You old fossils have been kneeling so long you can't stand up anymore, huh?

"The duty of the Uchiha Konoha Military Police Force is to maintain order in the village."

Uchiha Jin looked at everyone, his attitude unyielding.

"Anyone who commits a crime must pay the price. Even the Hokage's son is no exception!"

"Impudent brat!"

The grand elder slammed his cane against the floor, producing dull thuds.

"What do you know, boy?"

He was the leading member of the clan's Pro-Peace Faction and believed there was no need to offend the higher-ups.

The Uchiha Clan was already living under someone else's roof after joining the village. Offending the Hokage over this matter would simply cost them more than they gained.

They might as well do Hiruzen Sarutobi a favor.

Perhaps that would make life in the village easier for the clan.

"Jin, you're being too extreme."

The third elder earnestly tried to persuade him.

"I think the Third Hokage's proposal is good. There's nothing wrong with having Sarutobi Shōtarō infiltrate an enemy nation as a spy to atone for his crime."

"Jin, we called you here so you would think this through. The clan doesn't need any extra trouble at this critical juncture."

The Uchiha Clan's Fifth Elder echoed his sentiment.

"You old fossils are getting worse with age."

The second elder pointed at them angrily.

He truly couldn't bear to watch any longer.

It was precisely because parasites like these controlled the clan that they couldn't hold their heads up in the village.

"Jin, don't listen to them. You have my support!"

The fourth elder smiled kindly, his gaze full of appreciation as he looked at Jin.

After so many years, the clan had finally produced a genius from the Hawk Faction.

He believed that, given time to grow, Jin could lead the clan to its peak!

The Sixth Elder and Seventh Elder said nothing, both keeping their eyes lowered in silence.

Besides the Pro-War Faction and the Pro-Peace Faction-

There was actually another faction, the one they belonged to: the Neutral Faction.

They offered no opinions on the conflict between the clan and the village.

That was precisely why the Hawk Faction had always been suppressed by the Pro-Peace Faction.

Uchiha Jin looked at the grand elder, the first to criticize him. The indifference in his black eyes made anyone under his gaze feel a chill.

"Grand elder, I think the second elder is right."

For a moment, the Uchiha Clan members present failed to react, but his next words shocked them all.

"You old fossils have been kneeling so long you can't stand up anymore, huh?"

At those words, everyone looked at Uchiha Jin in disbelief.

Jin actually dared to speak to the grand elder like that.

It was utterly insubordinate!

Uchiha Fugaku raised an eyebrow, ready to keep watching the show.

He wasn't particularly surprised by Jin's remarks.

This fellow wouldn't even show Lord Hokage any deference, much less a grand elder who threw his weight around on the strength of his seniority.

"Impudent! Impudent!"

The grand elder's face alternated between pale and livid with rage as he pointed a trembling finger at Uchiha Jin.

"You dare humiliate me like this!"

He prided himself on his seniority within the clan, and his appointment as grand elder had enjoyed widespread support.

Over the years, under his advice, the clan had prospered more and more within the village.

Yet today, an immature junior had humiliated him in public.

It was an outrageous disgrace!

"Boy, apologize to the grand elder!"

The Third Elder and Fifth Elder's expressions instantly darkened when they saw the grand elder humiliated.

They were all on the same side.

Jin's words humiliating the grand elder were undoubtedly directed at them as well.

The Uchiha Clan members of the Pro-Peace Faction also looked at Jin with hostility.

Although the boy was a genius of the clan's younger generation, wasn't his attitude a little too fucking arrogant?

He didn't even respect the grand elder!

"Apologize?"

Uchiha Jin tilted his head in puzzlement, making no attempt to hide the contempt in his eyes.

"Why should I apologize?"

He pointed at the grand elder and demanded coldly, "What did I say that was wrong?"

"You people in the Pro-Peace Faction are nothing but parasites in the clan, deluding yourselves that groveling before the Konoha High Command will let the Uchiha Clan live peacefully in the village."

"You... you..."

The three Pro-Peace Faction elders' chests heaved violently with anger at his words.

Listening to Jin's merciless barrage, Uchiha Fugaku lost all interest in watching the show, his expression gradually growing grave.

In truth, his thinking was similar to that of the Pro-Peace Faction: he didn't want conflict between the clan and the village.

On the surface, Jin's words attacked the three elders, but in reality, he had insulted every clan member outside the Hawk Faction.

"The facts prove that groveling before the Hokage is useless. The village has continued suppressing the clan all these years."

Ignoring their livid expressions, Uchiha Jin continued speaking.

"Our clan members enforce the law impartially according to village regulations, yet people complain about them to the Hokage every month."

"Who do you think sent those people?"

Faced with his merciless questioning, the grand elder was momentarily speechless.

Everything Jin said was true.

The clan's members had always been ostracized by Konoha's villagers and ninja.

People even frequently spread rumors about them.

"Haha, you're right, Jin!"

Seeing their bitter rivals rendered speechless, the Second Elder and Fourth Elder couldn't help laughing heartily.

It had been so long since they had felt this happy.

These old fossils were exactly as the boy had said: they had knelt for so long that they couldn't stand up anymore.

The Third Hokage had never accepted them.

All these years, he had kept sending Anbu to monitor their every move, suppressing them both openly and covertly.

Many clan members had long since grown dissatisfied.

In fact, the clan had originally had no Hawk Faction. It was only because the Uchiha Clan had suffered unfair treatment year after year.

That resentment had built among the clan members, giving rise to the Hawk Faction.

When Konoha was first founded, the clan members had all cherished this hard-won peaceful life.

Everyone wanted to live well in the village.

Even when their clan leader, Madara Uchiha, called on them to leave, no one had been willing.

Only when the village began suppressing the Uchiha Clan did some clan members realize there was a problem.

But even after realizing it, the vast majority were unwilling to resist.

That was how the Hawk Faction and the Pro-Peace Faction had come about.

"Ahem."

Not wanting the situation to escalate, Uchiha Fugaku gave a light cough to signal an end to the subject.

He was genuinely afraid that if the boy kept talking, he would anger a few elders to death.

"Since everyone has their own opinion, we'll put it to a vote."

The clan wasn't a place where the clan leader's word alone ruled.

Even if he agreed with Uchiha Jin's actions, he couldn't disregard the views of the other clan members.

They could only reach a final decision through a vote.

"Those in favor of executing Sarutobi Shōtarō, raise your hands."

As he spoke, Uchiha Fugaku slowly raised his hand.

The Uchiha Clan members present couldn't help being surprised to see their clan leader raise his hand.

Their clan leader had generally belonged to the Neutral Faction in the past and rarely participated in disputes between the Hawk Faction and the Pro-Peace Faction.

Today, however, he had broken with his usual behavior to support Jin.

"I see nothing wrong with Jin's actions!"

The Second Elder and Fourth Elder raised their hands.

The Uchiha Clan members of the Hawk Faction also raised their hands without hesitation.

There were thirty Uchiha Clan members in the meeting room.

Including Uchiha Jin himself, ten people had raised their hands.

Seeing this, Uchiha Fugaku sighed inwardly.

"Those in favor of the Hokage's proposal, raise your hands."

The grand elder snorted coldly and raised his withered hand.

The Third Elder and Fifth Elder followed suit, and the Uchiha Clan members of the Pro-Peace Faction present raised their hands one after another.

Shisui Uchiha gave Jin a conflicted look, then slowly raised his hand as well.

Fourteen people supported the Hokage's proposal, while the remaining six members of the Neutral Faction abstained.

Seeing this, Uchiha Jin wasted no words and turned to leave the meeting room.

"You'll regret this!"

The second elder looked at the fifth and sixth elders in exasperation, then led the Hawk Faction members out after Jin.

If those two old fossils hadn't kept refusing to take sides-

The Hawk Faction wouldn't have spent all these years being suppressed by the Pro-Peace Faction.

The Fifth Elder and Sixth Elder said nothing. They thought maintaining the status quo was fine.

Although they suffered unfair treatment in the village, it was all within tolerable limits.