"I'm certain you are now on Uchiha Tajima's blacklist. He absolutely wants to kill you right now, and his hatred for you is definitely higher than it is for me."
Xuan poured himself a cup of sake with a laugh as he spoke.
"You must be joking, My Lord," Uchiha Shinji replied with a dry laugh, keeping his head bowed.
Since there was another man present, Xuan didn't want to go too far. He patted Akahane Yui's pretty face, gesturing for her to get up.
She hurriedly leaped out of Xuan's embrace as if fleeing for her life, standing quietly behind him with her head lowered and refusing to speak.
They were in the backyard of the City Lord's Manor. Within the expansive courtyard lay a clear pond, where large-headed fish with glowing red scales breached the surface, their mouths slightly agape as they waited for those on the shore to toss them food. Weeping willows swayed gently in the breeze, adding a touch of poetic elegance to the scene.
There were only three people in the courtyard: Uchiha Xuan, Akahane Yui standing behind him, and Uchiha Shinji sitting across from him.
"I'm not joking. I can even picture Uchiha Tajima's exact mood right now. He must be grinding his teeth in pure hatred. He will absolutely not swallow this insult. Once the war is over, he will definitely make his move against you. Hmm, he might even include me in his purge. He really is that petty of a man."
Xuan chuckled as he openly slandered the Uchiha Clan Head. He waved his hand, signaling Yui to pour him another cup. After serving as a maid for a few days, she was finally getting the hang of it and wasn't nearly as clumsy as before.
Uchiha Shinji frowned. "My Lord, if that's the case, I'm afraid we're in trouble. He is the Patriarch, after all. Even though the North is developing well right now, we are still far inferior to the main clan in terms of power. If he wants to settle the score after the war, we will be hard-pressed to resist. Furthermore... will he truly give me one of the Three Great Elder positions this time?"
"Who said he would give you one of the Three Great Elder positions?" Xuan cast a strange look at him.
"Didn't you say he would compromise this time, My Lord?" Shinji asked in surprise. He was starting to get a little confused.
"Compromising doesn't mean he will satisfy every single demand you make. There is a fundamental difference between the two. Uchiha Tajima has held absolute dictatorial power for seven years. He decides everything with a single word, and the highest decision-making circle has essentially become his one-man show. People have harbored dissatisfaction for a long time; they just haven't dared to say it out loud.
"By sending this letter during the Uchiha's war with the Senju, we appeared to be openly extorting him and forcing him to divide his power. But in reality, who knows how many people in the clan are silently cheering us on? Even if they don't say it aloud, those who benefit from this power shift will owe us a massive favor. In the future, whatever we say, they won't easily oppose us openly. That is political capital."
Xuan smiled as he explained, downing his cup of sake in one gulp. He held it out, signaling Yui to pour more. "As for Uchiha Tajima settling scores after the war, you don't need to worry about that either. He's petty, sure. But unfortunately for him, I am not exactly magnanimous myself."
Uchiha Shinji's heart jolted. Catching the profound underlying meaning in those words, he blurted out, "My Lord, are you planning to...?"
Xuan let out a sake-scented burp, narrowed his eyes at Shinji, and smiled. "I think I've had a bit too much to drink. I didn't say anything at all."
"Yes, My Lord. I heard absolutely nothing."
Xuan waved his hand dismissively. He wasn't worried. Uchiha Shinji had long been under the absolute control of Kotoamatsukami and could never betray him. Otherwise, Xuan would never have spoken so freely in front of him.
Just then, a figure approached from the distance, calling out loudly, "Lord Shinji! Lord Xuan! Orders from the Patriarch!"
"Bring it here!"
Taking the letter, Xuan offered a word of praise to the messenger ninja and dismissed him, then began to read silently.
"Lord Xuan, what is the Patriarch's reaction?" Uchiha Shinji couldn't help but ask. Unlike Xuan, even though he was controlled by Kotoamatsukami, he was still an orthodox Uchiha clansman and held an inherent, inexplicable awe toward the Patriarch.
"Read it yourself. Uchiha Tajima... his political maneuvering is quite impressive. Haha." Xuan infused a trace of chakra into the paper and flicked it over.
Uchiha Shinji caught it and read it carefully. After finishing, he looked up with a slightly bewildered expression at the thoughtful Xuan. He opened his mouth to say something, but no words came out. He muttered to himself, "It actually succeeded."
Uchiha Tajima's message was exceptionally clear. He had issued direct orders from the battlefield, officially reinstating the positions of the Three Great Elders of the Uchiha clan and confirming the candidates. However, Uchiha Shinji was not among them.
He assigned the position of First Elder to Uchiha Tō, Second Elder to Uchiha Sen, and Third Elder to Uchiha Masada, who was currently holding the line at the Kaze River.
However, he didn't leave Uchiha Shinji completely empty-handed. In addition to the three traditional Elder positions, he created two entirely new Elder roles: the Northern Elder, Uchiha Shinji, and the Southern Elder, Uchiha Fujin.
He managed to reward Uchiha Shinji and ensure the Southern Commander, Uchiha Fujin, wasn't left out, while simultaneously keeping both of them entirely out of the core inner circle of the Three Great Elders. It was an exceptionally beautiful piece of political maneuvering.
This was exactly why Xuan praised his methods.
Xuan pondered for a moment. His goal had actually been achieved. He hadn't absolutely needed one of those three specific Elder seats; 'Northern Elder' was perfectly acceptable. This was merely the first step in planting his own people within the clan's upper echelons. He had plenty of follow-up moves prepared.
"Mobilize the northern shinobi. Leave Uchiha Ran and Uchiha Mu to guard the North. Take four Elite Jōnin, twenty Jōnin, three hundred Chūnin, and five hundred Genin, and prepare to march to the front lines with us. Oh, and Yui, your clan will also deploy two Elite Jōnin, three Jōnin, and one hundred Chūnin to accompany us."
"Also, prepare the grain, weapons, explosive tags, and medical supplies. We'll return to the clan compound first. Don't consolidate all the supplies into one shipment; divide them into several batches. If we feed them too full all at once, it'll lead to trouble later," Xuan added after a moment of thought.
"Yes, My Lord."
Uchiha Shinji nodded and quickly turned to leave, heading out to execute Xuan's orders.
Akahane Yui stared with wide, beautiful eyes, asking in astonishment, "Are you really planning to go to the Uchiha-Senju battlefield?"
Xuan chuckled wickedly. "Would I fake something like that? But let's not talk about that right now. We're the only two left here." As he spoke, he reached out and pulled her back into his embrace.
Yui struggled slightly, her expression shifting. "What are you trying to do now?"
According to her experience, whenever Xuan made that expression, absolutely nothing good ever came of it.
____
Pay me a visit at Patreon.com/IndifferentVillain
You can read advanced chapters( or just read the whole book in one go there) your support is needed thank u,