Don't Force It!

A madman!

This guy is simply a madman!

If Sarutobi Hiruzen had previously harbored a shred of doubt regarding the "Jade Shatter" nature of Uchiha Jin, he was now thoroughly convinced that this was an irredeemable lunatic.

What possible benefit could this bring to the Uchiha?

Danzo's backside was certainly far from clean, but the Uchiha's own laundry list of sins was hardly any better.

Did he really think there was a single bumpkin in Konoha who didn't know about the Uchiha's wolfish ambitions? It was just that everyone was held back by a lack of definitive evidence and the insufficient preparation required to sanction one of Konoha's founding noble clans.

Therefore, even though everyone in Konoha was well aware of the underhanded dealings, no one dared to truly tear away that final fig leaf.

What if, in the end, someone were to say that the Uchiha were forced into rebellion?

Or what if the enraged Uchiha made them the primary targets for a focused strike?

Who the hell would be held responsible for that!

But even if Uchiha Jin was crazy, why did he have to drag them into the mud with him?

A normal person should be thinking about how to find an opportunity to scrub themselves clean, not trying to pull down Danzo's dirty underwear first.

What kind of nonsense was this!

The more critical point was that Sarutobi Hiruzen firmly believed that if he really did pull down Danzo's pants—bah, that is, probe his memories—the final result would be far more explosive and stimulating than any Uchiha rebellion.

Wood Release experiments, the death of White Fang, Orochimaru's defection...

The dozen or so incidents recorded in Sarutobi Hiruzen's little notebook were enough to have Danzo killed a hundred times over, not to mention the fact that Danzo was the type of idiot who always liked to keep an ace up his sleeve; heaven knows what other traps were waiting for him.

Most importantly!

Danzo knew that he, Sarutobi Hiruzen, knew!

What the hell!

Even with Sarutobi Hiruzen's years of composure, he was completely unable to hold it together. He moved quietly to Danzo's side and delivered a kick to his kneeling "good friend."

You useless, bumbling dog!

Sarutobi Hiruzen cursed inwardly, feeling that his years of meditation had gone to waste. Why was he surrounded by madmen who didn't follow the rules of the game?

Damn it (no need to hide it anymore)!

"U... Uchiha, you... you calm down. The village... the village naturally trusts the Uchiha! There's no need for any memory probing..."

Who the hell wanted to probe memories? Do whatever you want, who wants to die with you!

Sarutobi Hiruzen was feeling incredibly manic inside, but his trembling facial muscles still managed to maintain that final shred of a smile.

But clearly.

The smile on Sarutobi Hiruzen's face was even uglier than crying; he looked like an old man having a seizure, possessing a twisted, grotesque quality.

"The village absolutely trusts the Uchiha!"

"Oh, are you sure?"

Feeling the goodwill that Sarutobi Hiruzen was forcibly squeezing out, the anger on Uchiha Jin's face gradually faded, replaced once again by that playful, mocking smile.

"Of course, the Uchiha will always be an inseparable part of the village!"

Sarutobi Hiruzen said this with ironclad certainty, the prestige of the "strongest Hokage" once again radiating with dominance, as if he had always viewed the Uchiha in this light.

Heh.

Uchiha Jin chuckled, then added another teasing remark.

"Wouldn't that be a bit of a stretch? My Uchiha have always believed in convincing people with virtue, and Clan Head Uchiha Fugaku is even more righteous—to prove his innocence, he wouldn't even hesitate to... to make his memories public!"

(Uchiha Fugaku: Achoo!)

Damn it!

Sarutobi Hiruzen felt like he was about to grind his teeth to dust, but this was the only path left before him.

Uchiha Jin's true goal wasn't to clear the Uchiha of suspicion at all; rather, he wanted to drag them all down into the water with him.

Yet, this righteous "political correctness" hit Sarutobi Hiruzen exactly where he was most vulnerable, forcing him to avoid the brunt of the attack since he wasn't fully prepared to deal with it.

There was no choice!

At this moment, Sarutobi Hiruzen had to consider not just himself, but the Sarutobi Clan and the entire Konoha Village.

Admittedly!

Sarutobi Hiruzen knew he could perfectly mobilize his direct Anbu and the elites of the Sarutobi Clan, and with his years of authority as Hokage, he could also mobilize a portion of the village's elites.

But that was far from enough...

One had to realize that while these combined forces were enough to suppress the Uchiha, they were nowhere near the level of the Uchiha's previous crushing of the Root ninjas.

If it truly came to a decisive battle!

Setting other things aside, the elites of the Sarutobi Clan would almost certainly be wiped out, and Konoha's overall strength would be further weakened, inviting covetous eyes from the other four great ninja villages.

And if he committed such a foolish act, he, Sarutobi Hiruzen, would become the biggest joke in the entire ninja world from this day forward, forever nailed to the pillar of shame in ninja history.

The barefoot are not afraid of those who wear shoes?

Sarutobi Hiruzen truly could not comprehend Uchiha Jin's train of thought, yet at this moment, he had no other choice.

"Not forced... not forced at all. The Nine-Tails Rebellion certainly has nothing to do with the Uchiha Clan. From this day forward, whoever brings this matter up again is disrupting the harmony and stability of my Konoha, and all the ninja clans of Konoha shall strike them down together!"

As these words escaped his lips, the entire street of Konoha fell into an eerie, deathly silence, with only the sound of Sarutobi Hiruzen's slightly resentful breathing echoing quietly.

So, there really were things that didn't follow the logic of politics—things that couldn't be bought, intimidated, reasoned with, or negotiated with...

Some people just wanted to watch the world burn!

Sarutobi Hiruzen keenly sensed the flames within Uchiha Jin's eyes, as if he intended to burn this entire world to ashes.

However...

Sometimes, rules do not uphold justice; instead, they become shackles.

And Sarutobi Hiruzen now realized with horror that he was deeply trapped within the very shackles he had woven himself, utterly powerless against Uchiha Jin, who was currently trampling over the rules without a shred of restraint.

"Tch."

Uchiha Jin shook his head with a touch of helplessness. While he felt a sliver of disdain for Sarutobi Hiruzen's decisiveness, he also felt a sense of dull boredom.

Indeed!

Time makes things clearer than eyes ever could.

In his past life, when he first watched the Hokage anime, he had once been moved by the heroic sacrifice of the Third Hokage.

Yet, looking back now, he suddenly realized that it was all just a product of his own innate, twisted sense of humor.

The libertine dies for fidelity, the conspirator dies for loyalty, the thief dies for devotion, the selfish man dies for sacrifice, the sunflower dies before the dawn, and the weed... dies in the wind that no one cares about.

As for what lay deep within Sarutobi Hiruzen's heart, it did not matter; his actions over the years had long since defined everything.

It was precisely for this reason that the way he had fought to the death against Orochimaru for the sake of the village struck Uchiha Jin as both exceptionally ironic and amusing.

As for now?

One's position determines one's perspective!

Since he had already secured a sufficient advantage, the next step was naturally to beat the dog while it was down!

"Since the Third Hokage acknowledges that my Uchiha Clan has nothing to do with the Nine-Tails Rebellion, then how should we deal with that fellow, Shimura Danzo!"

Damn it!

Sarutobi Hiruzen knew Uchiha Jin would pull something like this, but at this moment, there was no way to avoid it.

"He is still just a child..."