Chapter 23: Uchiha Jin

Uchiha Jin was deeply curious.

He rarely walked through the village, only passing briefly along its streets during his time at the ninja academy, and even then he never visited any shops.

After graduation, he was immediately sent to the front lines.

Later, after his teammates died, he was ordered back to the village and has remained ever since in the Uchiha compound.

This—there’s nothing to be done!

The Uchiha are hated too much; he couldn’t bear those stares.

Only Obito, before he went dark, that fool, would’ve cared nothing for such things.

Though he occasionally visits the Hokage Tower now, he still pays little attention to changes on the streets.

So.

Now, learning that the absence of the Police Force had plunged Konoha into chaos, he was genuinely intrigued.

“Elder Jin, I know this.”

“The reason is that everyone has been busy these past few days—after all, families wishing to join our radical faction must pack their gold, silver, and valuables, and even many tables, chairs, and beds can’t be abandoned.”

“So it’s a mess!”

“Thus, to accomplish this quickly, everyone has been using excuses like illness or family matters to take leave; the Police Force was already stretched thin.”

“I only joined the radical faction after being nagged by my family—I understand the Police Force’s changes better than most.”

“The streets are now completely chaotic. With the Police Force gone, all kinds of thugs and ruffians have surfaced, and thefts and robberies have become frequent.”

“Especially since these bastards know the Police Force isn’t working lately, their methods have grown even more reckless than before.”

“Add to that the disputes among merchants and neighbors, now without any Police Force to mediate, and Konoha’s chaos has skyrocketed.”

Among them, some degenerates from major ninja clans have taken advantage to intimidate, bribe, and seize civilians' assets, and such incidents have increased sharply.

“So now, the streets? Truly—one word: chaos!”

“By the way, Elder Jin!”

“I’m Uchiha Akatsuki. I was formerly a member of the moderate faction.”

“Though I’ve only recently joined the radical faction, I greatly approve of your leadership—I feel very comfortable here now.”

“Not only do I no longer worry about Root’s Danzo assassinating us, but my family can sleep peacefully every night, and under your command, we’ve repeatedly taken gains from Konoha.”

“Compared to that unreliable clan head, Fugaku, your actions have truly shown me hope.”

“So from now on, I pledge my loyalty!”

Uchiha Akatsuki spoke with solemnity.

As he spoke, those present all began voicing their own pledges of loyalty to Uchiha Jin.

And as for this—

Uchiha Jin’s eyes smiled, though he couldn’t deny he was pleased inside.

His judgment was correct after all!

Had he tried to persuade this group from the start, he never could’ve united the Uchiha into a single force—given how sharp the factional infighting within the clan had become, thanks to the Hokage’s deliberate sabotage.

Now?

He merely let them see blood—just a few Uchiha dead—and they were fully awakened.

Of course—

He still needed to thank two people!

First, Danzo—without his assassinations, this group would never have turned to him.

Second, Fugaku!

Had that fool not enforced the “no resistance, no defense” strategy, the moderate and neutral Uchiha would never have lost all hope in Fugaku and ultimately chosen to join his side.

“All of Itachi…”

“Technically, I should offer some modesty, but our Uchiha face internal strife and external threats—we must unite as one. So I’ll boldly accept your loyalty.”

“But I must tell Itachi: our Uchiha situation remains dire.”

“Externally, we face hostility from the Hokage’s inner circle, especially that old dog Danzo; internally, our clan head Fugaku and Shisui are pulling us back—so our next moves must remain cautious.”

Uchiha Jin spoke with solemnity.

Yes.

Though his actions have yielded good results so far, each time carving a piece of flesh from Hiruzen Sarutobi’s mouth.

But likewise—

The Uchiha’s situation remains perilous; Hiruzen Sarutobi is a ruthless man, and having suffered such losses, that old bastard will surely retaliate.

Fugaku and Shisui are even harder to handle!

This is a world where strength reigns supreme—both of them possess Mangekyo Sharingan, and lurking behind them is Sasuke, that traitor, and Obito, that bastard, watching from the shadows.

Saying “internal strife and external threats” is actually too mild!

So—

At this moment, Uchiha Jin was genuinely troubled.

Though he has awakened his Mangekyo Sharingan, it is not the eternal version with no drawbacks; though his Mangekyo slowly regenerates its power, it still cannot sustain prolonged, large-scale combat.

Thus, right now, he truly walks on thin ice.

Though his actions appear aggressive, inwardly he is cautious, never daring to drive his enemies into utter desperation.

Otherwise—

Shisui would almost certainly use Tsukuyomi on him!

Fugaku is hiding his Mangekyo to avoid making the village too fearful—if we push too far, that old man won’t stay hidden much longer.

As for Sasuke—

Uchiha Jin isn’t overly worried for now; as long as Shisui lives, Sasuke cannot awaken his Mangekyo in the short term.

When Sasuke awakens his Mangekyo, it will mean Shisui’s threat is gone!

Obito is the same.

This guy doesn’t want to reveal himself yet—unless Konoha moves directly against us, or the Uchiha clan descends into civil war, he’ll only interfere from the shadows.

So—

For now, we must not push our enemies too hard; everything must be planned slowly and carefully!

As for his parents captured by Root, honestly, Uchiha Jin worries least about them—because this is Danzo’s trump card against him, and Danzo won’t waste it as disposable.

It’s not yet time to break with Root, so even though his heart aches like a knife twist, reason tells him he must stay calm.

Thinking of this, he grew furious.

Other transmigrators arrive with systems, or at least some minor cheat.

What about him?

Though he does have a seven-story treasure tower pendant that came with him across worlds, over the years he’s tried every method—blood offerings, chakra nourishment, Itachi name it—but still, nothing has changed.

Damn it.

Surely it won’t only manifest its power after he kills Konoha’s leadership and unifies the ninja world?

If he had a system to aid him, he’d have already launched open war against Konoha’s leadership instead of scheming so cautiously all this time.

“By the way, Jin!”

“I’ve always wondered—why is Hiruzen Sarutobi conceding?”

“Couldn’t the Anbu temporarily replace the Police Force?”

“Konoha has so many ninja, so many clans—couldn’t they just pull together a squad to restore order?”

“Why would he pay such a heavy price rather than let the Anbu act—or even recruit a new Police Force?”