The silence in the grand reception hall was absolute.
No one answered Shisui's question. Fugaku simply stared at the floor, the humiliation choking the words in his throat. He was a Clan Head completely abandoned by his own people—an unprecedented disgrace in the history of the Uchiha.
Finally, Uchiha Shiming, the last Elder of the Neutral Faction, broke the silence.
"They defected to the Radical Faction," Shiming stated coldly, not even glancing at Shisui. He kept his disappointed gaze fixed entirely on Fugaku. "And frankly, this meeting is pointless. I have no intention of joining Jin's extremists, but I can no longer recognize you as our leader, Fugaku. Elder Amano was right. You have failed us. Step down."
Without waiting for a response, Shiming turned and walked out, taking his subordinates with him. Uchiha Shikata followed immediately after. Shikata offered no parting insults, but his silence made his lack of allegiance perfectly clear.
In a matter of seconds, the hall emptied. Only Fugaku, Shisui, and three diehard loyalists remained.
"Clan Head... are you alright?" Shisui asked, his eyes filled with profound pity.
Fugaku's jaw clenched. He despised the pity. Taking a sharp breath, he forced a tight, artificial smile. "Do not worry about me, Shisui. You lack a talent for comforting words, and I do not need them anyway. Let us focus on business. I assume you have heard about the ancestral land?"
Shisui nodded, his expression turning grave. "I did. It is a disaster. I have spent months trying to ease the village's suspicions and mend our relationship with the Hokage. Jin's reckless extortion just shattered all that progress."
Shisui's perspective was entirely focused on village integration. To him, provoking the Hokage was an act of sheer madness that would inevitably lead to the clan's destruction.
"You are right," Fugaku agreed quickly, finding desperate solace in Shisui's shared delusion. "This cannot continue. We must go to the Radical district immediately and convince Jin to stop this before he ruins everything. Come."
***
The two men left the estate and crossed into the territory controlled by the Radical Faction. When they arrived, both froze in pure shock.
The streets were vibrant. The clansmen were smiling, chatting amiably, and going about their day with relaxed shoulders. Under Fugaku's reign, the constant threat of Danzo's Root assassins and the village's political oppression had kept everyone in a state of perpetual, suffocating anxiety.
'No... this is impossible,' Fugaku thought, his eyes wide in disbelief.
His worldview completely rejected the scene before him. Jin was a violent, power-hungry extremist. The people were supposed to be miserable and oppressed under his tyrannical rule. If the civilians were truly happy and safe under Jin, it meant Fugaku's entire philosophy of appeasement had been wrong. It meant his inaction had been the true source of the clan's suffering.
"This has to be fake," Fugaku muttered, his voice trembling. "It is all an illusion! Jin is too radical. They cannot possibly be this peaceful!"
His frantic denial was interrupted when a group of civilians spotted him. Instantly, the smiles vanished from their faces. Instead of bowing or offering the customary greetings owed to a Clan Head, the civilians looked at him with sheer disgust. They actively crossed the street, avoiding him as if he were a walking disease.
Fugaku flinched as if struck physically. The blatant rejection shattered his remaining pride.
Noticing his leader's distress, Shisui quickly stepped in with a rationalization. "Do not let this deceive you, Clan Head. This is just a temporary, fragile illusion. True peace can only be achieved through understanding and integration with Konoha. Jin's path only leads to isolation and eventual destruction."
Fugaku grasped onto Shisui's words like a drowning man holding a piece of driftwood. 'Yes. It is a false peace,' he reassured himself desperately. 'The village is too powerful. My way is still the only correct way.'
***
Meanwhile, inside Jin's modest courtyard, the atmosphere was entirely different.
Jin had never bothered to expand his personal estate. He prioritized practical strength and clan defense over luxury. Consequently, his rapidly growing inner circle of commanders had to cram into the small yard for their tactical meetings.
Jin sat at the head of the table, a relaxed smile on his face as he delivered the news.
"Reclaiming the ancestral land was partly a matter of calculated timing," Jin explained smoothly. "Our mass relocation disrupted the Police Force schedules. That sudden, collective strike paralyzed the village's security, creating a crisis for Hiruzen. He needed us back on duty immediately to stop the civilian complaints, so he was forced to pay my price. Therefore, the credit for this victory belongs to all of you."
The commanders erupted into cheers, completely rejecting Jin's humility. Reclaiming the ancestral land had been the Uchiha's most painful, impossible dream.
"Do not give us the credit, Elder Jin!" one Jonin laughed loudly. "If Fugaku had been in that office, he would have apologized to the Hokage for the delay and ordered us to work double shifts for free!"
"Exactly!" another chimed in. "When Root assassinated our families, Fugaku didn't even dare to build a wall! We only have our ancestral land back because you had the strength and the spine to demand it!"
The courtyard buzzed with genuine loyalty and jubilation. Unlike Fugaku's suffocating, fear-driven meetings, Jin commanded through tangible results and shared prosperity.
Jin raised a hand, and the courtyard instantly fell silent, displaying their absolute discipline.
"Enjoy the victory today, but remain grounded in reality," Jin ordered, his tone shifting to cold, rational business. "The village leadership will not take this extortion lightly. We must solidify our position and prepare for their retaliation. Before we resume our policing duties tomorrow, I need an accurate intelligence report. Since I have not stepped foot outside this district, tell me... exactly how chaotic has Konoha become without our Police Force?"