The back of Uchiha Itachi's shirt was already soaked with sweat.
As Jin's words poured into his ears, he felt as though the whole world had changed.
How could it be like this?
It was nothing like the world he had imagined.
Using civilians as pawns, stabbing one another in the back.
Even Hiruzen Sarutobi, the man sitting in the Hokage's seat, was secretly siphoning the village's money into his own pockets.
Every revelation left his head spinning. There was no way he could digest it all at once.
Still, there was one thing.
Itachi was a clever child. He could tell truth from lies.
He could see that not a single word Jin Uchiha had said was a lie meant to fool him.
Interests and resources.
According to Jin, the pie the entire Shinobi World shared was only so big.
The more you ate, the less was left in everyone else's bowls.
With that being the case.
It would have been stranger if they didn't scheme and kill to serve their own interests.
But...
He understood the logic, yet he still couldn't get past the hurdle in his heart.
"Itachi, do you know something?"
"Why do all the shinobi clans in the village play dumb when they know perfectly well what's happening, watching the leadership deal with the Uchiha without anyone offering a helping hand?"
"Is it because they can't figure out what the leadership is plotting?"
"No. They know exactly what's going on!"
"The leadership's thinking is simple. Apart from their own little patch of turf, every other shinobi clan is a thorn to be pulled out."
"They ruined the Senju with their own hands, stood by while the Uzumaki were wiped out, and now it's the Uchiha's turn."
"Next, they might set their sights on the Hyuga.