Something was off!
Uchiha Jin studied the two men before him with a hesitant look. Under normal circumstances, there was nothing surprising about this pair of famous old rivals in the clan acting this way.
In fact, the strange thing to many outsiders was that these two hadn't actually come to blows.
Yet as they stood there glaring at each other, and with the snippets of conversation Jin had overheard along the way, a bizarre sense of chemistry suddenly crept into his mind.
This...
Wasn't this just a knockoff version of Sarutobi Hiruzen and Shimura Danzō?
Fugaku Sarutobi? Shimura Setsuna?
That was right.
Uchiha Fugaku played the kind and affable "good cop" leader, while Uchiha Setsuna played the fierce, hot-tempered "bad cop" elder. This one-two punch was enough to make even the most innocent-minded ninja blanch, and it would make any subsequent attempt to win them over or suppress them twice as effective.
Of course.
To Jin, who had received an education in the art of political intrigue, this was merely a fairly basic political structure.
It was essentially an "enhanced version of the temp-worker scapegoat strategy," but even that was enough to make waves in the political wilderness of the Ninja World.
As for how effective this little political trick could be, their neighbors Sarutobi Hiruzen and Shimura Danzō had already provided a perfect example.
Jin had simply never imagined that a clan which should have been destroyed by infighting and its own foolishness could show the beginnings of such "advanced" political thinking.
This was seriously not right!
If the Uchiha Clan really had this kind of ability, how could it have ended up as such a disorganized mess?
The Uchiha Clan's overall strength might not match that of Konoha Village as a whole, but if two high-ranking members with enough political savvy could unite them...
With the clan united internally and pursuing a strategy of distant alliances and nearby conquests externally, the Uchiha would surely become a terrifying force that no village in this world would want to face.
Damn it!
Realizing this, Jin clenched his teeth. He looked at Uchiha Fugaku and Uchiha Setsuna with mounting exasperation.
"What's this guy trying to do?"
The clan head and the great elder both furrowed their brows, vaguely sensing that Jin might be thinking something offensive.
That's right.
Jin's lips curled into a mocking smile as he gave the two Uchiha powerhouses before him an approving grin. His expression grew increasingly hostile.
I'm making fun of you two losers!
The Uchiha Clan might not have the same nominal authority as Sarutobi Hiruzen, who was the Hokage, but with its resources and strength, its influence wasn't necessarily much lesser.
Uh...
Jin silently studied the "Fierce Eye" he could barely suppress on Fugaku's face, then the "moderation" that Uchiha Setsuna's wrinkled features could barely conceal.
Their looks were a bit off, and the roles were pretty badly reversed.
But that wasn't the point!
The point was that you two were completely useless. You had Sarutobi Hiruzen and Shimura Danzō as examples, yet you couldn't even manage something as simple as copying their homework.
You'd come up with this so-called Radical Faction and Moderate Faction, but they'd accomplished practically nothing. In fact, they'd almost sparked a real civil war.
You tried to paint a tiger, but ended up with a dog!!!!
Hah... ptooey!
"Sorry, my throat's a little uncomfortable!"
Jin grinned at the two men without a hint of apology. Under the increasingly hostile gazes of Fugaku and Setsuna, his thoughts raced at full speed.
So the reason I've been having such a hard time is that you two old bastards are to blame!
Uchiha Setsuna, playing the role of the "scapegoat clan elder," had none of Shimura Danzō's political awareness when it came to bravely taking the blame. He actually wanted to drag the Uchiha Clan Head, who played the part of the shining hero, down with him.
If Elder Setsuna had opened with, "Fugaku, you'll regret this!" and then defied the clan head's wishes, secretly gathered his forces, and launched a lightning-fast armed coup...
Given that the Uchiha, a major clan in Konoha, were clearly stronger than both the Sarutobi Clan and the Shimura Clan, could they really have pulled off a successful surprise attack on Sarutobi Hiruzen and Shimura Danzō?
And once they'd actually managed to decapitate the leadership, while all of Konoha was thrown into helpless confusion, Clan Head Fugaku could step forward and proclaim, as the man responsible for failing to control his people:
"This was all Uchiha Setsuna acting on his own. The Uchiha Clan had nothing to do with it. We'll strip him of his position as great elder and imprison him for life..."
With that "enhanced version of the temp-worker scapegoat strategy," and the threat posed by the four great shinobi villages that Konoha would inevitably face...
Under those circumstances, if Fugaku happened to "get carried away" and reveal his Mangekyō Sharingan, then the end result might very well be his "reluctant" ascension to the position of Fifth Hokage...
"Bad teammates are so hard to carry..."
The more Jin thought about it, the wilder his ideas became. His gaze at Setsuna grew increasingly strange, while his look at Fugaku grew increasingly sympathetic. In the end, he couldn't help saying one more thing.
"Clan Head, you've really had it rough all these years..."
The moment Jin said that, not only did Fugaku's expression turn strange, but Jin himself also froze.
Wait... Fugaku didn't deserve any sympathy!
It was true that he didn't have a good teammate like Danzō, who would bravely take the blame. But that wasn't an excuse for him to shirk his duty as clan head.
A temp worker... His subordinate was being unreasonable. Did that mean he could be unreasonable too, just because he was the boss?
Setsuna was senile, so Fugaku should have taken responsibility for setting him straight. Otherwise, wouldn't they just be repeating the tragedy of Sarutobi Hiruzen and Shimura Danzō in the future?
Mm...
That settles it...
Within three paces of Wolong, there was bound to be a Fengchu!
Whether it was Uchiha Setsuna or Uchiha Fugaku, both of them were a pair of troublemakers!
"Sure enough, in a world where power belongs to the individual, you can't put your hopes in that foolish game of politics!"
Fortunately, Jin had never placed his hopes in those two useless men. He'd only been wondering when he could attend their funerals and enjoy the feast. He quickly collected himself, and the sympathetic look vanished, replaced by the same disdainful arrogance he'd worn when he arrived.
"Ten million ryo! Don't just stand there—pay up!"
(•́へ•́╬)!
(•́へ•́╬)!
In just a few moments, Jin's ever-shifting expressions and undisguised malice had driven the two Uchiha leaders into a fury. The casual figure he'd tossed out at the end only made their already dark expressions turn even blacker.
"Do you even know how much a hundred million ryo is?!"
Despite his title of "Wicked Eye," Fugaku was the first to calm down. He stepped forward to block Setsuna, who was about to explode, then coldly questioned the handsome figure before him.
Ninja might have an easier time earning money than ordinary people, but a hundred million ryo was still an enormous sum for any faction. It was enough to place bounties on the corpses of three Hokage's children on the black market.
So...
Though Fugaku was sure Jin hadn't brought this up for no reason, as the "moderate clan head," he chose to first ask what it was for. If it turned out to be something trivial, he could always beat the boy senseless afterward.
But having just realized how much trouble these two men were, Jin wasn't about to give them a pleasant look. He scolded them with exasperation.
"Why ask so many questions? If I tell you to pay, then pay! Leaving all that money with you would be a waste. You might as well hand it over to me so I can strengthen the Uchiha Clan!"
Mm!
At Jin's words, Fugaku's face darkened along with that of Elder Setsuna, but a flicker of delight rose in his heart.
Just as he thought!
This Uchiha Jin might be incredibly annoying, but it seemed he'd come up with another good idea.
The clan head glanced sideways at the great elder beside him. A hint of a smile had appeared at the corner of the latter's eye as well. In that instant, their understanding seemed to transcend both space and time.
At last!
"We can talk about the money later!"
The warmth vanished from Fugaku's face, leaving it cold and stern. Setsuna used the Body Flicker Technique to appear behind Jin and, in perfect coordination, continued:
"But today, it seems we ought to teach you what it means to respect your elders!"
Before you continue