Chapter 172: I Am an Uchiha Elder
"Li Jiexuan!"
The moment he heard that voice, Uchiha Jiangshu gritted his teeth and leapt out of the boat. "If you've got the guts, stop hiding and show yourself!"
"Hiding?" Laughter rang out from afar. A small figure walked slowly across the surface of the sea like a deity descending upon the world.
Yes—walked.
A path of ice spread across the ocean with each of Li Jiexuan's steps, extending all the way to stand before Jiangshu…
"I was wrong!" Before Li Jiexuan even reached them, Uchiha Menwei dropped to his knees with a thud, begging desperately. "I was blind and shortsighted! Please, spare me!"
Menwei had always been a useless burden within the Uchiha clan—otherwise, he wouldn't have been assigned to guard the gate…
But Jiangshu couldn't accept this. He grabbed Menwei and hauled him upright, roaring through clenched teeth, "Li Jiexuan, don't push your luck!"
"Push my luck?" Li Jiexuan shook his head with a faint smile. "It seems that as an Uchiha elder, you'll never recognize your own mistakes in this lifetime."
"Mistakes?!" Jiangshu burst into wild laughter. "As an Uchiha, I will never be wrong! And even if I am, then it's the world that's wrong!"
"What a painfully dramatic declaration." Li Jiexuan smirked. Though… it truly was the Uchiha mindset.
Even someone like Uchiha Sasuke—who lost his clan, defected from Konoha, and wandered through endless turmoil—would never have admitted fault or defeat in his life if not for Naruto's unwavering persistence, and their second clash at the Valley of the End that ended in a draw.
But looking at Jiangshu's wrinkled face, Li Jiexuan couldn't help but think: You're not Sasuke. You're not the protagonist.
"There are always people in this world who can't see their own place," Li Jiexuan said with a smile. "The higher you pretend to stand, the harder you fall. You'll never understand that."
"You think you've already won?" Jiangshu sneered and pulled out a red signal flare, firing it straight into the sky. "Did you really think I'd come here unprepared?"
Li Jiexuan rubbed his hands together in mock fear. "Let me guess—you invited over a dozen jonin from your clan. The moment you fire the signal, they'll rush over from nearby and tear me to pieces?"
Hearing that, Jiangshu's eyes widened in shock. "How do you know? Who told you?!"
"As for who? You don't need to know." Li Jiexuan sneered. There was a reason the Uchiha clan eventually met its end under Uchiha Fugaku's leadership.
Because his father—Uchiha Zhenxiong—was even more decisive, and far more ruthless.
Li Jiexuan kicked the small boat over in one swift motion. Jiangshu and Menwei splashed helplessly into the sea…
"Fine. I admit you've won this round," Jiangshu said through clenched teeth. "I don't know what dirty trick you used to stall my clansmen, but next time—"
"Next time?" Li Jiexuan cut him off with a cold laugh. He drew the Kusanagi Sword, lightning crackling along its blade with sharp, sizzling arcs.
"You're actually going to kill Menwei?" Jiangshu stared in shock. He couldn't believe Li Jiexuan would dare kill his grandson right in front of him. He was an Uchiha elder!
"No…" Li Jiexuan smiled and slowly shifted the Kusanagi Sword aside.
Jiangshu let out a breath of relief. It seemed Li Jiexuan didn't have that kind of nerve after all.
"I'm going to kill you!"
The situation flipped in an instant. With a savage grin, Li Jiexuan thrust the Kusanagi Sword forward. The lightning surged violently, exploding outward as the blade pierced straight through Jiangshu's heart!
"Pff—" Completely unprepared, Jiangshu spat out a mouthful of blood. His eyes widened in disbelief. "How dare you? I am an Uchiha elder!"