Your strength is your original sin

Jin Uchiha had finally laid everything out this time.

Before he had even left the Hidden Leaf, he had already prepared for the worst.

No matter how well a man could fight, he still needed a few reliable allies backing him up.

In a world full of such powerful fighters, he needed people who could genuinely lend him a hand, too. He remembered everything Shisui had done for him back in the Hidden Leaf.

He was not heartless or ungrateful.

If there was any way at all, he wanted to help Shisui.

And if he was going to help, he could hardly keep the necessary information to himself.

He played it safe, but that did not make him a coward.

Even knowing Shisui showed signs of losing control, he could shoulder the risks worth taking.

Besides.

After his conversation with Kazama Nara, he had a clearer picture of what lay ahead. So he had decided to administer a stronger dose right then and try to speak more frankly with Shisui.

As long as he kept things measured and took it one step at a time.

He believed it!

Even if Hiruzen Sarutobi had filled Shisui's head with nonsense, he could straighten him out bit by bit.

At the end of the day, Shisui had only been brainwashed. His brain was not completely broken.

Besides, he had not said a single bad word about Hiruzen Sarutobi this time. He had only criticized the mess within the Uchiha, so Shisui was unlikely to turn around and report him to the Hokage.

He had already tested that.

Just before leaving the Hidden Leaf, he had let Shisui in on a few things.

If Shisui really had passed those words on to the Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi could not possibly have remained so quiet all this time.

If the first attempt had gone fine, why not try a second?

Having said his piece, he could not help narrowing his eyes at the bewildered Shisui.

Indeed.

At that moment, Shisui's mind had completely stalled.

He had never imagined Jin Uchiha could think so poorly of his own clansmen.

His brows knotted together, and he opened his mouth to ask.

"I don't understand."

"Jin, why would you say that?"

Jin Uchiha let out a long sigh.

He looked Shisui up and down before speaking in a low, measured tone.

"Let's start with that so-called Radical Faction."

"As far as I'm concerned, they're a complete joke."

"Remember this, Shisui: a dog that really bites doesn't bark."

"If you really intend to seize power by force, you keep your mouth shut. You don't tell a soul. You prepare in secret, even grovel and play the obedient dog if you have to. Then, once the Third Hokage lets his guard down, you strike hard and slaughter everyone who refuses to submit."

"But those people in our clan who call themselves the Radical Faction?"

"They talk a big game, but they don't actually dare act. They don't even have the guts to quietly kill a few of the Hokage's men."

"Think about it. They've been shouting for so long, but have they made a single real preparation?"

"No. Not a damn thing!"

"They just enjoy shooting their mouths off and using that to rally supporters within the clan."

"At bottom, they only want to wrest power away from Fugaku."

"The Moderate Faction is no different."

"They think that with the Radical Faction making trouble out front, the village will have to try harder to win them over. Strip away the excuses, and it's still about power and personal gain."

"But neither side has the brains to think it through. They're busy shouting, while the village is taking them seriously."

"Can't those idiots stop and think? If you scream about rebellion every day, can the people in power really afford to ignore it?"

"Especially when the Uchiha are already a bunch of unstable lunatics who could genuinely snap at any moment."

"And our clan leader, Fugaku, is even more stupid."

"When there's no outside enemy, sure, he can balance the factions, back one side against the other, and hold on to his little bit of power."

"But what kind of situation are we in now?"

"The village is watching the Uchiha like a bunch of thieves. Whether you want to rebel or bow your head and submit, pick a path and consolidate your authority already!"

"Only by forging the Uchiha into a single fist will you have any leverage to negotiate with the village."

"But Fugaku?"

"I don't know whether he's indecisive by nature or just wants to keep playing his balancing games, but after all this time as clan leader, he hasn't done a damn thing."

"He lets every faction fight among themselves, draining what little strength the Uchiha have left."

"The entire Uchiha clan, from top to bottom, is filled with idiots like these."

"I'm not crazy. Why would I get mixed up with that bunch of fools?"

Shisui sucked in a sharp breath.

After hearing Jin Uchiha's tirade, he felt a chill run down his spine.

Was that really true?

The clan never actually intended to rebel? All those slogans were just a means of fighting for power?

He had never looked at his clan's affairs from that angle before.

But then again.

Viewed through Jin Uchiha's reasoning, many things he had never been able to make sense of suddenly seemed to fit.

But if that was true, what had all his desperate efforts over the past few years amounted to?

He looked utterly lost.

After freezing for a few seconds, he suddenly raised another objection.

"Wait, that doesn't make sense!"

"If the Radical Faction only talks and never acts, why did you say the Uchiha are certain to be wiped out?"

"That doesn't add up!"

Indeed.

To Shisui, the two arguments contradicted each other.

Now that he knew the truth, he could naturally pass that information on to the village.

When that happened.

The tension between the village and the Uchiha would surely ease considerably.

Wouldn't that be a good thing?

Then why had Jin Uchiha insisted earlier that the Uchiha were bound to be exterminated?

In response to that question.

Jin Uchiha spoke in a grave voice.

"Do you know what the First Hokage, Hashirama Senju, said when he went to capture the Nine-Tails shortly after the village was founded?"

Shisui looked baffled.

He had spent the past few years running back and forth between the clan and the village.

When would he have found the time to dig through ancient history?

There was nothing else for it.

He could only shake his head. "What did the First Hokage say?"

"You're too strong!" Jin Uchiha said calmly.

After those words, he paused briefly, then lowered his voice. "The Nine-Tails wasn't always as vicious as he is now. Back then, he was a pretty cheerful little fox."

"He wandered the Shinobi World, eating hot pot and humming tunes. He never hurt anyone."

"Then, one day, out of nowhere."

"Hashirama Senju stood in front of the Nine-Tails and told him, 'You're too powerful, so I have to seal you away.'"

"The Nine-Tails was dumbstruck."

"'Being strong is my fault now? I've never hurt anyone!'"

"But it made no difference."

"Hashirama Senju wouldn't listen. He knocked the Nine-Tails out with one slap, then stuffed him inside his wife, Mito Uzumaki."

"If you were the Nine-Tails, wouldn't you be furious?"

"'What the fuck is wrong with this guy?'"

"'Strong, my ass! You knocked me out with one slap!'"

"'You're so damn powerful yourself, Hashirama Senju. Why don't you seal yourself away?'"

"That's why, no matter which jinchuriki he's been sealed inside over the years, the Nine-Tails has never stopped wanting to raze the Hidden Leaf."

Shisui was completely stunned.

He had never imagined there was a story like that behind the First Hokage sealing the Nine-Tails.

But when he thought it over.

If that had happened to him, he would probably have been furious, too.

"Wait, we're getting off track!" Shisui could not help interrupting. "We were talking about our clan. How did we suddenly end up talking about the Nine-Tails?"

"The principle is the same."

Jin Uchiha's voice was as calm as still water. "From the village's perspective, the Uchiha are too strong."

"Especially these eyes. They're downright unfair."

"Even an Uchiha who seems weak right now can awaken them on the spot once hatred or other dark emotions push them over the edge."

"The Uchiha are that powerful and that unpredictable."

"If that were all, the village could grit its teeth and accept it. But the fatal problem is that the Uchiha also refuse to obey. They openly shout about ousting Hiruzen Sarutobi and taking the Hokage's seat for themselves."

"If you were him, wouldn't you be nervous?"

"The Uchiha may be powerful, but even without them, the Hidden Leaf would only suffer a setback. It still wouldn't be destroyed."

"Now that I've spelled it out this far, you should understand."