That evening, Uchiha Yoru returned earlier than expected and caught Miwa Masayo in the act of picking his lock. Looking at the box, covered in violent pry marks and cat-claw scratches from her attempted forced entry, man and cat stared at each other in awkward silence.
"…Did you finish all your dried fish?"
"Finished it all, meow."
"Then you could've just asked me for more. You're a cat sage now, aren't you? What is this lockpicking nonsense?"
"This meow is too embarrassed to take it in person, meow."
"If you picked the lock, only the lock would break. But now that you're this strong, a few random scratches from you are enough to make the whole box fall apart. With claw marks all over it like this, how could I possibly not know it was you?"
"Hmph hmph. As long as I'm not caught red-handed, this meow won't feel embarrassed, meow!"
Uchiha Yoru raised a thumb and praised her sincerely. "I'm impressed."
Then he opened the lock and split half the dried fish with Miwa Masayo.
There actually was not much dried fish inside the box. The real bulk of it was sealed inside the scrolls stacked on the bookshelf. But Miwa Masayo would never touch those scrolls.
This box was really just part of a game.
Ever since two years ago, when Uchiha Yoru made sausages for the first time and Miwa Masayo stole every last one of them clean away, the two of them had been using this box to compete in all kinds of tricks. By now, it had become a habitual little form of entertainment.
Uchiha Yoru wanted to limit Miwa Masayo's food intake because he felt that after eating too much, his tabby cat kept getting fatter and fatter without getting any bigger.
Miwa Masayo, meanwhile, believed she absolutely was not getting fat, and that the only reason she had not grown bigger was because she was not being fed enough.
And that was all Uchiha Yoru's fault.
Miwa Masayo swallowed a strip of dried fish and savored the streams of warmth running through her body, along with the very tangible strengthening of her physique. Only after a long while did she ask, "Do you have guests tonight, meow?"
"Yeah. Guests I asked Grandpa Nobuhiro to invite for me."
"Wonderful. What are you making today? This meow hasn't had your cooking for several days now."
"I've been busy lately, and I didn't prepare that much, so I'm just making a sushi boat. It's quick."
"Pah. Sushi? Even dogs wouldn't eat that."
Miwa Masayo immediately used Flame Leap and ran off.
Uchiha Yoru snickered to himself.
This little cat's stomach had already been completely trained in the direction of Chinese food. If she could avoid raw and cold food, she would not take a single bite of it.
Besides, now that she was a cat sage, ordinary food was becoming less and less useful to her. At this point, when she ate, it was purely for the taste. Naturally, she had no interest whatsoever in cold Japanese food.
Uchiha Yoru did not like sushi either.
But the stuff was fast to make, looked classy, and fit the aesthetic tastes of these Neon spirits extremely well. It was practically perfect for dealing with the clan's silly upper ranks.
The ingredients for the sushi had all been prepared the day before.
Uchiha Yoru first sliced cucumber, ham, and carrots into thin strips. Then he heated a wok, poured in some oil, and added beaten egg, frying it into a thin omelet before cutting that into long strips as well.
With that, the prep work was done.
He took out a bamboo sushi mat, laid down a sheet of seaweed, added the leftover rice from yesterday, and spread the rice evenly across the surface. Then he arranged egg strips, cucumber, ham, meat floss, and carrot strips in order along the lower edge of the seaweed. Using the sushi mat, he rolled it upward gently and pressed it tight.
Next, with a casual flick of his right hand, five wind blades cleanly sliced the finished roll into six even pieces.
Repeating the process again and again, he quickly made one hundred and twenty portions of rolled sushi and carefully arranged them around the outer edge of the sushi boat.
Then he moved on to the more visually impressive nigiri sushi.
He mixed the remaining rice with an appropriate amount of vinegar, picked up a small handful, and gently shaped it in his palm. Then he placed slices of fish, fish roe, crab meat, crab paste, and meat floss on top before giving them another light squeeze to set them.
That was enough to make nigiri sushi.
The ingredient combinations paid almost no attention to flavor or aroma. As long as the dish captured the principle of color, nigiri could be considered a success.
After all, when people ate this stuff, they dipped it in soy sauce and wasabi. Everything except the texture got covered up anyway. There was no point putting real care into the taste.
But when Uchiha Yoru arranged eighty pieces of nigiri in the center of the sushi boat, deliberately lining them up in rainbow colors, the visual effect really did look high-end.
Still, in Uchiha Yoru's opinion, sushi was all appearance and no soul.
Well, there was one major advantage.
It was convenient.
Once the sushi boat was done, he prepared several kinds of palate-cleansing side dishes, along with wasabi, soy sauce, vinegar, and hot tea. By the time dozens of small plates had been set out in full array, only three quarters of an hour had passed.
There really was no "grand feast" faster to prepare than sushi.
Just as Uchiha Yoru had expected, the abundant and extravagant visual effect of the sushi boat satisfied the two old men immensely. Their aesthetic tastes, along with their long-weakened sense of taste, suited exactly this kind of visual banquet.
Chinese cuisine also had national-feast dishes built around presentation. Whether it was Hundred Birds Paying Homage to the Phoenix, watermelon lanterns, or tofu-carved mountains, all of them far surpassed anything these Neon spirits could produce.
Unfortunately, true top-level grand dishes were real works of art.
In his previous life, Uchiha Yoru had only been a small neighborhood policeman who liked good food. He simply did not possess that kind of artistic talent.
Faced with that level of art, he did not even dare try.
So all he could do was rely on dishes simple enough to reproduce perfectly and use them to fool people.
Since Uchiha Yoru himself did not like sushi, he naturally had no intention of sitting down for a proper meal. Having nothing to do, he and Uchiha Shisui ended up serving as attendants for the two old men.
Eating food they found highly satisfying while being served by outstanding juniors, the two old men drank, bragged, and got more and more excited. Once the alcohol truly hit, they began boasting nonstop about their achievements from back in the day, and every now and then would even stand up to sing and dance a little.
Uchiha Yoru knew perfectly well that Elder Yuichiro was deliberately putting on airs, and old man Nobuhiro was intentionally cooperating with him.
This was their final bit of indulgence before formally joining the small group led by Uchiha Yoru.
After tonight, the hierarchy between them would be set.
Once that happened, the relationship of elder and junior would no longer matter.
As the leader, Uchiha Yoru could remain polite.
But as subordinates, the two old men would never again be able to act this unrestrained.
By the time they had drunk thirty bottles and the sushi boat was in complete ruins, Uchiha Yuichiro looked at Uchiha Yoru through hazy, drunken eyes.
He watched Yoru's respect toward his elders.
Watched the quiet friendliness with which he secretly passed sushi over to Shisui.
At last, the final trace of resistance in his heart vanished.
He let out a long sigh, tipped the last mouthful of sake into his mouth, and said, "Uncle Nobuhiro, we've eaten about enough. Let's have some hot tea."
"Good. Yoru, clean this up and bring fresh tea."
Old man Nobuhiro had not actually drunk much. Yoru and Shisui had been sitting on either side of him the entire time, keeping a close watch and refusing to let him overindulge.
Uchiha Yuichiro straightened his posture and knelt properly, his sharp gaze fixed on the cross-legged Uchiha Yoru seated across from him.
Then he asked, "I can't understand it. Why do you have to become clan head within three years?"
"Because you think I'm only eighteen, and it seems too rushed?"
"Yes. You're still this young. Even waiting ten years would be perfectly fine for you."
"I can wait, of course. But the Uchiha clan can't."
"…Please explain in detail."
"In this world, everything has inertia. Running, sailing, cultivation—everything works that way. Political struggle is the same."
"For the past dozen years, the Uchiha clan has remained standing despite the Third Hokage's constant suppression. That's because our foundation is deep, our strength is great, and our prestige is formidable."
"But a divided Uchiha clan has no power to stop the Third's endless wearing-down tactics. After more than ten years of this, the people of Konoha have grown used to it."
"Konoha's civilians, shinobi, ninja clans—even we ourselves—have grown used to being targeted by the Third Hokage. Used to unfair treatment. Used to being blamed."
"In political struggle, people's habits are inertia."
"Under that powerful inertia, our reputation and spirit have been worn flat, our wealth and manpower have been consumed, while the Third Hokage's authority has reached its peak. The balance of power has already shifted from enemy weak, us strong—to enemy and us evenly matched."
"And if the inertia created by the trend of the past dozen years is not reversed, then in the future, the situation will inevitably become enemy strong, us weak."
"When we were stronger than the enemy, we were already walking downhill step by step. Now that the enemy and we are evenly matched, we already feel the suffocation. And the future is clearly about to become enemy strong, us weak. How could I not be anxious?"
Holding his tea, Uchiha Yoru continued explaining the future he knew.
"Judging from the character of the Third Hokage's faction, once their strength surpasses ours, Root's attacks will become blatant."
"In the past, Uchiha deaths happened during the Chunin Exams. Or under the guise of enemy spy attacks. They were all explainable, all legal and reasonable accidental deaths."
"In the future, Uchiha deaths will happen while carrying out missions outside the village. They will happen inside our own homes. They may even happen openly in clashes with Root."
As Uchiha Yoru spoke, Uchiha Yuichiro's gaze sharpened.
He responded, "Danzo has always believed that the strong need no reason to attack their enemies. And he has always believed that the Uchiha clan is Konoha's enemy."
"Your deduction makes a great deal of sense. In the future, our losses will be unprecedented, and our lives will only get harder. But…"
The confusion in Yuichiro's eyes had not vanished.
He agreed with Uchiha Yoru's picture of the future. But he still could not understand why Uchiha Yoru was in such a hurry—so urgent, almost impatient—to seize power by force despite his own conditions not yet being mature.
Uchiha Yoru said calmly, "I know what Elder is worried about. You think three years is too rushed."
"But it can't not be rushed. The turning point where the Uchiha clan shifts from strong to endangered is almost here. How can I not be anxious?"
At those words, both old men sat up straight. Leaning forward, they stared at Uchiha Yoru with wide eyes, listening with complete concentration.
Outside the room, Uchiha Shisui and Miwa Masayo were each sitting on opposite sides of the door. At that moment, both of them stiffened slightly, exchanged a glance, and then concentrated even harder on listening.
Inside the house, the most relaxed person of all was Uchiha Yoru.
He smiled and asked, "You two elders have both gone through two wars, haven't you? How would you evaluate Third Hokage Sarutobi Hiruzen's ability to command in war?"
Uchiha Nobuhiro shook his head. "Muddled. Can't grasp the key points."
Uchiha Yuichiro's evaluation was even more direct and cutting. "A complete disaster."
It seemed that the moment this topic was brought up, both old veterans lost all restraint in their urge to complain. Once they opened their mouths, they could not stop.
Uchiha Nobuhiro said, "I experienced the First War from beginning to end. Though the Second Hokage suffered an accident near the end, Konoha's overall position had no problems at all. All four battlefronts against the four great ninja villages were fought on their soil, and we spent the entire war pressing all four of them down and beating them hard."
"After Sarutobi Hiruzen took over as Hokage, he somehow turned a completely winning situation into neither victory nor defeat. From then on, I concluded he was an idiot when it came to commanding war."
Uchiha Yuichiro continued, "I fought through the entirety of the Second Shinobi War. We were fighting in every direction, and on every battlefield we held the advantage. But we simply couldn't break open the situation."
"A war where we held the upper hand dragged on year after year. By the end, everyone was exhausted, and the overall situation gradually became more dangerous."
"Luckily, several outstanding figures rose from the younger generation—our Fugaku, the Third's three disciples, and Hatake Sakumo. He practically broke Sunagakure with his own strength alone, and only then did victory finally fall into our hands."
The two old men each savored their memories for a while. Then Nobuhiro gave the summary.
"In both wars, things only got harder the longer they went on. Sarutobi Hiruzen may be suited for fighting at the front line, but he is absolutely not suited to commanding war from the rear."
Uchiha Yoru smiled. "Haha. The elders' opinions are very consistent. Then regarding the coming war, how do the two of you think Konoha's position will look?"
Uchiha Yuichiro's face changed immediately. He said firmly, "We are Konoha. Konoha is absolutely the strongest village in the ninja world. The only reason we haven't fought well is because of various interferences. Victory will inevitably belong to us."
Uchiha Nobuhiro stroked his beard and nodded in agreement. "Mm. Yuichiro is right. It may be difficult, but victory will definitely belong to Konoha."
Uchiha Yoru: "…"
Trying to predict Konoha's defeat in front of fanatics like these would have been idiotic, and Uchiha Yoru was not that stupid.
So he changed his phrasing immediately.
"Victory will definitely belong to Konoha. But Konoha's losses will also definitely be shocking. The Third Hokage's authority will inevitably suffer a fatal blow, and he will no longer be able to sit firmly in the Hokage's seat."
Before the two delighted old men could speak, Uchiha Yoru cut in first.
"But that is not a good thing."
Uchiha Yuichiro asked in confusion, "Why not? If Sarutobi Hiruzen steps down, that would be good for both the village and the Uchiha clan."
Uchiha Yoru answered, "Because Sarutobi Hiruzen is only forty-eight. He has not truly grown old yet. He will not tolerate anyone sharing power with him."
Suddenly, he turned to Uchiha Yuichiro and said, "Elder Yuichiro, after seeing you today, I feel you haven't done a very good job as an elder. You should hand your seat over to a younger Uchiha."
Uchiha Yuichiro froze for a moment.
Then he exploded with rage. "On what grounds, you little— hm?"
Uchiha Yoru spread a hand casually. "See? It's only an elder's position within the Uchiha clan, yet you can react this strongly. What Sarutobi Hiruzen would be losing is the seat of Hokage."
"He's only two years older than you. Do you really think he can honestly give up Konoha's highest authority?"
Uchiha Yuichiro took a deep breath, calmed himself, and then said, "I understand. Uchiha Yoru, you really are impressive. I always thought that if Sarutobi Hiruzen failed to fight well again this time, he would step down on his own under pressure from the whole village… I was wrong."
"But what does that have to do with our Uchiha?"
Uchiha Yoru scratched his head helplessly. "Fine. The logic here really is a little winding."
"First, two wars have already proven that Sarutobi Hiruzen is bad at war. So he will face great pressure, enough that he must step down."
"Then, I just proved that Hiruzen, not yet fifty, will be unwilling to accept that. And the unwillingness of a Hokage will definitely bring enormous trouble to his successor."
"Next, the enormous trouble personally created by the Hokage will absolutely cause enormous losses for Konoha."
"And finally, war itself will already bring enormous losses, and the Third's unwillingness will only magnify Konoha's losses further. So what happens with those losses?"
"If the war is not fought well, then you can't extract benefits from outside. And besides, under the Third Hokage, we have never gained any profit from any war anyway."
"If he cannot compensate the various ninja clans and shinobi for their wartime losses, and the Third is also unwilling to give up his own power, then he can only turn his eyes inward, toward the village itself."
Uchiha Yoru's voice suddenly became chilling.
"Within Konoha…"
"Which family possesses the greatest wealth, so that wiping it out would fill everyone's stomachs in one go while also leaving enough to hand a share to the other ninja clans?"
"Which family has the worst reputation, so that wiping it out would cause the least turmoil—at the very least, not instantly trigger a full-scale rebellion from all ninja clans?"
"Which family is strong enough that destroying it would serve as a warning to all the other clans, forcing those who know the truth to keep their mouths shut?"
Uchiha Yuichiro and Uchiha Nobuhiro were so frightened that their Sharingan activated on the spot.
Their voices turned hoarse as they spoke at the same time.
"The Uchiha clan."
Outside the door, Miwa Masayo gave a bored yawn.
Uchiha Shisui, meanwhile, had his pupils trembling violently. He clamped both hands tightly over his mouth to stop himself from crying out.
Uchiha Yoru lowered his eyes and said softly, "Do you understand now why I'm in such a hurry?"
The faces of the two old men had gone pale and grim.
But neither of them said a word.
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