Chapter 71 The Lion and the Sheep
The Uchiha Clan meeting ended around nine in the evening, and Uchiha启 slowly emerged from the small house, looking as calm as he had when he arrived.
However, Uchiha启's inner feelings at this moment were not as unperturbed as his outward appearance suggested; he was quite pleased in his heart.
Because through this Clan meeting, Uchiha启 could be said to have showcased himself within the relatively core circle of the Uchiha Clan, and most importantly, he caught Uchiha Fugaku's attention.
Treating every Clan member as a chess piece, those with ordinary strength can only be 'pawns,' while those with strength can be 'cannons' or 'knights.'
A person with a brain but no strength can only be considered a 'guard,' but a person with both brains and strength is a 'rook'!
Uchiha启 knew his situation; although he always thought it would be fine to be a 'guard,' given the current circumstances, Uchiha启 could only try to become a 'rook.'
If he had the chance, Uchiha启 would definitely want to be the 'general,' because only in that position would he be the safest; whether 'pawns, knights, cannons, rooks,' or 'guards,' all would fight to protect him.
But now was not the time; without enough strength or enough influence, Uchiha启 was just starting, and his self-positioning was precise enough.
It's just that his actions clearly affected the interests of some people, for example, the Hardliners almost hated this guy who had just returned to the Uchiha Clan.
It's interesting to note that the first person Uchiha启 offended upon his return was Uchiha Hiroki, who seemed to be a member of the Hardliners.
And this time, Uchiha启 directly offended both brothers, Uchiha Shu and Uchiha Yu; strictly speaking, this was very uncharacteristic of Uchiha启's usual demeanor.
He was usually as polite as possible to people; even if he disliked someone, he would just make himself look like a poker face, a blank expression.
Offending people directly like this could lead to being backstabbed on the battlefield, but now Uchiha启 had his own plan, and this plan would inevitably lead to conflict with these Hardliners.
"Perhaps even to the death," Uchiha启 mused, stroking his chin as he walked, "And in my plan, these Hardliners must die. Since we're bound to be in opposition sooner or later, I can't be bothered with them anymore."
Indeed, these Hardliners must die; whether it's regarding internal or external attitudes, these Hardliners are a bunch of arrogant lunatics!
Without the Mangekyo, they kept acting arrogant, plus a brainwashed Uchiha Itachi—this was simply giving the Konoha Four Greats an opportunity!
If Uchiha Itachi, that problematic fellow, was hateful, then these guys who led the Uchiha Clan into the abyss were even more hateful, and the most hateful were naturally Konoha's so-called Four Greats.
"Very impressive, Qi-kun," just as Uchiha启 was deep in thought, a voice suddenly interrupted him, "No wonder you survived such a dangerous battlefield; we underestimated you."
"There's no need to be so polite; you completely ignored me, didn't you?" Uchiha启 looked up at the man, who was Uchiha Shu and his younger brother, Uchiha Yu. "After all, I was just an unknown nobody before, not a renowned hero like you."
"There's no need to speak with such hostility; we are members of the same Clan," Uchiha Shu didn't mind Uchiha启's attitude, although Uchiha Yu seemed to be getting angry again, "Perhaps in the future, we will have opportunities for deeper communication and cooperation, as we are both working for the Clan."
"Who knows what the future holds?" Uchiha启 smiled. "Please excuse me, Shu-kun; after training all day and then attending this meeting, I'm already starving."
After saying this, Uchiha启 turned and left directly. He had no interest in wasting time with this person, who in his eyes was destined to die.
Uchiha启's attitude made Uchiha Yu clench his fists. If Uchiha Shu hadn't directly stopped him, he probably would have gone up to confront Uchiha启.
Since the two brothers returned from the battlefield in the Land of Hot Springs, everyone they met had been respectful, but this brat Uchiha启 treated them like this, which Uchiha Yu couldn't stand.
"This damn guy is too arrogant!" Uchiha Yu snorted coldly. "He just got lucky. We awakened our Sharingan much earlier, and reached Three-Tomoe even sooner."
"But he is indeed a genius."
Uchiha Shu shook his head, watching Uchiha启's retreating back. "Even if you and I were sent on that mission at his age, it would have been dangerous. But he calmly thought of the best solution, perhaps it was luck, it's hard to say. But most importantly, he awakened his Sharingan directly to Three-Tomoe; this has never happened in the Clan, so his talent is probably quite good."
"That's just talent, though. He hasn't had time to accumulate and perfectly use his power," Uchiha Yu scoffed dismissively, but then quickly asked with some tension, "Brother, we failed this time…"
"It's fine, I believe the Great Elder will understand," Uchiha Shu didn't dwell on it too much. "But you're right about one thing: he is indeed too arrogant. Arrogant people will suffer sooner or later, especially when they don't understand the true situation. The dissatisfaction of those Civilian Ninja? Hmph, how can a lion coexist peacefully with sheep?"
Lions indeed cannot coexist peacefully with sheep, because lions only see sheep as food.
In Uchiha Shu's eyes, the Uchiha Clan were the lions, and other Clans and Civilian Ninja were merely the 'sheep' to sustain their Clan.
This concept was very popular among the entire Hardliners, but they could never know that behind the 'sheep' in their eyes stood a pack of hungry wolves.
And from their pride of lions, a rebellious male lion had emerged.
Uchiha启 ignored Uchiha Shu's invitation and returned home directly; he was indeed very hungry.
He just thought there probably wasn't anything to eat at home, so he was more inclined to go home, get some money, and then go out to find a place to sit.
But what Uchiha启 didn't expect was that both Uchiha Keisuke and Uchiha Ryoko were waiting for him.
From their faces, Uchiha启 could see that their hearts were filled with joy, because their son was actually able to attend the Uchiha Clan meeting!
This was an honor they had never experienced themselves, but now their son had achieved it. How could they not feel proud?
Seeing this scene, Uchiha启 couldn't help but sigh. He thought they probably wouldn't know that this Clan meeting would become the catalyst for the Uchiha Clan's demise in the future.