"Don't keep playing with the fish. They'll die easily."
Wen Lan walked in with both hands clasped behind his head.
"I—I wasn't"
Yagura's face flushed bright red in an instant. She stood up awkwardly, as if she'd been caught doing something wrong.
Her fingers trembled slightly, the tips of her ears turning red. She lowered her eyes, not daring to look at Wen Lan directly, and subconsciously tried to explain,
"I've just… never seen water being used so extravagantly that people raise fish with it."
Wen Lan froze for a moment, then remembered what Sunagakure was like—water barely sufficient for drinking, let alone something as luxurious as keeping fish.
"You like playing with water?" Wen Lan eyed Yagura suspiciously, then his gaze shifted and he grinned.
"Come on. I'll let you play to your heart's content."
Thirty minutes later…
Veins bulged on Yagura's forehead as she stared at the sink full of freshly used bowls and chopsticks, the faucet pouring out water with a constant splash.
Letting her wash vegetables was one thing.
She'd cooked the meal, picked the vegetables herself—and now she had to wash the dishes too?!
Meanwhile, Wen Lan lay comfortably on the tatami, lazily remarking, "Don't be shy. Use the water however you want."
Yagura clenched her teeth and glared at him viciously.
"Are you even human?!"
Wen Lan picked his teeth with a toothpick, completely unfazed.
"Hey, it's not like you met me yesterday. Back in Kirigakure, didn't you say my tactics were vicious—"
He stopped mid-sentence, froze, then suddenly sat upright.
Yagura jumped. "What is it?"
"I'm going to see the clan head," Wen Lan said seriously. "Go rest early."
He rushed out of the courtyard.
Yagura watched his retreating figure, confusion swirling in her mind. In the end, she shook her head and went back to washing dishes.
Wen Lan strode into the Uchiha clan head's residence. Inside, Fugaku and his family were eating dinner.
Mikoto smiled warmly. "Wen Lan, you're here. Have you eaten? Sit and have some."
"I've already eaten." Wen Lan waved it off, took off his shoes, stepped onto the tatami, and went straight to the point.
"Clan Head, where are the five swords of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen?"
Fugaku paused, then set down his chopsticks and wiped his mouth.
"They were taken by the Hokage."
"…?"
Wen Lan tilted his head, staring blankly at Fugaku.
"Then where are the benefits?"
"Benefits?" Fugaku looked puzzled.
"Fuck!"
Wen Lan slammed the table and shot to his feet, roaring, "Those were earned with my life! Five ninja blades! Do you have any idea what those mean in the shinobi world?! Priceless weapons!
And that old bastard Hiruzen dares to take them without saying a word?!
Fugaku Uchiha, you sell out your own family and don't even feel the pain! Have you thought about how many resources those blades could be exchanged for?
How many clan members need treatment? How many need equipment?
Five swords are enough to buy half of Sunagakure's war supplies—and you just gave them away?!
Some 'high-level decisions.' When the Byakugan was stolen, where was this efficiency then?!"
Fugaku's expression darkened.
"It's already been decided. It can't be changed."
"To hell with 'can't be changed'!"
Wen Lan flung off Itachi's hand as the boy tried to stop him and glared at Fugaku.
"You've awakened the Mangekyō, haven't you?! Then why the hell don't you just activate Susanoo and stand in front of the Hokage Tower?!
See if those four old fossils would dare say a word then!"
Fugaku's pupils shrank violently.
He had awakened the Mangekyō Sharingan—but he'd told no one. Not even his wife.
Mikoto stared at him in shock. "You awakened the Mangekyō?!"
Itachi looked completely lost—he didn't even know what a Mangekyō was.
"How do you know?!" Fugaku demanded.
Wen Lan sneered.
"How do I know? You should be asking what there is that I don't know."
His three-tomoe Sharingan spun open instantly.
"Clan Head, if you still think appeasement and patience will lead the Uchiha to a better future, then I can already see it—every single clan member dead under your 'wise leadership'!"
Wen Lan was truly furious.
Five ninja blades—that was an astronomical value.
If the Uchiha had them, the entire clan could be armed to the teeth. Even the Third Hokage wouldn't dare touch them lightly.
But now they were in Hiruzen's hands—tools to restrain the Uchiha in the future.
Fugaku had been sold out and still helped count the money.
"I'm going to get those swords back."
Wen Lan turned to leave.
Fugaku rushed forward and grabbed his wrist.
"This wasn't decided by the Uchiha alone. All the clans voted."
"Then vote again!" Wen Lan snapped, coldly staring at him.
"I took those blades with my life. They're mine—not the clan's!
No one gets to take what I earned with my life!
You're afraid activating Susanoo will escalate conflict—but they've never intended to give you peace!
Once those blades turn into resources in their hands, the first ones they'll suppress will be the Uchiha!
Those four old men have been suppressing us for decades—do you think this is new?!
Your so-called restraint is pushing the entire clan into the fire!"
Wen Lan shook off Fugaku's hand and glared at the "cowardly" clan head before striding toward the exit.
"Wen Lan!"
Fugaku grabbed his arm again.
"This is to pave the way for Minato!
Hiruzen has already made it clear—he intends to pass the Fourth Hokage position to Minato!
To become Hokage, you need the support of most clans. Handing over the swords was my way of showing our stance!
Minato is the Uchiha's future hope. You can't only see what's right in front of you!"
"Hope?"
Wen Lan looked at him coldly.
"Minato becomes the Fourth Hokage with or without those swords!
Two of the Sannin are gone. Orochimaru will never be Hokage.
The only possible successor is Jiraiya's student—Namikaze Minato!
And do you really think Kushina's Nine-Tails is just decoration?"
Fugaku froze.
He'd never thought that far ahead.
He'd been so desperate to push the Uchiha into the higher echelons that he'd ignored everything else.
Hiruzen had seized that weakness perfectly—using an empty promise to strip the Uchiha of five blades worth an unimaginable fortune.
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