The night deepened. Having slept soundly throughout the entire day, Xuan and Akahane Yui were bursting with energy. On the other hand, the assembled Jōnin were visibly listless, the heavy weight of exhaustion practically radiating from them.
"What time is it?"
"Ten o'clock at night."
"Are those two back yet?"
"Not... yet."
"Keep waiting."
"Lord Shinji, Lord Xuan, they have returned!" Uchiha Mu announced as he entered the meeting hall.
The incredibly exhausted Jōnin instantly perked up, cursing inwardly, Those two bastards are finally back!
Xuan picked up his teacup and said softly, "Since that's the case, let them come here directly. Oh, and tell them to bring all the loot they gathered today. There's no need to haul it back to their own quarters first."
To help everyone stay awake, Xuan had ordered tea served to all seated personnel—which meant only the Elite Jōnin received a cup. The standing regular Jōnin were not afforded such luxury.
Shortly after, two Uchiha Jōnin trudged into the meeting hall, each carrying a massive, bulging cloth sack on their back. Seeing Uchiha Shinji, Uchiha Xuan, and every single Elite and regular Jōnin assembled, they were startled. They hurriedly set their heavy sacks down on the floor with two loud thuds, indicating just how heavy their hauls were.
"Lord Shinji, Lord Xuan," the two men bowed respectfully. "Is there an important matter being discussed this late at night?" they asked, completely bewildered.
Xuan gently set down his teacup and walked over to them. He had already asked Uchiha Mu about these two. One was named Uchiha Kawa, and the other Uchiha Ryū. Both were veteran Jōnin who had been stationed in the north for years. They held considerable status in Xin City and had contributed to the clan on several occasions. They were essentially the old guard of the northern forces.
"If I recall correctly, I said this morning that everyone must return before nightfall," Xuan stated calmly. He smiled amiably at them, not showing a hint of anger, speaking as casually as if commenting on the weather.
Completely oblivious to the impending disaster, Uchiha Kawa laughed awkwardly. "My Lord, such opportunities are rare. The two of us accidentally gathered a bit too much and lost track of time. Apologies, apologies."
"A bit too much?" Xuan glanced at the bulging sacks at their feet and chuckled soundlessly. Suddenly, his expression completely morphed, turning icy and sinister. He spoke in a freezing tone: "I said, return before nightfall. Calculate exactly how late you are. You made every single Jōnin wait for you two! I shouldn't need to teach you shinobi regulations. What is the penalty for intentionally delaying a mission?!"
The two Jōnin finally realized something was terribly wrong. A drop of cold sweat rolled down their foreheads, and they dropped to their knees with a thud. "My Lord, we were simply blinded by greed and returned slightly late! Please forgive us!" they cried out in panic.
With a flick of his long sleeves, Xuan sneered coldly. "Returned slightly late? Heh, save those excuses for the afterlife. Guards! Uchiha Kawa and Uchiha Ryū disobeyed direct orders and intentionally delayed their return by three hours! Drag them out and execute them!"
His words were bone-chillingly cold. Everyone who heard them felt as if they had been plunged into an icy abyss. All the Jōnin were completely shocked. They had assumed Xuan would simply punish the two severely, but they never in a million years imagined he would order their execution right on the spot! These were veteran Jōnin! And they were being sentenced to death over such a trivial matter with a single, casual sentence?!
Even the Elite Jōnin looked at Xuan in sheer astonishment, entirely unprepared for such an extreme command. Uchiha Mu opened his mouth, wanting to intervene, but upon meeting Xuan's freezing gaze, he swallowed his words. With a helpless, silent sigh, he remained quiet.
Naturally, the crime of the two Jōnin did not warrant a death sentence. Xuan's sole purpose in doing this was to establish absolute authority through terror. He had already done this once before—the sacrificial lamb being Uchiha Sora—to establish his dominance over the Elite Jōnin.
This time, his goal was to establish absolute dominance over all the regular Jōnin and every single Uchiha clansman stationed in the north. The reason was incredibly simple: he wanted to seize complete control of the north and transform it into his own personal faction. Only by achieving this would he possess enough political capital upon returning to the main clan to participate in the highest echelons of decision-making, thereby influencing the Uchiha clan's overall movements.
Uchiha Kawa and Uchiha Ryū were simply two unfortunate souls who happened to wander directly into his line of fire. However, they had indeed explicitly disobeyed his orders. Perhaps, having been Jōnin in the north for many years, they felt that returning a few hours late was merely a trivial matter. What they failed to realize was that Xuan was using this "trivial matter" to send a crystal-clear message to every Uchiha in the north: My words are absolute law here. These two Jōnin are the proof.
"My Lord! My Lord, we were wrong! We shouldn't have delayed our return! We are willing to surrender all our spoils! Please spare our lives!" the two Jōnin wailed, frantically shooting pleading glances into the crowd.
Having spent years in the north, they naturally had extensive connections. Several Jōnin immediately stepped forward from the crowd to plead on their behalf. "Lord Xuan, they are, after all, Jōnin of our clan. They have made significant contributions in the past. Please spare their lives."
Xuan cast a frigid glare at the pleading Jōnin, completely unmoved. "I said, drag them out and execute them!" His tone was absolute, leaving zero room for negotiation.
The expressions of the two kneeling Jōnin instantly twisted. Hearing the absolute finality in Xuan's voice, they realized he genuinely intended to kill them. Uchiha Kawa's face flushed with fury. He suddenly jumped to his feet and pointed at Xuan, cursing loudly. "Uchiha Xuan, don't refuse face when it's given to you! We call you 'Lord' to be polite, and you actually think you're somebody?! When I was a Jōnin fighting in the north, you were still crawling on the floor in diapers! You just want to use us to establish your authority! Do you think we can't see through you?! It's just being a few hours late! I refuse to submit! I refuse to submit!"
As he screamed, he dropped to his knees before Uchiha Shinji and cried out desperately, "Lord Shinji! Back when Lord Tō was still leading the north, we were his loyal subordinates! Please say something! Uchiha Xuan is far too arrogant! He has absolutely no respect for Lord Tō, nor does he respect you, Lord Shinji!"
Xuan sneered lightly. Sitting in the seat of honor, Uchiha Shinji remained completely motionless, like a block of wood. A moment later, he said flatly, "Xuan is the absolute premier hero who pacified the north. From this day forward, he is my second-in-command. He holds absolute authority to deal with all matters in the north."
What?!
The entire room was thrown into profound shock once more. In a very real sense, this was equivalent to handing the entire northern territory directly over to Uchiha Xuan! This was completely illogical!
The faces of the two Jōnin instantly turned ashen. Suddenly, they threw their hands down. Poof! A massive smoke bomb detonated, filling the meeting hall with thick smoke and completely blinding everyone.
"Wind Style: Gale Palm!"
Xuan casually wove a seal, and a powerful gust of wind swept through the hall, clearing the smoke in an instant. The original spots where the two Jōnin had been standing were completely empty.
"Capture them. Dead or alive," Xuan commanded calmly as he walked back to his seat. He knew that at a moment like this, there would definitely be people scrambling to prove their loyalty.
Uchiha Gō and Uchiha Takeshi, two of the Elite Jōnin, stood up simultaneously. "Rest assured, Lord Xuan. They absolutely will not escape," they declared sternly. Transforming into black shadows, the two experts bolted out in pursuit.
Barely ten minutes later, with two heavy thuds, two figures were tossed back into the hall. It was Uchiha Kawa and Uchiha Ryū. Their faces were an ashen gray, and they were already completely dead.
Uchiha Gō and Uchiha Takeshi walked in immediately behind them. Xuan nodded and smiled. "Well done."
Standing up, he walked over and untied the two large cloth sacks left on the floor. A blinding golden radiance instantly spilled out. Xuan's breath hitched slightly—the two sacks were packed to the brim with solid gold! Reaching in, he scooped up a handful and let the pieces cascade back down. The crisp, melodious clinking of solid gold echoed in the quiet hall, causing almost everyone present to gulp audibly.
Gold is absolute hard currency in any world. There's a saying: Gold in chaotic times, antiques in prosperous times. This was precisely what it meant.
"You've all waited here for a very long time, and you've worked hard today. Take this gold and divide it among yourselves," Xuan said with a smile.
Everyone drew a sharp breath. A Jōnin stammered, "R-R-Really?"
"I never lie," Xuan said. With a swift kick, he knocked the two sacks over, spilling a small mountain of glittering gold bars and coins across the floor, practically blinding everyone.
The Jōnin let out wild cheers and swarmed forward, scrambling to grab the gold. In the blink of an eye, the deaths of the two veteran Jōnin were completely tossed out of their minds. Many even thought to themselves, It's a good thing they died!
Watching the chaotic scene with a light chuckle, Xuan folded his arms. The 'stick and carrot' method—history had proven it time and time again to be absolutely flawless.
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After Two months, Here I am! Sorry for not posting I haven't had times ,since i was taking care of some personal matters ( related to my health issues)
And I wasn't able to do anything about it, but here it is...
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