Sarutobi Hiruzen silently picked up the pipe that had fallen to the floor, but his fingers trembled uncontrollably. He had thought he'd already overestimated Jin, but reality showed him that what he'd seen was only the tip of the iceberg. The child he'd watched grow up had become a terrifying being he couldn't even begin to understand, someone he could only look up to.
Yet the source of all this terror, the boy named Uchiha Jin, acted as if he'd done something utterly trivial. He leisurely finished the last bite of his apple, tossed the core into the trash, then clapped his hands and surveyed the group of Shadows who had been scared witless—the ones who'd once stood high above everyone else.
"Much quieter now."
His voice was soft, but it struck every soul in the room like a heavy hammer.
"It seems you've greatly misunderstood my way of doing things." Jin's lips curved into a playful smile. "I'm not discussing this with you, nor am I asking for your opinions. I'm... informing you."
He walked to the center of the office, his gaze passing over Ōnoki and Rasa before settling on the unconscious Raikage slumped against the wall.
"The era of the Five Kage standing side by side is outdated and inefficient. The endless infighting, suspicion, and conflict between villages have wasted far too many resources and lives. Starting today, all of that ends."
He spread his arms and declared, in a voice like a divine decree, each word deliberate:
"I hereby announce the establishment of a new organization that stands above all the shinobi villages. Its name is the Divine Court!"
The Divine Court?!
The two words seemed to hold some kind of magic, making Ōnoki's and Rasa's hearts clench!
What an audacious claim! What an arrogant name!