Chapter 468: When in doubt, look for Mu Yue

Chapter 468: When in Doubt, Find Muzuki

“I believe we should demand that the Third Hokage grant the Police Force the right to proactively engage, no longer limiting us to maintaining village security.

We can independently fight against enemies, letting those outsiders know the might of the Uchiha Clan!” Uchiha Sheng Qing stated the purpose of his clan meeting.

He was not satisfied with the Police Force’s current authority, believing that the Uchiha deserved greater power.

Uchiha Sheng Qing felt that his idea was excellent; Konoha would eliminate its enemies, and the Uchiha Clan would gain fame and fortune—a win-win for everyone.

Uchiha Fugaku’s expression subtly changed; he hadn’t expected Uchiha Sheng Qing to be so radical.

What did the right to proactively engage mean? It meant the Police Force could gather personnel at any time to form a military unit and wage war.

Uchiha Fugaku knew, even without thinking hard, that Hiruzen Sarutobi would never agree; this was an attempt to usurp a power that belonged solely to the Hokage.

“I support Elder Sheng Qing’s proposal; it makes perfect sense.

Our Uchiha Clan is so powerful; limiting us to maintaining security within Konoha Village is a great waste of talent,” an Uchiha Jonin immediately declared.

“I also think Elder Sheng Qing makes a lot of sense.

The more enemies our Uchiha eliminate, the safer Konoha will be, and that also protects Konoha’s security.”

“Not only the right to proactively engage, but the Police Force should have greater autonomy and be able to freely add positions.” Some Uchiha Ninja even felt they could demand more.

“I support it.

War can temper Ninja and help improve their strength.” Uchiha Inaho also chose to support Uchiha Sheng Qing.

Although he didn’t dislike Police Force work, Uchiha Inaho felt it was too comfortable.

With the right to proactively engage, he could leave the village and fight at any time.

“The hawkish faction within the clan is rising again.” Uchiha Nobuhiro sighed almost imperceptibly.

Ever since Uchiha Setsuna’s coup failed, the Uchiha hawkish faction had suffered a major blow, with most of its core members captured and imprisoned by Senju Tobirama.

Uchiha Nobuhiro had originally thought it would take several decades for the hawkish faction to recover, but he hadn’t expected them to regain strength so quickly.

“I object.

The Third Hokage will absolutely not agree to this proposal; it will only make the Konoha higher-ups even more wary of us Uchiha,” Shisui said, standing up directly.

He was only eight years old now, and sitting on the cushion, he would be lost in the crowd.

To ensure everyone knew he, Uchiha Shisui, was speaking, Shisui chose to stand.

Upon hearing someone completely negate his proposal, Uchiha Sheng Qing’s gaze instantly sharpened as he searched for the dissenter.

Seeing that it was Uchiha Shisui, whom he had just praised, Uchiha Sheng Qing’s expression turned somewhat grim.

He had just been praising Shisui as the pride and genius of the Uchiha Clan, and now Shisui was completely refuting him, showing him no respect at all.

“Shisui, you are still young and don’t understand many things.

At times like this, it’s best to listen to your elders,” Uchiha Sheng Qing said, trying to maintain a benevolent expression.

Although he felt Shisui was ungrateful, Uchiha Sheng Qing couldn’t really scold Shisui right now.

Because Uchiha Sheng Qing himself had just elevated Shisui, if he were to disparage Shisui now, Uchiha Sheng Qing would be contradicting himself.

So, Uchiha Sheng Qing had to endure it, even if he was displeased.

However, this time, Uchiha Sheng Qing saw Shisui clearly.

Shisui would not endorse the hawkish ideology, and Uchiha Sheng Qing would absolutely never mention Shisui again; he would choose to promote Obito instead.

Obito seemed easier to persuade; even when he exaggerated Obito’s achievements, Obito would correct him.

This child was too straightforward.

“Exactly, Shisui.

At your age, you should read more clan history and listen more,” a hawkish Uchiha chimed in.

“I don’t recall any rule in clan meetings about age restricting one’s right to speak.

Although I am only eight years old, I am a Jonin, just like Elder Sheng Qing,” Shisui retorted clearly, emphasizing his Ninja rank.

Some hawkish Uchiha who were about to speak against Shisui instantly fell silent, as many of them were only Chunin, a lower Ninja rank than Shisui.

Although Uchiha Sheng Qing had mentioned that Shisui was the youngest Jonin, Shisui’s height and appearance were too deceiving; it was hard for everyone to imagine him as a Konoha Jonin.

“In a clan meeting, any clan member who is a Ninja can speak freely,” Uchiha Fugaku said, nodding after a moment’s thought.

Uchiha Fugaku was neither hawkish nor dovish; as clan head, such labels didn’t apply to him.

He only stood on the side of Uchiha interests.

Uchiha Sheng Qing’s proposal was truly absurd; presenting such a suggestion to Hiruzen Sarutobi and other Konoha higher-ups would only incite suspicion and not bring any tangible benefits to the Uchiha.

Therefore, Uchiha Fugaku spoke up for Shisui.

Uchiha Sheng Qing glanced at Uchiha Fugaku, then looked at Shisui and said:

“I cannot guarantee that the proposal will be 100% approved, but I believe that not being approved does not mean wasted effort.

We must let the Konoha higher-ups know the demands of our Uchiha Clan; we Uchiha must receive treatment commensurate with our strength!”

Shisui secretly thought, ‘This is bad.’ Uchiha Sheng Qing was too articulate, binding his starting point to the entire Uchiha, as if Shisui was trying to sabotage the entire Uchiha Clan’s good intentions.

He also framed Hiruzen Sarutobi’s refusal as unfair treatment of the Uchiha, so even if it truly failed, it wouldn’t affect Uchiha Sheng Qing’s reputation within the clan.

As Shisui expected, many Uchiha Ninja instantly became agitated, and some silent Uchiha began to lean towards Uchiha Sheng Qing’s side.

Shisui’s mind raced, trying to figure out how to refute Uchiha Sheng Qing and how to nip this absurd proposal in the bud.

The history and politics Shisui had learned from Muzuki finally came in handy.

Combining it with the actual situation of the Uchiha, Shisui quickly found the answer.

To achieve his goal, there were two key points.

The first was to make the Uchiha Ninja realize the infeasibility of this proposal; ‘possibly not passed’ and ‘definitely not passed’ were two different things.

The second was to gain a status equal to Uchiha Sheng Qing to compete with him; otherwise, the first point could not be developed.

To make the Uchiha realize the infeasibility of this proposal, Shisui would have to explain it in detail, so that even political novices could understand that it was impossible.

If he didn’t have a status equal to Uchiha Sheng Qing, the Uchiha would be prejudiced against his words, thinking he was just mindlessly refuting their favorite elder.

Uchiha Sheng Qing could also use sophistry to refute any potential loopholes in his arguments.

Shisui knew the Uchiha Clan too well; this was not a clan that could be reasoned with simply by having a logical argument.

However, achieving equal status was actually very difficult, as becoming an elder was not something that happened overnight.

Although Shisui had earned merit in the war, merit in the village and merit in the clan were two different things.

It was practically impossible for Shisui to become an eight-year-old elder.

But Shisui had a clever trick in mind.

Given the Uchiha’s clan customs, if Shisui defeated Uchiha Sheng Qing in combat, even if Uchiha Sheng Qing was an elder and Shisui was only an eight-year-old child, everyone would still consider Shisui and Uchiha Sheng Qing to be equals.

“Should I challenge Uchiha Sheng Qing directly here? Would that be a bit too extreme?” Shisui hesitated.

Shisui wasn’t worried about losing; he felt he would most likely win.

Having broken through with his Breathing Technique, he now had the confidence to solo one of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist.

There couldn’t be many Ninja of that level, even among the Uchiha.

Uchiha Sheng Qing’s raw strength was, at most, comparable to his, and the probability of him being stronger was very small.

Shisui’s confidence actually stemmed from his significant intelligence advantage.

Uchiha Sheng Qing couldn’t possibly know about the Flame Breathing Chakra Mode or Armament Haki.

Conversely, Shisui knew the Uchiha Clan Ninja like the back of his hand.

Shisui’s hesitation was that if he directly challenged Uchiha Sheng Qing and won, it would cause Uchiha Sheng Qing to mentally break down, eventually making him desperate to oppose Shisui, which would ultimately affect Shisui’s subsequent plans.

In other words, Shisui didn’t want to further exacerbate the internal conflicts of the Uchiha; he wanted to unify all of the Uchiha’s strength.

Uchiha Nobuhiro was about to speak up in support of Shisui; he couldn’t sit by and watch the Uchiha Clan’s hawkish faction expand.

“The matter of the right to proactively engage is of great importance.

The clan meeting will be suspended and reconvened in a week for further discussion,” Uchiha Fugaku said at this point.

Normally, a dovish elder would step forward to refute Uchiha Sheng Qing.

Because Uchiha Sheng Qing had positioned himself as representing the entire Uchiha Clan, Uchiha Fugaku, as clan head, could not stand in opposition to the Uchiha.

But no matter how Uchiha Fugaku hinted, the dovish elders only showed helpless expressions, indicating they were willing but unable.

So, Uchiha Fugaku had no choice but to use a delaying tactic, terminating and postponing the clan meeting.

As clan head, he had this right.

“Clan Head’s insight is profound.

This matter indeed holds great significance for our Uchiha Clan; an extra week of deliberation is certainly better.

However, even important matters cannot be delayed indefinitely; indecision is a major taboo.” Uchiha Sheng Qing immediately agreed to Uchiha Fugaku’s proposal.

Uchiha Sheng Qing’s strategy was clear: he couldn’t stop Uchiha Fugaku from exercising his authority.

Unless he could rally the majority of Uchiha forces to propose removing Uchiha Fugaku from his position as clan head, but that was impossible, as Uchiha Fugaku’s ability and strength were recognized by everyone.

Rather than saying something useless, Uchiha Sheng Qing chose to agree with Uchiha Fugaku, then elevate Uchiha Fugaku, so that next week, Uchiha Fugaku couldn’t pull the same trick again.

Uchiha Fugaku could only nod reluctantly; one more week was one more week, and perhaps within that week, he would come up with a solution.

“Then the meeting is adjourned.” Uchiha Fugaku announced the end of the clan meeting.

The Uchiha dispersed, pairing up with familiar clan members and excitedly discussing the contents of the meeting.

“Obito, the clan meeting is over; we can go back now.” Shisui gently poked Obito, who was lost in thought beside him.

Ever since Obito exchanged a sentence with Uchiha Sheng Qing, he had been spaced out, continuing until now.

“Oh, oh, it’s over, then let’s go back.” Obito, snapping back to attention, stood up and nodded.

After realizing Uchiha Sheng Qing was a boring adult, Obito had directly used his distraction jutsu to immerse himself in his own world, ignoring any external discussions.

“Obito, you go back first; I have a small matter to attend to.” Shisui shook his head and replied.

Although the clan meeting was suspended, the crisis was not yet resolved.

He had to find a way to resolve this crisis while minimizing the exacerbation of Uchiha conflicts.

“Alright then, I’ll go back first.

Goodbye, Shisui.

Goodbye, Uncle Shinhiro.” Obito nodded and waved goodbye.

Then Shisui looked at Uchiha Nobuhiro, “Uncle, you go back first too; I have something to do elsewhere.”

“Okay, if you need help with anything, you can come directly to my house to find me.” Uchiha Nobuhiro replied.

He also needed to find the dovish 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 Sheng Qing’s proposal, but due to certain reasons, he didn’t speak more on his behalf later.

“Shisui, is there something you need?” Uchiha Fugaku asked, noticing Shisui’s gaze.

After this clan meeting, Uchiha Fugaku admired Uchiha Shisui even more.

Although young, his thinking ability already surpassed many adult Uchiha; Obito, in this regard, was quite lacking.

“No, goodbye, Uncle Fugaku.” Shisui shook his head, bid farewell, and left.

Although Uchiha Fugaku also opposed Uchiha Sheng Qing, Uchiha Fugaku clearly had no good solution, otherwise he wouldn’t have delayed it for a week.

After leaving Nanga Shrine, Shisui walked straight to the Leaf Village Main District, arriving at Muzuki’s doorstep.

Shisui was not alone; since he couldn’t think of a good solution himself, he sought out his trusted teacher, Muzuki.

Shisui knocked on Muzuki’s door, and after entering Muzuki’s home, he told Muzuki all the difficulties he had encountered, holding nothing back.

“Your general approach is not problematic,” Muzuki said after listening.

“Do you mean for me to challenge Elder Sheng Qing within this week and then explain at the clan meeting?” Shisui asked.

Muzuki shook his head, denying, “Since you don’t want to become mortal enemies with Elder Sheng Qing, you cannot be so direct.”

“Uchiha Fugaku supports you, doesn’t he? You can have Uchiha Fugaku organize a martial arts exhibition under the pretext of enhancing the clan’s Ninja quality.

Members who perform well will receive guidance from an elder, and the elder guiding you will ‘coincidentally’ be Elder Sheng Qing.

Then, you can defeat him with a ‘slightly superior’ posture.”

If Shisui were to actually challenge Uchiha Sheng Qing directly at the clan meeting and defeat him, Muzuki felt that given the Uchiha’s mental state, Uchiha Sheng Qing might even go mad.

Upon understanding Muzuki’s words, Shisui’s eyes instantly lit up.

This way, even if Uchiha Sheng Qing lost, he wouldn’t resent him too much.

After all, it was all a coincidence; Shisui was simply too strong.

After losing, an Uchiha wouldn’t blame the opponent for being too strong; they would only feel that their own strength was insufficient.

“Don’t hold too much hope, though; it depends on the individual.

Some people will still hold a grudge no matter what, because you made them lose face,” Muzuki reminded him.

No matter how tactful it was, as long as Shisui defeated Uchiha Sheng Qing, especially in front of everyone, losing face was inevitable.

“Understood,” Shisui nodded, then immediately asked a perplexing question.

“I feel Elder Sheng Qing’s thinking is very agile; he should know that this matter cannot succeed, so why is he still doing such a thing?”

Shisui didn’t believe that Uchiha Sheng Qing, with the level of rhetoric he displayed, couldn’t understand this matter.

This wasn’t a small matter like a raise in salary or benefits; it involved a core power.

“Sometimes, things that are detrimental to the group are not necessarily detrimental to him,” Muzuki said earnestly.

“You might think this incident is very serious and will make the Konoha higher-ups wary of the Uchiha.

But from Uchiha Sheng Qing’s perspective, the Uchiha are already wary of the Konoha higher-ups, so what does one more point matter?

As long as there’s no coup, the Konoha higher-ups won’t do anything to the Uchiha.”

“Conversely, after being rejected by Konoha, Uchiha Sheng Qing can further stir up the emotions of the Uchiha Ninja, expanding the hawkish faction.

For him, this is a beneficial and harmless matter.”

Shisui remained silent; he realized he had underestimated Uchiha Sheng Qing.

He still lacked too much experience in various aspects.

“Fortunately, I have Teacher Muzuki.” Shisui felt lucky in his heart; if he had followed his own ideas, it would probably have ended in a mess.

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This Shisui storyline won’t be long; if all goes well, it should conclude tomorrow.