"Impudent!"
Homura Mitokado slammed his palm against the table and shot to his feet.
"Uchiha Jin, do you have no respect for seniority? How dare you speak so recklessly here!"
The entire conference room was stunned.
In the decades since Konoha's founding, no one had ever stood in such a setting and openly rebuked the Hokage and the elders to their faces.
Not like this.
Jin merely let out a faint scoff.
"When those in power act unjustly, they deserve criticism."
"Konoha is not your private court."
"And I am not someone who remains silent after being struck."
He tilted his head slightly.
"To borrow Third-sama's own words—if I feel dissatisfaction toward you, perhaps you should first look within yourselves."
"If you were without fault, how could such dissatisfaction arise?"
Homura trembled with fury.
"This is rebellion! The Uchiha have truly grown lawless!"
Jin's smile sharpened.
"Elder Homura exaggerates."
"The Uchiha have no intention of rebelling."
"And you are not the sky of Konoha."
"Enough!"
Hiruzen Sarutobi struck the table with force, cutting through the escalating clash.
His face had turned iron-gray.
He stared at Jin.
"What exactly are you trying to accomplish?"
Jin spread his hands lightly.
"That is a curious question, Third-sama. I have only been answering what you asked."
"So it is not about what I wish to do."
"It is about what you wish to do."
Hiruzen inhaled slowly, restraining the anger rising in his chest.
"Then stop evading the matter. Speak plainly."
Jin nodded.
"Very well. Back to the point."
"Do you believe that allowing the rumors to spiral constitutes dereliction of duty?"
Hiruzen clenched his teeth.
"Yes."
"But as I said, that fault cannot be placed entirely on Fugaku. And such a minor error alone is insufficient to remove a department head."
Even now, he wanted to keep Fugaku in position.
Fugaku was cautious. Measured. Predictable.
Jin was none of those things.
If Jin became the true leader of the Uchiha, the situation would grow far more troublesome.
"That is fine," Jin replied calmly. "Because that was only one example."
He paused.
"But before I continue, I have a question."
"When the Konoha Military Police Force was established, were they not granted the authority—by the First and Second Hokage—to formulate and amend village regulations and statutes?"
The room stirred faintly.
Though the Police Force had been proposed by Tobirama Senju, at the time Hashirama Senju had still held ultimate authority.
Hiruzen's instincts screamed that Jin was setting a trap.
But the historical fact was indisputable.
"…Yes."
"Good."
Jin nodded.
"As I stated earlier, conflicts between the Uchiha and villagers exist."
"But those conflicts are not born from personal greed."
"They arise from tension between outdated systems and present reality."
He began to walk slowly, voice steady.
"In the early years of Konoha, the village accepted almost anyone willing to join—refugees, wanderers… even former bandits."
His gaze flicked toward the high platform, pointedly.
The implication was unmistakable.
Several faces stiffened.
"The Warring States period left deep grudges between clans. Violence was commonplace. Disputes over market stalls could erupt into street fights daily."
"To restore order, strict regulations were enacted."
"Severe. Necessary."
"And they worked."
He nodded slightly.
"They laid the foundation for stability."
Then his tone shifted.
"But law must be stable—yet never stagnant."
"As Konoha expanded, population grew. Disputes multiplied. The original code, drafted decades ago, can no longer address modern realities."
"In such conditions, friction between enforcers and civilians becomes inevitable."
He stopped walking.
"And what did Fugaku do?"
"As clan head, he allowed resentment to fester."
"As Police Chief, he never initiated reform."
"He neither revised outdated statutes nor addressed structural tension."
"Is that not dereliction?"
A ripple passed through the chamber.
Some department heads exchanged glances.
They had noticed the stagnation long ago.
They simply had not cared.
Now the flaw had been spoken aloud.
Clearly.
Directly.
Hiruzen narrowed his eyes.
"Uchiha Jin… are you implying that you intend to amend the village's legal framework?"
"Correct."
Jin did not hesitate.
"Last night's meeting was not only a clan assembly."
"It was also an internal conference of the Military Police."
"And by unanimous agreement—"
"The Military Police will undergo internal reform."
"And revise the village's current statutes accordingly."
Silence fell again.
But this time—
It was not a shock.
It was a calculation.
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