Feeling the fervor and worship rising from the clan below, Uchiha Jin was satisfied.
The Uchiha were simple in one regard—if you were one of their own, and your strength surpassed theirs, then your words carried weight.
It wasn't only the ordinary clan members.
Even Elder Setsuna and Second Elder Yashiro no longer looked at him with severity. There was heat in their eyes now—recognition, even anticipation.
Jin dispersed his Susanoo and the oppressive chakra pressure, then turned to the two elders.
"Elder Setsuna. Elder Yashiro."
"What do you say?"
Unlike the rank-and-file shinobi, these two still held influence within the clan. Jin needed their explicit stance.
He was offering them two paths.
Submit and serve under him—as allies.
Or—
Become obstacles removed from the board.
Setsuna and Yashiro exchanged a glance. They understood the unspoken message.
Setsuna spoke first, eyes burning.
"Jin, if you want the Uchiha to have only one voice, I have no objection. In truth, that is what we both sought tonight."
"But before we decide, you must tell us clearly—what is your voice?"
Yashiro added, measured and sharp:
"You have indeed given us a shock tonight. But raw power alone does not command lasting loyalty."
These two had not survived to become elders by lacking brains.
Mangekyō and Susanoo resolved many doubts.
But not all.
If they were to follow him, they needed to understand his direction.
Jin swept his gaze across the chamber.
"Good. That's exactly what I intend to address."
He raised three fingers.
"I have three questions for everyone here."
"What are the Uchiha's demands?"
"What is the Uchiha's position?"
"And who is the Uchiha's enemy?"
Silence.
Some showed thought.
Some confusion.
Most showed blank uncertainty.
They had never framed things this way.
Setsuna frowned impatiently.
"Jin, just speak plainly. There's no need for riddles."
Jin snorted softly.
"If you cannot answer these three questions, how can you see the road ahead?"
"This is precisely why you've argued for years without uniting the clan."
He paused, then continued more directly.
"Since no one has an answer, I'll give you mine."
The First Question — What Do the Uchiha Want?
"In the chaotic Warring States era, it was the Uchiha and the Senju who founded Konoha together."
"We contributed land cultivated for generations."
"By seniority and by contribution, we should have been one of Konoha's ruling pillars."
He let the words sink in.
"But what is our reality?"
"The vast majority of our clan has been confined to the Military Police Force."
He did not need to name it. Everyone knew.
The Konoha Military Police Force—once established by Tobirama Senju as a political compromise.
"At its founding, the Police held real authority. It was a core department."
"But as ANBU, Root, the Interrogation Division, the Barrier Team and countless other agencies were created…"
"The Police gradually lost substance."
"Today it handles minor disturbances and petty crimes."
"Meanwhile, because of constant suppression from the village leadership, we received no equivalent exchange of power."
"Look at the departments that truly hold authority."
"ANBU. Root. Strategic command."
"How many Uchiha serve there?"
None.
Not one.
"We have become a peripheral clan."
His tone sharpened.
"To put it bluntly—our current position in Konoha is like a toilet."
Used when convenient.
Ignored when not.
The words were crude.
But the sting was real.
Faces tightened.
They felt it. They had lived it.
Jin did not mention the clan's own complacency in failing to negotiate political trade-offs when power was redistributed. Now was not the time for internal blame.
He let the resentment simmer.
Then he delivered the core.
"Our demand is simple."
"Six words."
"Fairness. Fairness. And more damn fairness."
"We demand a fair environment."
"Fair channels for advancement."
"Fair treatment."
"We demand that Konoha return to the Uchiha what is fair."
Murmurs turned to agreement.
Shoulders straightened.
This was not reckless rebellion.
This was principle.
Jin continued, voice steady and cutting.
"When you strip away the noise, this is not about pride."
"It is about position."
"And survival."
The chamber grew quieter—not with confusion now, but focus.
The first question had been answered.
Two remained.
And the direction of the clan would be forged by them.
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