the seven elders appear, the originally noisy basement fell silent.
Whether they were members of the Radical Faction or the Conservative Faction, every clansman straightened their backs and lowered their heads.
As everyone waited for the elders to take their seats, some clansmen noticed something unusual in the venue.
“Wait… look over there!”
A conservative clansman lowered his voice, pointing toward the corner on the right side of the venue.
Several people around him followed his finger and gasped.
In the corner of the venue, there were over a dozen new, young faces.
These youths wore uniform dark combat gear and stood perfectly upright.
What truly drew everyone’s attention were the eyes of these young people.
In this dim basement, all dozen or so young clansmen had their Sharingan activated.
In every pair of crimson eyes, three tomoe were spinning.
“This… how is this possible?!”
Uchiha Inabi’s eyes widened.
“Thirteen people, and all of them have the Three-Tomoe Sharingan?”
“When did the clan get so many young top-tier experts? As a high-ranking member of the Police Force, how did I not hear a single word about this!”
“They are Lord Lu Ming’s subordinates!”
A clansman nearby recognized a few of the faces.
“The one standing at the very front is Uchiha Tekka, who almost died on the Iwagakure battlefield two years ago.”
“At that time, he clearly hadn’t even awakened a single tomoe, yet now he actually has three?!”
A wave of suppressed whispers swept through the room.
Thirteen pairs of newly awakened Three-Tomoe Sharingan—this was a force enough to make the Konoha High Command tremble with fear.
While everyone was shocked by the appearance of this group of young powerhouses, steady footsteps echoed from the stone steps.
Tap.
Tap.
Tap.
The footsteps weren’t heavy, but they were exceptionally clear in the quiet basement.
A young man wearing loose robes entered the venue.
Uchiha Lu Ming!
Upon seeing the newcomer, the entire Naka Shrine basement became rowdy.
“Lord Lu Ming!”
The thirteen young elites with the Three-Tomoe Sharingan in the corner knelt on one knee and lowered their heads the moment they saw Lu Ming.
In the venue, a large number of young clansmen who had received favors from Lu Ming, and veterans who had been saved by him on the battlefield, all clenched their fists and stared at the man walking toward them.
Lu Ming had spent years dedicated to cultivation, rarely participating in clan meetings and never taking on the Village’s routine missions.
He had even refused to join the Uchiha Clan’s core power institution—the Police Force.
But everyone present knew that this man’s prestige within the clan was extremely high.
He was not only a genius who had forced back the Third Tsuchikage with an S-rank Lightning Release but also the savior of countless clansmen.
The group of young Three-Tomoe experts he had personally trained demonstrated his deep foundation to everyone.
Lu Ming’s appearance pushed the shock of the crowd to its peak.
Sitting in the main seat, the Clan Head Uchiha Fugaku frowned deeply when he saw Lu Ming appear.
Fugaku’s gaze narrowed as his hands gripped the fabric on his thighs.
He knew Lu Ming too well.
This young man always planned before acting and never participated in meaningless struggles.
Today, he had not only come to the Naka Shrine but had also brought that group of young experts to make an appearance; this was definitely not just to listen in.
“Lu Ming… what exactly are you trying to do?”
Fugaku speculated inwardly, a strong sense of foreboding enveloping his entire body.
Lu Ming was going to make a big move tonight, perhaps even completely shattering the existing balance within the clan.
Lu Ming ignored the reverent gazes of those around him.
He walked straight to the very front of the venue and took a seat closest to the Council of Elders.
Once Lu Ming was seated, the Great Elder slammed his cane heavily onto the ground.
Thud!
The sound rendered the entire venue silent.
“Everyone is here.”
The Great Elder looked around, his aged voice echoing in the basement.
“I announce that this emergency clan meeting officially begins.”
As his voice fell, the entire Naka Shrine fell into a tense silence.
Hundreds of pairs of crimson Sharingan were all focused on the Great Elder.
No one dared to even breathe loudly, waiting for the core agenda of this emergency clan meeting to be revealed.
The Radical Faction was expecting an order to go to war, while the Conservative Faction was praying for the continuation of peace.
The quiet atmosphere lasted for a full half-minute.
Finally, Uchiha Fugaku, sitting in the main seat, could no longer hold back.
As the Clan Head, he knew nothing about the purpose of this meeting; this feeling of being sidelined made him extremely uneasy.
Fugaku was the first to break the silence.
He stared at the Great Elder and questioned him.
“Great Elder, tonight’s emergency clan meeting was called so hastily that even I, the Clan Head, did not receive prior notice.”
“I wonder what major matter concerning the life and death of the clan the Council of Elders has that must be announced tonight?”
Fugaku’s tone revealed his dissatisfaction and interrogation.
The Great Elder met Fugaku’s gaze but did not answer.
He turned his head and looked at Uchiha Lu Ming, who was sitting not far away.
“Fugaku, you are asking the wrong person.”
The Great Elder’s voice was devoid of emotion.
“Tonight’s emergency clan meeting was not the Council of Elders’ original intention.”
The Great Elder paused, then extended a withered finger, pointing directly at Lu Ming.
“The convening of this emergency clan meeting was at the request of Uchiha Lu Ming,” the Great Elder stated frankly.
Whoosh!
These words caused a massive uproar in the venue.
With a swish, everyone’s gaze shifted from the Great Elder and focused collectively on Lu Ming.
Fugaku’s brow furrowed.
His heart rate accelerated, and a sense of crisis surged in his heart.
“Lu Ming’s request?”
Fugaku stared at the young man, his brain working at high speeds.
He had always been trying his best to win over Lu Ming.
To show goodwill to Lu Ming, he had not only acquiesced to Lu Ming’s behavior of freely cultivating his own forces within the clan but had even given him the green light regarding resource allocation.
He had always thought that while Lu Ming didn’t participate in clan affairs, he was at least on his side.
But now, Lu Ming had actually bypassed him as the Clan Head and directly convinced the seven elders to convene an emergency clan meeting!
This meeting was aimed at him!
Facing the shocked, confused, and wary gazes of the entire room, Lu Ming stood up.
He didn’t bother with any preamble and spoke directly.
Lu Ming looked directly at Uchiha Fugaku in the main seat, his voice reaching everyone’s ears.
“I gathered everyone here tonight for only one thing.”
Lu Ming raised his hand and pointed straight at Uchiha Fugaku’s face, his tone domineering.
“I want to publicly impeach the Clan Head, Uchiha Fugaku!”
The entire basement fell silent; everyone’s eyes widened and their mouths hung open.
“Since the Night of the Nine-Tails incident, the Konoha High Command’s suppression of our Uchiha has never stopped!”
Lu Ming’s voice rose.
“The high command used trumped-up charges to forcibly move our clan lands to the edge of the Village. Fugaku, what did you do? You chose to back down!”
“The high command fueled the flames in the shadows, causing the villagers to complain about the Police Force and treating us like watchdogs. What did you do then? You still chose to compromise!”
Lu Ming approached Fugaku step by step, his powerful aura forcing the surrounding clansmen to retreat repeatedly.
“You blindly showed weakness and retreated, thinking it would bring peace. What was the result?”
“It was the high command’s intensified bullying and the humiliation of our clansmen being unable to hold their heads high in the Village.”
Lu Ming shouted sternly.
“You fundamentally lack the ability and courage to lead the clan through this crisis. A weak and incompetent person like you is simply not fit to serve as the Uchiha Clan Head anymore!”
Whoosh—!!!
The entire venue was in an uproar, falling into complete chaos.
“Im… impeach the Clan Head?!”
“My god! Lord Lu Ming actually wants to depose the Clan Head directly!”
Everyone looked at Lu Ming in disbelief.
In the history of the Uchiha, a public impeachment of the Clan Head was simply unheard of!
Fugaku himself was extremely surprised, freezing in his seat, his face turning pale.
He stared at Lu Ming with wide eyes, his lips trembling slightly.
He never expected that the genius he had always treated well and tried to win over would actually stab a knife directly into his heart at this most critical moment!
He had never imagined that the other party would directly target his position as Clan Head!
“Insolence!!!”
Just as Fugaku was too shocked to speak, two violent roars sounded.
Uchiha Yashiro and Uchiha Inabi, these two most die-hard supporters of Fugaku and high-ranking members of the Police Force, immediately rushed out of the crowd in a rage.
“Lu Ming! What kind of thing do you think you are, to dare speak such nonsense here!”
The three tomoe in Yashiro’s eyes spun crazily as he pointed at Lu Ming and cursed loudly.
“The Clan Head works day and night for the sake of the family; how can someone like you, who only knows how to hide in the shadows and cultivate, judge him?”
“You publicly impeaching the Clan Head is rebellion! It is treason!”
Relying on his status as a Police Force captain and Fugaku’s loyalist, Yashiro completely disregarded Lu Ming’s terrifying strength.
In his view, Lu Ming’s move was an act of rebellion, and he had to defend the Clan Head’s legitimate status!
“Why waste words with him! Take down this traitor!”
Inabi also drew his Ninjatō, brimming with killing intent.
“You’re looking for death!”
Yashiro roared, not giving anyone time to react.
He exerted force with his legs and immediately activated the Body Flicker Technique.
Swish!
Yashiro’s figure vanished from his original spot, turning into an afterimage as he launched a surprise attack in front of Lu Ming.
He gripped a Kunai tightly in his hand and thrust it out with a sharp whistling sound.
Puchi!
The sound of a blade entering flesh rang out.
Yashiro had directly performed a Body Flicker surprise attack, striking Lu Ming’s chest with the Kunai.