Sarutobi Hiruzen fell silent.
Looking at Uchiha Jin before him, he felt like a dog trying to bite a turtle—unable to find a place to start.
After a long silence, he finally said, "Let's speak frankly. What will it take for you to restore the Konoha Military Police Force?"
"You should ask our Clan Head about that." Uchiha Jin immediately passed the buck.
Fugaku looked deeply displeased and several times seemed ready to speak up and reprimand him.
I fucking want to handle it, but no one listens to me!
However.
Considering that he was a Clan Head in name only and held no real authority over Uchiha Jin, he finally sighed and chose to give up. "There's nothing I can do either. The others won't listen to me."
Sarutobi Hiruzen's expression darkened.
It had come full circle again!
Fugaku wanted to solve the problem but lacked the ability, while the Uchiha beneath him refused to listen to his orders.
Uchiha Jin had the ability to resolve it, but he simply did not want to. More importantly, he held no official position, so even Hiruzen, as Hokage, had no way to punish him.
The matter was stuck here—damn troublesome!
But Konoha's Public Security had to be restored. After some thought, he revealed a faint smile. "Jin-kun, your rank should indeed be raised. A strong person like you cannot remain a Chunin forever."
"I will specially promote you to Jonin, and have Fugaku hand the position of Police Chief over to you."
"What do you say?"
Sarutobi Hiruzen had thought it through clearly.
The reason he could not deal with Uchiha Jin now was because this fellow's rank was too low.
And because he feared driving the Uchiha into rebellion, he could not deal with the entire Uchiha clan either.
On the other hand.
If he could raise Uchiha Jin's rank, then if Jin refused to do his job in the future, Hiruzen, as Hokage, would have the authority to deal with him.
Unfortunately.
Uchiha Jin was not foolish enough to miss such an obvious scheme!
Without the slightest hesitation, he shook his head. "Hokage-sama, you jest. My abilities are lacking, and I don't believe I could pass the Jonin examination."
"Let's forget about a special promotion. It would be too unfair to the other Ninja."
"Our Konoha values the Will of Fire. Everything should be fair and just. Hokage-sama, you must lead by example!"
Uchiha Jin's tone was soft and drawn out.
Yet Sarutobi Hiruzen nearly exploded with rage upon hearing those words.
The Will of Fire?
Did an Uchiha like him have any right to say that?
He wanted to curse outright, even smash Uchiha Jin to death with a single strike of his staff.
But he could not!
He could not even retort. Uchiha Jin's final sentence had completely put him in check.
As Hokage, he had to uphold the Will of Fire.
That was the foundation of his entire tenure as Hokage. With Uchiha Jin's words, he had completely lost any possibility of forcibly elevating Jin.
Under Konoha's rules, the first step to becoming a Jonin was for the candidate to submit an application voluntarily.
And that was where things got stuck.
Of course, a special promotion was also possible!
But that required the candidate to have rendered great service, and Uchiha Jin had not done so either.
If it were one of his own people, such a matter would be easy enough to handle.
But Uchiha Jin? He was not one of them!
Sarutobi Hiruzen was truly afraid that if he forcibly promoted Jin to Jonin now, Uchiha Jin would go out onto the streets the next moment and proclaim that the Hokage had no Will of Fire.
So, alas!
After a helpless sigh, Sarutobi Hiruzen understood clearly.
If he wanted to kill the Uchiha Jin before him, he could only rely on brute strength and eliminate him directly. Trying to trap this fellow through the rules was far too difficult.
He could not understand it!
This guy was clearly an Uchiha, so why was he even more seasoned than Hiruzen himself when it came to Power Struggle?
In the end.
Sarutobi Hiruzen helplessly shook his head and set down his pipe. "What conditions do you have? State them directly."
"Konoha's Public Security must be restored immediately. There is no room for negotiation on that point. Otherwise, if Konoha is completely thrown into chaos, I doubt the other Shinobi Clans and the Commoners will spare your Uchiha."
"Of course, if you are prepared to tear all pretenses apart and begin a Civil War right now, then I, Sarutobi Hiruzen, will accompany you to the end!"
His words were incomparably domineering.
As Uchiha Jin looked at Sarutobi Hiruzen before him, his eyes flickered. For a moment, he seemed to see the Shinobi Hero of old.
However.
Just as he was about to speak, Fugaku anxiously cut in. "Jin-kun, stop making trouble!"
"Konoha's Public Security is not a bargaining chip. It is the responsibility of us Uchiha, and you must shoulder that responsibility."
Uchiha Jin's mouth twitched.
Looking at Fugaku before him, he truly wanted to slap him to death.
Couldn't he see that he and Sarutobi Hiruzen were negotiating?
Still, Jin took a deep breath and helplessly shrugged. "Fine, you do it!"
"You're the Clan Head, so you have the final say. I won't interfere anymore, all right?"
Fugaku was dumbfounded upon hearing that.
If I fucking had any authority, would I be letting you cause trouble and spout nonsense here?
Meanwhile.
Sarutobi Hiruzen looked at Fugaku, who had suddenly jumped in. Although he agreed wholeheartedly with Fugaku's foolish words, he also knew Fugaku had no say within the clan anymore.
So.
Bang!
Sarutobi Hiruzen slammed his hand on the table. "Fugaku, shut up!"
Fugaku: "..."
Seeing Sarutobi Hiruzen's furious expression, he instantly felt deeply wronged.
I'm on your side!
And yet.
Sarutobi Hiruzen could not be bothered with him and spoke directly to Uchiha Jin. "Jin, continue."
"State whatever demands you have. So long as I can fulfill them, for the sake of Konoha's Public Security, I can agree to all of them."
Uchiha Jin nodded.
Now this was the proper way to negotiate!
That fool Fugaku understood absolutely nothing and only knew how to cause trouble.
His mind began racing, and after a moment, his eyes suddenly lit up.
After coughing lightly, he slowly spoke.
"Hokage-sama!"
"Originally, as a mere Chunin, it truly would not be appropriate for me to involve myself in such an important matter."
"But since Hokage-sama thinks highly of me, then for Konoha's Will of Fire, I am willing to do my best to resolve this matter."
"However, the resentment within the Uchiha clan is immense right now!"
"If they are not given some benefits, I truly have the desire but lack the means. So I do need Hokage-sama's support."
Sarutobi Hiruzen's gaze turned obscure.
He regarded Uchiha Jin even more highly. Jin clearly wanted something for himself, yet he insisted on wrapping it in the guise of acting for the "Will of Fire."
That was indeed a skillful tactic!
But at that moment, he saw Fugaku preparing to speak again, and his head instantly began to ache.
Why was this Fugaku so stupid?
He hurriedly stopped Fugaku. "Fugaku, shut up. From this moment on, you are not allowed to say a word!"
Fugaku, who had been about to open his mouth and berate Uchiha Jin, was completely dumbfounded by Sarutobi Hiruzen's reprimand.
Meanwhile.
Sarutobi Hiruzen ignored him and asked with utmost seriousness, "What do you want?"
"It's not what I want. It's what the clan members need!" Uchiha Jin retorted.
Sarutobi Hiruzen had a headache. "Fine, then what do the Uchiha clan members need?"
"Our original Clan Compound!" Uchiha Jin did not waste words. "The area to the left of the Hokage Building."
"The Uchiha Compound from before the Nine-Tails incident. If Hokage-sama is willing to return the Clan Compound, then I am confident I can resolve this matter completely."
Before you continue