Everyone present looked bewildered.
They had all been stunned by those righteous-sounding words. Was that really something Uchiha Jin, the Radical Faction's leader, could say?
Forget the Moderate Faction and the Middle Faction—even the Radical Faction members themselves were dumbfounded.
Only one person was holding it in with great difficulty.
Fugaku!
He had actually been mentally prepared for this, since the timing of everything had indeed been a little too coincidental.
But since he had dared to convene this Clan Meeting, he had naturally already thought of a solution. That was also the source of his confidence in this move.
But damn it.
What he had not expected was that before he could even speak, Jin's seemingly generous remark would leave him thoroughly choked.
How the hell was he supposed to handle this?
Jin did not care and was even willing to give him the credit. If Fugaku kept insisting on explaining himself, would that not make him seem far too petty?
But he could not just leave it unexplained either!
Would that not prove that, as Clan Head, he had poor character and had forcibly claimed credit for a clansman's achievements?
In an instant,
Fugaku was left hanging in midair. There was nothing he could do about it.
The Konoha Higher-ups might have publicized it as Fugaku's achievement, but the problem was that not only the Uchiha internally, even many perceptive people in Konoha could more or less guess the truth.
It was precisely because he had considered this that Fugaku was instantly put in an awkward position.
His original plan had been for Uchiha Jin to seize the credit, while Fugaku would magnanimously declare that he did not care about such things. By refusing to claim the credit himself, he could instead win the favor of a large number of clansmen.
That way, he could not only force Uchiha Jin to suffer in silence, but perhaps even take the opportunity to win over some Radical Faction members.
But unexpectedly,
Uchiha Jin, this young man, had no sense of fair play. Were those words really something a Radical Faction member should say?
"Uchiha Jin, what nonsense are you talking about?"
"This matter was Clan Head Fugaku's achievement to begin with. Do you need to pretend to generously hand it over?"
Shisui could not endure it and directly shouted in rebuke.
And yet,
Uchiha Jin did not even raise his eyelids. He simply shrugged and spoke calmly. "Whatever you say. How would I dare steal credit from the Clan Head?"
"You..." Shisui's scalp went numb.
At that moment, he was completely stunned, and he faintly sensed danger.
And indeed, that was the case!
Following Uchiha Jin's words, the entire shrine instantly erupted into an uproar.
Fugaku's face turned ashen, and he could not help but sigh.
He knew Shisui might be quite strong, but when it came to power struggles, he was far inferior to Uchiha Jin.
Of course,
even Fugaku himself did not know how to speak. Refuting him would make it seem like he, the Clan Head, lacked generosity; agreeing would completely mean admitting defeat, dealing an even more severe blow to his authority as Clan Head.
So what was he supposed to do?
His mind began racing wildly, and his head throbbed terribly. Uchiha Jin was simply too difficult to deal with.
Why had he never noticed before?
His gaze toward Uchiha Jin deepened, but then he suddenly sensed that something was wrong.
There seemed to be far fewer Radical Faction members!
The moment he realized this, a chill ran down his spine. He immediately could not help asking, "Uchiha Jin, where are the other Radical Faction members?"
"Why did they not attend the Clan Meeting? What exactly are you plotting now?"
Huh?!
With his words, everyone looked confused.
They subconsciously glanced toward the Radical Faction's seats. Seeing Moyang's area completely empty, they finally realized what was going on.
Right! Where were they?
Everyone looked at Uchiha Jin in confusion. After all, the Clan Meeting was a major matter for the Uchiha, and anyone qualified to attend would generally never be absent.
At that moment,
no matter how slow they were, they realized something was wrong.
And yet,
the Radical Faction members exchanged glances, mocking smiles appearing on their lips.
Jin remained calm, then slowly rose to his feet.
"As expected of the Clan Head. You actually caught on."
"But the time should be about right by now, so there is no need to waste any more time."
"For the sake of us all being clansmen, I do not mind giving everyone a reminder."
"Sarutobi Hiruzen did not withdraw Root and the Anbu because he went softhearted. It was because I nearly killed Danzo!"
"That bastard Danzo has transplanted an entire arm of Sharingan. He can even use Senju Hashirama's Wood Release, and most importantly, he has mastered the Uchiha forbidden technique—Izanagi!"
"Clan Head Fugaku, be a little more alert!"
"You actually allowed even Uchiha forbidden techniques to be lost, along with so many Sharingan. Especially the right eye beneath Danzo's bandages—it was a Mangekyō Sharingan."
"If my guess is correct, it was probably Kagami Uchiha's."
"After all, only a few Uchiha could awaken the Mangekyō Sharingan, and Kagami Uchiha was the only one whose death was truly unclear."
"Konoha has suffered such a huge loss at my hands this time. The Konoha Higher-ups will definitely retaliate in secret next."
"So instead of holding a banquet to celebrate, you should tighten internal patrols and vigilance. Otherwise, do not blame me for failing to warn you when even more people die."
"I'm leaving."
After saying that,
Uchiha Jin could not be bothered to say another word. He turned and left directly, while the Radical Faction members naturally followed him.
Explain?
He could not be bothered!
As the Leader of the Radical Faction, he was no longer the insignificant nobody he used to be. This so-called Clan Head could not suppress him at all.
Instead,
as he chose to leave, he did not forget to add to Fugaku's troubles.
During Fugaku's rule over the Uchiha, clansmen had bled and died on the battlefield, only to return without even being commemorated on the Memorial Stone.
So many had sacrificed, yet they had received nothing in return!
Not only had the Uchiha's reputation worsened and worsened, but now they had even lost their ancestral grounds. They were now rejected by all of Konoha, with Root and the Anbu beginning to monitor them.
Uchiha Jin had barely managed to turn the situation around, and Fugaku still had the nerve to seize the credit?
So what now?
Clansmen were disappearing every day, while Danzo had an arm full of Sharingan and could even use Uchiha forbidden techniques.
Fugaku alone had to bear this blame!
And in fact,
it was much as Uchiha Jin had expected. The Radical Faction had barely left when the shrine erupted into chaos.
Danzo had an arm full of Sharingan? His right eye was even Kagami Uchiha's Mangekyō Sharingan?
He could even use the Uchiha forbidden technique—Izanagi?
This information completely blew up the Uchiha. Even the Moderate Faction and the Middle Faction could not tolerate it.
"Enough, silence!"
"This is only Uchiha Jin's side of the story. Do not believe it so easily!"
"I promise I will give everyone an explanation for this matter, but I hope you can give me some time."
"That is all. The meeting is adjourned."
Fugaku had a terrible headache, but he could only explain helplessly.
Of course,
given his indecisive personality, he obviously could not explain anything clearly. In the end, he could only resort to his ultimate move—brushing it off!
It had to be said that the Uchiha were easy to placate.
Although everyone was furious over what had happened, Fugaku still managed to brush them off in the end.
This was perfectly normal!
In the original story, even when the Night of the Uchiha Clan Massacre was approaching and the Radical Faction was preparing an armed rebellion, had Fugaku not still managed to brush them off?
Before you continue