Fugaku's face was ashen, but his back was covered in cold sweat.
He knew very well that if this matter wasn't resolved properly today, his prestige would suffer a huge blow!
But, here came the problem!
He couldn't answer a single one of the questions Uchiha Jin had raised. After a long pause, he grit his teeth and said, "The current concessions within the clan are meant to allow the Uchiha to integrate into Konoha!"
"What results?" Uchiha Jin retorted, "Have we integrated into Konoha?"
Hearing this, Fugaku was instantly silenced.
He truly hadn't achieved any decent results. Although he had worked hard and endured his whole life, all he received in return was the Village's escalating targeting.
But... he wanted to explain his difficulties, though unfortunately, he wasn't thick-skinned enough.
So, taking a deep breath, he spoke coldly.
"Uchiha Jin, you are too young."
"You fundamentally don't understand the complexity of the situation, but considering your youth, I won't dwell on this with you."
"Now, let's discuss serious matters!"
Although Fugaku was gritting his teeth, he still chose to back down.
He knew he couldn't out-argue Uchiha Jin, so he wisely chose to change the subject, explaining the current troubles facing the clan, and hoping everyone could work together to overcome the difficulties.
Regarding this, however.
Uchiha Jin's expression remained normal.
Seeing Fugaku back down, he naturally ceased his attack.
Uchiha Jin naturally understood the principle of not pursuing a cornered enemy, so he immediately fell silent, uninterested in participating in the clan meeting's discussion.
The Radical Faction was the same way!
Perhaps they used to be interested in arguing during clan meetings, but now, with Uchiha Jin taking the lead, the Radical Faction's way of operating had completely changed.
They were not interested in holding meetings now; once Uchiha Jin made arrangements, they would simply act!
They disdained engaging in such bureaucratic procedures.
If Uchiha Jin hadn't decided to participate this time, the rest of the Radical Faction probably wouldn't have bothered showing up... Meanwhile, on the other side.
As Fugaku began presiding over the clan meeting, everyone present started voicing their opinions.
"I think we should discuss this matter with Hokage-sama."
"Right, we can't be rash!"
"The Uchiha's situation is already very delicate; we must be even more cautious in our actions going forward."
"I agree too. Let's proceed after discussion."
"..."
The Moderate Faction members offered their suggestions one after another.
The atmosphere at the clan meeting was harmonious.
Since the Radical Faction was silent, there were naturally no arguments at the meeting, and everything seemed harmonious.
Everyone in the Naka Shrine felt somewhat strange at this moment.
After all, a clan meeting without arguments was unprecedented today, and they were genuinely having trouble adjusting to it.
Fugaku, who was leading the meeting, also felt extremely awkward.
He cleared his throat slightly: "Elder Jin, what is the opinion of your Radical Faction?"
"No opinion!" Uchiha Jin stated plainly, "We agree."
Everyone's mouths twitched.
They couldn't quite grasp it—they just casually agreed?
Was this really the Radical Faction?
Shisui frowned slightly. Being straightforward, he immediately countered, "What kind of conspiracy are you planning?"
"Conspiracy? Heh heh!" Uchiha Jin replied, full of disdain, "You underestimate me!"
"I, Uchiha Jin, have never engaged in conspiracies, nor do I stoop to scheming and trickery."
"But since you want to know, telling you is no big deal!"
"The reason I don't object is that the Radical Faction's compound is impregnable. No matter how chaotic the outside world becomes, it won't affect us. Since that's the case, why should I interfere in your rotten affairs?"
"I wish you would continue being foolish, resulting in the deaths of more elite Three-Tomoe Uchiha, until all your corpses are sent to the Root laboratory dissection tables and all your Three-Tomoe Sharingan are implanted into Danzo's arm..."
"The more elites your faction loses, the more fearful your supporting clansmen will become, and eventually, they will naturally join the ranks of my Radical Faction."
"This is a good thing, why would I object?"
Uchiha Jin's expression was normal, and his tone was as placid as ever.
Yes, this was a King's Gambit!
He simply disdained engaging in schemes and tricks. Having originated from Zhonghua, he understood that conspiracies wouldn't get him far, so he only ever played the open and honorable King's Gambit.
Just like now, he chose to speak the truth plainly.
But even if the other side knew his intentions, what did it matter? Judging by the stupidity of the Moderate Faction members, they would still proceed according to his calculations.
Trust the Village, fail to defend, and more people will die!
He only needed to wait for their factions to collapse on their own, and the other Uchiha clansmen would naturally choose to defect to him.
And that was the truth of the matter.
As soon as Uchiha Jin finished speaking, the expressions of the Moderate Faction members instantly became extremely ugly.
Shisui, furious, slammed his hand on the table: "Uchiha Jin, you..."
"Did I say something wrong?" Uchiha Jin asked with complete indifference, "Are you planning to resist?"
"It's not that I look down on you, but you fools don't have the guts. Even if you truly resisted, you would just become the Radical Faction yourselves."
"And if you choose to trust Hiruzen Sarutobi, then you've fallen right into my scheme. I'll just quietly watch your faction's elites go to their deaths."
"No matter what you choose, I won't lose out!"
Following Uchiha Jin's words, the entire Naka Shrine fell into a deathly silence.
Everyone had to admit the terrifying nature of Uchiha Jin's methods; even knowing his plan, they had no way to counter it.
Silence!
After a long time.
Shisui finally spoke through gritted teeth: "I trust the Hokage. Your scheme will absolutely not succeed!"
"Whatever, as long as you're happy!" Uchiha Jin shrugged.
Meanwhile, on the other side.
Fugaku also sank into a long silence, his brain instantly starting to work furiously.
Unfortunately, though.
It was completely useless!
Should he learn from the Radical Faction and proactively defend?
He couldn't do it!
But if he maintained the status quo, the deaths of elite clansmen would continue, playing right into Uchiha Jin's plan.
Unlike the naive Shisui, he knew the ruthlessness of Root, and he understood Danzo's maliciousness even better.
Therefore, the secret hunting of Uchiha elites would absolutely not stop; because if Uchiha Jin wasn't lying, the Three-Tomoe was a necessity for Danzo.
As for genuinely talking to Hiruzen Sarutobi, he held no hope for that either.
If it were truly useful, the situation wouldn't have deteriorated into this mess!
What frustrated him even more was that this matter didn't affect the Radical Faction, because they had already sealed off their compound, making it difficult for Root to take action.
What should he do?
Fugaku realized he couldn't just muddle through anymore!
If he followed his old way of thinking, this time would likely end up being glossed over, and the current clan meeting would certainly fizzle out without conclusion.
But this time, that wouldn't work!
Because of Uchiha Jin's words, if he continued to choose to gloss over the issue, then as time passed, more and more people would defect to the Radical Faction, and his position as Clan Head would likely become unstable.
No, absolutely not!
Uchiha Jin was too radical. He absolutely couldn't be allowed to become the Clan Head, or the Uchiha would truly be finished.
Don't panic.
There must be a way!
Fugaku continuously tried to convince himself, his entire body becoming tense as he gritted his teeth, constantly attempting to think of a solution.