Jiraiya fell silent.
Jiraiya's Internal Monologue: I am not blind to the village's darkness. The systemic corruption here is precisely why I left to search the world for the prophesied Child of Destiny. I know Danzo is capable of atrocities, but I lack the political power—and the ruthless disposition—to purge the village elders myself.
Unable to fix the root of the problem, Jiraiya chose the path of least resistance. He let out a heavy sigh.
"Jin, you need to step back," Jiraiya said, his tone solemn but firm. "I will personally guarantee that Danzo does not make another move against you. But for the sake of the village, the Uchiha must endure this grievance. Konoha is vulnerable right now. The Third Shinobi World War may be officially over, but our military forces are still in a tense standoff with Kumogakure—the Hidden Cloud Village—at the border. We have no formal peace treaty. If civil war breaks out here, the Cloud will immediately invade."
Jin stared at the legendary Sannin, processing the sheer audacity of the request.
Jin's Internal Monologue: Because he is too cowardly to confront the Hokage and the elders, he demands that the victims suppress their anger. This is the ultimate hypocrisy of Konoha's 'Will of Fire.'
Jin did not shout. He simply picked up his teacup, took a calm sip, and pointed his left hand toward the door.
"Get out."
Jiraiya slammed his hand onto the table, insulted by the abrupt dismissal. "Jin Uchiha, is there truly no room for negotiation? Even if it means the destruction of the village, I will step in to stop you by force."
Jin's expression turned remarkably cold. "I do not care about your threats. Let me make the Uchiha Clan's tactical objective perfectly clear. We have already prepared for total annihilation. I have issued our final directives. If Konoha forces a war, our first step is the complete extermination of the Sarutobi Clan."
Jiraiya's eyes widened, but Jin continued his relentless strategic breakdown.
"If we survive that initial purge, our second targets are the clans of the other three elders: the Shimura, the Utatane, and the Mitokado. If we are still breathing after that, we will slaughter the civilian population until our clan is entirely wiped out."
Jin leaned forward slightly. "Furthermore, Fugaku and I both possess the Mangekyou Sharingan—the ultimate evolution of our visual prowess. If the clan falls, the two of us will abandon the village and operate as rogue assassins from the shadows. We will hunt down every Konoha shinobi who leaves the gates for a mission. One leaves, one dies. Two leave, two die. Your economy relies on mission commissions; we will starve you."
Jin delivered his final conclusion with absolute certainty. "If civil war happens, the Uchiha will die. But the collateral damage we inflict will leave Konoha so crippled that the other Hidden Villages will easily conquer whatever remains. To summarize: If the Uchiha cease to exist, Konoha ceases to exist. If you want to fight, make your move."
Jiraiya froze in his seat.
Jiraiya's Internal Monologue: He is not bluffing. This is not a negotiation tactic to gain leverage. It is a doctrine of mutually assured destruction. If I push him into a corner, Konoha will burn today.
Sweating slightly, Jiraiya tried a different angle, his voice losing its previous authority. "Can the Uchiha truly not take a single step back for the sake of peace?"
"I return that question to you," Jin replied, scoffing. "If peace is so important, go tell Hiruzen Sarutobi to step back. Why must the victims always be the ones to compromise?"
Jiraiya opened his mouth, but found he had no logical counter-argument. He was accustomed to demanding sacrifices from subordinates, not demanding accountability from the leadership.
"You are a coward, Jiraiya," Jin stated bluntly. "You have no political authority to change the current infrastructure of this village. Go back to searching for your savior. You lack the resolve to fix this."
Jin stood up, looking down at the Toad Sage. "Do not forget history. Hashirama Senju, the First Hokage, promised the Uchiha the Hokage seat to convince us to join this village. The village broke that promise. We endured."
"Tobirama Senju, the Second Hokage, established the Jonin Council. He decreed that the Hokage would be chosen by a democratic vote among elite ninja. We endured that system change."
"But when Tobirama died, he bypassed his own voting system and unilaterally appointed Hiruzen as the Third Hokage. We endured that double standard as well."
Jin's voice dripped with disdain. "Hiruzen's administration is illegitimate based on Tobirama's own laws. Hiruzen was a member of the Second Hokage's Escort Unit. Their singular military duty was to die protecting the Hokage. Yet Tobirama died in battle, and Hiruzen returned alive to claim the highest office. Do not lecture the Uchiha about loyalty."
Jiraiya's face darkened severely. He did not want to debate a political history he knew was deeply flawed.
"I do not want to discuss the past," Jiraiya growled, his chakra flaring defensively.
"We will discuss it," Jin countered sharply, "and I will broadcast it to the entire village if necessary."
Cornered verbally and intellectually, Jiraiya resorted to his only remaining strength. He stood up, adopting a combat stance. "Enough talk. We are shinobi. Let us settle this with a fight."
Jin did not activate his Sharingan. He did not even take a defensive posture. He simply looked at Jiraiya with profound pity.
"I have no interest in fighting a man who holds no actual authority," Jin replied flatly. "Defeating you yields no strategic or political value for my clan. But be warned: if you launch an attack against me in this room, it will be classified as an official act of war by Konoha. And the Uchiha military police will immediately march on the Sarutobi compound."