“Hahaha!”
After a few elders teased their adorable and well-behaved grandson, they quietly began their meal as the servants brought out the dishes one after another, followed by a “I’m starting!”
As for the serious matters, those would be dealt with after the meal.
The meal was served individually, with rice, meat, vegetables, and a soup made from some unknown bone, each bowl overflowing with food and piled high in front of him.
The rich aroma filled the air, making one's mouth water and appetite soar.
Perhaps this food couldn't be called luxurious, but it was certainly sumptuous, a perfect balance of meat and vegetables, and nutritionally complete.
Don't speak while eating, don't talk while sleeping.
Soon, lunch was over, and Grandma Uchiha Aya called for the servants to clean up while Great-Grandpa and Grandpa took him to another room.
They arrived in a new tatami room, where the two adults sat facing each other at a low table, while little Chinyue continued to sit next to his Great-Grandpa Uchiha Hoken.
“Father, the wedding date for that brat, Fugaku, and the daughter of the Fifth Clan Head, Cangsai, has been set. It’s next year.”
The two adults initially ignored the little boy beside them, instead focusing on their own discussions about clan affairs.
Upon hearing this, Chinyue immediately perked up his ears.
While he could learn a lot from books, real-time information like this was a valuable opportunity that needed to be grasped.
“Kenta, I've told you many times. Fugaku may be a younger generation, but he's now the clan head of the Uchiha, you should show him due respect. Don't be so disrespectful.”
Upon hearing this, Uchiha Hoken didn’t immediately address Uchiha Kenta's mention of the clan head’s engagement but instead criticized him for his address of the clan head.
Back then, Uchiha Kenta had vehemently opposed Uchiha Fugaku taking over as clan head, especially during the war. But ultimately, Uchiha Hoken agreed to let Fugaku take over the position on the battlefield for the sake of the clan's overall interests.
The power and status of the Uchiha clan head eventually helped Fugaku navigate the war with ease, without any major incidents.
After all, it was difficult to get into trouble when you were surrounded by numerous jounin guards and stationed in a safe command center.
But because of this, Uchiha Kenta became even more resentful towards Fugaku. After inheriting the position of Elder from his father after the end of the Second Shinobi World War, he joined forces with Uchiha Shota to create numerous obstacles for Fugaku in recent Elder Council meetings.
The Elder Council’s management for over thirty years had become a habit within the Uchiha clan. Coupled with Fugaku being a younger generation, his power as clan head was severely limited.
Many orders from the clan head were difficult to issue directly and needed to be discussed and approved by the Elder Council before being implemented.
“It’s just at home. Within the clan, I call him Clan Head.”
The long-standing authority of his old father forced Uchiha Kenta, who was always quick-tempered and hot-headed, to show some restraint.
“Not even at home!”
Uchiha Hoken glared, refusing to give in.
However, he knew his son's temperament all too well. A single reprimand would only last for a while, and after that, he would be back to his old ways. He wasn’t sure how he had raised such a son.
“Ah, still, Chinyue…”
The thought of his grandson he had raised for so many years brought a pang of heartache. Thankfully…
He turned his head to look at the little boy beside him, and the pain in his heart gradually subsided: “Thankfully, my dear grandson has left me a great-grandson who’s equally well-behaved and intelligent!”
“Alright, I know what you're worried about, but Fugaku will be twenty-three next year. It’s time for him to get married.”
After calming his emotions, Uchiha Hoken finally began talking about Fugaku's marriage.
“Moreover, the marriage between Fugaku and Cangsai’s daughter was decided long ago between the Third Clan and the Fifth Clan. If not for the war, the wedding should have been last year.”
Cangsai, full name Uchiha Cangsai, is the head of the Fifth Clan, one of the six main Uchiha clans. He was born in the first year of Konohagakure’s founding and is forty years old this year.
His daughter, Uchiha Mikoto, was born in the twenty-fourth year of Konohagakure's founding, making her seventeen years old this year.
In this world, it's quite common for men and women to get married at sixteen, especially during the volatile Warring States period.
However, with the establishment of Konohagakure, the marriage age has been steadily increasing.
However, within large families, it's still very common for marriage arrangements to be made at a young age.
In fact, the marriage between Uchiha Fugaku and Uchiha Mikoto is similar to the marriage between Chinyue’s parents, Uchiha Chen and Uchiha Yue. Both marriages were alliances between two major clans.
The only difference is that Chinyue’s parents were the same age, so they got married earlier.
The marriage between Fugaku and Mikoto is even more of a political alliance.
As one of the candidates for clan head, Fugaku is undoubtedly very talented. Mikoto looks up to him, and their social status matches.
It’s a compromise, but isn’t that the case for most couples in the world? They compromise and live together for a lifetime.
As for why such alliances are necessary?
It’s about power, a balance of forces.
The Elder Council has six members, and each member gets one vote during major decision-making. But the clan head gets an additional vote.
Therefore, as both the head of the Third Clan and the clan head, Uchiha Fugaku holds two votes. Together with Uchiha Cangsai’s vote from the Fifth Clan, this makes a total of three votes.
This surpasses the two votes held by Uchiha Kenta and Uchiha Shota. This is exactly what Uchiha Hoken was referring to when he said Kenta was worried.
But this worry seems unnecessary, because the alliance between the Third Clan and the Fifth Clan wasn’t formed through marriage. Instead, it was the other way around: the alliance paved the way for a marriage to consolidate the relationship.
The Fifth Clan had been supporting Fugaku since he was a clan head candidate.
Therefore, the true disruption of balance wasn’t the marriage between the Third Clan and the Fifth Clan, but rather Fugaku becoming clan head.
And why did Fugaku become clan head?
Upon further investigation, you’ll find that it was because the clan head candidate of the First Clan, Uchiha Chen, died on the battlefield.
“Kenta, I know you hold a grudge against Fugaku because of Chen's death, but you can’t blame Fugaku for that. Therefore, pay attention to your behavior on the Elder Council. Don't let your loyalty-based disputes harm the clan’s unity.”
The old man was well aware of his son’s behavior in recent Elder Council meetings. Although he had retired, he wasn’t completely blind.
He had simply chosen not to intervene because his son had acted within his limits and hadn't truly caused any damage to the clan.
Uchiha Kenta was so intimidated by his old father that he didn’t dare to retort. But he could never accept Uchiha Fugaku.
In his opinion, Fugaku was incompetent as clan head and only became clan head because he was cowardly.
They had agreed to decide the clan head based on achievements during the war. His son had been too honest, eager to earn merit, and ended up charging too aggressively, falling into the enemy's trap and dying in battle.
Meanwhile, Fugaku had stayed behind and became clan head through sheer survival.
Uchiha Kenta absolutely refused to accept such a clan head and such a way of becoming clan head.
However, despite his dissatisfaction, he often picked holes in Fugaku’s proposals during recent Elder Council meetings. But in reality, he couldn’t actually influence Fugaku.
First, Kenta knew his limits. Even if he had objections, he wouldn’t truly oppose proposals that benefited the clan.
Furthermore, even if he did refuse, it might be useless.
Because Fugaku now held three votes on the Elder Council. Although he still didn’t have a majority, he held the initiative. He only needed to secure one more vote to pass a proposal.
However, Kenta would need to secure two votes to successfully overturn a proposal.
But unless Fugaku’s proposal clearly harmed the clan’s interests, it was almost impossible for Kenta to obtain the agreement of the other two Uchiha elders.
Perhaps this is another reason why Uchiha Hoken didn’t interfere.
………………
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