Within the Uchiha District, the Radical Faction's territory had doubled in size compared to half a month ago.
This rapid expansion was born of absolute necessity. The sheer volume of defectors fleeing Danzo's silent assassinations forced the Radicals to continuously absorb new land, redesign their barrier jutsu, and restructure their patrol routes.
As for the Konoha Military Police Force?
It was effectively dead. The moment Jin assumed command of the Radicals, he ordered all his subordinates to resign from the Police Force immediately. As the wave of Moderates and Neutrals defected to his side, Jin issued the exact same mandate to them.
Now, the Police Force was an empty shell. While it existed on paper, and Fugaku retained the title of Chief, the headquarters was practically abandoned. No one was patrolling the streets. No one was enforcing the law.
After all, Fugaku couldn't exactly be expected to don a uniform and patrol the civilian markets alongside a handful of elderly faction leaders. It would be a catastrophic loss of face.
***
Inside the Hokage's office, Hiruzen Sarutobi's face was dark with fury. He slammed his hand against his desk, glaring at Fugaku, who stood impassively before him.
"Fugaku! This is utterly unacceptable!" Hiruzen roared. "Are you the Chief of Police or not?! Have you seen the state of the village? Crime is rising! Where are your officers? Why is the Uchiha Clan refusing to enforce the law?!"
Hiruzen was livid. He was fully aware of the intense internal factionalism paralyzing the Uchiha. He also knew that Danzo was harvesting the clan like crops. However, none of that justified the Uchiha abandoning their policing duties.
In Hiruzen's grand strategy, the Uchiha needed to continue acting as the Police Force. The arrogant, heavy-handed policing style of the Uchiha constantly alienated the civilian population, providing Hiruzen with the continuous political justification he needed to slowly suffocate the clan. Without the Police Force generating public resentment, Hiruzen lost his primary excuse for targeting them.
Fugaku, however, did not flinch at the Hokage's anger. His expression remained completely flat, his spirit utterly broken.
"Lord Hokage," Fugaku replied, his voice devoid of emotion. "The vast majority of the Uchiha Clan has officially defected to Jin's Radical Faction. Currently, I hold authority over exactly three people: Uchiha Shisui, two elderly faction leaders, and perhaps seven elite Jonin."
Fugaku gestured helplessly. "Shisui is an active-duty Anbu and is not available. The seven Jonin are working full-time guarding the elderly faction leaders from the 'foreign spies' that keep assassinating our people every night. Tell me, Lord Third... am I supposed to personally patrol the streets with the elders?"
Fugaku shrugged, fully embracing his newfound apathy. He was defeated, and he had accepted it.
Hiruzen choked on his rage. He stared at Fugaku, completely speechless.
'Damn it all,' Hiruzen cursed internally. 'He's right. The so-called Clan Head is nothing but a commander without an army.'
Hiruzen took a slow drag from his pipe, trying to process this disastrous turn of events. "Have you... have you prepared no counter-strategy whatsoever?" he asked, a note of disbelief creeping into his voice.
"No. I cannot think of one," Fugaku stated bluntly, not even bothering to look up. "Jin is utilizing a flawlessly executed Open Scheme (Yangmou). I lost the political war fairly. I accept my defeat."
Fugaku truly had no solutions left, so he chose the path of least resistance: peaceful surrender. This fatalistic acceptance was a core flaw in his character—the exact same flaw that would eventually lead him to kneel and offer his neck to his own son, Itachi, without raising a weapon in defense.
Hiruzen's mouth twitched violently. He desperately wanted to slap the apathetic Clan Head across the face.
'You useless coward!' Hiruzen thought, his mind racing. 'I knew you were no match for Jin, but you didn't even put up a fight! You just rolled over and died!'
This presented a massive problem for the Hokage. Hiruzen's entire strategy relied on Fugaku keeping Jin distracted with internal civil war. If Fugaku surrendered and Jin successfully unified the entire Uchiha Clan under his absolute, militant rule, Jin would inevitably turn his sights back on the Konoha Administration.
'No. I cannot allow Jin to unify the clan,' Hiruzen concluded. 'Fugaku is officially useless. I have no choice but to intervene directly and fight this proxy war for him.'
Hiruzen sighed internally. He never imagined a day would come where he would actively try to prop up Fugaku's authority. He needed to find a way to artificially empower the Moderates, perhaps by utilizing Shisui more aggressively, to force the Uchiha to continue fighting themselves.
'Knock. Knock.' Hiruzen tapped his pipe against the ashtray. An Anbu operative immediately dropped from the ceiling, kneeling respectfully.
"Summon Uchiha Jin to my office immediately," Hiruzen commanded.
The Anbu vanished in a swirl of leaves.
Alone with Fugaku, Hiruzen ignored the deposed Clan Head and began smoking in heavy silence. He needed to carefully construct his arguments. He had to find the exact political leverage required to force Jin to back down.
***
Meanwhile, inside the heavily fortified core of the Radical District.
Jin sat across from a young, highly skilled Uchiha Jonin. It wasn't the man's combat prowess that interested Jin, but his political identity.
The man was Uchiha Inabi.
Inabi was Fugaku's absolute most trusted confidant. He was the Clan Head's right hand and widely recognized as one of the strongest fighters within the Moderate faction.
"You want to defect to me?" Jin asked, his eyes narrowing with suspicion. "To be perfectly honest, Inabi, I find this highly illogical. You are Fugaku's core loyalist. Even with the clan collapsing, Fugaku has the resources to guarantee your personal safety."
Jin did not hide his skepticism. Inabi's position was far too sensitive. For the Clan Head's right-hand man to suddenly pledge loyalty to the rebel leader screamed of a double-agent plot.
Inabi's expression remained perfectly stoic. He did not flinch under Jin's intense scrutiny.
"I have a younger sister," Inabi stated calmly. "The Moderate district is no longer safe for her. My duties require me to guard the Clan Head constantly, leaving my sister unprotected. However, that is merely the secondary reason for my defection."
Inabi looked directly at Jin. "The primary reason is that I am completely devoid of hope regarding Fugaku's leadership. The day you formed the Radical Faction and established this barricaded district, Fugaku should have immediately crushed you. Even if it sparked a civil war within the compound, a decisive leader would have eradicated the rebellion to maintain absolute authority."
Inabi shook his head, his voice laced with bitter disappointment. "But Fugaku is crippled by indecision. He hesitated, and he lost the only window of opportunity he had. Now, the village is spreading vicious rumors about us, and our clansmen are being systematically assassinated every night. Fugaku has produced zero solutions. Even when your defensive strategy was proven 100% effective, he refused to copy it because he was terrified of offending the Hokage."
Inabi's eyes hardened. "I finally see him for what he is: a man entirely devoid of courage. Whether he chooses war or peace, a leader must 'choose'. But Fugaku only hesitates. Following a man like that guarantees the extermination of our clan."
Inabi bowed his head slightly. "My defection is genuine. Fugaku is unfit to lead. I wish to support you, Jin-sama, as the new Clan Head. I do not know if your leadership will save the Uchiha... but I know, with absolute certainty, that it cannot be worse than Fugaku's."