Repercussions!

"For the Uchiha!"

"For the Will of Fire!"

"For the Will of Fire... For the Will of Fire..."

The passionate, thunderous roar echoed throughout the entire Uchiha compound, startling the Root members stationed outside. They hurriedly signaled the village to be on high alert and began their pre-battle preparations.

However, after waiting for a long time without seeing any Uchiha coming out to launch a coup, the terrified Root lackeys finally calmed down and resumed their surveillance duties.

Not far from these Root operatives, countless invisible Kikaichu circled the barrier of the Uchiha compound. Once they confirmed that war had not broken out, they, too, settled down.

Meanwhile.

The various ninja clans within Konoha, who had been closely monitoring the situation, felt as if they had just ridden a rollercoaster. Their hearts were a complex mix of emotions, leaving them unable to tell if they felt relief or regret.

"Sarutobi, you will regret this!"

Deep within the Root base in the northwest corner of the village, Shimura Danzo wore a grim expression. He stared coldly at the two Anbu ninjas before him, a sneer forming in his heart.

At the northernmost point of Konoha, atop the Hokage Building—which looked much like a steamed bun—a figure resembling a monkey gazed toward the southwest with a complex look in his eyes.

"The Will of Fire, is it..."

The upheaval within the Uchiha Clan was like a massive boulder, splashing ripples through the stagnant waters of Konoha.

Yet, none of this affected those currently within the Uchiha compound's barrier, especially Uchiha Shisui and Uchiha Itachi, who were caught in the midst of the roaring crowd.

"How could it be like this!"

At the front of the Jonin ranks, Uchiha Shisui's face was deathly pale. His heart, already torn between his family and the village, was pounding uncontrollably.

Previously, although he could feel the pressure the village leadership exerted on his clan, he had always believed it was a helpless measure taken by the Third Hokage to maintain peace—a manifestation of the noble Will of Fire.

But now...

Uchiha Jin's words were not the usual sophistry or the nonsensical claim that the Uchiha's will was the Will of Fire.

Starting from the origin and vision of the village, he had not only ignited the clansmen's recognition of the Will of Fire but had also stripped away the magnificent facade of Sarutobi Hiruzen from the very root.

Sending children under ten to the battlefield was in no way consistent with the Will of Fire. And for the Hokage to implicitly support the oppression of the Uchiha Clan—could this truly be in line with the Will of Fire?

On the stage, Uchiha Itachi was also in a trance. However, having been able to think with the mindset of a Hokage since the age of seven, he was not easily swayed. Instead, he understood even more deeply that the conflict between the village and his clan was irreconcilable.

"Shisui-san!"

"We must trust the Hokage..."

Although Uchiha Itachi did not say the latter part aloud, his soft call and the fierce, determined gaze in his eyes caused Uchiha Shisui to finally snap out of it. He stared with an incredibly complex expression at the spirited, handsome figure on the stage.

Tsk...

As expected, Talk no Jutsu isn't that easy to pull off!

Trying to change someone's perspective just by talking—that kind of absurd thing is something only a hot-blooded protagonist in an anime could do...

The interaction between Shisui and Itachi naturally fell into Uchiha Jin's eyes. While he felt a hint of disappointment, he wasn't surprised.

Shisui was a lost cause anyway; he was so weak that even after being ambushed and having his eyes gouged out, he didn't want to fight to the death, only thinking of ending his own life. Even shaking his resolve wouldn't change anything.

At his core, this guy was already broken!

As for Uchiha Itachi!

In Uchiha Jin's memory, this was a cold-blooded monster who would go as far as slaughtering his entire clan for the sake of his younger brother and the village!

One had to realize that not everyone in the Uchiha Clan was a radical wanting a coup. Some ninjas couldn't even awaken their Sharingan in their entire lives; theoretically, they posed no threat to the village at all.

Most importantly, there were many elderly people and children in the clan. These ordinary people couldn't even awaken the Sharingan, let alone be considered ninjas.

Yet, regardless of age or gender—whether it was a seventy-year-old man or a toddler just learning to speak—he had slaughtered them all, leaving not a single soul behind.

Even Uchiha Jin, who could profit immensely from such a thing, hadn't considered it, yet Uchiha Itachi had done it without gaining a single thing for himself...

What a psychopath!!!

At this moment, Uchiha Jin's resolve to eliminate Itachi and Shisui as soon as possible grew even firmer. After all, he had long since viewed the Uchiha Clan as his own private property.

Whoever dared to touch his "leeks," he would take their life!

"For the rise of the Uchiha Clan, for the Will of Fire to shine upon Konoha!"

Uchiha Jin sneered in his heart, then continued to unleash his Talk no Jutsu upon the gathered Uchiha.

Having been baptized by nine years of compulsory education, even if Uchiha Jin's "dragon-slaying techniques" couldn't tame those lunatics, bullying these simple-minded Uchiha was a piece of cake.

My ability to twist logic is top-tier!

"For the rise of the Uchiha Clan, for the Will of Fire to shine upon Konoha!"

"For the rise of the Uchiha Clan, for the Will of Fire to shine upon Konoha!"

"For the rise of the Uchiha Clan, for the Will of Fire to shine upon Konoha!"

The thunderous roar erupted from the crowd once more. Uchiha Jin's smile grew even brighter. Finally, under Uchiha Fugaku's complex gaze, Jin raised his hand to signal for everyone to calm down.

"Itachi, what comes next isn't suitable for children. Go wait on the side!"

Jin cast a playful glance at Uchiha Itachi, not waiting for the cold little fellow to retort before kicking him toward the direction of the main podium.

Hmph!

To Jin, Uchiha Itachi, who had yet to awaken his Mangekyo, was nothing more than a "little brother" at this moment; even with his immense talent and aptitude, there was no possibility of him putting up any resistance.

Hmph!

Uchiha Fugaku let out a cold snort and raised his hand to catch the flying Uchiha Itachi. However, his previous anger had vanished; he passed Itachi behind him and paid no further mind to his eldest son, who was currently rubbing his backside in secret.

The speech Uchiha Jin had just delivered had stirred the heart of Fugaku, the head of the Uchiha Clan, but what he cared about more now was the method Jin had mentioned to improve the clan's overall strength. By comparison, letting a child suffer a minor grievance was of little consequence.

"Very good!"

Uchiha Jin nodded toward the podium with satisfaction, then swept his gaze across the crowd below once more. An inexplicable killing intent welled up slightly in his heart, though this fleeting flash of malice went unnoticed by Uchiha Shisui, who stood at the very front of the ranks in a state of agitation.

"The glory of the Uchiha is forged in blood and fire. Therefore, I now announce the World's Number One Ninja Tournament!"

"Now! It officially begins!"