But the actual situation was that even if he wanted to… Fugaku couldn't refute anything that was said, because in the end, it really was true.
Although he felt somewhat underestimated and a little annoyed, it still wasn't anything worth getting truly angry over, because the Uchiha clan would be in a much better situation than it was now…
"Okay! I know!"
Uchiha Fugaku waved his hand impatiently, rolled his eyes, and left. Of course, by now Fugaku actually felt relieved.
Just as Nara Shikaku had said, with Shiki's strength, he would never restrict the development of the Uchiha clan.
Shiki had more than enough confidence in himself—grow however you like, even if you surpass me, I'll accept losing.
--
At this time, at Shiki's home, they had just finished a barbecue when the Ino–Shika–Cho trio and Orochimaru arrived together.
"Lord Shiki, you're actually eating barbecue without me!"
The only person who could say that at a time like this was Akimichi Choza. The smell of grilled meat still hanging in the air—Choza was confident he would never mistake that scent.
Those threatening little eyes of his seemed to say to Shiki: Why didn't you invite me?
Such a Choza made Shiki smile helplessly, and Shikaku and Inoichi beside him could only shake their heads speechlessly.
Is this really what you choose to comment on first…?
"Next time. If there's a chance, I'll invite you," Shiki said casually, waving his hand.
Choza immediately nodded seriously.
At this moment, Shiki's attention shifted to Nara Shikaku and the others.
"It seems the plan went very well," Shiki said.
"Yes, Lord Shiki," Shikaku replied with a firm nod. "In two days, Lady Tsunade will be able to officially succeed as the Fourth Hokage."
"Hmm! Not bad."
Shiki smiled in satisfaction.
For this kind of result, he wasn't surprised at all.
In fact, with how perfectly he had arranged everything, if it had failed, Shiki would've been completely disappointed in Nara Shikaku.
"Grandpa's village, huh…"
Tsunade let out a small sigh. After going in one big circle, the position of Hokage had still returned to the hands of the Senju clan.
Unfortunately, in the current Senju clan… only Tsunade herself remained.
"That means you are going to be Hokage soon?"
Yugito sounded a little incredulous. Shikaku and the others' report had not been hidden from her—this was about to become something the entire ninja world would know, so there was no point in secrecy.
"This…" Yugito still found it hard to believe.
On the other hand, Tsunade was simply feeling emotional. But after hearing Yugito's words, she raised an eyebrow at her, a grin tugging at her lips as she spoke in a deliberately smug tone.
"That's right. I'll be Hokage soon. You'd better behave yourself, or I'll send you back to the Hidden Cloud at any time!"
"Haah?!"
Yugito rolled her eyes angrily. She knew Hokage really did have that kind of authority, but she wasn't panicking at all, because…
"Shiki-kun, you wouldn't have the heart to send your own family away, right?"
Like a kitten, Yugito looked up at Shiki with watery eyes. Even Shiki hadn't expected that tone from her.
The three of Ino–Shika–Cho, as well as Orochimaru, were all stunned.
They only knew that Yugito was living here, but they hadn't known what kind of relationship she had with Shiki. They had their guesses… but they hadn't expected things to have progressed this far.
Especially...
When they glanced at Tsunade standing to the side, everyone decisively shut their mouths.
If this blows up, we're all dead…
Fortunately, in the end, Tsunade didn't say anything.
After a while, the Ino–Shika–Cho trio took their leave.
Seeing that Orochimaru was the only one who still hadn't left, Shiki smiled and asked,
"Is there something important?"
"Well… I think it's something you'll be very interested in," Orochimaru replied.
"Go on," Shiki said, curiosity piqued by Orochimaru's attitude.
"It's about the daimyō's mansion. Because of Third Hokage-sensei's behavior over the years, the daimyō's side has become truly arrogant."
This time, Orochimaru had personally gone to the daimyō's estate.
When the topic of the Hokage came up, the daimyō's mansion did agree to Sarutobi Hiruzen's abdication and to Senju Tsunade becoming the next Hokage.
However, no matter what Orochimaru said, they didn't care in the slightest about Konoha's current situation.
Even when he went there in person, the people in the daimyō's mansion remained indifferent.
Some of the samurai in their guard corps even dared to look down on Orochimaru—a ninja world powerhouse with a fearsome reputation—as if, in their eyes, the existence of the Hidden Village was nothing more than an accessory.
"The Third Hokage really is useless," Shiki said with open disdain.
Orochimaru hadn't spelled out every detail, but Shiki could already guess most of it.
"The Third Hokage's repeated cowardice has naturally made the daimyō's mansion feel that the so-called ninja village… the so-called shinobi… are nothing special."
"They're just a bunch of washed-up samurai, acting high and mighty," Tsunade added with a snort of contempt.
Right now, the only ones who still clung to the power of the samurai were the daimyō's retinues.
The place with the largest concentration of samurai in the ninja world was the neutral Land of Iron.
But even there, the samurai had already begun to train in chakra, using it to control their blades.
They could no longer even be considered pure samurai.
There was nothing they could do about it. This was the power of the current era—survival of the fittest. Otherwise, what awaited them was only elimination.
"Eh? Your Fire Country daimyō is really that full of himself?" Yugito asked, tilting her head in confusion.
Then again, just thinking of that bunch of hotheaded berserkers in the Hidden Cloud…
Would the daimyō of the Land of Lightning dare to order them around?
What a joke. The Raikage would probably send him flying with one punch.
"Honestly…"
Tsunade gave Yugito a sharp, exasperated look and ultimately decided she wasn't worth the effort of arguing.
Instead, her gaze turned to Shiki. Even if she was about to become Hokage, Tsunade still relied on Shiki for many things.
"Well, a bunch of daimyō and their mansions aren't worth caring about," Shiki said, waving his hand casually.
"In the end, they're just daimyō. If they behave, we leave them alone. If they don't…"
His eyes narrowed, and his tone turned cold.
"Then we kill them. It just so happens we need to show them that the current Konoha is no longer the Konoha led by the Third Hokage."
The Third Hokage didn't dare act presumptuously in front of the daimyō's mansion.
But that didn't mean Shiki wouldn't.
If they dare to keep running their mouths, I'll wipe them out in minutes.
Shiki's attitude made Orochimaru very pleased.
He was the kind of man who paid back every slight with interest. The disdain he'd suffered at the daimyō's mansion was already engraved on his blacklist.
"In that case, I find myself looking forward to the daimyō's next move," Orochimaru said with a thin smile.
After all, if things continued like this, Shiki would have the perfect reason to destroy them.
To that, Shiki only smiled and didn't say anything more.
…
Two days later, above the Hokage Building in Konoha—
--------------------------------------
Support me at patreon.com/Arthorain and read upto 50 Advanced Chapters and R-18 Content!
--------------------------------------
Update schedule: 7 chapters/week
Every 300 power stones = 1 Extra Chapter
By voting with [power stones], you can easily get double the number of chapters.