Almost instantly.
Sarutobi Hiruzen cursed Fugaku bloody in his heart, even vaguely wondering whether he had planned this wrong.
Could he really use an idiot like Fugaku to restrain Uchiha Jin?
Yes!
Ever since Uchiha Jin's rise, he had long regarded Fugaku as an ally, intending to use the Hokage's authority to support Fugaku against Uchiha Jin.
But damn it.
Although he had known Fugaku was useless before, he had never expected him to be this useless!
So at this moment, he could not help but think deeply. Could this piece of trash, incapable of being propped up, truly create internal conflict within the Uchiha?
Difficult, far too difficult!
For a moment, he felt pessimistic about the idea.
But likewise.
In the current Uchiha, did he have any other choice besides Fugaku?
Undoubtedly—no!
Although Shisui was a good chess piece and powerful enough himself, the boy was simply too naive.
Especially since he was Kagami's grandson. The Uchiha had always vaguely been hostile toward him, and because he was too close to Sarutobi Hiruzen, those within the Uchiha naturally refused to acknowledge him.
Though the boy was loyal to him, he simply did not have the makings of a faction leader.
Shisui could only be a pure blade. Asking him to build a power base was truly beyond him.
So, sigh!
It seemed he truly had no choice. If he wanted to split the Uchiha apart, he had to rely on Fugaku before him.
There was no helping it.
Danzo, that black glove, refused to handle dirty work. Even when it came to obtaining Sharingan, he would not touch the Radical Faction. Therefore, to stop Uchiha Jin's rise, he had to prop Fugaku up even if Fugaku was truly worthless!
Thinking of this, he could not help but let out a soft sigh.
What a sin!
Just thinking about becoming allies with someone like Fugaku made Sarutobi Hiruzen feel as if he had swallowed something foul.
Finally.
After glancing at Fugaku, who had completely calmed down and assumed an attitude of giving up, Sarutobi Hiruzen turned to Uchiha Jin. "Jin-kun, do you know that Konoha has fallen into chaos?"
"I don't." Uchiha Jin's tone was calm. "Nor am I interested."
"I'm only a Free Shinobi. When I have no missions, I merely want to stay in the Clan Compound. I haven't paid attention to what is happening outside."
Upon hearing this, veins bulged on Sarutobi Hiruzen's forehead.
A Free Shinobi?
Was he fucking joking?
A man who had hollowed out Fugaku, the Clan Head, and was nearly in complete control of the Uchiha was now telling him he was a Free Shinobi?
Still, he took a deep breath and spoke in a profound tone. "Jin-kun, don't fool around. You are the Leader of the Radical Faction. If you are merely a Free Shinobi, then what are the other Ninja of Konoha?"
Unfortunately.
Uchiha Jin's expression remained unchanged, and he merely shrugged casually.
"I don't quite understand what Hokage-sama means."
"What Radical Faction? I've never heard of it."
"I'm just a Free Shinobi. I hold no authority whatsoever and haven't even joined the Konoha Military Police Force."
Sarutobi Hiruzen's face instantly darkened.
This Uchiha Jin simply refused to take the bait. It was like punching cotton, leaving him unsure of what he should do next.
There was no helping it!
Because if they truly handled this according to official procedures, Uchiha Jin had not lied.
The so-called Uchiha Radical Faction was not an official organization registered with Konoha. It was merely a private organization established within the Shinobi Clan. If they refused to acknowledge it, he truly had no way to deal with them.
According to the official records, Uchiha Jin was an ordinary Chunin, unquestionably one of the Free Shinobi.
It was only that the members of his squad had died in the Third Shinobi War. Considering the Uchiha's special circumstances, although many of their clansmen died whenever they went to war, even more would awaken the Sharingan.
Therefore, under his orders, the Uchiha had been trapped within Konoha and were no longer allowed to freely accept missions.
And it was precisely because of this.
Uchiha Jin's official position had only been raised to Chunin because of his contributions on the battlefield.
Jonin? Heh heh!
Konoha's Jonin were not cabbages. They were a privileged class with voting rights. How could he possibly hand that status to Uchiha Jin for free?
So, this was troublesome!
Because strictly speaking, in terms of official authority, he truly had no grounds to pick a fight with Uchiha Jin.
Making a Chunin take responsibility for the chaos among Konoha Villagers?
If word of this got out, his reputation as Hokage would be ruined!
"U! CHI! HA! JIN!"
Sarutobi Hiruzen crushed the pipe in his hand, his tone turning incomparably cold.
And yet.
Uchiha Jin's expression remained unchanged.
As he looked at Sarutobi Hiruzen, his eyes were filled with contempt.
And—faint disdain!
Having come from the Zhonghua Family in his previous life, he understood very well that every shortcut in this world had its price secretly marked.
Authority and responsibility were equal; that was an iron law!
Since Sarutobi Hiruzen had been unwilling to even grant him the status of Jonin for the sake of his own schemes, then he should not dream of dumping responsibility onto him!
This was also the fundamental reason why Uchiha Jin had not been angry when the village refused to promote him to Jonin, nor had he tried to find a way to do so.
Because he knew that strength was what mattered most!
As long as he was powerful enough, whether he became a Jonin or not did not matter at all.
On the contrary!
Since he did not hold that position, then no one should expect him to bear its responsibilities.
Even if he was an Elder of the Uchiha Radical Faction, even if the Uchiha secretly listened to him, even if the village had fallen into chaos without the Konoha Military Police Force, Sarutobi Hiruzen could forget about making him take responsibility.
Because on the surface, he was merely a Chunin!
Since Sarutobi Hiruzen had blocked his promotion to Jonin, it was naturally time for him to pay the price.
"Hokage-sama, don't get so worked up."
"If there's something to discuss, take it slowly. Too much anger is bad for your health!"
"Do you need this Chunin to carry out some mission?"
"But what a pity!"
"I don't even have any squad members now, so according to Konoha's rules, the highest rank of mission I can undertake is a C-rank Mission."
"Did someone lose a cat? Does someone need a child watched? Or does a river need cleaning?"
"I'm ready to contribute to Konoha. Please assign me a mission directly, Hokage-sama!"
Uchiha Jin smiled faintly.
Though his tone was quite calm, anyone could hear the mockery in it.
Yes!
As a registered Chunin without any squad, he could only perform C-rank Missions.
Even if Konoha wanted to set Uchiha Jin up, it would be difficult, because he was not even qualified to take on B-rank Missions.
Sarutobi Hiruzen trembled all over. Faced with Uchiha Jin, he truly felt utterly helpless.
This kid was too slippery!
No wonder he had never proactively applied for the Jonin examination. No wonder he had not cared when no new squad was assigned to him, nor when he had not been made to join the Konoha Military Police Force.
So that was it...
This had been his goal all along!
Before you continue