Chapter 22: The Radical Faction

The reception hall was utterly silent.

No one answered Shisui’s question—not even Fugaku.

Why? Shame, that’s why.

A clan leader betrayed by nearly all his own people—he’s set a new precedent for the Uchiha.

“They’ve all defected to the radicals.”

Uchiha Siming spoke coldly.

Then,

he gave Shisui a complex look, ignoring Fugaku entirely: “This so-called meeting feels pointless. I don’t want to join the radicals, but I also refuse to recognize Itachi as clan head.”

“Itachi’ve failed too badly.”

“Old Man Tianye is right—I advise Itachi to resign voluntarily.”

“From today on, I won’t acknowledge any order Itachi give. Itachi’d better watch yourself from now on.”

With that,

Uchiha Siming left with his followers, having completely abandoned Fugaku.

Uchiha Sifang also departed.

He didn’t mock Fugaku, but his unspoken meaning was clear—he would no longer recognize Fugaku as clan head.

Almost instantly,

the entire reception hall became empty.

Aside from Fugaku and Shisui, only three of Fugaku’s loyalists remained.

“Clan Head, are Itachi alright?”

Shisui looked strained, his eyes filled with pity.

Yet,

Fugaku took a deep breath and forced a smile: “Shisui, sorry to embarrass Itachi.”

“No, I just…” Shisui tried to explain.

But before he could finish, Fugaku cut him off: “Shisui, Itachi’re terrible at comforting people, and I don’t need comfort. Let’s talk business.”

“Itachi’ve surely heard about the ancestral lands.”

Shisui nodded, his face heavy.

Though he longed to reclaim the Uchiha ancestral lands, he didn’t want to use Uchiha Jin’s methods.

In his view, tensions between the Uchiha and the village were already dire—he’d done everything he could to maintain peace, but then Uchiha Jin, that madman, appeared.

It left him utterly helpless!

All his hard-won progress, ruined in an instant by Uchiha Jin.

So, sigh.

After a weary sigh, Shisui spoke with grave tone: “Clan Head, Itachi’re right—this is no good. We must stop it.”

“Good,” Fugaku replied solemnly. “Then let’s go together.”

“We must persuade Uchiha Jin—this favorable situation can’t be destroyed!”

Shisui nodded, offering no refusal.

Then,

the two, having firmly decided, wasted no time and headed straight for the radical faction’s base.

And—they froze.

The radical faction’s base was peaceful and serene; everyone on the streets wore smiles—a sight unimaginable in the old Uchiha district.

Due to village pressure and Fugaku’s inaction, the Uchiha had lived in constant fear.

But now?

Seeing this in the radical base left them momentarily unable to accept it.

“No, impossible!”

“This must be fake—Uchiha Jin is so radical; how could his followers be so calm?”

“I don’t believe it—all of it’s fake!”

Fugaku’s voice was hoarse, his eyes filled with disbelief.

Yes!

In his mind, these people should have been numb.

Especially under Uchiha Jin’s leadership, they should be suffering more than ever—radicals don’t know how to govern, that’s normal.

But now?

The genuine smiles on these people’s faces stabbed at him like daggers.

More importantly…

If they’re this happy following the radicals, will they ever recognize me as their clan head again?

His fears were confirmed instantly!

The moment he spoke, every Uchiha on the street turned to stare.

Yet,

not a single person greeted him. Instead, they all recoiled as if he were filth, fleeing to the far corners.

Fugaku’s face darkened further.

Shisui was equally stunned, but after a deep breath, he said: “Clan Head, don’t worry—this is temporary, just an illusion of peace.”

“Our path is the right one. Only by reconciling with the village and truly integrating into it can we achieve real peace.”

At Shisui’s words, Fugaku snapped back to reality.

Yes!

This is only false peace!

The village is too powerful—only softness offers a way forward.

Even if the radicals seem successful now, their rift with the village grows deeper; if this continues, they’ll be wiped out.

…

Meanwhile,

in Uchiha Jin’s courtyard, his followers were holding a meeting.

There was no choice!

His courtyard was small, Uchiha Jin wasn’t one for luxury, and with village and clan issues piling up, he had no interest in expanding.

He hadn’t minded before, but now that his following had grown so large, space was desperately tight.

Like now…

To hold a meeting, they had to gather in the yard.

“Reclaiming the clan lands was really just luck.”

“I didn’t expect the clan members to help with the relocation—it just happened to delay the Police Department’s work, making Hiruzen Sarutobi’s head ache, so he traded the ancestral lands for the Uchiha to return to the Police Department.”

So, this time,

“The credit belongs to everyone!”

Uchiha Jin smiled.

He sat at the head of the gathering, announcing the results to all.

In response,

nearly everyone present burst into exclamations.

It was so hard-won!

Losing the ancestral lands had been a wound for every Uchiha.

But now,

Uchiha Jin had gotten it back!

Instantly, support for Uchiha Jin surged countlessfold—compared to Fugaku, who accomplished nothing, Uchiha Jin was the true king they could trust.

As for the claim that credit belonged to everyone, no one actually believed it.

If Fugaku had faced this, he’d have forced everyone to swallow their pride and quietly return to work—he wouldn’t dare negotiate with the Hokage.

“Elder Jin, thank Itachi so much.”

“Don’t flatter us—we have no credit. Without a reliable superior, all our efforts mean nothing.”

“If it were Fugaku, the Uchiha would’ve bowed their heads.”

“Yeah, he’d probably even apologize!”

“It was because Danzo tried to assassinate us, yet Fugaku didn’t resist—not even defend himself. Do Itachi really expect him to demand our ancestral lands from Konoha?”

“….”

Everyone present spoke up.

The courtyard became a sea of joy—they didn’t hesitate or second-guess like Fugaku and Shisui. Since Uchiha Jin had the ability, they simply followed his lead.

In response,

Uchiha Jin’s smile deepened, but he soon raised a hand to quiet them.

“Enough celebration—we must return to reality.”

“Our Uchiha situation is already precarious—we’ll need even greater effort from all of Itachi going forward.”

"So, let's get to the matter at hand."

"Since I haven't been paying attention to the village, who else understands its current state?"

"Without the Uchiha Police Force, how chaotic has the village become now?"