Uchiha Jin was quite straightforward.
Although he had already taken actual control of the entire Uchiha, why had he still shown no interest in seizing the Clan Head's authority?
He had even...
Last time, when Sarutobi Hiruzen proposed making him Police Chief, Uchiha Jin had ruthlessly refused on the spot.
As he had said before, authority and responsibility went hand in hand!
As long as Uchiha Jin did not take on those positions, he was merely an ordinary Chunin. None of this crap would fall on his head. If there was a problem, they could go find Fugaku, the designated scapegoat.
As for whether Fugaku could solve it, what did that have to do with him?
Of course.
Was Fugaku willing to take the blame?
Heh heh!
At that moment, Fugaku's face was indeed livid, and his whole body trembled with rage. Yet after a moment, he still swallowed his grievance and offered no rebuttal.
He had no choice!
With a troublesome child like Itachi at home, given the ruthlessness Uchiha Jin had displayed, Fugaku did not dare fall out with him lightly, if only to leave his family a way out.
So he endured it.
He had gotten used to it after all these years!
He could endure the Konoha Higher-ups before, so he could endure Uchiha Jin too.
Having understood that, Fugaku's expression gradually returned to calm.
He now resembled a clay statue, standing there silently without moving. Even under Sarutobi Hiruzen's strange gaze, he merely coughed once and pretended not to notice.
Sarutobi Hiruzen: "..."
His mind went blank, and he was utterly dumbfounded.
Fuck!
So this was how they were going to play it?
He was so angry he laughed, then gritted his teeth and said, "In that case, Fugaku, you tell me. How should this matter be resolved?"
"Ah! Me?" Fugaku looked utterly bewildered.
How was it supposed to be resolved?
I'm just a commander without troops. How the fuck would I know how to resolve it?
He instinctively looked at Uchiha Jin, since this was the one who actually held power.
And in response.
Uchiha Jin rolled his eyes. "Clan Head Fugaku, why are you looking at me?"
"Since Hokage-sama asked you to resolve it, then as the Police Chief, naturally you cannot shirk your responsibility!"
Fugaku coughed. "Well—I'll try?"
Sarutobi Hiruzen rolled his eyes. Try my ass!
Did anyone in the Uchiha even listen to you?
But alas!
Uchiha Jin could afford to play around, but he did not have the time for it. Furious, Sarutobi Hiruzen slammed his hand on the table.
"Uchiha Jin, that's enough!"
"Stop playing dumb with me. Since you chose to fight me within the rules, then you must abide by the village's rules!"
"The village's Shinobi Clans are not blind. The village has already kept its promise. If you choose to break the agreement now, I hope you can bear the consequences!"
Sarutobi Hiruzen's face was filled with malice.
Since he had already torn off all pretenses with Uchiha Jin, and since Fugaku was useless anyway, he naturally could not be bothered to conceal his true face.
He was truly anxious!
If it had been anything else, he would never have said it aloud. He would have preferred for Uchiha Jin to break the agreement.
Except for the Konoha Military Police Force. That was absolutely impossible!
It was the foundation for maintaining the hostility between the Uchiha and the village. And after serving as Hokage for decades, he understood even more clearly that ordinary villagers were the most forgetful, the easiest to manipulate, and the easiest to buy off with honor.
The Konoha Military Police Force might be dragging its feet now, but damn it, it had sound reasons for doing so. The villagers truly had no grounds to cause trouble for them!
If the Uchiha were allowed to muddle along for a while longer, their bad reputation would disappear. At worst, they would earn a new label of "useless." Meanwhile, once the villagers failed to resolve their problems, they would likely begin to resent him, the Hokage.
So no!
Everything else was negotiable, but this matter concerning the Konoha Military Police Force was different. Even if he had to force them, he had to restore it to how it used to be.
Fugaku: "..."
Seeing Sarutobi Hiruzen like this, Fugaku froze where he stood.
What the hell?
How had Sarutobi Hiruzen become like this?
Was this still the kind and gentle old man from his memories, merely somewhat conflicted?
Meanwhile.
Unlike the utterly baffled Fugaku, Uchiha Jin's expression did not change, though his tone became more serious.
"Oh, interesting!"
"Since Hokage-sama wants to discuss it like this, then I agree to let the Konoha Military Police Force reopen?"
"Did I accomplish that?"
"Breaking the agreement? How could that be said?"
Uchiha Jin was quite straightforward.
At first, Sarutobi Hiruzen had wanted to speak in official platitudes, so he had been willing to kick the ball around with him for a while.
But now that Sarutobi Hiruzen had set aside his identity as Hokage and chosen to speak as the head of a faction, Uchiha Jin likewise discarded the guise of a Chunin and directly put on the mantle of the Uchiha's leader.
Sarutobi Hiruzen slammed the table. "Uchiha Jin, don't go too far!"
"I agreed to give you the Uchiha Ancestral Land in exchange for the village's peace and stability."
And in response.
Uchiha Jin looked utterly disdainful.
"I'm sorry, but you didn't make that clear."
"What you exchanged was for the Uchiha to return to work and for the Konoha Military Police Force to resume operations."
"Those were your exact words!"
Sarutobi Hiruzen's gaze darkened. After taking a deep drag from his pipe, he said, "Quibbling over wording is meaningless. What you said will not convince anyone else."
"Sarutobi Hiruzen, you're wrong again." Uchiha Jin shook his head. "Actually, it can convince them."
"Given the excessive complaints villagers made against the Konoha Military Police Force in the past, we have decided to thoroughly reform ourselves. From now on, we will follow the principles of having laws to rely on, enforcing laws where they exist, applying the law strictly, and prosecuting every violation."
"To avoid wrongful convictions as much as possible and improve the happiness of Konoha Villagers, the Uchiha have decided that everything will be based on evidence from now on. Every case will strictly follow proper procedure!"
"Everything is for Konoha!"
At that moment, Uchiha Jin looked utterly righteous.
What a joke!
Did Sarutobi Hiruzen really think only the Konoha Higher-ups could play the Will of Fire card? Having gone through nine years of compulsory education, Uchiha Jin was no worse than Sarutobi Hiruzen at this sort of thing.
Sarutobi Hiruzen was instantly dumbfounded.
He stared at Uchiha Jin before him in shock, his mind completely crashing. Though he desperately tried to make his brain work at full speed, he could not find a single argument to refute him.
Meanwhile.
Fugaku was even more stunned, his mind already overloaded.
They could play it like this?
When he had led the Uchiha before, he had never thought of any of this.
Likewise.
His understanding of Sarutobi Hiruzen deepened further!
So Uchiha Jin had been right. Sarutobi Hiruzen's usual kindness was fake, almost entirely an act for outsiders to see, yet he alone had foolishly believed it.
Had Uchiha Jin not risen to prominence, then under his leadership, the Uchiha might truly have become endangered in the future.
After a long while.
Sarutobi Hiruzen took a deep breath. "Uchiha Jin, what exactly do you want?"
"Of course, I want to contribute to Konoha!" Uchiha Jin answered without hesitation. "Wherever leaves dance in Konoha, the fire burns on."
"Hokage-sama, don't be too moved. Everything is for Konoha."
"Farewell!"
Before you continue