Hiruzen Sarutobi's voice sounded somewhat distant.
He gave the three a cursory glance, put his pipe back between his lips, and began puffing smoke.
All three Konoha Elders fell silent.
That was right.
Every one of them froze.
Only after Hiruzen's reminder did it dawn on them that Jin Uchiha had already thrown in the towel and withdrawn from the registered ninja ranks.
As for Konoha itself...
Its structure had nothing to do with centralized power. It was more like a loose federation.
When the village was founded, the Senju and Uchiha had led the way, followed by clans such as the Ino-Shika-Cho, Sarutobi, and Hyuga, with a host of smaller shinobi clans joining in. That was how it had been built, piece by piece.
Within that structure, the village leadership was much like the kings of the Zhou dynasty.
The great ninja clans below them were not really the village's subordinates. They were more like feudal lords.
The rules established by the shinobi clans at the village's founding had been perfectly clear.
Each clan's elders and leaders retained their autonomy and could refuse the village's summons.
They could even keep some of their elite members out of the registered ninja ranks, reserving them solely for clan business.
The village leadership's authority extended only to administrative institutions such as the Ninja Academy and hospital, along with public affairs in the civilian districts. Even in wartime, they could command only those on the ninja register.
As for the internal affairs of the major ninja clans, each clan had the final say.
The village had no right to interfere!
Under those circumstances, if Yan Uchiha simply walked away from the registered ninja ranks, could the village really force him to obey?
At most, they could approach him, negotiate, and try to persuade