Saving the Uchiha clan starts with becoming the clan leader.

Zongxian sat down at the table and began to devour the breakfast on his plate in a whirlwind.

[Chapter 37. Family is the most important (Seeking votes! Seeking investment!)]

The streets of Konoha Village were filled with a peaceful and tranquil atmosphere in the early morning.

The children who got up early to go to the ninja school chased and played on the way, their light and lively laughter echoing through the streets and alleys. They unconsciously infected the pedestrians and shop owners on the street, and everyone's face showed a happy smile. This happy and peaceful atmosphere was broken by the appearance of two passers-by with special identities.

The conspicuous flaming fan emblem on the back of that black robe, impossible to ignore, resembled the image of some kind of evil demon or Rakshasa, possessing a magical power to rob others of their smiles.

"We really aren't popular at all!"

Zongxian, with his hands tucked into his sleeves, watched the furtive glances of passersby and the sudden flurry of activity from shop owners. He shook his head and chatted idly with Zhishui, saying, "Zhishui, look! Our clan's reputation is so bad now, it's almost as bad as the Street-Cleansing Tiger."

"Since you knew that, why did you go to the trouble of walking? Couldn't you have gone to the roof?"

Zhi Shui kept sighing.

It was both because of the family's terrible reputation and because of the patriarch's perverse sense of humor!

"What's the rush?"

"Didn't you say you'd go early and come back early?"

"Can't I change my mind?"

Zongxian stopped in the street and looked at the blond-haired boy standing under the telephone pole with his head down, pawing at the ground with his toes. He waved and greeted him, "Yo, Naruto!"

"Brother Zongxian!!"

The blond-haired boy looked up and saw Zongxian.

He immediately ran over happily.

At this time, Naruto and the Uchiha were indeed in similar situations; they were both unpopular in the village.

The difference is that the Uchiha also possess a formidable power, so not many people dare to openly spit at them. Unlike Naruto, who would be met with malice if he wandered around the streets, the villagers' hatred for Naruto was undisguised.

"What are you doing standing here? Hurry up and go to the ninja academy or you'll be late and get punished by the teacher." Zongxian reached out and pressed down on the little blond's head, rubbing it hard. Anyway, the little guy's hair was already messy, but it was quite clean. It seemed like he had washed his hair, but he just didn't want to spend time combing it, or rather, he didn't have the concept of combing his hair.

"I'm waiting for the wisteria to bloom."

Naruto answered loudly and energetically.

"Waiting for Fujihana?"

"That's right, we agreed to meet here this morning after school yesterday."

"I see! Then you can wait patiently. Fujika likes to sleep in in the morning, so she'll probably be here a while... If you can't wait any longer, go to the Ninja Academy by yourself. There's no need for both of you to be late and get punished."

"It's okay, we agreed to wait here, and I'm not afraid of being punished by standing!"

Naruto looked fearless.

Zongxian looked at the little guy carefully for a moment, and realized that his bravery wasn't just an act; the boy was genuinely unafraid from the bottom of his heart.

"You've got some nerve!"

"hey-hey!"

Naruto scratched his head sheepishly.

Compared to the cold stares and hatred he was used to, the punishment of standing in the corner was not a threat to him at all. On the contrary, he had not been praised much since childhood, and now he would feel shy whenever he was praised.

"elder brother!!!"

The familiar sound, so familiar it's calloused, enters my ears.

Zongxian looked in the direction of the sound and sure enough, his precious little sister was running and charging towards him like a cannonball.

"Teng Hua, didn't I tell you not to run around on the road?" Zong Xian reached out and patted his younger sister's head, manually stopping this adorable little cannonball who was charging at a very fast pace. "By the way, why are you up so early today? I thought you had just gotten up!"

"Grandpa called me!"

Teng Hua slapped away the large hand that was pressing on her forehead, and used her delicate, fair fingers to tidy up her messed-up bangs. She pouted and said angrily, "Brother, you're the one who's wrong! You promised to take me to school in the morning, but you didn't come home all night. You big liar!"

"Sorry, sorry, something urgent came up last night. Um... how about I treat you to cake after school this afternoon?"

"I want strawberry cake!!!"

"No problem, I'll take strawberry cake or just strawberries without the cake!"

After being promised a bunch of delicious food, Fujika, completely satisfied, took off like the wind and charged towards the Ninja Academy again. Naruto, her little brother, hurriedly followed behind, not even bothering to say goodbye to Sogen.

Watching his sister's figure disappear around the street corner, Zongxian withdrew his gaze and said, "Alright, Shisui, let's hurry on our way!"

After saying that, he leaped up and began to run quickly between the rooftops and terraces.

Shisui, who was following closely behind him, hesitated several times before speaking.

finally,

Feeling compelled to speak out, he asked, "Zongxian, were you dragging your feet just to wait for the wisteria blossoms?"

"if not?"

Zongxian countered with a question.

"You don't think I enjoy being ignored, do you? I also hate the feeling of being treated like dirt. I promised Fujika that I would take her to school, but as you know, I was too busy to go home last night, so I had to wait for her on the way to say a few words."

Hearing this,

Zhi Shui remained silent.

"What? Shisui, you don't think I'm too focused on personal matters, do you?"

No, that's not true.

"Hmph! Whether it's true or not, family is the most important thing in my eyes. Those who don't know how to cherish their family are worse than animals. When Teng Hua was born, she was only this small. I had just returned from the battlefield and didn't dare to hold her, afraid that I might hurt her by not being careful enough."

"I've watched her grow up little by little, slowly learning to speak. To be honest... Shisui, I'm even more reluctant than you to have an irreconcilable conflict with the village at this time. I'm afraid that an out-of-control battle will affect and hurt Fujika, Father, and Mother. I'm afraid that after Konoha is destroyed, Fujika will have to wander around with us. I'm afraid that everything I've done will be in vain..."

"However, the more afraid I am, the clearer I am that I must not back down even a step at this time. Only by daring to fight to the death and showing a willingness to go down in a fight to the death, while also making those self-proclaimed fishermen realize that we desperate fish have the power to go down in a fight to the death, can we avoid really reaching the point of life and death!"

"so--"

"Still water".

"Wait a minute... don't hold me back!" A voice as light and gentle as willow catkins drifted into Shisui's ears.

Shisui shivered.

He looked directly into Zongxian's blood-red eyes, and that serious look was no joke!

"I understand, Chieftain!"

Zhi Shui swallowed.

My heart skipped a beat, and I secretly prayed that nothing unexpected would go wrong.

[Chapter 38 Applying Pressure (Seeking votes! Seeking investment!)]

While the two were talking, they had already crossed several streets and arrived in front of the Hokage Building, which had its exterior painted red and could be called a landmark building of Konoha Village, but in reality, it didn't have much character. Standing in front of the building and looking up, it looked to Zongxian like a large, upside-down plastic bucket.

It has absolutely no aesthetic appeal in terms of architectural art!

It also lacks the grandeur and solemnity of administrative buildings.

"This aesthetic..."

Zongxian shook his head, thinking of his own police department, which was not exactly aesthetically pleasing either, and suddenly had the idea of ​​rebuilding the police department building. However, there was no need to rush. Just like establishing the Ministry of Justice, this could be done slowly. The most important thing right now was to let the village know that the Uchiha were not a piece of dough to be kneaded by others.

He stepped onto the stairs and walked toward the wide-open main entrance.

As soon as they entered the lobby on the first floor, someone immediately came to greet them.

It's Kakashi again!

"Minister Uchiha, please follow me." Kakashi, wearing a fox mask but sporting a head of conspicuous, wildly waving white fur, led the way. "The Hokage is waiting for you in the conference room!"

"A conference room? So besides the Hokage, there are quite a few other people here?"

"The Hyuga clan leader, the Aburame clan leader, the Nara clan leader... there are quite a few of them, so I won't go into detail. You'll find out when you get there."

No more words were spoken along the way.

When the meeting room door opened, there wasn't a sound at all, which suggests that the staff probably made sure to give the door hinges a throat-soothing drink every day.

The crack in the door widened rapidly, and voices poured out like a tidal wave, while wisps of transparent gray smoke gently brushed against him. However, this secondhand smoke could not obscure the Sharingan's perception.

The Sharingan was once known as the 'eye of insight'.

Zongxian rolled his eyes, and the entire scene in the huge conference room came into view. All the important figures in the village were sitting here, and the luxurious setup was like a lion preparing to fight a rabbit with all its might.

"And I... I'm probably that rabbit that's being targeted!"

Zongxian subconsciously thought to himself.

as predicted,

The lions' intimidation came the moment he stepped through the door!

"Uchiha Sogen, what exactly does your clan want to do?" Elder Mitokado, unusually, hadn't maintained his usual inscrutable poker face today. His anger was practically written all over his face. Watching Sogen stroll into the meeting room, he slammed his fist on the table, his furious roar rising several decibels.

"You've secretly appointed the Minister of Police, do you even care about the village anymore? Are you planning to betray the village and establish your own independent regime?"

He was accused of intending to betray the village.

The expressions of the clan chief and ministers sitting at the conference table changed slightly. Although they had already agreed to suppress the Uchiha clan before Uchiha Munen arrived, they could not allow this dangerous clan to be led by a child who was only fifteen years old.

That's right. In the eyes of these clan leaders, it's a joke to think that a fifteen-year-old boy can be a clan leader. Being a clan leader isn't just about being good at fighting. This isn't the Warring States period. In fact, even in the Warring States period, clan leaders who were too good at fighting sometimes dragged their clans into the abyss of war.

The Uchiha clan is showing those signs again, making them somewhat uneasy, which is why they agreed to put pressure on the Uchiha clan together.

but,

Elder Mitomon's attitude seemed a bit too forceful.

They didn't want to actually go to war with the Uchiha clan. Even if they could wipe out the Uchiha, they would probably be severely weakened... That was something they didn't want to see.

"Yan, calm down."

The third generation leader intervened at the right moment, stopping his old friend from continuing his outburst.

"Even if punishment is necessary, you must first give them a chance to explain. Uchiha Munen, explain what exactly happened between your clan and the police department last night. I need an explanation. I know that our teacher appointed the police department to the Uchiha clan, but the Uchiha clan is still the Uchiha clan of Konoha. The head of the police department is not a position that can be given to just anyone..."