Akimichi Keita's tone was indifferent.
After speaking,
he found an excuse to leave. After all, staying with those two for too long might contaminate his own mind.
Meanwhile, on the other side,
Shisui and Itachi were in disbelief, yet they couldn't refute him.
After all... Itachi might have been young at the time, only briefly visiting the battlefield, but Shisui was different. He had participated in the entire Third Great Ninja War.
So, he naturally knew that Akimichi Keita was speaking the truth.
Batches of Ninja Academy graduates died, and even children who hadn't graduated were forced to graduate and sent to the front lines. In the end, only one in ten survived.
Conversely,
the Konoha High Command, who held power in the Village, suffered almost no losses. After all, they never even went to the battlefield.
If these words had come from an Uchiha, he wouldn't have listened at all, but hearing them from another Ninja Clan really made him start to think.
Was he—truly wrong?
Wait, hiss!
As if realizing something, Shisui's face instantly changed dramatically.
Seeing this, Itachi couldn't help but ask, "Shisui-nii, what's wrong?"
"I thought of something," Shisui said, shaking his head, his voice trembling.
Itachi heard this, somewhat puzzled.
However... after hearing Shisui's next words, he couldn't help but feel his scalp tingle.
"During the Third Great Ninja War, I never saw any clan members of the Village's High Command!"
"Before, I hadn't thought about it too carefully, but what your classmate just said made me suddenly recall the situation during the Third Great Ninja War."
"Not only did Hokage-sama and the two elders not go to the front lines, but I never saw any of their respective clan members on the battlefield either."
"Sarutobi, Utatane, Mitokado..."
"Logically, these three clans are not small in scale, but I never encountered them on the battlefield. At most, I saw a few in logistics and administration."
"So—here's the problem!"
"During the Third Great Ninja War, the Village was besieged by the Four Great Shinobi Villages. The entire front line was so precarious that the Village had to force children to graduate and send them directly into the cruel battlefield."
"The situation was so dangerous, so where were the clan members of the Sarutobi and the other two clans?"
"Why were they not seen on the battlefield?"
Shisui's face was grim, and his body trembled slightly.
Clearly,
the belief he held so strongly was beginning to crumble at this moment.
Although he was a stubborn and self-willed person, he was not a fool. Before, he simply believed his clan members were crazy, so he wasn't willing to communicate with them or even bother listening to their voices.
But, at this moment,
when another Ninja Clan he respected spoke all these words, even if he was very displeased, he still took it all to heart.
Then,
he subconsciously began to reflect. Although he was looking for words to refute, he still recalled the strange situation during the Third Great Ninja War.
"This—is impossible!"
Itachi's face also changed dramatically, shaking his head subconsciously.
However,
looking at Shisui's increasingly grim face, he felt his own head was about to split open.
Because he knew Shisui wouldn't lie to him!
But... if all of this was true, wouldn't it prove that Akimichi Keita was right?
Could Uchiha Jin's actions also be right?
Then,
if Uchiha Jin was right, wouldn't their actions be considered traitors to the clan?
Before, they could still delude themselves into believing that their actions were actually for the Village, for the clan.
Even after Fugaku sealed their Chakra and even gouged out Shisui's eyes, they still believed they were right.
Their revered Hokage-sama would eventually set things right and resolve everything.
But, what about now?
With Akimichi Keita's words, their beliefs were completely shattered... The next day, in the morning.
The atmosphere in Jin's compound was solemn.
The original training ground in the central courtyard had now been converted into a conference room.
No choice!
Although Uchiha Madara's compound was indeed very large, and in the past, if the Uchiha Clan held a meeting, the reception room at home would have been sufficient.
Now, however, it was different!
With the addition of various Ninja Clans, the conference room at home was clearly insufficient.
Left with no other option, he could only hold the meeting in the training ground of the central courtyard.
However,
unlike the makeshift setup of the Radical Faction in the past, Uchiha Jin, who now held complete power, had brought in countless floor cushions and low tables. Each table even had a pot of tea and some teacups.
After all, those qualified to attend this meeting were almost all leaders of various Ninja Clans and elite clan members. He couldn't possibly make everyone stand to listen to him speak, could he?
Even if his strength was sufficient, he couldn't humiliate others, could he?
At least basic respect had to be given!
As the time slowly approached nine o'clock, representatives from various Ninja Clans began to enter. Although they hadn't established any formal ranking among themselves, they still chose their seats according to the size and strength of their respective clans.
"The Uchiha are quite thoughtful!"
"Just providing floor cushions is already respectful, but I didn't expect them to also provide tables and tea."
"Even when we held Jonin meetings in the Village, we only got a floor cushion, right?"
"Tables and tea are standard for the High Command!"
"…"
Everyone present spoke up.
Everyone was smiling and chatting, and from their relaxed expressions, there wasn't much worry about the future.
Yes!
The Uchiha themselves were already strong enough, and now with so many Ninja Clans joining, even if there wasn't a single civilian Ninja among them, it was still enough to challenge the Konoha High Command and even 'set things right'!
Self-preservation was effortless.
Nara Kazuichi poured himself a cup of tea, then said to Yamanaka Hayato and Akimichi Gōmaru beside him, "It seems our decision was correct. At the very least, judging by the Uchiha's style, Hiruzen Sarutobi and the others are definitely not their match."
"Although it's likely that with the Uchiha's rise to power, our Ninja Clans will completely lose the possibility of further advancement, from the current perspective, it's still an acceptable outcome."
"After all, our Ino–Shika–Chō's ambitions aren't that grand to begin with!"
Yamanaka Hayato and Akimichi Gōmaru sighed in response.
Afterward,
Yamanaka Hayato couldn't help but say, "Other things aren't clear yet, but they are quite respectful to us Ninja Clans. However, it's understandable, isn't it? The Uchiha are a clan full of emotions. If you are their friend, you don't have to fear being stabbed in the back on the battlefield."
"I also have a good impression of the Uchiha." Akimichi Gōmaru shrugged, "And the Hokage position isn't that easy to touch; it could easily lead to utter ruin."
"On the contrary, now that we've shown our faces, we'll most likely have to take full control of our clans from now on."
"Shikaku and the other two will probably have to go behind the scenes."