Fugaku's gaze darkened, and his whole body trembled slightly.
However, he had better self-control. Even upon seeing this scene, his face remained calm.
Yet inwardly, he was so furious he nearly went mad. That damned Uchiha Jin had not only brought the Radical Faction under his control in such a short time, but had now even won over the Moderate Faction and the Middle Faction.
The dignified Uchiha Clan Head had actually become a commander without an army?
What a—humiliation beyond measure!
Shisui did not have such good self-control. The moment they met, he could not help saying, "Yashiro-sama, Amano Elder, even you two..."
"Shisui, give it up." Uchiha Tenno immediately cut him off. "This is our choice!"
"We gave Fugaku many chances, but any clear-eyed person can see what a mess the Uchiha have become under his leadership."
"Even when we acted like the village's dogs, the Uchiha kept yielding. What did we get in the end?"
"Ever-increasing demands!"
"Our concessions did not earn the village's goodwill. Instead, they brought endless escalation. The Anbu and Root even monitored our clan grounds before..."
"The fact that the Uchiha can breathe a little easier now is entirely thanks to Uchiha Jin!"
"Perhaps your and Fugaku's restraint was right, but we have not seen any results from it. Jin's methods, on the other hand, have shown us results."
Uchiha Tenno gave neither of them any face.
Shisui fell silent, unable to refute him.
He wanted to persuade everyone to be patient and trust that the village and the Hokage would resolve the matter, but his words were clearly far less convincing than Jin's actions.
What should he do?
As Shisui wrestled with his frustration, Fugaku stepped forward. "Shisui, there's no point."
"Clan Head, I..." Shisui stared at him in shock.
Fugaku ignored him and looked directly at Uchiha Jin. "Your actions will drive the Uchiha into a dead end. I suggest you give up on reclaiming the Uchiha Ancestral Land. Such radical actions will only make the Uchiha a target for all."
In an instant, the atmosphere fell deathly silent with Fugaku's words.
Uchiha Jin shook his head. "Absolutely not!"
He offered no explanation and showed no hesitation.
There was no point explaining anything to people like Fugaku and Shisui. No matter how much he said, it would only be a waste of time.
"Are you going to lead the Uchiha into ruin?" Fugaku demanded furiously.
Uchiha Jin looked at him with contempt. "How you see it is your freedom. But let me tell you this: even if I lead the Uchiha to their deaths, the Uchiha in this clan will still be willing to die alongside me!"
Fugaku fell silent.
There was no fucking way to continue this conversation!
Uchiha Jin could not even be bothered to explain, leaving him with no idea how to respond.
Of course, he understood as well.
Uchiha Jin simply did not trust him. He might even look down on him. Jin surely had plans of his own, but could not be bothered to explain them to Fugaku.
He instinctively looked around and discovered that even after Jin said he would drag the Uchiha to their deaths, the elders of every faction present remained unmoved.
In that instant, he understood.
Uchiha Jin had already convinced these people. Even if he told them to die, these people would likely not hesitate.
What should he do?
His mind raced wildly before he finally spoke through gnashing teeth. "Uchiha Jin, do you think I have no other options?"
"Your Mangekyo?" Uchiha Jin was still disdainful. "Sorry, I don't care!"
"You and Shisui can join forces and wipe out the Uchiha directly."
"But let me tell you this: although you have two pairs of Mangekyo, I, Uchiha Jin, am not made of clay."
"If you want to destroy the Uchiha, I will not save a single Uchiha."
"But likewise!"
"I will kill your wife Mikoto and your son Itachi first, including the child in Mikoto's womb!"
"Then I will make the four clans of Sarutobi, Utatane, Mitokado, and Shimura accompany the Uchiha in death. I know one pair of Mangekyo cannot stand against the entire village working together, but I also do not care about the dignity of the strong."
"As long as the strong come after me, I will hide and run, then find chances to kill Konoha's weak!"
"Fugaku, Shisui, I'm warning you!"
"If either of you dares to target the Uchiha for the sake of the village, then I will make all of Konoha accompany the Uchiha in death!"
"Once I cripple Konoha, I refuse to believe the other ninja villages will not be tempted, or that they can resist launching a war against Konoha!"
"I have only one bottom line!"
"If you follow the rules, if you can persuade Konoha not to target the Uchiha, or persuade the Uchiha to follow you, then I, Uchiha Jin, will play with you within the rules."
"But if you want to flip the table and use force to suppress my Uchiha?"
"Then everyone dies together. Konoha will have no reason to exist either!"
Every word struck like a hammer.
He knew very well that with only one pair of Mangekyo, he was absolutely no match for the village's countless powerful figures, let alone Fugaku and Shisui's Mangekyo, along with the Blackened Obito Hidden in the dark.
Therefore, he made it clear that the Uchiha could not restrain him. If the table was truly flipped, he would not care whether the Uchiha lived or died.
He would become a Shinigami in the darkness. If the strong pursued him, he would run. When Konoha lowered its guard, he would kill Konoha's weak, putting the spirit of guerrilla warfare to use among ninja.
After all, if a Mangekyo Uchiha simply wanted to flee, no one could ever surround and kill him.
"Fugaku, you have a Mangekyo?"
Uchiha Tenno rose to his feet and could not help asking.
Everyone else stood as well.
They stared at Fugaku in shock and confusion.
Fugaku himself looked utterly bewildered. "Uchiha Jin, how did you know?"
"Hmph, don't worry about that!" Uchiha Jin said directly. "There is no secret in this world that can be hidden from me."
"If it were not for traitors like you, Fugaku, and Shisui within the clan, do you think I would act so cautiously?"
"And you, Shisui!"
"I know your Mangekyo is Kotoamatsukami, capable of forcibly altering anyone's thoughts and will."
"Although I also have a Mangekyo, I do not know whether I can withstand Kotoamatsukami."
"So listen carefully!"
"If one day you discover that my thoughts have been altered and I begin acting completely differently from before, do not hesitate. Attack the four clans of Sarutobi and the others directly."
"Do not fight Konoha's Higher-ups. The Uchiha do not have enough strong fighters, so kill their clan members instead!"
"Even if the Uchiha are completely destroyed, drag Konoha into war and give the other ninja villages an opportunity to launch one."
"There is only one core principle: if the Uchiha are destroyed, then Konoha must be destroyed as well!"
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