Sarutobi Hiruzen's Failed Provocation, Unable to Find Any Weaknesses!

Almost in an instant.

Sarutobi Hiruzen cursed Fugaku bloody murder in his heart, even faintly wondering whether he had made the wrong plan.

Could he really use an idiot like Fugaku to keep Uchiha Jin in check?

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.

He had known Fugaku was useless before, but he had never expected him to be this useless!

So now, he could not help but think deeply. Could this worthless piece of trash really bring about internal conflict within the Uchiha Clan?

Difficult—far too difficult!

For a moment, he felt rather pessimistic about the idea.

But then again.

Did he have any other choice within the Uchiha Clan besides Fugaku?

Without a doubt—no!

Although Shisui was a fine pawn, and strong enough in his own right, the boy was simply too naive.

More importantly, he was Kagami's grandson. The Uchiha had always held a faint hostility toward him, and especially because he was too close to Sarutobi Hiruzen, the people within the Uchiha Clan instinctively refused to acknowledge him.

Though the boy was loyal to him, he did not have what it took to lead a faction.

Shisui could only be a pure blade. Asking him to build a power base was something he truly could not manage.

So, sigh!

It seemed he truly had no choice. If he wanted to split the Uchiha Clan apart, he still had to rely on Fugaku before him.

There was no helping it.

Danzo, those Black gloves, was unwilling to handle dirty work. Even when it came to acquiring Sharingan, he refused to target the Radical Faction. So, in order to stop Uchiha Jin from rising, even if Fugaku truly was worthless mud, he had to prop him up!

Thinking of this, he could not help but let out a sigh.

What a sin!

Just thinking about becoming allies with someone like Fugaku made Sarutobi Hiruzen feel as though he had stepped in dog shit.

Finally.

After glancing at Fugaku, who had completely calmed down and now wore an utterly defeated expression, Sarutobi Hiruzen turned to Uchiha Jin. "Jin-kun, do you know that Konoha is already in chaos?"

"I don't." Uchiha Jin's tone was calm. "And I'm not interested."

"I'm merely a freelance ninja. Without missions, I only want to stay in the clan compound, and I haven't paid attention to what's happening outside."

At those words, veins bulged on Sarutobi Hiruzen's forehead.

A freelance ninja?

Are you fucking kidding me?

You, a man who had sidelined Fugaku, the Clan Head, and was close to completely controlling the Uchiha Clan, were now telling me you were a freelance ninja?

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 freelance ninja, then what are all the other ninja in Konoha?"

Unfortunately.

Uchiha Jin's expression remained unchanged as he merely shrugged.

"I don't really understand what Hokage-sama means."

"What Radical Faction? I've never heard of it."

"I'm just a freelance ninja. I don't hold any position at all—I haven't even joined the Konoha Military Police Force."

Sarutobi Hiruzen's face instantly darkened.

Uchiha Jin simply refused to take the bait. It made him feel as though he had punched a ball of cotton, leaving him with no idea what to do next.

There was no helping it!

Because if they truly handled this according to official procedures, Uchiha Jin had indeed not lied.

The so-called Uchiha Radical Faction was not an officially registered organization in Konoha. It was merely a private organization established within a Shinobi Clan. If they refused to acknowledge it, he truly had no way to deal with them.

According to official records, Uchiha Jin was an ordinary Chunin, undeniably one of the freelance ninja.

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It was merely that the members of his squad had died during the Third Shinobi War. Considering the Uchiha Clan's special circumstances, while many clan members died whenever they went to war, even more would awaken their Sharingan.

Thus, under his orders, the Uchiha Clan had been confined 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 promoted to Chunin because of his contributions on the battlefield.

Jonin? Heh heh!

Konoha's Jonin were not cabbages by the roadside. They were a privileged class with electoral voting rights. How could he possibly hand that title to Uchiha Jin for free?

So, this was troublesome!

Because strictly speaking, in terms of authority, he really was qualified to find fault with Uchiha Jin.

The Konoha Villagers were in chaos, and a Chunin was supposed to take responsibility?

If word of this got out, his reputation as Hokage would be ruined!

"U! CHI! HA! JIN!"

Sarutobi Hiruzen crushed the smoking pipe in his hand, his tone turning incomparably icy.

And yet, in response—

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 had to be equal. That was an ironclad rule!

Since you were unwilling to even grant him the status of Jonin for the sake of your own schemes, then don't even think about 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 obtain the rank.

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 fell into chaos without the Konoha Military Police Force, Sarutobi Hiruzen could forget about making him take responsibility.

Because on the surface, he was just a Chunin!

Since Sarutobi Hiruzen had held him back from becoming a Jonin, then now it was naturally time for him to pay the price.

"Hokage-sama, don't get so worked up."

"If there's something to discuss, we can talk it over slowly. Getting angry is bad for your health!"

"Is there some mission you need me, a Chunin, to carry out?"

"But what a pity!"

"I don't even have a single teammate right now, so according to Konoha's rules, the highest-level missions I can take are C-rank missions."

"Did someone's cat go missing? 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.

Although his tone was quite calm, anyone could hear the mockery in it.

That was right!

As a registered Chunin without a team, he could only carry out C-rank missions.

Even if Konoha wanted to set Uchiha Jin up, it would be difficult, because Uchiha Jin was not even qualified to take B-rank missions.

Sarutobi Hiruzen's entire body trembled. Facing Uchiha Jin, he truly felt helpless.

This brat was far too slippery!

No wonder he had never proactively applied for the Jonin examination. No wonder he had not cared when no new team was assigned to him, nor when he had not been allowed to join the Konoha Military Police Force.

So this...

This had been his goal all along!