Chapter 88: Uchiha Reorganized, Shikamaru Demands Immediate War!

Uchiha Jin was extremely displeased.

He could understand the excitement of so many Uchiha; although this group of clans didn’t have much power and couldn’t match the quality of the first wave of defectors, their defection represented a trend.

Starting today, the tide has turned!

Even if not a single civilian ninja defected, the power the Uchiha now held was enough to stand on equal footing with the Hidden Leaf’s high command—and even qualified them to establish a new Konoha outright.

But, equally so.

Couldn’t we discuss this tomorrow? Why wake me up in the middle of the night?

Still.

Even though he was deeply annoyed, since he’d already been roused, lying back down would likely do no good.

So, fine.

If I’m awake, no one else gets to sleep either.

Thinking this, he called out to the outside: “Zhong, come in!”

“Elder Jin!” Uchiha Zhong’s eyes shone with admiration.

Clearly.

For the man who had pulled the Uchiha out of the mire and restored them to their former glory, he had long sworn to give his life to him.

And, as for this.

Uchiha Jin remained calm, for during this period, all Uchiha had worn this same expression.

At first there might have been some awkwardness, but now it was utterly routine.

“Notify all clans: send one representative here.”

“Meeting!”

Uchiha Zhong nodded and left immediately.

Kira couldn’t help speaking up: “It’s this late—meeting?”

“What’s wrong?” Uchiha Jin asked.

Kira shook his head and said nothing more.

Still.

He had a strange feeling something was off, because Uchiha Jin had always hated meetings before.

Of course.

If he knew Uchiha Jin had called everyone here simply because he was in a bad mood and wanted company, he’d probably find it even more unbelievable.

Half an hour later.

In the front courtyard’s reception hall, everyone was seated according to position.

Yet most looked half-asleep, clearly having been woken from sleep.

Uchiha Jin walked into the reception room and, seeing this scene, felt slightly more balanced.

Hmm, good!

This is how it should be!

Why should I suffer alone? When there’s joy, everyone shares it.

But.

This was also Uchiha Jin’s little trick—he truly had matters to discuss, but originally planned to wait until tomorrow; now he’d just moved the meeting to tonight.

“Everyone, first matter!”

“Perhaps my Will of Fire is too strong, causing too many to defect to the Uchiha lately—and our clan lands have limited capacity. So I’ve decided to expand the territory around the South Gate Shrine outside the village.”

“Therefore, I want tonight to establish a clear allocation plan for each clan.”

“Don’t worry about insufficient land—our clan lands border the Forest of Death; just expand outward beyond the village as much as needed.”

“Second: tonight we must finalize a plan for the barrier defenses, patrol squads, and visible and hidden sentries—and complete the reorganization as quickly as possible, since our enemies won’t give us much time.”

“We must form our forces into a complete combat capability as swiftly as possible while ensuring the safety of our clan lands.”

Uchiha Jin didn’t waste words.

His meeting style was always this: raise the problem and solve it. He had no interest in watching factional infighting.

He set the framework; everyone else figured out how to build it.

And as for this.

Whether Uchiha clan members or representatives of other clans, all were drawn to this fresh meeting style.

Soon after.

After two hours, under Nara leadership, a consensus was finally reached.

None of the attending clans argued.

Because everyone knew this was temporary; the real resource allocation would come only after eliminating Hiruzen Sarutobi and the other high-ups—then the real cake-cutting would begin.

For now?

Just make do. As long as the clans can keep functioning, nothing else matters.

After all, when they defected to the Uchiha, the most they could carry were their wealth and goods; other assets couldn’t be recovered in the short term.

At that moment, Nara Shikamaru spoke up: “Jin-kun, I have a question.”

“Ask,” Uchiha Jin nodded slightly. “Speak freely!”

“We’re all on the same rope now—I won’t impose my will. If there’s merit, we analyze and plan together.”

“The same goes for everyone else.”

“If anything is unclear or feels inappropriate, say it outright—we’ll discuss it together!”

Hearing this, everyone exhaled in relief.

To be honest, they’d prepared for Uchiha domination; they hadn’t expected Uchiha Jin to be so reasonable, even willing to deliberate with them.

This made them all the more certain they’d made the right choice.

And as for this.

Nara Shikamaru didn’t waste time: “Regarding how to handle the village, what’s your plan, Jin-kun?”

“What’s your opinion, Shikamaru?” Uchiha Jin asked in return.

Nara Shikamaru didn’t hesitate: “The village is already extremely weak. I see no reason to delay further.”

“Call an Anbu Council immediately, expose the Root’s crimes, and remove Hiruzen Sarutobi from the Hokage position.”

“The village may endure some turmoil, but we’ll cleanse the corruption completely—and only then can we focus our strength against the other villages.”

Others nodded in agreement.

Having chosen to defect to the Uchiha, they’d long prepared for war with the village.

Especially the Uchiha—they were burning with bloodlust.

Had Uchiha Jin not held them back, they’d have slaughtered Hiruzen and the other three clans already.

Only Uchiha Jin remained silent. After a moment’s thought, he turned to Nara Shikaku.

“Shikaku…”

“Itachi’ve spent the most time in the Hokage Tower. Do Itachi know Hiruzen Sarutobi’s true capabilities?”

“If conflict erupts, what final weapons could Hiruzen Sarutobi deploy?”

And as for this.

Nara Shikaku, who had intended to remain invisible, couldn’t help a weary sigh. After long thought, he answered: “I’m not part of the Hokage’s inner circle—I don’t know the specifics.”

“But officially, there are twelve thousand civilian ninja, with one hundred thirty-two jōnin—though their abilities are slightly weaker than those of the clans.”

“Hiruzen and the other three clans have enormous numbers!”

“Each officially has about fifty ninja, with six or seven jōnin.”

“But I’ve often visited the Hiruzen clan lands to meet with Hiruzen Sarutobi, and from glimpses I’ve seen, the Hiruzen clan’s true ninja count is at least twenty times higher!”

“The other three clans are similar.”

“Over the years, Hiruzen and the others have embezzled vast sums from the village treasury, and since these four clans rarely fight on the front lines, their actual numbers are impossible to verify.”

“Within the Anbu and Root, excluding our clans, roughly half are commoner-born—about three hundred people.”

“But these are elites—they’re a major problem.”

“Beyond that, the Anbu and Root have hidden personnel—I’m certain of it, but I don’t know the exact scale.”

“Finally…”

“Hiruzen Sarutobi is the Ninja Arts Doctor and controls the forbidden scroll—no one knows how many forbidden jutsu he’s mastered.”

“So if Itachi face Hiruzen Sarutobi, be extremely cautious of his forbidden jutsu!”