Hashirama Cells?! Should he, an Uchiha, even touch that?
When Jin got home, he still could not believe it. If Sarutobi Hiruzen found out, would he erase him without a second thought? But he was not doing it willingly. They would not care. Yeah, forget it.
Still, when he thought about what he had seen on the fourth floor of that lab, the data on Hashirama's Cells, and the ninjutsu scrolls he had picked out and stuffed into his backpack... he felt both disbelief and a faint unease. He did not know whether what had landed on his head was a blessing or a curse.
"If I awakened the Mangekyō Sharingan and added Hashirama Cells, my minimum level would be Kage." Unfortunately, Jin's biggest obstacle was the Mangekyō Sharingan. He had not even awakened the normal Sharingan yet.
When he opened his front door, he found a figure he did not want to see, sitting calmly at the tea table in the living room. What a mood killer.
"So the young clan head Fugaku has plenty of free time to visit someone as insignificant as me." Jin opened with sarcasm the moment he saw the intruder. Who else could enter his home without making a sound but Uchiha Fugaku?
"Next time, could you not come in uninvited? People who know you might think it's normal, but people who don't will think you're a thief." Does he think my door is just decoration?
Uchiha Fugaku kept a calm expression, unmoved by Jin's provocation. He waited until Jin finished before speaking. "I heard you were accepted as Lord Jiraiya's disciple."
Jin let out a cold laugh. "So you already know. My current status might not be that far below yours, young clan head."
Becoming Jiraiya's disciple did not look like it came with obvious privileges, but in reality, everything was hidden in the shadows. Being part of the Hokage's direct lineage was not empty talk. It was a ticket toward the road to becoming Hokage. Unfortunately, his surname was Uchiha.
"You were really accepted as Lord Jiraiya's disciple..." Fugaku's voice trembled slightly. He still found it hard to believe.
How many years had it been? Since Uchiha Kagami's death, no Uchiha had been able to enter the Hokage's line of succession. That had pushed the Uchiha completely out of Konoha's leadership core, leaving them gradually marginalized and viewed with suspicion.
The Uchiha produced geniuses often. If one of them became a disciple, Fugaku would not have been surprised. But why him? The "trash" that disgraced the Uchiha clan?
Fugaku looked at Jin with a complicated expression. He could accept any other Uchiha, but he could not accept Jin's rise. After all, Uchiha Jin was like a stain on the honor of the Uchiha crest. Fugaku could not accept it himself, and the rest of the clan would accept it even less. He could already imagine the earthquake this would cause inside the clan.
"The fact stands." Jin sat across from him, propping his chin on his hand as he looked at Fugaku. "What, being Jiraiya's disciple bothers you? If you have a problem with it, go complain to the village. Don't come bothering me."
Fugaku did not like him, and Jin did not like Fugaku either. Why go looking for trouble?
"Young clan head." Jin's tone dripped with contempt.
Fugaku stayed silent. If the clan could return to the center of power in Konoha, he did not mind being insulted a few times. The problem was that the central figure of that return being Uchiha Jin made everything very complicated.
Fugaku did not speak, and Jin did not speak either. They stared at each other in a duel of silence. Jin won. Fugaku gave in first.
"The elders want to see you."
"When?"
"Now."
Jin frowned. He had never had contact with the Uchiha elders, so he had no opinion of them. But considering they had allowed Fugaku to become clan head without opposition, they were probably not very bright. He had not expected the status of Hokage's direct lineage to trigger such a strong reaction from the Uchiha of this era. They had not been backed into a corner yet like they would be in the future.
"Then lead the way." Jin stood up. Sooner or later, he would have to face those old men. He only hoped they were not as he imagined. A bunch of idiots.
Naka Shrine.
Pillars of fire lit the hall, casting dancing shadows across the faces of several elderly men seated in chairs. The flickering flames made their features hard to see clearly. Only their eyes stood out, scarlet, with three tomoe slowly spinning. The Uchiha clan's Sharingan.
Jin stood in the center under their focused gazes. The pressure of those sharp eyes was more intense than Orochimaru's, but since it contained no killing intent, it did not paralyze him.
The elder in the main seat spoke. "Uchiha Jin. You're twelve and you still haven't awakened the Sharingan?"
Jin endured the pressure and answered indifferently. "That thing isn't so easy to awaken."
The normal age to awaken the Sharingan was between twelve and sixteen. After sixteen, the chance was almost zero. The earlier it awakened, the better the aptitude. If someone awakened it before twelve, they were considered an Uchiha genius. Among the Uchiha, no talent compared to the Sharingan.
"Insolent!" an elder to the side shouted, dissatisfied. The Sharingan was the Uchiha's sacred Kekkei Genkai, not "some thing."
Jin ignored him and focused on the person in the main seat. The others were just background noise. The one in charge was the man sitting there.
The Great Elder, Uchiha Hikaku. A veteran who had survived since the Warring States Era, and during a past Uchiha revolt had protected himself wisely, ending up holding the greatest power within the clan. That was what Jin had heard from other clan members. At present, the Uchiha had no official leader. No one knew why the previous leader had died, but Fugaku had been destined as the successor from birth. It was not only Konoha where succession was decided internally. The Uchiha were the same.
"Enough." Hikaku stopped the Third Elder from continuing to shout. His red eyes fixed on Jin calmly.
"Uchiha Jin, for the sake of the Uchiha clan, I hope you will watch the movements of the Hokage faction."
Uchiha Kagami's death was wrapped in doubts, and Hikaku also did not trust Konoha's upper ranks. Unless... an Uchiha became Hokage. As for Uchiha Jin, the clan's disgrace... he did not deserve such honor.
"I refuse." Jin rejected it immediately, without a second thought. A thankless job where he would please no one? The Uchiha would learn the Hokage's movements, but he would lose the Hokage faction's trust. Why?
"Hm?!" Hikaku's face darkened. Even if Jin could not see clearly, he knew the expression was not pleasant. "Do not forget that Uchiha blood runs in your veins."
"Sorry, but I'm selfish." Jin's cold voice echoed in everyone's ears. "I'm not going to sacrifice myself for the clan."
It was like tossing a spark into a powder keg.
"Bastard! You have no Uchiha pride in your heart!" "Expel this trash from the family line!" "Damn you! A selfish person like you doesn't deserve to be called Uchiha!"
Jin ignored the furious roars completely. He had never felt a shred of human warmth from those clan members. If he were an Uchiha "genius," he would feel spring breezes and the affection of these kindly elders. Unfortunately, he was "trash." And among the Uchiha, when they see "trash," even the dogs come over to kick it.
Jin smiled coldly.
Hikaku stayed silent, watching Jin's cold smile. He seemed to realize something and asked, "Do you resent the Uchiha clan?"
Jin massaged his temples, choosing his words. "Old man, you're getting senile. Resentment? Do you think you're worth resenting?" "You're just a bunch of useless people who only know how to brag."
Jin's words had no mercy. He was not the type to flatter anyone. He could be cautious, but that did not mean he would swallow humiliation when his life was not in danger. If Sarutobi Hiruzen were standing in front of him and his life were not at risk, Jin would curse him too. So why would he bow to these shameless old men?
You could say that with that one line, he offended the entire Uchiha clan. He did not care. They would not dare do anything to him. Hokage's direct lineage was not an empty title. If anything happened to him inside the Uchiha clan, Shimura Danzo would be the first to storm Uchiha territory to "avenge" him, and use it as an excuse. Jin knew it, and the elders knew it too.
At that moment, Hikaku felt a wave of rage rise to his head. Decades of calm and self control shattered in an instant. "You!" He pointed a trembling finger at Jin, but the words would not come.
"If that's all, I'll be leaving." Jin curled his lip in open disrespect. If they had a bit of brain, they would not act like this. Did they really think he was one of those stupid ninjas who obeyed blindly after being fed a handful of pretty words? They were dreaming.
"Uchiha Jin!" Hikaku barked his name harshly.
Jin stopped and looked back over his shoulder. The firelight lit only half his face as he waited for Hikaku's words.
Hikaku took a deep breath to calm himself. "Do not forget that everything you have was given by the Uchiha. Your ability, your safe growth, even your becoming Jiraiya's disciple, all of it is because your name is Uchiha!" He wanted to say "talent," but in his eyes, Jin had none.
Jin laughed in anger. "My ability was trained by me. I owe my growth to my parents. You simply didn't get in my way, and you think that's a favor?" "And becoming Jiraiya's disciple has nothing to do with the Uchiha clan."
"And there's something you need to remember. The Uchiha are the Uchiha. You don't represent the Uchiha." "You're just a bunch of useless people who borrow the Uchiha name to act important."
CRACK. Hikaku crushed the arm of his wooden chair. The three tomoe in his eyes spun madly.
"Fine, I'm leaving." Jin turned away. "Don't come looking for me again. I don't want Instructor Jiraiya to misunderstand anything."
CRACK. CRACK. CRACK. Several chair arms met the same fate.
Jin left, leaving behind a group of Uchiha elders seething in helpless rage.
"Outrageous!" the Third Elder roared. No Uchiha had ever dared insult the elders like that... except Uchiha Madara.
"Don't worry. Jiraiya accepted him because of the Uchiha name. When he realizes Jin's true 'talent,' he'll abandon him naturally." "When that happens, we'll show him that he's nothing but useless trash who never had the qualifications to be Jiraiya's disciple."
They wanted to see it.
When that time came, what courage would Uchiha Jin have left to face them?