"So, former Clan Head Fugaku, you want Sasuke to become my disciple?"
The next day, Fugaku sought out Bai Ye and informed him that Sasuke wanted to become his disciple.
Fugaku had already discussed it with Sasuke yesterday.
"That's right, but could you please just call me by my name and not add 'former Clan Head' to it?"
Fugaku was speechless. Was he trying to remind him that he had been dethroned?
"Alright, former Clan Head!"
""
He really wanted to kill this guy.
Although Uchiha Fugaku had met people more despicable than him, this was the first time he had encountered such a person within the Uchiha Clan.
This couldn't help but make Fugaku feel a faint sadness. Was letting Sasuke follow him truly a good choice?
But...
He had already told Bai Ye about this, and it seemed there was no room for regret.
"If Sasuke wants to be my disciple, then I'll accept him. Consider it my compensation to you. Dethroning you wasn't really what I wanted; it's just that some of your policies were truly unbearable for me."
Bai Ye didn't have much of an opinion of Uchiha Fugaku, but his indecisiveness was something Bai Ye couldn't stand.
Initially, before the chat group opened, he had considered running away before the night of the Uchiha Clan massacre if he didn't have a golden finger.
But with the golden finger, Bai Ye wanted to change his fate. After all, he had received quite a lot from the Uchiha over the years. Given that he could change things, Bai Ye naturally hoped to alter the original outcome.
However, Fugaku's actions simply disappointed Bai Ye, so he could only force Fugaku to step down. Otherwise, if Uchiha Fugaku remained in the Clan Head position, with 'pig teammates' like Uchiha Fugaku, Uchiha Itachi, and Uchiha Shisui internally, and the 'old silver coins' of Konoha F4 led by Hiruzen Sarutobi externally...
This high-stakes game wasn't that big, was it?
"Is my path wrong? At least I feel like it wouldn't be as tense as it is now. Although I'm not the Clan Head anymore, and this matter shouldn't concern me, I still want to know if you've thought this through, Bai Ye. Continuing down this path will only worsen the relationship between Konoha and the Uchiha, and by then, a war might truly break out!"
Although Uchiha Fugaku had always compromised, he could see things clearly. He knew that if they went to war with Konoha, they would have absolutely no chance of winning.
That's why he compromised again and again.
If there truly was a way, he wouldn't have continued to be so spineless within the clan and looked down upon outside.
The once greatest clan, Uchiha, now couldn't even speak loudly in order to survive.
This was also why the number of radical factions within the clan kept increasing, and all Uchiha Fugaku could do was maintain balance.
Bai Ye's previous actions had indeed made many Uchiha Clan members, and even Uchiha Fugaku, feel a sense of vindication.
But after the incident, Uchiha Fugaku began to ponder the consequences of this matter. Could they really put the clan in danger just for a moment of vindication?
"Have you ever thought about why the other side keeps pushing their luck and why they keep forcing us Uchiha to compromise?"
"Why?"
Actually, Uchiha Fugaku had his own answer deep down.
But he wasn't in a hurry to say it; instead, he wanted to hear what Bai Ye could come up with.
"Humans have a base nature. If you always appear strong, it will make people hesitate to act, but if you can't maintain it, the initial compromise will indeed change the other party's perception. However, after you compromise, the other party will demand you compromise a second time.
From the very beginning, the Uchiha gave up various businesses, then later sent many elite Ninja to the Ninja World War to curry favor, and even later, they gave up our original clan territory.
Today, we cede five cities; tomorrow, ten cities, and then we get a night's peace.
When the Uchiha have no more interests to give up, how are we supposed to compromise then?
Are we supposed to hand over our Sharingan as well?
Fugaku, think about it. Under your leadership, the Uchiha have already discarded everything they could. All we have left is the Sharingan.
If the Sharingan could only be used by our own people, that would be one thing, but the Sharingan can be dug out and used by others."
In Bai Ye's view, the Uchiha had nothing left to compromise with.
Every compromise Fugaku made was giving away the Uchiha's interests.
And it was precisely because of these compromises that they gained a fleeting moment of peace, but they had nothing left, and the clan's economy was far worse than before.
You could say that in peacetime, it's one thing not to be respected, but they also didn't have much money. The clan also had a police force to support, and the lower-class Uchiha had an even harder time. Even in such a state, Fugaku still thought about compromising. Wasn't that dragging the entire Uchiha Clan into a ditch?
"It shouldn't be that bad. Everyone is from the same Village; they couldn't possibly be so ruthless."
Uchiha Fugaku's heart trembled. He had only wanted to compromise for peace, and he didn't actually want the Uchiha to go to war with Konoha. But according to Bai Ye, his approach seemed to be a huge mistake!
Yet, he was still a bit unwilling to believe that Hiruzen Sarutobi would dare to be so ruthless.
After all, everyone was from the same Village. If you annihilated the Uchiha Clan, how would other Ninja clans view it?
Who would still dare to stay in Konoha?
"Don't be naive anymore, Fugaku. Even if you hand over everything, the Village will still press on step by step. Don't you know the predicament we're facing?!"
Fugaku's naivety made Bai Ye feel a trace of ridicule.
It had already come to this, why were they still so stubborn?
The three strongest Uchiha combatants were all more stubborn than the last.
In the original work, even if three Mangekyo couldn't defeat Konoha, they could at least lead a portion of the Uchiha away from Konoha, right? Yet, all three Mangekyo users were surrender advocates!
Listening to Bai Ye's words, a trace of confusion flashed in Uchiha Fugaku's eyes, and he even felt a sense of agreement deep down.
That's right.
It seemed he had already given up everything he could, but in the end, it still didn't work.
"Bai Ye, but you have to understand, what you're doing now will still drag the Uchiha into the abyss, and even faster!!"
Uchiha Fugaku knew that even if his actions might eventually lead to what Bai Ye said.
However, the consequence of Bai Ye's actions would be to drag the Uchiha into the abyss even more quickly than himself.
He simply didn't know how strong Konoha truly was!!!
"Fugaku, I'm the Clan Head!!!"
Bai Ye said calmly. No matter what Fugaku thought, he was the Clan Head now, and Fugaku was not.
Listening to Bai Ye's words, Uchiha Fugaku opened his mouth, not even knowing how to retort.
It seemed Bai Ye was right. No matter what he did, it was the Clan Head's decision, and he no longer had the right to interfere.
"Bai Ye, the Uchiha Clan relies on strength, not words!!!"
Uchiha Fugaku was still preparing to put up a desperate struggle. To become the Uchiha Clan Head, he didn't rely on words like Bai Ye back then.
If he had revealed his Mangekyo during the clan meeting back then, Bai Ye would not have been able to become the Clan Head!
With that said, Uchiha's pupils instantly showed three tomoe, then spun continuously, transforming into the Mangekyo pattern.
He had to stop Bai Ye from continuing to drag the Uchiha into the abyss.
But the next second, Fugaku stood frozen in place. The three tomoe in Bai Ye's pupils also changed to a different pattern.
He had Mangekyo too?
"You're right, Fugaku. The Uchiha rely on strength, not words. If you want to fight, I can fight you!!!"
Although Bai Ye's tone remained calm, Fugaku felt a hint of intimidating aura.
He couldn't beat Bai Ye!!!
Bai Ye was even stronger than him!!? How was that possible!!!
Fugaku couldn't even imagine that Bai Ye had also possessed Mangekyo for a long time, and his strength was even greater than his own.
"You actually have Mangekyo too."
A bitter smile flashed across Fugaku's lips. His Mangekyo had awakened when he personally witnessed his closest friends and comrades die before his eyes. Even now, no one knew about it. He had originally intended to use the Mangekyo to intimidate Bai Ye today, to stop him from leading the Uchiha astray. But he didn't expect that what he had, Bai Ye also had, and perhaps even what he didn't have, Bai Ye might also possess.
"Fugaku, now is not the time for an internal Uchiha war. We are not facing the entire Konoha, but rather those who are targeting the Uchiha Clan. And in fact, it's not just us Uchiha who are dissatisfied with them; there are quite a few people who are dissatisfied with him. Why do you think all the Uchiha in Konoha are our enemies?"
In Konoha, many people had long been dissatisfied with Hiruzen Sarutobi, they just hadn't said anything.
Otherwise, the Konoha Crush Plan wouldn't have allowed Hiruzen Sarutobi to die without intervention.
It wasn't like the sealing array set up by the four Hokage later; how could it be impossible to break through?
"Because of the Police Force and some other matters, our Uchiha have long been infamous in Konoha."
A bitter smile flashed across Uchiha Fugaku's face. The Uchiha were already difficult to get along with due to their personalities, and they had offended many people because of their work, and were at odds with many clans due to interests. So how could anyone help them?
"You're wrong, Fugaku. Interests are not just about Scramble (contention); they can also be created. And aren't many people dissatisfied with those few guys? We only need to deal with those four people and their cronies. Fugaku, if you want to change, come with me. Shisui has already chosen to trust me. I need your strength, Fugaku!"
Saying that, Bai Ye extended his left hand in front of Uchiha Fugaku, waiting for his response.
If he could win over another Mangekyo, then Bai Ye's chances of winning would increase, and he could make Itachi abandon his family, which would be quite good.
"Even Shisui?!"
A trace of surprise flashed in Fugaku's eyes. He lowered his head, pondering. Fugaku struggled for a long time in his heart, then looked up at Bai Ye, gritting his teeth and saying, "Can you really guarantee the Uchiha Clan's survival and not go to war with the entire Konoha?"
He feared the Uchiha being annihilated, and he also feared Konoha's collapse. At that time, other Ninja Villages would definitely take advantage of the chaos, and the Uchiha had also offended many people in previous wars. People from other Villages would definitely not let the Uchiha off the hook.
"Of course!"
"Then I agree!"
Saying that, Fugaku raised his hand and shook Bai Ye's left hand, indicating his willingness to trust Bai Ye once.
But Bai Ye didn't receive a prompt about changing fate. It seemed he hadn't fully trusted him yet; he wanted to see the results of his actions?
Indeed, Fugaku seemed harder to fool than Shisui.
But it didn't matter.
Shisui was like this the first time too, but he was fine the second time. He wasn't in a hurry.
"Fugaku, since that's the case, I have something to entrust to you. Here, take a look at these things."
"This is?!"
"I'm preparing to create some side businesses for the Uchiha Clan to earn money. You know the clan's economic situation isn't very good right now. These are cola and milk tea, chocolate, and later there will be some snacks and food. I'll gradually bring them over. Then there's perfume and lipstick, specifically for women, and this diamond, which is also sold to women."
Fugaku could understand the first three items, but the latter three...
He picked them up and looked at them for a long time, feeling they were a bit useless.
"Bai Ye, perfume and lipstick are already being sold. It seems we can't sell them well, right? And what is this diamond?"
"Are you an idiot? Of course, I know these things. We're not selling products; we're selling concepts, stories. Elevate these to a high-end level, and then bind them to love. Like, if you don't give lipstick, you don't love me. Perfume is for men to smell. If a man doesn't buy it for you, he doesn't value you. Then for this diamond, fabricate a few tragic love stories and completely bind the diamond to love. Also, don't we Uchiha Clan have some connections with the Land of Fire? Give some to those nobles and let them use them. Then our promotion will be about how nobles love to use our products. We're playing with concepts, understand?"
Bai Ye rubbed his forehead, speaking with a hint of helplessness, feeling that entrusting this matter to Uchiha Fugaku might have been a mistake.
"Oh, by the way, your wife should be free at home, right? Let Mikoto come!"
Bai Ye suddenly felt that it would be better to let Uchiha Mikoto do it. Giving it to Uchiha Fugaku, this rough man, would probably directly ruin his preparations.
"Alright, I'll go back and ask, but you have to tell me how to do it specifically first."
Uchiha Fugaku had no objections, as he indeed didn't know how. Then the two discussed it for two hours.
The conclusion was that Bai Ye would take five-tenths, and a portion of that five-tenths would be used to pay the Police Force's salaries, a portion to improve the clan's situation, and then all the things that had been cut due to insufficient funds would be brought back.
Anyway, in Bai Ye's opinion, these things were worthless, and he even earned a lot. And taking out a portion of the money was beneficial for gaining popular support. He wanted to build his own... uh, Tazai... cough cough... Uchiha Clan!"