The Uchiha Clan's Sun

Koharu, who was turning over a new room, was the first to realize what was happening and spoke up to remind him.

It's important to know that the highest level of administrative division in Konoha Village is the 'department', and the Konoha Guard Department is one of the six major departments within Konoha!

Although the Konoha Police Department is essentially the private property of the Uchiha clan, the transfer of power within the Konoha Police Department must be reported to the Hokage and other department heads, both morally and logically!

Hiruzen Sarutobi nodded upon hearing this, then looked at Shinnosuke Sarutobi and said, "Go and inform the heads of all departments in the village that there will be a meeting in the conference room in ten minutes."

After a pause, Hiruzen Sarutobi added, "Remember to call Danzo Shimura and Minato Namikaze over too!"

Since he didn't know what exactly happened at the Uchiha clan meeting last night, Hiruzen Sarutobi could only take it one step at a time.

"Yes!"

Sarutobi Shinnosuke nodded and vanished from the spot in a flash.

......

Ten minutes later, in a small conference room inside the Hokage Building, the Konoha F4, led by Hiruzen Sarutobi, sat on a high platform, with dozens of people standing on both sides below.

Although this meeting was not as large as the previous Jonin meeting, those present were all influential figures from various departments within Konoha Village.

Furthermore, because ninjas have been continuously withdrawing from the front lines back to the village over the past two days, the number of department heads attending this meeting is much more complete than before, making this meeting no less valuable than the previous Jonin meetings!

All the heads of Konoha's six major departments were present at this meeting!

First and foremost is Hiruzen Sarutobi, the Third Hokage who is also the Minister of Education and the Principal of the Ninja Academy, and the highest authority in Konoha Village.

Then there's Mitokado Homura, head of the Konoha Administrative Department; Koharu Utatane, head of the Konoha Medical Department and deputy head of the Administrative Department; Shinnosuke Sarutobi, head of the Konoha Anbu; Daijin Morino, head of the Konoha Interrogation Department; and Danzo Shimura, head of the Root Department, who is independent of the six major departments.

Finally, there are some special organizations besides the six major departments of Konoha Village, such as Nara Shikaku, the leader of the Jonin Team, Yamanaka Inoichi, the leader of the Analysis Team, as well as the warden of Konoha Prison, the leader of the Mission Team, the leader of the Barrier Team, and the leaders of the various organizations under each department!

Uchiha Jin and Uchiha Fugaku, as the main figures of this meeting, stood directly in the center of the conference room.

Uchiha Jin's gaze swept across the faces of everyone in the meeting room, giving him a clearer understanding of the current administrative divisions within Konoha!

The power of Konoha Village has basically been completely devoured and divided up by the Konoha F4 on the stage!

Core departments that control force or education, such as the Konoha Anbu, the Education Department, the Mission Team, and the Barrier Team, are basically headed by members of the Sarutobi clan, with Hiruzen Sarutobi firmly holding the power!

Meanwhile, Koharu Utatane and Ero Mitokado control the two most lucrative departments in Konoha: the Administrative Department and the Medical Department!

The heads of various departments that control resources in Konoha Village, such as the logistics, finance, and resource management departments under the administration department, and the medical emergency, pharmaceutical management, and medical training departments under the medical department, are all members of the Utatane and Mitomon clans!

As for the Shimura clan behind Shimura Danzo, although they did not hold any important positions in various departments, as far as Uchiha Jin knew, the Shimura clan operated a large number of shops in Konoha Village by virtue of their good relations with the other three clans!

Danzo Shimura controlled the Root organization, which was similar to the Eastern Depot or the Embroidered Uniform Guard. His power was completely unchecked, and he acted lawlessly!

Only departments like Konoha's Interrogation Department, Torture Squad, Investigation Squad, Prison, Corpse Disposal Squad, and Ninja Beast Rehabilitation Squad—departments that involve dirty and tiring work with little reward—are reserved for members of other families close to the Hokage's lineage!

As for those commoner ninjas... heh, forget about being in charge. They'd be lucky to even get a position in any department within Konoha!

The Konoha F4 are truly the village's greatest thieves!

"Sorry, I'm late!"

Just as Uchiha Jin was sighing inwardly, the conference room door was pushed open, and Namikaze Minato walked into the conference room with an apologetic look on his face.

Although Minato Namikaze is known as the fastest ninja in the world, he had to settle his more than 1,000 ninjas before he could arrive after receiving the last notice, which is why he was delayed for a while.

"Alright, Minato, come stand over here."

Hiruzen Sarutobi on the high platform didn't say much, but simply pointed to the frontmost position below the platform, indicating that Minato Namikaze should stand next to Orochimaru.

Although Minato Namikaze and Orochimaru did not hold any official positions in the village, no one would question their eligibility to attend this meeting given their status and position.

After Minato Namikaze stood still, Hiruzen Sarutobi cleared his throat and said, "Everyone's here, let's begin the meeting!"

After a pause, Hiruzen Sarutobi looked at Uchiha Jin and Uchiha Fugaku in the middle and said in a cryptic tone, "This meeting was initiated by Uchiha Fugaku, the head of the Konoha Police Department, so that you could all witness the handover of power within the Konoha Police Department!"

Upon hearing this, the entire meeting room fell silent!

Everyone present looked at Uchiha Fugaku and Uchiha Jin in surprise.

They couldn't understand why Fugaku Uchiha would choose to abdicate at this time!

Furthermore, since Uchiha Jin came with Uchiha Fugaku, doesn't that mean that the new head of the Uchiha clan and the new head of the Konoha Police Department is Uchiha Jin?

But Uchiha Jin is far too young. He lacks seniority and experience. How can he control the Uchiha clan members?

Facing the gazes of the crowd, Uchiha Jin remained unfazed and calmly stated, "Based on the collective opinion of all members of the Uchiha clan, Uchiha Fugaku was relieved of his positions as clan head and Konoha police chief last night!"

"As for the reason, it's because of Fugaku Uchiha's dereliction of duty!"

Chapter 142: A Close-Up Ultimate Attack!

As soon as Uchiha Jin finished speaking, everyone in the conference room looked at Uchiha Fugaku with strange eyes.

After all, Uchiha Jin's words were undoubtedly a public slap in the face to Uchiha Fugaku!

But when they saw Fugaku Uchiha's calm expression, they immediately realized that Jin Uchiha's words were just a random excuse!

Fugaku Uchiha's abdication this time was probably not forced, but rather a result of some kind of consensus reached with Jin Uchiha!

Hiruzen Sarutobi narrowed his eyes, coughed lightly, and said, "Minister Fugaku has worked diligently and conscientiously in the Konoha Police Department over the years. Even if he hasn't made any great contributions, he has certainly put in a lot of hard work. He can be considered to have fulfilled his duties without any dereliction of duty!"

“We’ve all seen this. If the Uchiha clan were to remove a good minister of the Konoha Guard from office for such a reason, the village would not stand for it!”

Although Hiruzen Sarutobi was unaware of what had happened at the Uchiha clan meeting the previous night, Fugaku Uchiha was, in any case, much easier to control than King Uchiha.

Therefore, Hiruzen Sarutobi planned to remain unchanged in the face of all changes, and the best course of action was to keep Fugaku Uchiha in the position of head of the Konoha Police Department.

Upon hearing this, Fugaku Uchiha's eyes flickered. He had been suffering from Hiruzen Sarutobi's humiliation all along and had no idea that Hiruzen Sarutobi actually 'valued' him so much.

Fugaku Uchiha snorted and shook his head, saying, "Thank you for your kind words, Third Hokage, but right is right and wrong is wrong. Over the years, I have indeed failed in my duties to both the clan and the village. I am truly unworthy of the position of head of the Konoha Guard!"

Upon hearing this, Hiruzen Sarutobi frowned slightly, and his gaze toward Fugaku Uchiha showed a hint of displeasure.

Everyone in the conference room remained silent upon seeing this. They had only come to go through the motions, and now they just needed to watch the show quietly!

Seeing that Fugaku Uchiha was not cooperating, Hiruzen Sarutobi knew who was in charge in the Uchiha clan now. He looked at Jin Uchiha and said with a deep gaze, "Jin Uchiha, Fugaku Uchiha is, after all, the head of a division. If there is no concrete evidence, and he is removed from office simply for 'dereliction of duty,' the village will not accept it, and the Uchiha clan will find it difficult to gain the respect of the people!"

Uchiha Jin smiled and said, "Third Hokage, my Uchiha clan is not an unreasonable barbarian. We certainly have the evidence!"

Hiruzen Sarutobi then said, "Then I'll trouble you to bring out the evidence. Since everyone is here, we can help Fugaku Uchiha judge right and wrong!"

Hiruzen Sarutobi wasn’t afraid of what evidence King Uchiha could produce. He believed that since Fugaku Uchiha could cooperate with King Uchiha, the so-called evidence was definitely not something that could be fatal!

As long as Uchiha Jin speaks, he can find an opportunity to refute him!

When the time comes, we will overwhelm them with overwhelming force, and Fugaku Uchiha will have no choice but to take the position of Minister of the Konoha Police Department!

Although Fugaku Uchiha is no longer as obedient as before, Hiruzen Sarutobi knows Fugaku's personality well. As long as he talks to Fugaku privately a few times after this meeting, Fugaku will most likely be able to understand the bigger picture again!

Uchiha Jin cleared his throat and waited until everyone in the conference room was focused on him before calmly speaking: "Uchiha Fugaku has failed in many ways, both as the head of the Uchiha clan and as the head of the Konoha Police Department."

"I don't want to waste everyone's precious time here, so I'll just pick a few of the most representative things for your reference."

"First of all, there's the recent gossip and rumors circulating in the village!"

"Initially, it was because Fugaku Uchiha refused the village's offer to suspend the distribution of compensation for ninjas who died or were wounded in battle, as well as the war merit rewards for those ninjas who bled and fought desperately on the battlefield, that a lot of rumors about my Uchiha clan started circulating in the village."

"They say that our Uchiha clan is ignorant and doesn't understand the difficulties of the village. They also say that our Uchiha clan is arrogant by nature and doesn't consider the village as our own home."

"Later on, the rumors intensified, and all sorts of messy and filthy things were thrown at my Uchiha clan!"

"They say we Uchiha are stubborn, arrogant, cold-hearted, and are outcasts and a source of trouble in the village..."

As Uchiha Jin spoke, everyone in the conference room was filled with surprise!

Everyone knows perfectly well that this rumor originated from a tactic used by the village to put pressure on the Uchiha clan, and the masterminds behind it were the four people on the high platform.

However, for some reason, those four went too far this time, causing things to escalate and become uncontrollable!

But that's fine, everyone knows what's going on.

But this time, Uchiha Jin openly talked about this matter in front of Konoha F4 and everyone else, which was undoubtedly a direct attack on Hiruzen Sarutobi and the others!

This made everyone look at Hiruzen Sarutobi and his group with a slightly different gaze!

"Enough!" Hiruzen Sarutobi interrupted Jin Uchiha with a livid face, saying, "Jin Uchiha, I need you to talk about Fugaku Uchiha's mistakes, not other things!"

"Are these rumors you're talking about related to Fugaku Uchiha's dereliction of duty?"

Hiruzen Sarutobi was furious, but he couldn't lash out in front of everyone, so he could only find an excuse to stop Uchiha Jin from continuing.

“Of course it’s related!” Uchiha Jin smiled and said unhurriedly, “First of all, as the head of the Uchiha clan, when the Uchiha clan was in crisis and its reputation plummeted, Uchiha Fugaku did not step forward to resolve the matter immediately. Instead, he allowed the rumors to intensify. Isn’t this a dereliction of duty by Uchiha Fugaku as the head of the clan?”

"The main responsibility of the Konoha Guard is to maintain harmony and stability within Konoha Village and to safeguard order and security within the village!"

"This rumor not only caused widespread panic and fear in the village, but also led to mutual suspicion and distrust among the villagers, causing the village to fall into chaos and disorder!"

"As the head of the Konoha Police Department, Fugaku Uchiha failed to arrest those thieves who spread rumors and stirred up trouble behind the scenes in a timely manner, causing the situation to spiral out of control and even jeopardizing your position as Hokage, Third Hokage. Isn't this a dereliction of duty on his part?!"

Uchiha Jin's words left everyone in the conference room speechless.

This whole thing started because of the Konoha F4. Now, Uchiha Jin is saying in front of them that the mastermind behind this is a bandit. Isn't that like pointing at a monk and cursing a bald man?

Uchiha Jin even mentioned that Hiruzen Sarutobi had abdicated early because of this, which was truly a cruel blow to the spirit!

This Uchiha Jin is truly brave!

Chapter 143 You should first look for the problems within yourself!

Hiruzen Sarutobi's face was extremely grim. Koharu Utatane and Homura Mitokado beside him also had ashen faces. Only Danzo Shimura's expression remained relatively calm.

Danzo Shimura has already reached an agreement with Orochimaru. Although the Hyuga clan has not explicitly agreed, they have not directly refused either. With a little more effort, they are not afraid that the Hyuga clan will not agree.

Under these circumstances, Danzo Shimura has been busy winning over the small and medium-sized clans in Konoha these past two days, and he really has no time to deal with the Uchiha matter.

In Shimura Danzo's view, the Uchiha clan was a troublesome problem to begin with, and he could deal with them directly once he came to power; there was no need to waste energy on them now.

"Third Hokage, is it reasonable for me to say that Fugaku Uchiha failed in his duty in this matter?"

Seeing that Hiruzen Sarutobi remained silent, Uchiha Jin asked again.

“Reasonable…” Hiruzen Sarutobi’s face twitched, and after taking a deep breath, he said, “But rumors are inherently difficult to deal with. Most people only say those things when they are misled.”

"Even though Fugaku Uchiha is the head of the Konoha Police Department, he can't possibly arrest everyone who spreads rumors!"

"So this matter can't be entirely blamed on Uchiha Fugaku!"

After a pause, Hiruzen Sarutobi looked at King Uchiha and said meaningfully, "In my opinion, the best way to deal with rumors is to prevent them from happening in the first place!"

"After all, there's no smoke without fire. As long as you ensure that your actions are without fault, even if someone with ulterior motives wants to spread rumors, they won't be able to!"

"Therefore, the Uchiha should also examine their own problems and think more about why the common people in the village harbor such deep resentment towards the Uchiha!"

"You want me, the Uchiha, to look for problems within myself? Hah, utterly ridiculous!" Uchiha Jin was disgusted by Hiruzen Sarutobi's shamelessness and retorted angrily, "Third Hokage, don't you ever think before you speak?"

"If you want the Uchiha to look for their own problems, what has the Uchiha clan done wrong?"

"Was it wrong for Fugaku Uchiha to refuse the village's request to suspend the distribution of pensions, disability allowances, and war merit awards?"

"I won't even mention the war rewards, but Third Hokage, do you know how important those pensions are to a family that has lost its breadwinner and is left with only an orphan and a widow?"

"Third Hokage, do you know how important those disability allowances are to those who have lost their hands and feet and can no longer be ninjas?"

"Third Hokage, you've probably been sitting in your office for too long and can't understand the difficulties we little people are facing on the front lines."

"But Third Hokage, you must understand that a single word or order from you could cause dozens or even hundreds of families in Konoha to be torn apart and displaced!"

"If everyone is bleeding and risking their lives on the front lines but can't even guarantee the daily lives of their own families, who will be willing to risk their lives for the village!"

"We've already shed blood for the village, do you think the village wants us to shed tears too?!"

Uchiha Jin's words were powerful and resounding, making Hiruzen Sarutobi and the others look extremely ugly. At the same time, they also resonated with many managers from small and medium-sized families present!

Their family was much poorer than the Uchiha clan in terms of living conditions, so they could better understand what Uchiha Jin was saying!

Hiruzen Sarutobi gritted his teeth and said, "Jin Uchiha, don't try to scare us! The village has its own difficulties, and we made that decision out of necessity!"

Upon hearing this, Uchiha Jin sneered, "Third Hokage's words are even more ridiculous!"

"If the village really encounters difficulties, it's fine to issue a notice and suspend the distribution of pensions and subsidies to all the ninjas who were killed or wounded in this war. We, the Uchiha clan, are not unreasonable people!"

"To put it bluntly, my Uchiha clan is large and wealthy. We can subsidize the sacrificed and injured ninjas ourselves. We don't need that little bit of compensation or battle merit reward!"

"But Third Hokage, you specifically sought out my Uchiha clan to discuss this matter!"

"I would also like to ask the Third Hokage, are you doing this specifically targeting my Uchiha clan, or is Konoha, the number one village in the ninja world, really lacking the meager compensation and disability allowance from my Uchiha clan?"

Upon hearing this, Hiruzen Sarutobi paused, and in his extreme frustration, he was momentarily speechless after being confronted by King Uchiha.

Mitokado Homura, who was standing nearby, quickly spoke up, "Uchiha Jin, don't make unfounded assumptions!"