Fugaku, his face full of grievance, began to speak about the past.
Meanwhile, on the other side.
Hearing these words, Uchiha Jin couldn't help but show a look of surprise.
Yes!
Back on the Nine-Tails Attack Night, Uchiha Jin had reminded Fugaku, hoping he wouldn't be influenced by Danzo and would instead lead the entire clan to help Minato Namikaze.
It was precisely because he was rejected by Fugaku back then that he felt the Uchiha were not worth saving, which further strengthened his resolve to defect.
However, similarly.
He really hadn't expected there to be such inside information.
Although Fugaku supported Minato Namikaze, it was only the most basic support; he wasn't considered one of his own at all.
Even more unexpected was that while Minato Namikaze appeared close to the Uchiha, he was essentially just as wary of them, which was exactly why Fugaku chose to stay his hand back then.
After all, Fugaku wasn't a god; he didn't expect Minato Namikaze to actually die, nor did he expect the one who acted to be an Uchiha.
Now, he was in a real bind!
Thinking carefully, it really made sense. Looking at the original work when Minato Namikaze took office, there really wasn't much support for the Uchiha.
Although the Uchiha's situation had improved significantly compared to Hiruzen Sarutobi's era, in reality, there wasn't much of a change.
The Uchiha were still trapped within the Police Force and still hadn't been able to join regular Ninja squads, let alone have access to the Konoha High Command. Even when Minato Namikaze was rendered a figurehead by Hiruzen Sarutobi... Minato only let Kakashi join the Anbu and used that as a foundation to slowly build his own power, never thinking of letting the Uchiha interfere in Anbu affairs.
Shisui and Itachi's Anbu status was merely a small favor given to the Uchiha after Hiruzen Sarutobi took power again.
From this perspective, Fugaku wasn't lying!
After all, although Minato Namikaze was sidelined back then, he was still the dignified Fourth Hokage. Despite the constraints from Hiruzen Sarutobi and others, while he might not have been able to let the Uchiha enter the Konoha High Command, at the very least, arranging for a few Uchiha to join the Anbu or regular squads shouldn't have been a problem, right?
But unfortunately.
Even such a small thing, Minato Namikaze didn't do!
This was enough to see Minato Namikaze's inclination. Uchiha Jin's level was too low back then, and his understanding of Konoha was limited to the original work. He naturally and simply thought Fugaku was just stupid, not realizing that Fugaku's 'cowardice' during the Nine-Tails Attack Night was essentially just a standard operation.
To put it bluntly.
Since you, Minato Namikaze, didn't treat the Uchiha as your own, why should I, an Uchiha, strongly support you?
Since there was Danzo's obstruction, the Uchiha also had an excuse, so they were naturally happy to sit back and watch the show!
But Fugaku also didn't expect that Minato Namikaze would die that night, and the one who did it was also an Uchiha!
"Is that so? I understand."
"I didn't realize there were so many secrets back then."
"However, regarding Minato Namikaze, Fugaku, you don't need to worry too much. The current trend of the Village lies with the Uchiha."
"All the Ninja Clanss have formed a community of interests with the Uchiha. Even the Senju Clan has stood with us. Minato Namikaze is no longer the Fourth Hokage he used to be..."
"He can't cause any significant trouble!"
"And I can tell you the truth: with the emergence of the Akatsuki Organization, the Ninja World will become increasingly chaotic in the future."
"The current chaos in the Ninja World caused by the deaths of the Daimyo and Nobles is practically insignificant compared to the massive chaos of the future."
"We need Minato Namikaze; he is a good combat asset!"
"Even if it's just to protect his son, Uzumaki Naruto, Minato Namikaze will have no choice in the future!"
Uchiha Jin spoke calmly and deliberately.
Although he was surprised that the Village had inside stories he didn't know about and shocked that Minato Namikaze was different from what he imagined, thinking carefully, it didn't seem like something worth being surprised over.
Humans, by nature, are very complex!
The original work only showed very one-sided things. In a realistic world like this, there can't be many perfect people; everyone has their own selfish motives and interests.
Even the Six Paths Sage, who is said to have boundless love, most likely did it to cultivate strong individuals to deal with the Ōtsutsuki Clan that would appear next.
Uchiha Jin didn't feel any panic about this. After all, Konoha was now completely under his firm control.
Just as he said, the momentum was now in his hands!
And in the face of such a mighty trend, anyone who stands in the way of the torrent will be ruthlessly crushed to pieces.
"Is that so? That makes sense!"
"Looking at the Uchiha's current state, I feel more and more like a failure as the former Clan Leader!"
"In the past, facing such a complex situation, I really couldn't think of any good solution. I didn't expect Lord Jin to handle it so easily upon taking office."
"The Uchiha are too strong."
"Any ruler would be wary, yet the Uchiha never had the chance to take power."
"But I didn't expect Lord Jin would actually rely on the potential grudges within the Village to forcibly tear it apart and find a way for the Uchiha to survive."
"Truly—what a stroke of luck!"
"Fortunately, the Heavens gave the Uchiha someone like you, Lord Jin; otherwise, I, Fugaku, would surely have become a sinner of the Uchiha!"
At this moment, Fugaku's expression was very complex.
Yes!
Although he didn't act as useless as in the original work, essentially, he really couldn't think of any good solution. So, in the end, to save his only son, Sasuke, he just coldly watched as the Uchiha were directly wiped out by Konoha.
He indeed had selfish motives, but who doesn't?
If there were a way, he naturally would have wanted to save the Uchiha, but having no other choice, he could only maintain his selfishness and prioritize saving his son, Sasuke.
Meanwhile, on the other side.
Uchiha Jin looked at Fugaku before him and finally let out a helpless sigh after a long while.
It couldn't be helped.
He didn't know what to say to the Fugaku in front of him.
Because, similarly.
If Uchiha Jin were in Fugaku's position, without the premise of being able to protect the entire clan, he would also prioritize saving the lives of his relatives.
Everyone is selfish!
But, forget it!
Anyway, these things are in the past. Uchiha Jin didn't bother to think more about it. After taking a deep breath, he spoke directly: "The Ninja World is becoming very chaotic. You must tell our clansmen."
"At all costs, find ways to improve your strength!"
"In this increasingly chaotic Ninja World, only strength is the most important thing!"
"Don't be blinded by Konoha's current prosperity. If we Uchiha want to truly win the final victory, we must rely on our own strength. Everything else is false."
"Understand?"