Prepare to Burn!

A bloody case sparked by a barbecue!

Recalling the headline he had already prepared for the Konoha Daily, Uchiha Jin, currently sitting inside the Akimichi Barbecue House, couldn't help but reveal a satisfied smile.

That's right!

Although Uchiha Jin had never utilized the lethal weapon of public opinion, that didn't mean he, a man schooled in the art of dragon-slaying, was unprepared.

In this day and age, still relying on spreading rumors to manipulate public opinion? Such crude methods were truly beneath Uchiha Jin's contempt.

What Uchiha Jin found most contemptible was that Danzo actually found such petty tactics remarkably effective.

It really made one wonder whether to marvel at Danzo's luck or lament the fragility of those who sacrificed their lives for such things.

If he were to focus solely on this, and if Uchiha Jin truly intended to stir up trouble, the Police Force's authority in Konoha would be more than enough to hang the so-called Konoha F4 out to dry in the court of public opinion.

However, while the level of technology in this world was somewhat bizarre, it was, at its core, a place where strength reigned supreme.

Public opinion was only good for bullying simple-minded people like White Fang; Uchiha Jin didn't believe for a second that Sarutobi Hiruzen lacked the thick-skinned audacity to swallow his pride.

As for Danzo?

That guy would probably lick his own face clean... Ugh.

Just the thought of such a disgusting scene appearing in his mind made Uchiha Jin shudder.

Still, while public opinion might not be a decisive weapon, it was more than enough to disgust those old schemers like Sarutobi Hiruzen, and it served as a way to amplify the day's victory.

Thinking of Sarutobi Hiruzen's face—unable to speak his mind and forced to retreat in humiliation for the sake of the so-called "Will of Fire"—really eased the pent-up frustration Uchiha Jin had felt for the past two years.

People are strange; sometimes, if you pretend long enough, you end up deceiving even yourself.

A person is truly defined by their actions, and while everything Sarutobi Hiruzen had done in the past couldn't be called unforgivable, his face as a conspiratorial politician had become quite set in stone.

Yet, the more a person is like that, the more they self-aggrandize, wrapping themselves in flowery rhetoric until they eventually forget all the darkness in their past.

Even when faced with dark choices again, they use that same layer of flowery rhetoric to package themselves; this is one of the most low-level yet practical techniques in the art of dragon-slaying.

Originally, this wouldn't be considered a weakness—in fact, for a ninja world lacking political sensitivity, it could be called an unparalleled masterpiece.

But Uchiha Jin knew clearly that once a person wears a mask for too long, it isn't so easy to take it off, even if they want to.

This mask of the "Will of Fire" certainly provided Sarutobi Hiruzen with enough convenience, but it had also become a shackle that bound his code of conduct.

That was why Uchiha Jin could act with such reckless abandon, while Sarutobi Hiruzen, who held the real power in Konoha and possessed the strength of a peak Kage, could only silently endure the insults and mockery.

"Waiter!"

Uchiha Jin's smiling gaze swept over the smug Uchiha jonin and the Akimichi clan ninjas, who were currently standing stiffly, forced to act as temporary servers.

Yes!

The Akimichi Barbecue House was looking particularly familiar right now. Aside from Akimichi Choza, who sat at the register occasionally stuffing skewers into his mouth, many of the remaining waiters were the very same people who had been in a standoff with the Uchiha clan just a short while ago.

But as the incident regarding the Police Force's "cleansing of hidden spies" drew to a close, the Uchiha group had marched in a grand procession to this famous Akimichi Barbecue House.

Though the crowd still found it hard to believe that the Uchiha clan had trampled the "Darkness of the Ninja World" into the dirt and berated the "Strongest Hokage" of Konoha just to have a barbecue, they were supporters of the Hokage faction. Since the Uchiha's destination was a shop owned by their clan head, they naturally couldn't let their guard down.

And so...

The Akimichi ninjas, burdened with the duty of surveillance and vigilance, had resolutely taken on the heavy responsibility of being waiters due to the sudden shortage of staff.

Hmm!

No exaggeration... the Akimichi clan's mastery of cuisine was truly top-tier!

They were worthy of being the "Ino" in the Ino-Shika-Cho trio...

Uh...

Alright, they were the "Cho" in the Ino-Shika-Cho trio.

Looking at the round-bellied Akimichi waiters before him, Uchiha Jin felt his imagination of "butterflies" had once again suffered a crushing blow.

The Multi-Size Technique and the Butterfly Mode Technique...

Observing the twenty-plus Akimichi jonin serving as waiters through his Sharingan, Uchiha Jin gained a clearer understanding of the strength of Konoha, the strongest hidden village.

It wasn't that Konoha lacked potential; it was just that the guys at the top were too incompetent!

Just like Fugaku and the Great Elder Setsuna, who had been dealt a perfect hand for the Uchiha clan, Sarutobi Hiruzen and Shimura Danzo, who had been handed a winning position, hadn't fared much better.

If you get one of the legendary "Sleeping Dragon" or "Young Phoenix," you can conquer the world; now that all four had appeared at once, what could be done? Konoha was truly plagued by misfortune!

"Bring the wine!"

Uchiha Jin stood up abruptly, looking high-spirited as he addressed the many Uchiha before him with pride.

"Eat well and drink well, everyone! Everything tonight is on the clan head!"

"Long live!"

"Long live!"

"Long live!"...

The Uchiha, already exhilarated by the triumph of the night, pushed the joyous atmosphere to a climax once more at Uchiha Jin's words.

Hmm, the Akimichi clan has become busy once again...

Far away in the Uchiha compound, Clan Head Fugaku sneezed inexplicably for the second time, momentarily wondering if he was truly starting to show his age...

(Fugaku: Damn it! Someone must be plotting against me!)

Amidst the countless sounds of laughter and joy, Uchiha Jin's expression gradually calmed, his deep eyes slowly shifting toward the iconic Hokage Building beneath the Hokage Rock to the north.

Many things had happened tonight; Uchiha Jin had even accomplished a feat that many in the past wouldn't have dared to imagine.

Yet, Uchiha Jin knew clearly that his goal had never been to help the Uchiha take revenge on Danzo, nor to seize Sarutobi Hiruzen's position as Hokage.

These were merely secondary matters to Uchiha Jin, things he did as a part of the Uchiha clan and in his capacity as an Uchiha elder.

On a deeper level, as a host of the system, this was simply the act of loosening the soil and weeding to provide a better growth environment for his own "leeks."

Tormenting Danzo and humiliating Sarutobi were not important!

From beginning to end, Uchiha Jin had only one goal!

That was Shisui!

He was the "Body Flicker Shisui" who had been kicked away by Uchiha Jin time and time again just a short while ago, but this did not mean that Shisui was truly that incompetent.

Quite the contrary.

Shisui's strength was thoroughly verified by Uchiha Jin through those repeated instances of being "kicked away." The reason for such a result was merely Shisui's subconscious desire to escape, a manifestation of the powerlessness he felt trapped between the village and his clan.

Uchiha Jin had no killing intent, and Uchiha Shisui had no will to fight... It was just like the old saying, one was willing to hit, and the other was willing to be hit!

Therefore!

As that miserable old face surfaced in his mind once more, Uchiha Jin, sitting before the bonfire, couldn't help but flick at the sparks that were floating and bursting toward the direction of the Hokage Building.

"Danzo, prepare to burn!"