When Xin entered the upstairs corner room, Fugaku had already changed out of his wedding attire and greeted him politely. "I apologize for the location, but there are still a lot of people around."
"It's fine. It's quiet here. Congratulations, by the way. Your bride is beautiful," Xin said, waving off the apology.
At the compliment, Fugaku's stiff face awkwardly tried to form a smile.
Xin immediately wished he hadn't.
The attempt at a smile made Fugaku look... significantly less attractive. The guy went from looking a little plain to just straight-up weird.
Bro... please stop smiling. You're killing me here.
Xin quickly took a seat, hoping Fugaku wouldn't try smiling again.
Once they were both seated, Fugaku poured some tea and began speaking. "I used to think being the clan leader would be prestigious. But now that I am one, I've realized how hard it is to be a competent leader."
"There's so much internal strife. Some support me, others form their own cliques, and a few want to get close to the village's higher-ups."
Xin said nothing, sipping his tea and listening quietly.
Suddenly, Fugaku asked," Xin, if you were in my position, how would you handle the
Uchiha's current situation?"
Xin paused, slowly putting down his tea as he considered the question. After a moment, he smirked. "I'd start by crushing anyone who doesn't respect me."
"Pffft!" Fugaku had just taken a sip of tea, and immediately spat it out all over the floor.
Coughing and sputtering, he stared at Xin in disbelief.
"If I were you, Fugaku, I'd get rid of anyone who's not on board. Every single one of them.
Even if it weakens the Uchiha's overall strength, it's better to have a united front."
A clan with so many conflicting voices?
Forget about it. How could they ever expect to rise if they weren't even unified?
The Uchiha massacre might have looked like a cold, calculated move by the village, with Itachi painted as the dutiful son and Fugaku the forgiving father. But in Xin's eyes, it was inevitable—it had to happen. The Uchiha brought it on themselves.
The clan leader was too passive, and the different factions within the Uchiha were a mess. Some wanted to stage a coup, others were content with the status quo, and a few even sought to cozy up to the higher-ups. It was chaos.
Years went by without any resolution to these internal conflicts, and coupled with the village's targeted scrutiny, it was a miracle they lasted as long as they did. The sun would have to rise in the west for them to escape their fate.
"No need to go over all that again, Fugaku," Xin said as he stood up to leave. "I've dealt with enough trouble because of the Uchiha. We're not exactly a good match for one another. I'll be going now."
Just as he reached the door, Xin paused and gave Fugaku a parting piece of advice. "A clan should have only one voice. If the Uchiha can't unite, their future won't be bright. And keep an eye on Danzo... he's got his sights set on the Sharingan."