"Captain, you mean he's the real killer?!"
Uchiha Xi looked at Hyūga Seigen's grim expression. Judging by his reaction, what the captain said seemed to be true.
Uchiha Sumitsugu and his two team members wore complicated expressions.
They truly could not understand how this kid had discovered all this.
The other man clearly had not shown anything unusual at the start.
How had he known without any evidence?
Could it really be as Jin said, that his eyes could see evil?
Wasn't that bullshit?!
They all had the Three-Tomoe Sharingan, so why couldn't their eyes see it?
"Boy, stop spouting nonsense!"
The Main Family elder could not stand it any longer.
He had offered up Hyūga Kiyomo precisely to minimize the damage to the clan's reputation.
If the Main Family's involvement in the murder came to light...
The reputation the Hyuga Clan had built over many years would surely suffer greatly.
Then they would become sinners against their clan!
So no matter what, he could not let Uchiha Jin uncover evidence of Hyūga Seigen's crime.
Strange, though.
This kid really was uncanny. How exactly had he discovered it?
Since when had the Uchiha Clan's criminal investigation methods become so impressive?
He could identify the real killer just by looking at the corpse.
Wasn't that a little too ridiculous?!
"What are you so anxious about?"
Uchiha Jin looked mocking. "Aren't you just giving yourselves away?"
Seeing the grandfather and grandson's reactions, the brothers Hyuga Hiashi and Hizashi Hyuga quickly understood what had happened.
The killer was the older brother, Hyūga Seigen, but the elder had offered up the younger brother, Hyūga Kiyomo, to take the blame.
As a branch family member, how could Hizashi Hyuga not understand what had happened?
Though he resented it, from the clan's perspective, there was actually nothing wrong with what the elder had done.
The Main Family represented the Hyuga Clan's standing.
If Hyūga Seigen's murder came to light, it would surely have a major impact.
By contrast, Hyūga Kiyomo's status as a branch family member made things somewhat better.
"Uchiha Jin, could there be some misunderstanding here?"
Hizashi Hyuga looked at the boy before him with a placating smile.
"Since Hyūga Kiyomo has already submitted to the law and confessed, perhaps you could..."
As Uchiha Jin looked at Hizashi Hyuga blocking his path, a fleeting trace of sorrow crossed his eyes.
"How pathetic."
Everyone present was a little stunned by those words, unable to understand why he would say such a thing.
Hyuga Hiashi and the Main Family elder seemed to think of something, and their expressions turned ugly.
Uchiha Jin's next words confirmed their suspicions.
"As a branch family member, you can consider the bigger picture from the clan's perspective. Is that a good thing or a bad thing?"
Hizashi Hyuga's pupils suddenly contracted, and he stared at the boy's calm face, speechless for a long time.
A light of hope flickered in the eyes of Hyūga Kiyomo, who was kneeling on the ground, but it quickly vanished, leaving them numb once more.
Once a branch family member, always a branch family member.
Ever since he had been branded with the Caged Bird Seal at three years old, his life had no longer been his to control.
It was not just him. The entire branch family was the same.
"Perhaps in your Hyuga Clan's eyes, the branch family is supposed to protect the Main Family."
Uchiha Jin swept his gaze across the Hyuga clansmen, then continued coldly.
"But I'm not a Hyuga clansman. I don't need to indulge your so-called rules."
"I, Uchiha Jin, will never falsely accuse an innocent person, nor will I let an evildoer go. That is my ninja way, and my duty as a member of the Konoha Military Police Force Troops!"
With that, he waved his hand, and two team members took out handcuffs and approached Hyūga Kiyomo and Hyūga Seigen respectively.
"Stop!"
Hyuga Hiashi stood in front of Hyūga Seigen, scrutinizing the black-haired boy leading the group with his Byakugan.
"Uchiha Jin, must you go this far?"
Though he had not known Uchiha Jin's identity at first, he had understood from his younger brother's conversation with him.
So this was the rising talent who had recently made a name for himself in the Uchiha Clan.
That arrogant kid who would not even show the Hokage any respect.
In his view, the Uchiha Clan was already being ostracized and suppressed by the village. If this fellow were allowed to enforce the law in the village without restraint...
The Uchiha Clan's situation in the village would only become more difficult.
"Hyuga clan head, are you trying to shield a criminal?"
Uchiha Jin activated his Three-Tomoe Sharingan and met his gaze without flinching.
"If that is the case, I will arrest you for seriously obstructing law enforcement."
At those words, the Hyuga clansmen who had been watching could no longer stand by and spontaneously stepped in front of Hyuga Hiashi.
"Boy, show some respect when you speak to our clan head!"
Seeing this, Uchiha Sumitsugu activated his Three Tomoe Sharingan and came to stand beside Uchiha Jin.
"It seems the Hyuga Clan has no regard for the Uchiha Konoha Military Police Force's authority to enforce the law!"
Though he belonged to the clan's Pro-Peace Faction and despised the Hawk Faction's troublemaking Uchiha Jin from the bottom of his heart, being pro-peace did not mean he lacked spirit or would not fight back.
At this point, how could he not understand the situation?
Hyūga Seigen was the killer. Anyone could tell from his panicked, evasive eyes.
Now that the killer had been identified, he naturally would not stand by and watch his companion be bullied.
Fundamentally, they were all clansmen. They simply held different positions.
Even if they often fought among themselves and disliked each other, they certainly had to unite against outsiders in a situation like this.
The other Uchiha Clan members activated their Sharingan at the same time.
"Xuan, go back and tell the clan head that some Hyuga malcontents are attempting to resist law enforcement with violence. Have him bring more people to support us."
Uchiha Jin gave Uchiha Xuan his orders.
"Yes!"
Just as he was about to leave, Hyuga Hiashi called out to stop him.
His expression was extremely ugly.
If Uchiha Fugaku really brought out the entire Uchiha Konoha Military Police Force, the nature of this incident would change.
After all, Hyūga Seigen was very likely the real killer. Even if this reached Lord Hokage, they would not have right on their side.
He had originally intended to use his status as clan head to have Uchiha Jin show him some respect, take Hyūga Kiyomo away, and leave it at that.
Who would have thought the Uchiha Clan was a bunch of lunatics who would show him no respect at all?
He had only obstructed them slightly, and already he had been labeled a "malcontent resisting law enforcement."
He truly had no options left.
"Uncle."
Hyuga Hiashi sighed softly, indicating that he really had done his best.
If they continued to obstruct them...
The largest armed clash between two clans since Konoha's founding would break out shortly.
No, according to Uchiha Jin, it would be the Hyuga Clan resisting law enforcement.
Though the Uchiha Clan was ostracized and suppressed by the village, the Uchiha Konoha Military Police Force was, fundamentally, backed by the Hokage.
If fighting really broke out...
No matter how much the Third Hokage disliked the Uchiha Clan, he would have to judge the matter according to the facts.
Once an investigation showed that the Hyuga Clan was indeed at fault...
They would be in serious trouble.
Hearing this, how could the Main Family's Elder fail to understand what the clan head meant?
Though unwilling, under the present circumstances, he could only let the Uchiha Clan take his two grandsons away.
"Wouldn't it have been better to do this from the start?"
Uchiha Jin calmly surveyed the Hyuga clansmen's ugly expressions, ignoring their murderous gazes.
He left the Hyuga Clan Compound with the two criminal suspects.
The Hyuga clansmen watched the six departing members of the Uchiha Clan.
They felt utterly stifled!
They were simply too arrogant.
Before you continue