Uchiha Hakan's face turned livid, while Fugaku remained silent.
To Hakan, the fact that Jin would want to challenge the position of clan head was nothing short of rebellion.
The role of clan head had always been predetermined, passed down through lineage.
But Fugaku…
Strangely, a sense of relief rose in his heart.
If he didn't have to be the clan head…
Fugaku quickly bowed his head, pressing down the thought that had flashed through his mind.
From as early as he could remember, he had been raised as the future clan head.
But the pressure from both the clan and the village was crushing.
Everything was already determined; there was no escaping it.
"Uchiha Jin! Do you understand what you're saying!?"
Always calm and magnanimous, Hakan finally lost his temper.
"I know exactly what I'm saying, but do you know what you're doing?"
Jin retorted.
In Hakan's gaze, Jin's eyes were like still, lifeless water, completely devoid of emotion, even reflecting Hakan's own image.
At that moment, he realized he didn't understand this young man before him at all.
The intelligence reports had analyzed his character thoroughly:
Brave, fond of joking, loyal to his comrades, a bit selfish.
Yet, looking at the Uchiha Jin before him…
It was as if he were gazing at a creature that didn't belong to this world, a monster ready to devour the entire Uchiha clan—and even Konoha itself.
Before Hakan could launch into a reprimand, Jin began speaking slowly.
"You complain that Konoha targets the Uchiha, that the Hokage lineage never gives the Uchiha a chance, that the Konoha leadership is a bunch of soulless, merciless tyrants."
"But have you ever thought that the Uchiha are the same way?"
"Clan members without awakened Sharingan, no matter how talented, are merely disposable pawns to you."
"For those who awaken the Sharingan, you demand selfless dedication to the clan."
"Even the position of clan head is inherited by lineage."
"You don't change, so why expect Konoha to change?"
To Jin, Konoha and the Uchiha were two sides of the same coin, no matter how much they opposed each other.
Hakan's face was ashen; years of cultivated restraint were slipping away in front of Uchiha Jin.
"This is Uchiha tradition. Konoha claims anyone can become Hokage, but it's not the same at all."
Konoha touted that anyone could become Hokage, yet it was an inherited position in practice.
Had someone else been appointed Hokage upon Hiruzen Sarutobi's return, Hakan might never have imagined it would become hereditary.
"Uchiha tradition," Jin scoffed, his face filled with disdain. "That tradition belongs to Madara's lineage, doesn't it?"
That was the true bloodline of Uchiha's clan head. Unfortunately, that line had no descendants.
Fugaku's branch only became the clan head line because it was closest to Madara's.
Hakan understood then that the young man before him wouldn't be persuaded by a few words.
In essence, their ideologies were fundamentally incompatible.
"You'll destroy the Uchiha, Uchiha Jin."
"Then try to stop me."
Jin casually tossed a shuriken into the lake, causing ripples on the surface.
The fish that had just bitten the hook frantically fled.
"Elder."
Jin's tone dripped with sarcasm.
After Jin left, Hakan closed his eyes and sighed deeply.
Originally, he had intended to make Jin understand that the Uchiha clan was his true family, that he should support Fugaku for the clan's sake.
But now he realized the chasm Jin felt with the clan.
More accurately, a chasm with the entire village.
He didn't hold any respect for the Uchiha name, nor did he revere Konoha.
It was a mindset unlike any shinobi's.
"Fugaku."
"I'm here, Elder."
Fugaku walked over respectfully.
"Be cautious of Uchiha Jin. He has the potential to bring prosperity to the Uchiha clan or to destroy it."
Hakan's tone was grave.
In truth, Fugaku didn't need Hakan to tell him; he already saw Jin as a double-edged sword.
"If the opportunity arises," Hakan hesitated, a hint of inner conflict showing on his face.
"Kill him."
Fugaku's pupils contracted.
Could he really kill a fellow clansman? Even one who opposed him?
"The Uchiha cannot withstand great upheaval."
Hakan didn't want to make this choice, either. Even if Jin fully sided with the village, he wouldn't have considered it.
But, alas, things were different.
Fugaku stared into the clear lake, catching sight of the fish Jin's shuriken had struck down.
It had no chance to resist.
"The village and the clan."
Hakan's voice drifted, but Fugaku could no longer make out what he was saying.
"Hey, Big Brother Yashiro, are you babysitting?"
Jin had just walked out of Honoka's yard and saw Uchiha Yashiro, flustered, trying to console a crying little girl.
"Want me to help?"
Yashiro looked at Jin, exasperated.
"Just don't make it worse."
Knowing Jin's methods, the child would likely cry even harder.
Jin didn't mind, simply watching as Yashiro comforted the crying girl before him.
Soon, the little girl stopped crying and bowed deeply to Yashiro.
"Thank you, Uncle Yashiro."
With that, she turned and walked away briskly.
"I'm still young, you know…"
Yashiro scratched his head.
"Something happened to her family?"
Jin asked out of curiosity.
Yashiro's face turned somber, and he sighed helplessly. "Her parents were killed by Kirigakure, just like yours."
"Has Kirigakure also launched an attack?"
Jin hadn't heard any news of an invasion from Kirigakure.
Yashiro shook his head.
"Kirigakure hasn't launched a full-scale attack. They only sent a small squad, and her parents happened to encounter a team of Jōnin. None survived."
"Still, things aren't quiet in Kirigakure. In a few days, I'll be accompanying the young clan leader to the front line at Kirigakure."
The ongoing chaos in the Land of Rain had overshadowed Kirigakure's moves, though the village was also deliberately suppressing such news.
After all, the Kirigakure front was the Uchiha's responsibility.
Jin shook his head, forming seals with his hands, and a scroll appeared in a puff of smoke, which he handed to Yashiro.
"Big Brother Yashiro, take this. Try to survive out there."
"What is this?"
Yashiro curiously unrolled the scroll.
"The Breath of Stone?"
"You have an affinity for earth-style and are skilled in kenjutsu, so I prepared it for you."
The breathing techniques were created with specific individuals in mind.
Though Yashiro treated all orphans kindly, Jin felt this kindness as a personal debt.
And Uchiha Jin repaid kindness in full and sought vengeance to the end.
It was only a matter of time.
"Thank you."
Yashiro didn't refuse, reaching out to ruffle Jin's hair.
"Stop treating me like a kid, Big Brother Yashiro."
"Alright, alright. Jin is a capable shinobi now."
Yashiro chuckled.
Jin rolled his eyes at him. Even his tone was still that of someone talking to a child.
What a jerk!!
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