Uchiha Compound, Radical Faction headquarters.
Compared to half a month ago, the headquarters had already doubled in size.
There was no helping it!
Too many people had joined the Radical Faction recently, so they could only forcibly expand the headquarters. Naturally, this meant redesigning the Barrier and reorganizing the Patrol Teams, as well as the open and covert sentries.
As for the Police Force?
Heh.
From the moment Uchiha Jin truly took power, he had ordered everyone in the Radical Faction to withdraw. Now, with so many members of the Moderate Faction and Middle Faction joining them, Uchiha Jin immediately gave the order for those people to leave the Konoha Military Police Force as well.
The current Konoha Military Police Force had long since become an empty shell.
Though the Konoha Military Police Force still existed in name, Fugaku was still its commander, and people remained on duty in the police building, no one was actually doing any work anymore.
What else could they do?
They could hardly make Fugaku, the commander, along with several elders and elites from the two factions, go out onto the streets and do the work of Urban Management, could they?
Fugaku and the others could not afford to lose that much face!
Hokage Office.
Sarutobi Hiruzen's face was extremely grim. Looking at Fugaku standing before his desk, he could not help but slam his hand down hard.
"Clan Head Fugaku, this is going too far!"
"Can you still handle your position as Police Chief? Look at the state the village is in already!"
"Where are the members of your Konoha Military Police Force? Why is no one enforcing the law now?"
He was on the verge of losing his mind!
He knew the Uchiha were unstable, that their internal factional struggle was fierce, and that Danzo assassinated Uchiha every few days, practically treating the current Uchiha Compound like a field of chives.
However.
That was no reason for the Konoha Military Police Force to do nothing!
In Sarutobi Hiruzen's mind, as long as the Uchiha had not been wiped out, they absolutely could not abandon the Konoha Military Police Force's normal duties. Otherwise, if the Uchiha did not keep offending the commoners, where would he find the moral justification to keep targeting them?
But unfortunately.
Faced with Sarutobi Hiruzen's anger, Fugaku remained remarkably calm.
He merely glanced at Sarutobi Hiruzen before speaking helplessly. "Most of the Uchiha have now joined the Radical Faction. The only people I can command are Shisui, two or three elders from the Middle Faction and Moderate Faction, and six or seven elite Jonin under those two factions."
"Shisui belongs to the Anbu. Those six or seven elite Jonin also need to protect the elders of the two factions, and they have to guard against the 'enemy village spies' that frequently appear at night."
"You cannot expect me, the Clan Head, to take several elders out on patrol, can you?"
Fugaku spread his hands, fully entering a state of giving up.
Yes.
He was helpless, and he was despairing too!
Meanwhile.
Sarutobi Hiruzen was completely choked up and could not say a word for a long time.
This was fucking—
When he thought about it carefully, what Fugaku said did seem to be true.
This so-called Uchiha Clan Head before him had long since become a commander without an army.
After silently smoking a pipeful of tobacco, Sarutobi Hiruzen hesitantly spoke. "Have you not prepared any means of counterattack?"
"No. I cannot think of any." Fugaku did not even raise his eyelids as he shook his head. "Uchiha Jin is using an Open Conspiracy. I admit defeat wholeheartedly."
He truly had no solution, so he chose to accept it calmly.
That was simply his personality. In the original story, when facing Uchiha Itachi, he had accepted things just as calmly.
Sarutobi Hiruzen: "..."
The corner of his mouth twitched violently, and he almost wanted to slap Fugaku across the face.
Fuck.
He had never seen someone so useless. Though he also believed Fugaku was no match for Uchiha Jin, Fugaku could not just surrender without even putting up a fight, could he?
This had become troublesome.
If Fugaku did not fight Uchiha Jin, then once Uchiha Jin took control of the entire Uchiha Clan and freed up his hands, would he not start causing trouble again?
No, absolutely not!
Fugaku was useless now and clearly could no longer be relied upon. No matter how unwilling Sarutobi Hiruzen was, he still had to fight on Fugaku's behalf this time.
At the very least.
He had to help Fugaku win over a group of people and make the Uchiha Clan fall into internal conflict.
Thinking of this, he could not help sighing inwardly.
He had never imagined that one day, he would take the initiative to help Fugaku. But Fugaku's incompetence truly alarmed him. It seemed he would have to find a way to make Shisui help Fugaku more in the future, and he would also need to find him some additional aides.
Knock, knock, knock!
Sarutobi Hiruzen knocked on the desk, and an Anbu respectfully dropped to one knee.
"Hokage-sama."
"Go find Uchiha Jin for me. Tell him to come to the Hokage Office immediately."
The Anbu nodded and left directly.
As that Anbu departed, the Hokage Office returned to silence. Sarutobi Hiruzen had no interest in dealing with Fugaku, merely smoking as he thought.
He needed to take advantage of this time to think carefully.
What kind of wording could make Uchiha Jin take a step back later?
Meanwhile.
At the Radical Faction headquarters, within the central courtyard.
A young Uchiha Jonin stood before Uchiha Jin. Yet what truly interested him was the man's identity.
Uchiha Inabi, Fugaku's absolute confidant!
He was also one of the people Fugaku trusted most, as well as one of the strongest Uchiha.
"You want to join me?"
"Honestly, I truly cannot understand it. You are Fugaku's core confidant, so why would you want to join me?"
"As Fugaku's absolute confidant, it should be easy enough for Fugaku to protect you, right?"
Uchiha Jin's eyes flickered.
He truly did not quite dare trust the Uchiha before him. After all, Inabi's position was far too awkward.
As the absolute confidant of Fugaku, the Clan Head, he now wanted to directly join Jin, an elder of the Radical Faction?
No matter how he thought about it, something felt wrong.
In response.
Inabi's expression did not change, and his tone remained calm.
"I have a younger sister. The Clan Compound is not very safe."
"I need to protect the Clan Head every day, so I do not have time to look after my sister. Of course, that is only the surface reason."
"In truth, I have already despaired of the Clan Head. Back when Jin-kun had just become an elder of the Radical Faction and established its headquarters, I felt that the Clan Head should have stopped Jin-kun's actions at any cost, even if it meant fighting a battle within the clan."
"Because the Clan Head was indecisive, he missed the best opportunity."
"Whether it is the slander against the Uchiha in the village or the Uchiha clansmen who disappear for no reason every day, Fugaku, as Clan Head, has been unable to find any way to stop it."
"Even after Jin-kun's method proved viable, Fugaku, as Clan Head, still could not make up his mind to imitate it."
"This allowed me to truly see him for what he was. Fugaku, as Clan Head, had no courage whatsoever."
"Whether you choose war or peace, at least make a decision!"
"With his hesitant personality, combined with the complicated relationship between the clan and the village, I believe following Fugaku as Clan Head is a dead end sooner or later."
"Therefore, my decision to join the Radical Faction this time is indeed sincere."
"Fugaku is unfit to be Clan Head. I want to support Jin-kun as Clan Head!"
"I do not know whether our Uchiha Clan's circumstances will change after Jin-kun becomes Clan Head, but in my view, it will at least be better than under Fugaku."
"That—was enough!"
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