Chapter 2

Everyone’s faces were grim; the room was heavy with silence.

Uchiha are arrogant and bold, but no one here is a fool—why hold a clan meeting at nearly two in the morning?

So there’s no doubt—it’s aimed squarely at us.

“Fugaku is going too far!”

“We just wiped out the Root, and neither Hiruzen Sarutobi nor Danzo has said a word, yet Fugaku can’t sit still.”

“If Itachi didn’t know better, Itachi’d think Fugaku is Hiruzen Sarutobi’s lapdog!”

“…”

Everyone present was seething with righteous fury.

Especially since they remembered Fugaku had been chosen by them as clan head—now he felt like a pile of shit.

Uchiha Jin furrowed his brows slightly; though his speech had been interrupted, he didn’t lose his temper.

On the contrary.

He raised a hand to silence them, his tone utterly calm: “Before Itachi possess the power to dominate the ninja world like Madara, a little arrogance is acceptable—but Itachi must follow the rules.”

“Let’s go!”

He led the way toward the Naka Shrine; the others followed closely behind him.

Many Uchiha were blunt and slow to understand, but Jin had proven his ability—he was still a Mangekyo-level strength—so they naturally chose to follow him unconditionally.

In ninja world terms, Uchiha Jin had proven his caliber!

Ten minutes later, the Naka Shrine.

The moderates and centrists had arrived early; their faces were dark, eyes blazing with boundless rage.

The reason was simple!

In their view, the Uchiha’s situation was already dire—this sudden rise of Uchiha Jin, a Mangekyo powerhouse, hadn’t stabilized the clan; instead, he’d become its greatest destabilizing factor.

Especially tonight—he struck the Root again?

The previous reckless acts of the radicals had been forcibly suppressed by the Hokage’s wisdom.

And now, again?

The moderates and centrists, pushed beyond endurance, had united for the first time in years.

They intended to use this clan meeting to teach Uchiha Jin a lesson!

Just then, the radicals arrived.

Under Jin’s leadership, they ignored the near-murderous glares from the moderates and centrists, sitting down at their own seats without a word.

“Alright, the clan meeting begins!”

Fugaku frowned slightly, then spoke directly: “Tonight, the Root lost three squads, one Anbu squad—Elder Satsuki, do Itachi have anything to say about this?”

He was brutally direct!

They knew each other too well; Fugaku had no patience for formalities.

Shisui added: “The Hokage is barely holding back Danzo, but the merciful Hokage still wishes to give the Uchiha a chance.”

“Elder Satsuki, the Uchiha’s situation is dangerous!”

“I hope Itachi’ll hand over the killer—otherwise, even the Hokage will struggle to help us.”

Others chimed in, nearly all accusing the radicals.

They longed for peace, had been fully assimilated by the village, and—since Uchiha were all stubborn—they truly trusted Hiruzen Sarutobi.

This was the Uchiha mindset!

Their minds couldn’t grasp complexity; once they believed something, nothing could change it—even the seemingly moderate Shisui and Itachi were no exception.

This was why, after years of reincarnation, Uchiha Jin had never considered winning over Shisui or Itachi.

Before his reincarnation, he’d thought changing the Uchiha would be easy—his timeline was still early. But after living among them, he’d thrown that idea straight into the trash.

Useless!

The seemingly moderate Shisui and Itachi were the most extreme Uchiha—that’s why they unlocked the Mangekyo.

Uchiha Jin was the same!

With two lifetimes of memories, he too was an extreme man.

He was merely from the Land of Flowers, possessing broader thinking and greater insight.

That’s why, when his parents were taken by the Root, he never sought help from anyone—even now, after unlocking the Mangekyo and leading the radicals, he still hadn’t revealed the truth.

Precisely because he was extreme, he could unlock the Mangekyo!

“Heh, sorry.”

“I’ve retired. Talk to Jin about it.”

“After unanimous internal agreement, Jin-kun will now lead the radicals and inherit my position as clan elder.”

As Uchiha Jin pondered, Elder Satsuki spoke with a smile.

After speaking,

he ignored everyone entirely, looking utterly serene.

But the two men who heard this were stunned into silence, faces filled with disbelief.

Fugaku stared in shock: “Elder Satsuki, are Itachi retiring?”

“Yes. Is there a problem?” Elder Satsuki countered.

Fugaku fell silent.

Shisui’s face darkened; he couldn’t help speaking: “Jin-kun may be strong, but he’s far too young!”

“And clan elders must be elected—how can Itachi privately hand over your position like this?”

Satsuki’s expression didn’t change; a sly smile curled his lips: “All radical members support Jin-kun. Want a vote right now?”

Shisui fell silent—he knew voting would be useless.

Though he despised Uchiha Jin, even harbored hidden hatred for this disruptive fool, he couldn’t deny the man’s towering influence among the radicals.

Even if the moderates and centrists opposed, the radicals alone were enough.

After all…

This wasn’t a clan head election!

So after a deep breath, he looked solemnly at Uchiha Jin.

“Jin—Elder!”

“Let’s return to the previous topic. This matter is vital to the Uchiha clan—I need your answer soon.”

“Hand over the killer quickly—don’t make the Hokage’s job harder!”

Then,

as Shisui spoke, all eyes turned to Uchiha Jin.

Everyone wondered how this new radical leader would resolve the crisis.

Handing over the killer would anger the village; refusing would alienate his own faction.

And yet,

Uchiha Jin, seated beside Satsuki, remained calm, expression unchanged.

He’d said nothing since entering; only now, hearing Shisui’s question, did he lift his head.

“Hand over the killer?”

“Shisui, what are Itachi talking about?”

“I’m completely in the dark—why should I hand over a killer when Root and Anbu were slain?”

“Itachi’ve already assumed the radicals did it—where’s your proof?”

“If Itachi can pin blame on us without evidence, then every murder in the village can be blamed on the radicals, can’t it?”

“That’s not fair at all.”

“Are Itachi planning to kill us with ‘fabricated charges’?”

"Although both the radicals and moderates have grievances, Itachi can't shamelessly portray us as villains just to gain speaking power for your faction!"