Chương 118: 118.Traitor
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As expected, the Elder sent someone to follow him.
Shimeki felt powerless.
"Yes, Kazuki did indeed express a desire to recruit me, but he didn't ask me to leave the faction."
"Do you think I, an old man, would believe your words?"
The Elder, filled with rage, continuously pounded on the table.
"I knew something was off! It turns out the clan leader had already made arrangements in advance. This wasn't a negotiation—it was clearly a showdown! They didn't even give us a chance to question it. They secretly approached everyone, unified their positions, and then launched their attack at the clan meeting. Uchiha Kazuki! I used to think he was a talent and wanted to recruit him!! Who knew I was wrong! This brat is a hungry wolf, biting anyone he can, tearing off a piece of meat!" The Elder was consumed by his rant, venting his anger, not noticing that Shimeki's expression had grown darker.
Kazuki had approached him, or rather, it was Shimeki who couldn't resist seeking him out.
Kazuki indeed tried to recruit him, but Shimeki had refused.
As for leaving the faction, that was a joke. Kazuki had no interest in meddling with factional disputes.
Shimeki was telling the truth.
Even though he wasn't trusted, even though he was suspected, he accepted it. Who would have thought the Elder had absolutely no trust in him? Not even a shred of faith.
At that moment, Shimeki found it ridiculous. After all these years standing with the hardliners, playing by the rules, what was it all for?
Just as Kazuki had said—was it to become a tool in the elders' power struggle?
A tool that wasn't even trusted?
"Uchiha Shimeki! Why did you go see Kazuki!? Are you planning to betray me?"
The Elder, in his anger, hurled accusations at Shimeki after ranting for a while.
As for whether it would hurt Shimeki's feelings, the Elder had never considered that, as this was how he always operated.
As the saying goes, without comparison, there is no harm. Compare Kazuki and the Elder, and the differences become clear.
'Who is working for the clan? Who is fighting for power? Who trusts their clansmen, embracing them, and who nitpicks, unable to trust even those close to them?'
Some things may not be noticeable without a comparison.
But with a comparison, the gap becomes evident.
'Perhaps I am just a pathetic tool?'
Shimeki shook his head and smiled, then looked directly at the furious Elder and said.
"Because I wanted to understand why he helped me, why the clan leader chose me as squad leader. I had many doubts, and I wanted answers."
"So you went to see Kazuki?"
Already enraged, the Elder couldn't contain his fury after hearing this. He stood up abruptly and kicked the table between them.
The wooden table shattered, pieces flying toward Shimeki.
Shimeki raised his hand, caught the broken table, placed it down gently, and bowed.
"Whether the Elder believes me or not, I have no intention of leaving the faction, nor did I accept Kazuki's invitation, and I have betrayed no one. Though we may differ in stance, I think Kazuki made a good point. We are all part of the same family and should not hold prejudices or target each other."
"Elder, I'll take my leave."
"You...!"
Shimeki turned and walked away, clearly not wanting to listen any further. The Elder stood there for a few seconds, trembling with rage.
'Traitors, they're all traitors.'
"Uchiha Shimeki! If you dare step through that threshold, you are no longer one of us. You will be a traitor!"
In his fury, the Elder issued a threat.
"...."
Shimeki stopped at the door. Though he had still held some hope for the hardliners, at that moment, all hope was gone.
"If the Elder truly thinks I'm a traitor, then I, Uchiha Shimeki, will be a traitor who only works for the clan."
He had become part of the hardliners because his father had been in that faction. And as he grew, he was labeled as a hardliner, but that didn't mean he supported the hardline ideology or their methods.
The Elder's actions had chilled his heart.
"Bastard! You are a traitor!! A traitor!!!"
The Elder's curses echoed behind him, but Shimeki didn't care. He even felt as if an invisible shackle had been lifted from him, leaving him feeling lighter.
At that moment, Shimeki suddenly understood why the younger generation in the clan were all willing to support Kazuki.
Compared to Kazuki, these elders had rotted to the core.
All they saw was value and benefit, using people as tools, never truly trusting anyone.
"Knock knock."
"Come in."
The door opened, and Kaze walked into the room.
"Captain, just as you predicted, the Elder couldn't help but inform Shimeki. I didn't dare get too close, but it sounded like the Elder was furious, calling Shimeki a traitor. Shimeki walked out without looking back."
"Heh, I said it before, that stubborn old man would never trust anyone. As long as Shimeki had any contact with me, the Elder would explode like an angry lion. Whether or not Shimeki accepted my invitation, in the Elder's eyes, he would never trust him again."
This was exactly the result Kazuki had hoped for, and the Elder hadn't let him down.
It was like a divine assist.
Without the Elder's outburst, it wouldn't have been so easy for Kazuki to make Shimeki completely loyal and follow him willingly.
A short temper, high self-regard, and a lack of regard for others—anyone could become his pawn in the pursuit of personal gain. Such a person was the easiest to exploit.
And the easiest to alienate subordinates by making them lose heart.
"Just a rotten old man to the core," Kaze sneered.
"But with Shimeki acting this way, will the Elder try to harm him?"
This sort of thing had happened before in the clan, so it was worth being on guard.
"Don't worry, he won't dare, especially not now. He won't do anything to Shimeki. I believe Shimeki will be on his guard as well."
'Randomly striking down your own people? Go ahead and try. I'll see if I can use it to bring you down.'
The Elder had a flawed character, but he wasn't stupid. Once he cooled down, he would definitely restrain himself to avoid doing anything that crossed the line. Otherwise, with both Kazuki and Fugaku watching him, things would get ugly.
"You've worked hard. Go rest. We don't need to keep an eye on Shimeki anymore. We can trust him. If he's foolish enough to still fall for the Elder's tricks after all this, then I'll have to say he's truly an idiot."
Everything was going smoothly. All that was left was for Shimeki to stand on his side, then gradually unite with Fugaku to bring down the hardliners one by one and completely dismantle the faction.
Why should the Uchiha, a once-great clan, be split into factions, turning the whole family into a mess?
They had a strong hand, yet played it so poorly.
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