In the Land of Fire, in the Hidden Leaf Village, at the Nanhe Shrine, today marks the monthly meeting of the Uchiha clan. The purpose of the gathering is to cultivate relationships among the various factions within the clan, ease conflicts among clan members, and explore ways to ascend to the higher echelons of Konoha, even to become Hokage. Although the Uchiha clan is currently not favored by the higher-ups in Konoha, it has not reached the point of a life-and-death struggle; it is more one of mutual disdain.

Bang! An elderly Uchiha elder, with white hair and a face full of wrinkles, slammed his hand on the table and stood up. He glared at the clan leader seated at the head and the group of older Uchiha men surrounding him, his voice becoming sharp and high-pitched due to his agitation. “The position of the Second Hokage was personally handed over by Senju Hashirama to his brother Tobirama. After the death of Uchiha Kagami, we watched helplessly as the position of the Third Hokage fell to Sarutobi Hiruzen, and now the position of the Fourth Hokage has gone to Namikaze Minato. What happened to the promised plan of maintaining second, aiming for third, and pushing for fourth? What kind of ridiculous plan did you come up with? Decades have passed, and I haven’t even touched the Hokage’s chair once.”

As he spoke, he noticed that the surrounding elders were either staring at the ceiling or looking at the floor, not a single one casting a glance his way. “What? Are you all still going to charge at the position of the Fifth Hokage? That Namikaze Minato is only 24 this year; look at that guy's longevity—living for another 50 years is no problem. Fifty years? Your sons are all dead!”

“Ai!” Uchiha Fugaku sighed inwardly. He pulled his hands out of his sleeves, calmly looking at the irritable elder. As the leader of the Uchiha clan, he had seen this kind of thing many times. The clan members were in poor spirits; they reacted excessively to unpleasant situations, and some would even challenge his position as clan leader over minor disagreements. It was exhausting...

After a moment of silence, Fugaku gestured for the elder to sit down, then his gaze fell upon the clan members in the hall. Those who could attend this meeting were all members of the Uchiha clan who had awakened the three-tomoe Sharingan. “Elder Ryoichi, please sit down first...”

“I won’t!” Uchiha Ryoichi waved his hand to refuse the clan leader's goodwill. He stepped up to the old man across from him, grabbing his collar with both hands, and gritted his teeth, “Old man, it was you who proposed the plan of maintaining second, aiming for third, and pushing for fourth, right?”

“That’s right!”

“Now the plan has failed.”

“Ryoichi, don’t panic; I still have follow-up plans.”

“Follow-up your grandfather...”

“My grandfather died when he entered Konoha with Madara-sama.”

Pah! Wiping off the spit that splattered on his face, Uchiha Fei Niao glanced at the two old men arguing nearby, then looked up at the ceiling, slowly emptying his mind. He had been in the ninja world for 18 years. Initially, when he learned that he had crossed over into the Uchiha clan, he was somewhat excited. But then... just after his first birthday, he lost that excitement. The Second Shinobi World War left him as the only survivor in his family.

When he turned three and gained the ability to move, and realized he had no golden finger, he began considering how to escape from the Uchiha clan and find a place to blend in. At worst, he could work as a farmer in another ninja village and still live a comfortable life. However, after looking through the family history, he dispelled the idea of running away. It was one thing to defect and live in hiding, but choosing to become a seed in another ninja village would not only subject him to Konoha’s endless assassinations but also to the clan’s pursuit.

Moreover, there was an unspoken agreement among the major ninja villages to not accept any defectors from other villages. It was highly likely that the village taking him in would stab him in the back after he had left his bloodline. In the past, some Uchiha clan members who defected often ended up dying mysteriously on the road. When he read that part, Fei Niao immediately went into conspiracy mode. To prevent the Sharingan or Indra from falling out of his control, Black Zetsu, that dutiful son, was probably working behind the scenes.

Realizing that being a seed was too dangerous, he started researching business instead. After a few days of study, he extinguished the idea of going into commerce once again. The technology tree in the ninja world is truly bizarre. Electrical energy, chakra energy, wind energy... it has it all. Light bulbs, white paper, cement... cheaper than before he crossed over. Farming, medicine, and other industries cheat even more; there’s no need for machinery, just a pair of hands working magic.

After cutting off the path of business, he began to study the way of the ninja. They say hard work can change your fate, but this saying is not very applicable in the ninja world, where bloodlines determine fate. He possessed one of the top bloodlines in the ninja world and worked hard from a young age, honing his ninja skills, believing he would definitely become rich and successful, not to mention he wouldn’t be worse than Uchiha Itachi; he should have the power to protect himself.

However, when he reached the battlefield, he realized he couldn’t compare to the son of the Sage of Six Paths (Sasuke); that would simply lower the bar for others. [The first time Uchiha Itachi was on the battlefield, he opened his Sharingan upon seeing such a brutal scene.] The first time he was on the battlefield and witnessed such a horrific sight, it numbed him. [Uchiha Itachi saw the bodies of ninjas scattered across the battlefield and pondered the meaning of life.] He thought about whether he should defect now; weapons have no eyes, and he didn’t want to die on the battlefield. [Seeing familiar comrades die before his eyes, Uchiha Itachi’s Sharingan evolved, greatly enhancing his power.] He saw familiar companions die before him, and his thoughts transcended, gaining great enlightenment.

What happened next was quite standard: school—graduation—participation in wars—awakening of the Sharingan—participation in wars—awakening of the three-tomoe Sharingan. After the Third Shinobi World War ended, he became one of the few jōnin in the Uchiha clan and gained the privilege of attending clan meetings.

“Meeting??” Looking at the group of arguing old men, Uchiha Fei Niao couldn't help but twitch his mouth. Before attending the meeting, he thought the atmosphere would be very serious, discussing topics related to the Hokage and the future of the Uchiha clan. But after arriving, he found the atmosphere to be unexpectedly lively; the discussion topics could hardly be said to be related to the Hokage, at best they were tangential.

After all, these old men had probably discussed the Hokage topic for decades and had long lost the novelty. This meeting was truly boring. Gurgle~ Gurgle~ Noticing his stomach protesting, Uchiha Fei Niao stood up and walked to the center of the hall, facing Fugaku and the group of elders, and said, “Elders, stop arguing; I have a way for the Uchiha clan to become the Fifth Hokage.”

Hmm?? With this young voice ringing out, the arguing elders instantly fell silent, turning their heads to look at Uchiha Fei Niao, who had just spoken. Seeing that it was a newly promoted jōnin from the clan, Ryoichi raised an eyebrow at Fei Niao, puzzled. “Speak up; let me see what interesting ideas the younger Uchiha has to offer.”

“My idea is...” Taking in the expressions of the jōnin from the Uchiha clan in the hall, Fei Niao rubbed his shriveled stomach and took a deep breath. “Fugaku clan leader, why not consider getting a divorce and then pursue the current clan leader of the Senju clan, Lady Tsunade... Now the Senju clan only has Lady Tsunade left; if the two clans marry, not only will the future Fifth Hokage surely belong to the Uchiha, but the Senju clan will gradually merge into the Uchiha over time. In the Warring States period, those clans dreamed of swallowing the Senju clan. And now... if Fugaku clan leader were to achieve the feat of absorbing the Senju clan, it would be a meritorious deed worthy of being inscribed on a stone tablet for generations to come.”

As soon as he finished speaking, he noticed that the hall had become unusually quiet; at this moment, even the sound of a needle dropping would be louder than the sound of a cup shattering. The eyes of the Uchiha elders kept darting back and forth between Fugaku and Fei Niao.

“Hmph!” An elder with a scarred face stood up, turning to face Fei Niao, and said in a low voice, “A prestigious clan of Konoha, and you want to rely on the clan leader selling his body to become Hokage? Even if I agree to this rotten idea, others won’t, and the clan leader certainly won’t.”

“Exactly!” An Uchiha elder with one eye missing nodded in agreement. “What a ridiculous idea, to mix the Uchiha with the Senju! Although our plan of maintaining second, aiming for third, and pushing for fourth has failed, that does not prevent us from aiming for the Fifth Hokage again.”

“Shut your mouth!” At this moment, the elder named Ryoichi stood up again, pointing at the missing-eyed elder, gritting his teeth. “Back when Madara-sama was still around, we aimed for the Hokage position, but after the village was established, Madara-sama and your fathers handed the Hokage position to the Senju. Then we started aiming for the Second Hokage. But within two years of the village being founded, Madara-sama suddenly left Konoha. Our sword was broken...

Later, Uchiha Kagami worked hard and finally became the Second Hokage’s guard, and we aimed for the Third Hokage, but he died on the way to the Land of Lightning following the Second Hokage to negotiate, and our sword, just recently repaired, was broken again. After that, at the end of the Second Shinobi World War, we hurriedly selected someone to once again act as a figurehead, wanting to aim for the position of the Third Hokage, especially since Sarutobi Hiruzen’s position hadn’t stabilized yet...

Who would have thought that the person selected was an idiot, leading the clan’s ninjas for a year of fighting, winning fewer times than I go to the bathroom in a day, drastically lowering the clan’s reputation. After the start of the Third Shinobi World War, the clan leader finally had an opportunity to become a candidate for Hokage, and we aimed for the Fourth Hokage again. But then that freak Namikaze Minato appeared, and before our sword could even be drawn, it was broken at our doorstep.”

Saying this, he swallowed and cleared his throat before continuing to point at the blind elder. “And you still want to lead me to aim for the Fifth Hokage?? I can’t take it anymore. If the clan leader selling his body can make them Hokage, I’ll accept it, but when I go to the Pure Land later, I’ll kneel personally before Madara-sama to explain this matter.”

Watching the Uchiha in the hall gradually split into two factions, with an undercurrent of hostility, Fei Niao quietly retreated to the door, slipping out of the hall while closing the door behind him.

“Tsk tsk!” Turning to look at the group still erupting into arguments behind him, Fei Niao smirked but said nothing. The Uchiha were somewhat mentally unstable, and as a family with mental instability, the management was extraordinarily lax. In meetings, they could speak freely, even physically discuss and debate the outcomes of ninjutsu.

His earlier proposal for the clan leader to divorce and marry Tsunade, thereby indirectly becoming the Fifth Hokage, successfully ignited the group of clan members who had failed in their aim for the Fourth Hokage. Crazy! Saying this, Fei Niao used a Body Flicker Technique to leave, preparing to go back, pack up his things, and after witnessing the Fourth Hokage’s wedding, he would defect.