“What else am I supposed to think?
The higher-ups have never abandoned their desire to destroy the Uchiha.
Father, are you still holding out hope for Konoha’s leadership?”
Qiyu fixed Fugaku with a piercing stare.
Fugaku’s expression stiffened.
“They are… still the Hokage and the village elders, after all.”
“Heh.
Father, should I call you indecisive, or simply say that you have no mind of your own?
You are actually allowing the mere title of Hokage to tie your hands.
Isn’t the leadership’s intention to suppress us obvious enough?”
Qiyu spoke with the frustration of someone disappointed by another’s refusal to see reason.
Fugaku’s face darkened.
“This is all a misunderstanding!
Qiyu, the Uchiha still live within Konoha.”
“Exactly.
The Uchiha live within Konoha, which is why we must fight the leadership for the interests of our clan!”
Seeing Fugaku’s expression grow darker by the second, Qiyu resolved to make his stubborn father understand the situation today.
“Father, do you know what it means to boil a frog in warm water?”
Fugaku had been about to respond, but Qiyu cut him off first.
He stared blankly at his son, unable to understand what the conflict between the village and the Uchiha had to do with a frog.
Fugaku remained seated in silence, waiting for Qiyu to continue.
Qiyu glanced at his prideful father, rolled his eyes, and explained.
“If you throw a frog into boiling water, it will immediately leap out.
But if you place it in warm water and slowly raise the temperature, it will continue believing that it is safe until the moment it dies.”
“Right now, the Uchiha are that frog.
The Third Hokage and his people are slowly boiling us alive.”
“The Uchiha’s new clan compound truly is a wonderful place.
A mountain stands beside it, while the Barrier Team’s station lies not far ahead.
If the place were intended to be a cemetery, there could hardly be a better location.
Mountains, water, and beautiful scenery—it has everything.”
“Tell me…”
Qiyu glanced at Fugaku’s increasingly grim face and casually brushed back his long hair before continuing.
“Once war breaks out and the barrier is activated, the entire Uchiha clan will become trapped beasts.
Wouldn’t it be easy to bury every one of us in that picturesque place between the mountain and the water?”
“Father, the village has practically chosen our burial ground for us.
Can you truly still not see it?”
At Qiyu’s final, severe words, beads of cold sweat appeared across Fugaku’s forehead.
“Qiyu… how could matters possibly have reached such a point?”
Fugaku’s voice was heavy.
It was clear that he had already begun to believe him.
“Heh.
Father, there is one thing none of you have ever understood.”
Qiyu’s expression turned solemn.
“The enemy we must oppose has never been the entire village.
It is Konoha’s elder council, led by the Third Hokage.
They are the Uchiha clan’s true enemies.”
“So never treat the Third Hokage and his faction as though they represent all of Konoha.”
Fugaku froze.
In that instant, it was as though an invisible barrier within his thoughts had shattered.
When the Fourth Hokage had been alive, had the Uchiha ever fallen into such a miserable position?
Even under the Second Hokage, who had deeply distrusted the Uchiha, the clan’s reputation within the village had never deteriorated this badly.
Only during the Third Hokage’s rule had the Uchiha been gradually pushed to the fringes of Konoha.
The more Fugaku thought about it, the darker his gaze became.
At that moment, he finally seemed to understand something.
“Qiyu, you are better than me.”
Fugaku was that kind of man.
Although he cared deeply about his dignity, he would openly acknowledge someone who surpassed him.
“What should we do next?”
At this point, Fugaku no longer regarded Qiyu as a child.
He straightened his posture and sincerely asked for his son’s opinion.
“Heh.”
A faint smile curved across Qiyu’s lips.
“Father, we simply remain still and respond to whatever changes arise.
Do you know why I insisted that you obtain an official written order from the Hokage regarding the relocation of the clan compound?”
A profound gleam appeared in Qiyu’s eyes.
Fugaku was no fool.
He immediately understood what Qiyu meant.
“Qiyu, are you saying that the Third Hokage and the others intend to go back on their word?”
Fugaku’s eyes widened.
“Father, with the fighting along the borders growing increasingly severe, do you truly believe the village still has enough money to compensate the Uchiha for relocating our clan compound?”
Qiyu spoke with complete composure.
Fugaku fell into deep thought.
After a moment, he shook his head.
He had lived through both the Second and Third Shinobi World Wars.
He understood better than most that war was ultimately a contest of resources and wealth.
Then why had the village chosen this exact moment to demand that the Uchiha relocate?
Could it be—
A violent chill suddenly swept through Fugaku’s body.
“From the very beginning, the village intended to force the Uchiha out of our compound without paying us anything.”
“Ding-dong!
It seems Father is not entirely foolish after all.”
Qiyu spoke with a teasing smile.
Fugaku’s face immediately hardened.
“Mind your manners.
Keep this up, and I will tell your mother.”
Qiyu’s expression froze.
A moment later, he recovered and scoffed.
“Heh.
I never expected Father to be the sort of man who runs to someone else and complains.
How shameful.”
“Hmph.
Mikoto is my wife.
Since you refuse to behave, it is perfectly reasonable for me to ask your mother to discipline you.”
Qiyu was rendered speechless once again.
He had never imagined that his usually stern and proper father would use his own wife to tease him.
More importantly, how could Fugaku say something like that while maintaining such a perfectly serious expression?
Still, there was nothing Qiyu could do.
Everything had its natural counter.
The Uchiha’s greatest weakness was gentleness, and his mother’s tenderness was just as lethal to Qiyu as it was to anyone else.
Watching Qiyu fall silent, Fugaku felt an intense sense of satisfaction.
You little brat.
You never show your father any respect, but now you finally understand how formidable I am.
No matter how exceptional you become, I am still your father.
“All right, Father.
I should not need to explain the rest.”
Qiyu straightened his expression.
“Once the higher-ups attempt to proceed without compensation, we must respond firmly.
At least for now, the village will not openly sever relations with us.”
“Our current position is to struggle against the leadership without allowing the conflict to reach the point of complete rupture.”
Fugaku fell silent before slowly nodding.
“If there is nothing else, I am going upstairs to rest.”
Without waiting for Fugaku to answer, Qiyu hurried upstairs.
To think that his cheap father had managed to gain the upper hand over him today.
It was utterly humiliating.
Watching Qiyu rush away, Fugaku’s lips curved into a gratified smile.
He was now exceptionally pleased with his eldest son.
Qiyu possessed both courage and intelligence.
What more could a father possibly ask for from a son like this?
With that thought, Fugaku rose and leisurely made his way toward the kitchen.
The Uchiha’s next confrontation with Konoha’s leadership was no longer something he could afford to face with hesitation.
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