The candlelight flickered, and apart from the slight ripple Mitsuki had caused upon his arrival at the clan meeting, there was no other movement.
The other clan members also entered and sat down, not saying a word.
They were waiting for the last person to arrive.
"Thump, thump, thump."
As footsteps echoed from the stairs, the sound gradually grew louder.
Uchiha Fugaku walked to the cushion at the very front and sat down.
There were still two empty seats on the cushions; his son, Uchiha Itachi, and Uchiha Shisui, had not yet arrived.
Seeing that the time was up, he had already delayed his entry to the clan meeting to the last minute. He couldn't delay any longer for these two.
Out of helplessness, Fugaku had no choice but to open the clan meeting.
"Time's up, let the clan meeting begin."
As Fugaku made his announcement, some of the elders on either side immediately spoke up, vying to be first.
"Fugaku, time is indeed up, but where is your good son, Uchiha Itachi, who joined the Anbu? And where is Uchiha Shisui? Where have they gone? All clan members are here, except for those two!"
"Fugaku, look at the state of the clan now! We live in constant surveillance by the Anbu and Root! As the Clan Head, can't you even discipline your own sons!?"
"Fugaku! Is this the result of you leading the clan to compromise with that old monkey, Hiruzen Sarutobi, by letting Uchiha Itachi and Uchiha Shisui join the Anbu!? Is this the outcome of getting close to the Hokage!?"
"Those two probably have already become the Hokage's lackeys! They might even be monitoring the clan's movements for Danzo and Hiruzen right now!"
Uchiha Setsuna grew more agitated as he spoke, slamming his hands on the table and rising to his feet, pointing an accusing finger at Fugaku.
The hawkish elders seated on the left side of the clan meeting also looked furious.
At the last clan meeting, thanks to Fugaku's support, the appeasers, those scoundrels of the Uchiha, were smug, believing they had found the key to the clan's future.
But what about now? Anbu surveillance was getting more severe, and the villagers' dislike for the Uchiha was deepening. Look at the foolish things this Clan Head and the appeasers have done!
Fugaku knew that the conflict between the clan and the Village was deepening, but given the clan's current strength, how could it possibly launch a coup?
Not only the Konoha higher-ups, but even other Ninja Clans maintained a distant attitude towards the Uchiha.
Villagers would turn pale with fear upon seeing them, scattering and avoiding them, no one daring to approach. Behind their backs, they constantly wrote complaint letters to the Hokage.
The Uchiha Police Force had not suffered any less trouble because of this.
"If I led you down the wrong path, then do you hawks have any better ideas!?
"Does the clan's current strength allow for a coup!? Have past coups ever succeeded!?
"After the coup during the War of the Underworld, half of the clan's elites were lost. How many more clan members sacrificed themselves in the Second and Third Great Ninja Wars! What will you use to launch a coup!?
"The Sarutobi Clan alone has over a thousand registered Ninja! How many more clan members do we have left to die! Do you really want to drag everyone in the clan to their deaths!?"
Fugaku's words left Uchiha Setsuna speechless.
Setsuna sat back down, but his face still showed his indignation.
"But you can't lead the clan to compromise with that old monkey, Hiruzen! Bowing and submitting to him! What about our Uchiha glory!?"
"Have you all forgotten our glory as one of the two strongest clans in the Ninja World!?"
Uchiha Kagerou, beside Setsuna, looked at the clan members below and tried to stir up their emotions.
"That's right! We must not forget our Uchiha glory!"
"The Senju have perished! We Uchiha are destined to reach the pinnacle of the Ninja World!"
"If we can't win a coup, then why don't we just defect from the Village! The clan can simply leave Konoha!"
The anger of the clan members below was successfully incited by Uchiha Kagerou.
"Hahahahahahaha, are you trying to make me laugh myself to death and then steal my combat uniform and Ninja sword?"
Mitsuki's laughter and words suddenly pricked the nerves of these people.
The clan meeting suddenly fell silent.
At this moment, Setsuna was once again enraged by Mitsuki.
"You junior of the clan! How dare you mock the glory of our Uchiha Clan!"
"I admit you have a little talent, but your behavior just now, where does that leave the clan!?"
"Don't think that just because both your parents are dead, we have to tolerate your insolence!"
"Do you still deserve our ancestors, are you fit to be a member of the Uchiha Clan! Do you deserve the fan on your back!?"
As Setsuna's words fell, the eyes of the clan members around Mitsuki turned red, the tomoe in their eyes spinning rapidly, some even breaking through from two half-tomoe to Three-Tomoe.
Mitsuki rose to his feet, his eyes wide open, the tomoe in them spinning so fast they almost formed a perfect circle.
"I ask you, what is glory! Is taking the achievements forged by dead clan members called glory? You live in a comfortable environment now, even if you're being monitored, and you're unhappy, then resist! All you know is to shout about glory, but who among you has brought glory to our Uchiha Clan!!!"
"Coup? Defecting from the Village? Whether we die in battle or defect, what about the old, weak, sick women, children, and elders in the clan! After we're gone, do you expect Danzo and Hiruzen to feed them!!!"
"Aren't we Uchiha the Clan of Love! You idiots whose heads are filled with thoughts of coups every day! Do you still care about the lives of your clan members! Have you forgotten why your Sharingan awakened!?"
"Can each and every one of you use your brains to think? A few words can make you lose your ability to think, lose your calmness, lose your reason! Are you still considered Uchiha Ninja like this! Are you worthy of the name Uchiha Ninja!!!?"
The hawkish elders instantly lowered their heads.
Only Setsuna glared at Mitsuki, remembering how he had previously mistaken Mitsuki's back for Uchiha Madara, which made him even angrier.
What a hateful brat, daring to make an old man lose face!
Fugaku observed Mitsuki's words and actions, feeling a sense of relief. It seemed that among the younger generation, besides Itachi and Shisui, there was another genius he had previously overlooked.
The clan members sitting below also felt ashamed, clenching their fists, some even shedding tears and hitting their thighs, regretting their earlier thoughts.
"Uchiha Kura broke, Uchiha Kouta broke…"
"Accumulated 39 people broken, gained Chakra amplification 10%"
Mitsuki mused, it seems that if I already possess a talent, copying it only provides a slight improvement.
However, this familiar state, this familiar feeling, everything is back! Mitsuki was absolutely ecstatic right now!!!
It had been sixteen years, and he finally experienced this pleasure again!
It was this pleasure that led Mitsuki, who retired at sixty, to venture into the internet, planning to become a streamer, but unfortunately, it was cut short.
But now, everything was back!
However, Mitsuki wasn't just someone with a mischievous streak. In his previous life, whenever he made someone 'break,' he would always provide them with a new solution based on his own conclusions.
As the saying goes, 'no breaking, no building.' If you don't break down people's original ideas, how can you establish new beacons?
As a "sunny and cheerful big boy," Mitsuki was not an irresponsible person, except for those "trolls" from before, who were purely "giant babies" whose lives had been too smooth.
Mitsuki could only be their first hurdle in life, to let them experience what setbacks felt like.
Seeing that only so few people were 'broken,' Mitsuki was just about to put more pressure on the hawkish faction, intensify his efforts, and drop some bombshells, when...
Hachidai of the appeasement faction spoke up.