The next day, during the northern war council.
Uchiha Xuan stepped into the main hall and swept his gaze across the room. The seven Elite Jōnin were already seated. Most of them wore expressionless faces, unsure of what today's meeting would entail. Only Uchiha Sora radiated a faint, poorly concealed excitement. Seeing Xuan walk in, Sora even shot him a highly provocative, smug glare.
Xuan completely ignored the man's suicidal behavior. He calmly took his seat and waited for Uchiha Shinji to arrive.
A short while later, Uchiha Shinji emerged from the back room, carrying a stack of highly classified intelligence reports. Taking his seat at the head of the table, he said, "Since everyone is here, take a look at these reports first."
With that, he distributed the documents down the line.
The Elite Jōnin took the papers with confused expressions and began reading. A few moments later, their faces shifted drastically. One of the Elite Jōnin exclaimed, "Lord Shinji, is this intelligence authentic?!"
"Of course," Shinji nodded. "Do you think I would joke about something like this?"
"I wouldn't dare!"
"Lord Shinji, the three external factions are preparing for all-out war. Have you summoned us today because you intend to make a move?" another Elite Jōnin asked hastily.
"Exactly," Shinji confirmed. "I believe the time is ripe. Although Lord Tō ordered us to strictly hold Xin City before he left, the main clan is currently locked in a death match with the Senju. Every available drop of military strength has been thrown into that meat grinder. I see this happening, and my heart burns with anxiety! I have constantly sought a way to pacify the north and share the clan's burdens. Now, the three factions are turning on each other. Chaos is imminent. This is a golden opportunity bestowed by the heavens! Therefore, I wish to take action. What are your thoughts?"
"Excellent! Lord Shinji's decision is truly brilliant!"
The moment Shinji finished speaking, a voice immediately rang out. Uchiha Sora stood up from his seat, his face plastered with blatant flattery. "I previously proposed taking the initiative twice, but Lord Shinji rejected it. I admit, I harbored a few complaints in my heart. But seeing this intelligence today, I finally understand Lord Shinji's profound foresight! You were waiting for the absolute perfect opportunity! It truly makes me sweat with shame. This time, I, Uchiha Sora, fully support Lord Shinji's decision! Give the order, my Lord, and I will be the first to charge into battle!"
Watching Sora brown-nosing so shamelessly, Xuan found it highly amusing. He wondered what kind of face Sora would make if he knew the actual truth behind closed doors.
Following Sora's enthusiastic declaration, the other Elite Jōnin voiced their opinions one by one. This time, the voices advocating for strictly defending Xin City were much smaller—only one person held that stance. Among the rest, three agreed to attack immediately, while two remained conservative, suggesting they observe the situation a bit longer until the three factions officially started shedding blood.
Xuan also offered his input, naturally supporting the offensive. With that, the motion to attack was passed almost unanimously.
Seeing this, Shinji smiled. "Good. United as one, we will definitely annihilate those three factions and reclaim the Uchiha's lost territory. However, since the enemy has not fully commenced their bloodbath just yet, I have decided to dispatch a vanguard first. I will appoint one person to lead three of you Elite Jōnin to scout the situation.
"During this deployment, the strike team leader will possess absolute tactical autonomy. The moment he deems the timing perfect, he will send word back, and I will personally lead the rest of our forces out to annihilate one of the factions!"
As Shinji's words echoed, a bizarre silence descended upon the hall.
A strike team leader with absolute autonomy? That meant whoever was appointed to this role would effectively be placed above the other Elite Jōnin. In a way, they would officially become the number two authority in the north!
But who would it be? ...Could it be me?
Harboring exactly these thoughts, the Elite Jōnin vigilantly scanned their peers. To reach the rank of Elite Jōnin, every single one of them had endured countless trials of life and death. None of them believed they were inferior to the others, and all felt they were perfectly capable of shouldering this heavy responsibility.
Uchiha Sora smiled smugly, casting an arrogant, looking-down-his-nose glance at the other six Elite Jōnin. Having been secretly summoned by Uchiha Shinji the previous night, he had already been given the "inside scoop." He firmly believed this leadership position was practically tailor-made for him. Imagining the absolute prestige and authority he would wield as the second-in-command of the north, he had to bite his tongue to keep from bursting into wild laughter. The picture is simply too beautiful!
No, I must endure. I cannot lose my composure in front of Lord Shinji. I also need to maintain a dignified, authoritative presence in front of these Elite Jōnin. After all, I am about to be their superior.
Clinging to this thought, he forcefully suppressed the bubbling excitement in his chest and held his laughter in.
At this exact moment, everyone in the room had completely forgotten about Uchiha Xuan sitting quietly on the side. Subconsciously, although they acknowledged Xuan as the clan's genius who had recently reached the Jōnin level, they still didn't view him as a true equal in a room full of veterans. Under these circumstances, his presence was instinctively ignored.
Uchiha Shinji took in everyone's expressions effortlessly. From the corner of his eye, he cast a subtle glance at Xuan, who was sitting completely unbothered in his seat.
A bunch of idiots, Shinji sneered internally.
"Alright, my decision is final," Shinji's flat voice rang out across the silent hall. "Uchiha Xuan will lead the strike team. He will command Elite Jōnin Uchiha Gō, Uchiha Takeshi, and Uchiha Sora on this mission."
"Hahaha! Thank you, Lord Shinji, I will definitely—"
Uchiha Sora burst into triumphant laughter. Completely immersed in his own grandiose fantasies, he hadn't fully processed Shinji's words at first. Halfway through his victory speech, his brain finally registered the names. He jolted awake, the smile instantly freezing on his face. His expression warped into something incredibly bizarre and ugly.
An absolute uproar immediately tore through the hall.
The Elite Jōnin had never in a million years expected this outcome. In perfect unison, their heads snapped toward Uchiha Xuan, who was sitting quietly on his cushion. In that instant, he became the absolute focal point of the entire room.
Faced with their varied, piercing stares, Xuan remained perfectly composed. He stood up and declared firmly, "I will not fail Lord Shinji's great expectations."
The Elite Jōnin's gazes instantly turned sharp. They turned back to Uchiha Shinji, silently demanding an explanation. No matter what his reasoning was, their hearts would never accept this! In this brutal world, strength dictated everything. Even if Xuan was a genius, 'genius' did not automatically equal 'strength.' Being a standard Jōnin at twelve was certainly impressive, but trying to command Elite Jōnin with just that level of power? It was a sick joke! A few of them were already preparing to physically remind Xuan that there were some games he was simply too weak to play.
Taking a massive step forward, Uchiha Sora roared, "Lord Shinji—!"
This is not what we agreed upon last night! The second half of his sentence died in his throat the moment he met Shinji's gaze. Sora saw Shinji's eyes shift, shooting him a deep, seemingly profound look. Instantly, Sora's mind kicked into overdrive.
Ah! Lord Shinji is actually doing this to help me! Uchiha Xuan is only a standard Jōnin; giving him this kind of heavy responsibility right now is practically throwing him to the wolves! Every single Elite Jōnin is furious and refuses to submit! If I jump out and challenge him right now, I'll be acting on everyone's behalf! As long as I ruthlessly beat the kid down and humiliate him, the leadership position will naturally fall into my lap! Lord Shinji's scheme is truly profound!
Having flawlessly hallucinated this master plan, Sora firmly believed he completely understood his superior's 'painstakingly good intentions.'
His posture immediately straightened. Turning around with an intimidating glare, he prepared to launch his physical assault on Uchiha Xuan.
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