I founded the "Bragging Cult" in Naruto.

Chapter 291 A waiter who only follows the customers around cannot be considered to provide attentive service.

Of the three banquets, only this last one was the main event, and it was also the real reason why Hiruzen Sarutobi gave him the money.

Tatsuma waited two days before delivering the invitation. Fugaku Uchiha did not reply, but Tatsuma did not care and continued with his daily schedule.

Training in the morning, practicing with Minato at noon, and then going to BBQ Q again in the afternoon.

Chenma noticed a change in the greeting smiles after the three visits in four days; they had become much more enthusiastic.

It's not just because Tatsuma comes so often, but also because every time he comes, he brings a large and impressive entourage. If they can keep Tatsuma around, they can also keep the guests who come with him.

Tatsuma knew he was destined to disappoint BBQ Q. After all, he wouldn't have come here if he were spending his own money, or rather, he wouldn't have been willing to, but rather reluctant to.

Excluding drinks and some high-end or even pre-ordered dishes, the average cost per person at BBQ Q is between five thousand and ten thousand taels. Considering that Chenma can earn hundreds of thousands of taels in commission from a single mission, it seems that he can easily afford it.

However, Chenma still has to support a large family, and all the expenses of the family fall on Chenma's shoulders. Although there are only two households in the Senju clan's territory now, the area is too large, and the water and electricity expenses and maintenance and repairs cost a lot of money every cycle.

In addition, as the last face of the Senju clan, Tatsuma has to pay money for all village events, weddings, funerals, and other important occasions, as well as for holiday greetings, and the amount can't be too small.

Nine years ago, when Chenma first came into this world, he felt much more at ease with two thousand taels in his hands. But now, he can't help but feel anxious if he has less than a million taels left.

However, Chenma has already adapted to this anxiety. After all, he had also been burdened with mortgage and car loan in his previous life. In fact, this anxiety and pressure was even euphemistically called intrinsic motivation.

Therefore, Chenma adapted to the change and the downgrade in consumption, and his normal life rhythm was not affected.

The high cost and high service of BBQ Q could not change Chenma's mindset from frugality to extravagance, so there was no need for him to change from extravagance to frugality.

Arriving at BBQ Q ahead of time, Chenma double-checked his reservation and waited in the private room. With only ten minutes left before the appointed time, there was a commotion outside the door.

"Tatsuma, it's been a long time."

The door was opened, and Uchiha Fugaku and Uchiha Yasatsu appeared. Fugaku gave Tatsuma an unnatural smile, which was extremely incongruous with the fierce look on his face.

He certainly knew what this banquet meant, after all, it was originally agreed upon by his father and him, only the host had changed from the Uchiha to Tatsuma.

Therefore, Fugaku could not adopt a superior attitude, not even the attitude that the Uchiha clan should have. After all, who would beg for a favor with their nose in the air?

Tatsuma looked at Fugaku, whom he hadn't officially met for several years. Fugaku was becoming more and more like the person Tatsuma remembered. Although he had a fierce look on his face, he exuded a sense of helplessness and powerlessness.

"Brother Fugaku, Senior Yatsushiro, please have a seat."

Chenma led the two to sit down, and then told the waiter at the door to notify the kitchen to serve the dishes, though not all of them would be ready-made.

There are some ready-made dishes, but most of the food is meat waiting to be grilled. After all, this is a barbecue restaurant, and only freshly grilled meat can truly stand out.

"Hello, do you need help baking?"

A chef in charge of cooking at the table asked, and Tatsuma shook his head and said, "No need, I prefer to do it myself. Please close the door when you leave."

"OK."

The chef didn't ask any further questions. After leaving the private room, he closed the door, and the waiter at the door also moved away from the entrance.

Chenma said he was closing the door, but the subtext was that he didn't want to be disturbed. The more a restaurant or hotel values ​​service, the more its staff understands these subtexts.

Restaurants that ignore customers' wishes and constantly surround them with service are not truly high-quality restaurants.

"Here, try this. It's delicious with just a little salt."

Although both sides knew they had important matters to discuss, neither rushed to speak. Instead, they ate barbecue, chatted about battlefield memories, and occasionally laughed heartily together.

Fugaku's hand occasionally landed on the table, as if he wanted to grab something, but Tatsuma hadn't ordered any alcohol.

Because the budget was insufficient, Fugaku glanced at Yashiro, then looked back in Tatsuma's direction and said, "Back on the battlefield, I often heard my seniors say they wanted to drink, but I didn't understand that feeling at the time."

Lately, I've gradually come to understand their mindset. Alcohol is indeed something inextricably linked to life; it's something we can't live without.

That's about enough of the hints. It's not that Fugaku particularly wanted to drink, but some things could be said more easily under the pretext of being drunk.

Chenma flipped the meat on the grill, then put down the serving chopsticks and said with a smile, "In a sense, alcohol is indeed closely related to life, but there's also a saying: drinking can lead to trouble."

Upon hearing Tatsuma's words, Fugaku's expression darkened. His understanding was that Tatsuma, or rather the Hokage, intended to discuss the whole matter openly and honestly, rather than through ambiguous or suggestive communication.

This makes things difficult, because promises made while intoxicated are often invalid, and promises can be made with ambiguous language to create more favorable conditions for oneself.

Drinking can lead to trouble, but what kind of trouble? Of course, it's serious business.

The village can certainly discuss serious matters with the Uchiha, since changes within a clan can easily affect the entire village. But can the Uchiha discuss serious matters with the village?

Even if an internal power struggle succeeds in rallying external forces to suppress one's own people, it will only lead to future criticism and condemnation.

Having received a subtle hint, Yashiro was already planning to go out and order some drinks, but when Tatsuma uttered the words "drinking leads to trouble," he became somewhat embarrassed.

The young clan leader asked him to order some wine, but Chenma declined. Based on the principle of "when in Rome, do as the Romans do," the eighth generation could not order wine at this time.

The two did not expect that after building a relationship, their heart-to-heart talk would stall. How could they have a heart-to-heart talk without drinking, since they were not really friends?

Tatsuma noticed the strangeness between the two, but he had no intention of trying to smooth things over. After all, even if the two had misunderstood, the one who would benefit was Tatsuma and the interest group he represented.

Of course, Tatsuma would still offer a way out, after all, he couldn't let the talks stall or end abruptly. Tatsuma didn't have the money for another banquet, so he said:

"Brother Fugaku, as you probably know, I went to the Uchiha clan's territory a few days ago."

"Of course, I really wanted to attend Tianfeng's birthday banquet, after all, he is a genius in the clan. I heard him yesterday that the Anbu is also evaluating him. We Uchiha are very supportive of this."

With a topic in mind, Fugaku breathed a sigh of relief and quickly began to speak. However, after saying a long sentence, he realized that Tatsuma had taken control of the conversation, and he had become the completely passive party.

Before Chenma could even say anything, he blurted out everything like beans spilling from a bamboo tube. It was truly embarrassing.

Tatsuma smiled faintly. Fugaku was so adorable; before they even got to the point, he had already agreed to one of the conditions.

After a moment's thought, Tatsuma shook his head and said, "What I want to talk about is not this matter. After all, it would be beneficial for the village and the Uchiha clan for Tenka to join the Anbu. Moreover, Tenka's personal wishes are the key."

In a single sentence, the conditions were made to seem like a matter of course, directly taking away one of Fugaku's bargaining chips. Fugaku's face darkened further, but he couldn't say anything and could only agree:

"Yes, we're just supporting our clan's development. But what was it you wanted to say, Tatsuma-kun?"

Fugaku had no choice but to accept this loss, and Tatsuma finally said, "What I want to say is that I heard some things within the Uchiha clan that were detrimental to the unity of the village."

Did Tatsuma hear that? No, but it doesn't matter if he didn't hear it. As long as the Uchiha clan exists, that's enough.

Once things got down to business, Fugaku and Yashiro both became serious. The topic Tatsuma had raised was extremely sensitive, and Fugaku remained silent for a moment before speaking:

"That's true, but the vast majority of Uchiha people acknowledge the village and are committed to maintaining its unity. However, there are still some remnants among the large number of clan members."

Of course, I'm not trying to excuse ourselves. We also bear an undeniable responsibility for this phenomenon within the clan. In the future, the Uchiha clan will definitely clean up and rectify its internal affairs, and work together to maintain the unity of the village.

"Historical issues are understandable, but some historical continuations are sufficient to exist only in books or in memory. Some erroneous ideas and attitudes, or the carriers of these ideas and attitudes, do not need to exist or continue."

Tatsuma's words were light and casual, but they struck Fugaku and Yatsushiro like a heavy hammer. What was the vessel? It was a person, of course. Since people didn't need to exist or continue, the goal was to eradicate them completely.

Such a thing had never happened even within the Uchiha clan. After the Uchiha Setsuna incident, neither the village nor the Uchiha clan pursued the families and descendants of those people.

But as Tatsuma spoke, Fugaku unconsciously clenched his teeth, his breathing became heavy, and his already fierce eyes became even more menacing.

However, Tatsuma seemed oblivious, continuing to stare at Fugaku, for beneath that fierce exterior lay a weak core.

Tatsuma even added fuel to the fire, saying, "Brother Fugaku should know that I am a doctor. I have seen too many cases where minor illnesses have developed into major illnesses or even terminal diseases because people were reluctant to seek medical treatment."

When it comes to injuries or illnesses on the body, one should sometimes act decisively, like a warrior cutting off his own arm. On the battlefield, sometimes disasters must be resolved by sacrificing a pawn to save the king. The same applies to a clan or a village.

Moreover

Tatsuma leaned forward slightly, lowered his voice, and said, "If even after Fugaku becomes the clan leader, there are still voices like these influencing the clan's development, and even inciting and coercing others, then your position as clan leader will gradually become a joke."

Brother Fugaku, hesitation only leads to more trouble. Do you want to control the Uchiha clan and lead it to greater development, or are you merely a nominal clan leader, clinging to a laughable facade?

Upon hearing this, Fugaku fell silent. Tatsuma's words contained a wealth of information, not only expressing the village's attitude towards the radical faction within the Uchiha clan, but also demonstrating the village's understanding of the changes within the Uchiha clan.

The fact that he was about to succeed as clan leader was never announced, not even within the Uchiha clan, yet the village still found out.

Moreover, Fugaku couldn't help but think about what Tatsuma had said. If those people continued to exist, could he hold onto his position as clan leader? Could he be a good clan leader?

After a long silence, Fugaku finally spoke, asking, "What kind of assistance can the village offer?"

(End of this chapter)