Chapter 99

"Those guys under Hiruzen Sarutobi are scheming and ruthless; they are indeed not easy to deal with."

"The entire Uchiha clan supports Itachi!"

Uchiha Fugaku spoke slowly.

Yes.

He was not a stubborn fool, nor did he value power and status.

The position of clan head was not one he sought to occupy.

Rather, he was elevated through the struggle between the moderates and the radicals.

Since Uchiha Jin possesses this ability and truly seems capable of saving the Uchiha,

what is there to hesitate about?

Just support him!

Uchiha Jin smiled as well.

All his verbal maneuvering had not been in vain; the effort he put in had finally borne fruit.

With Fugaku's support, things would be much easier from now on.

Thinking this, he spoke immediately.

"Then I thank Itachi, Clan Head."

"As long as the radicals do not cause trouble, I will be able to act with far more composure."

"By the way, Clan Head,"

"for the coming period, the Police Force will become very corrupt, and its reputation will suffer greatly for a time."

"Itachi must be mentally prepared; at that time, the radicals may well use this as an excuse to stir up trouble."

"At that moment, I will be busy dealing with the Hidden Leaf Village's leadership and will have no time to deal with those ruffians; I will have to rely on Itachi, Clan Head."

Fugaku had left.

With a touch of melancholy, but mostly relief.

The Uchiha had produced a genius like Jin, and one who was precisely the political talent their clan lacked most.

As clan head, he could finally rest a bit easier.

As for the clan itself?

Without interference from the Hidden Leaf's higher-ups, he felt quite confident.

Even if he couldn't resolve everything completely, holding things down for now posed no problem.

After all, he still bore the title of clan head.

Neither the radicals nor the moderates dared to be too bold with him.

After Fugaku left, Uchiha Jin washed up and went straight to bed to rest.

Meanwhile, on the other side.

Jin and Fugaku had gone to sleep, but the atmosphere in the Hokage Tower was heavy.

The Hokage's office.

Hiruzen Sarutobi sat behind his desk, puffing away clouds of smoke.

He was thinking!

This minor setback today didn't really bother him.

Just three Anbu operatives!

As for those from the Root, he cared even less.

Even without today's incident, he would have had to act personally to scheme against Danzo.

After all, he was too powerful.

As one of his own blades, if Danzo became too strong, his master would no longer be able to hold him.

Uchiha Jin's move had even saved him the trouble.

What he was pondering now was Uchiha Jin himself.

Yes.

From the thief incident to the end, it was all his design.

His goal was simply to test.

Suppressing the Uchiha and stirring internal strife were merely side effects.

The core objective was one thing: to test Uchiha Jin!

It wasn't even specifically targeted at Uchiha Jin; it was just standard procedure for a Hokage.

The reason was simple.

Since Uchiha Jin had ascended to the position of Police Force Chief.

Whether he wanted to or not, he was now part of the Hidden Leaf's higher-ups.

And since Hiruzen Sarutobi knew too little about Uchiha Jin, and the two were destined to deal with each other for the long term, he had to fully understand Uchiha Jin's true nature.

Otherwise, he would surely suffer a setback.

Know yourself and know your enemy.

As a qualified politician, this was standard practice.

But, alas!

Even Hiruzen Sarutobi himself hadn't expected that his slight probe would uncover a great white shark.

Damn it.

Uchiha Jin's abilities gave him a start.

But it was still acceptable!

After all, it was the Uchiha; a strong one appearing was nothing unusual.

What truly surprised him, even made him wary...

was his methods!

Aggressive, ruthless, and without scruples.

Even knowing they were Anbu and Root, he still dared to arrest and kill.

That alone would have been fine.

A mere aggressive Uchiha, Hiruzen Sarutobi would still not have cared.

But, of all things.

This guy was also cautious and careful, considering everything.

No youthful naivety, not even a sense of propriety or shame, let alone the Will of Fire.

This way of handling things was that of an old fox.

"Hmm, not bad."

"Though there were minor hiccups, the goal was achieved."

"I now have a clear picture of Uchiha Jin's character and methods."

"Though this personality is a bit troublesome, since it was uncovered in advance, it won't cause too much trouble."

"At the very least."

"It's better than knowing nothing and getting trapped due to carelessness, right?"

"It seems probing like this must be done regularly in the future; otherwise, it's hard to tell friend from foe."

"Hehe, how interesting!"

"Truly unexpected that the Uchiha clan could produce a figure like Nara."

"Now it is time to devise a targeted plan."

"What a pity that Shikaku is still on the front lines."

Hiruzen Sarutobi murmured to himself.

Having fully grasped this point, a faint smile appeared on the corner of his lips.

He was in a good mood.

He had tested the Uchiha and weakened Danzo's Root.

Not bad!

Just as he was about to rise and head home to sleep, the office door opened.

Nara Koharu, Hozuki Homura, and Shimura Danzo.

The three arrived together!

"Hiruzen, we must be careful with that Uchiha Jin."

"Yes, Hiruzen, he is definitely a dangerous figure."

"The Uchiha are already troublesome, and now one who understands political maneuvering has appeared; we must find a way to suppress him."

"..."

The three spoke in succession.

Indeed.

Uchiha Jin's tactics today had truly frightened them.

The Uchiha were already troublesome; with this one added, would it not be even harder to deal with them in the future?

They were anxious!

Even Danzo slammed his hand on the table.

"Hiruzen, why won't Itachi listen to me?"

"We already surrounded Uchiha Jin; with only a slight cost, we could have directly killed him."

"Why?"

Indeed.

Danzo was furious.

The losses to Root this time were too great; he could barely accept them.

Hiruzen Sarutobi remained calm.

He glanced at the three once, then spoke in a low tone: "What crime did the Uchiha commit? What reason do Itachi have to kill him? Do Itachi truly think those ninja clans will obey us?"

"This..." Danzo fell silent.

Hozuki Homura nodded: "Hiruzen is right; Danzo, Itachi were too impulsive."

"Although we cannot kill Uchiha Jin, we cannot let him go easily either." Nara Koharu's tone was cold: "Hiruzen, I suggest sending Uchiha Jin to the battlefield."

"Wherever it is dangerous, send him there."

"Besides, Uchiha Jin has already awakened the Mangekyo; suppressing him further would be of little use."

"His strength lies in the Mangekyo."

"And every Uchiha's ocular power is limited; let the battlefield drain his ocular power!"

"I suggest transferring him to the front lines in the Land of Grass!"

Following Nara Koharu's words, the entire room fell silent.

Then, after a moment.

Both Hozuki Homura and Shimura Danzo nodded immediately.

This plan was good!

However.

After listening, Hiruzen Sarutobi spoke in a low tone.

"Hmm, the idea is good."

"But on what grounds?"

"Do not forget one thing: when Uchiha Jin was promoted to Elder, he automatically withdrew from the ninja ranks."

"So under normal circumstances, the village has no right to conscript him."

"As an Uchiha Elder, even if Itachi visit and make a request, he has the right to refuse."

"As for threats, pressure, or deception, Itachi saw it with your own eyes today; Uchiha Jin is not someone easily deceived."

"For such a person, only incentives work; force is useless!"

"If Itachi want him to personally go to the battlefield, Itachi must offer him sufficient benefits."

"Even if he goes to the battlefield, Uchiha Jin has the right to reject orders from the front-line command camp."

"As an Uchiha Elder, even on the front lines, he retains the authority to decide for himself."

"After paying such a high price, do Itachi truly think it is worth it?"

"Think it over carefully, and then we can continue our discussion."

"..."