Uchiha Jin spoke with easy confidence, without the slightest hint of perfunctoriness.
After all, Shisui and Itachi were among the rare powerhouses; now that they sincerely acknowledged him, they were naturally the strongest fighters he—an otherworlder without a system—could hope for.
Offering a couple of explanations cost him nothing.
Besides, he hadn't lied. In an ordinary world, power and authority would of course matter.
But, unfortunately…
In the Ninja World before him, strength came first.
Just look at the present Uchiha Clan: once the pressure from the Konoha High Command was gone, no one dared offend the Uchiha.
The clan's only flaw was an excess of emotion.
That abundance gave them formidable power, yet also made them prone to obsession; the two men before him were textbook examples.
Had Uchiha Jin not seized power, founded New Konoha, and deliberately kept Old Konoha around as a foil, Shisui and Itachi would never have been persuaded so easily.
"I see. Understood."
"Facts prove Lord Jin was right; Itachi and I were too naïve."
"From this day on, I pledge my life!"
Shisui sighed softly, his gaze turning solemn as he gave his vow.
Clearly…
Having seen the rot of Old Konoha and the vitality of the new Village, he had made his choice.
And, to that…
Itachi hastily added, "Me too!"
Hearing this, Uchiha Jin smiled faintly.
Not bad!
He had tamed the two most stubborn heads in New Konoha, and the whole Village was thriving.
Old Konoha's last shred of value had been wrung dry; he would use the Kumogakure incident to bury it once and for all.
"Got it."
"Go find Fugaku later and have your Sealing Jutsu removed; Shisui, you'll also get your eye back."
"After that, you two join the Anbu."
"Kakashi is swamped; go help him."
With that…
Uchiha Jin waved them off and left without another word.
As for whether Shisui and Itachi were acting? He had zero worries—Uchiha simply didn't have the brains for that sort of play-acting.
Meanwhile…
Watching Jin walk away, Shisui and Itachi exchanged awkward glances.
After all… they had once believed themselves the only lucid Uchiha, thinking the rest too radical and that only they could save the clan.
And now?
Facts proved they were the ones holding it back.
"Itachi, we were wrong!"
"Mistakes aren't scary; refusing to correct them is."
"Since Lord Jin is right, I'll back him completely from now on."
Shisui's tone was grave, his eyes resolute.
Itachi voiced no objection, but being reserved, he rarely showed emotion.
Still…
Recalling how Hiruzen Sarutobi had once brainwashed them, and now seeing the truth through New Konoha, he couldn't help showing deep disgust: "Old Konoha needs to die!"
"Only by cutting out the cancers like Hiruzen and the rest of the Konoha High Command can our Village truly be reborn."
"If it makes the Village better, I'll shoulder this sin without hesitation!"
Shisui stared, stunned.
Looking at Itachi's calm face, his mind went blank.
After a long silence he said gravely, "Itachi, you're too extreme!"
"We only need to follow Jin's orders; you know he never throws our own people into pointless death."
Itachi gave a small nod.
He was still the same man—once willing to slaughter every Uchiha for the Village's sake.
Now… having embraced New Konoha, he was equally ready to cut down Hiruzen and company for the Village he loved!
Sasuke: "…"
The little boy's eyes were full of bewilderment.
Obviously…
He couldn't follow what his brother and Shisui were saying, but as long as his brother was there, he was happy.
After a moment of blankness Sasuke giggled foolishly… Meanwhile…
In Uchiha Jin's compound, a huge training ground occupied the central courtyard.
He trained for an hour to be sure his Ninjutsu and taijutsu hadn't regressed, then took a quick bath and lounged on the tatami in the living-room.
A miniature pagoda pendant rested in his hand as he sank his mind into it.
"What on earth is this thing?"
"It crossed worlds with me, so it can't be ordinary—most likely my cheat."
"But damn it!"
"I've tried every method imaginable and still can't activate it; I can't even damage it…"
"Buddy, I'm about to rule Konoha!"
"Don't tell me I have to conquer the entire Ninja World before you finally wake up?"
Uchiha Jin massaged his throbbing temples.
For years, aside from training and Village affairs, he'd spent nearly all his time studying the pendant.
He had no choice!
His strength had hit a bottleneck; no matter how hard he trained, he could advance no further.
Knowing how terrifying future power levels would become, he could only pin his hopes on the pendant—anything rather than follow Orochimaru's path.
He admitted the Sannin was a genius and that Hashirama cells might help, yet he still didn't want that route.
Even in a world that valued bloodlines, anything involving the body felt better left original.
Injecting someone else's cells made his skin crawl.
That was why he hadn't bothered taking Shisui's Mangekyo—he wasn't even interested in Hashirama cells.
Of course…
It wasn't a matter of squeamishness, just a Flower-country mindset at work.
Ninjutsu in this world cultivated "nature" but not "life," whereas Daoism sought a body without leaks, a golden core for longevity.
So… messing with main-line cells or swapping eyes might spike his power short-term, but could a patched-up body ever reach the true pinnacle?
Therefore…
He kept researching the pagoda pendant; only if time ran out and death loomed would he consider Orochimaru's method.
The more Uchiha Jin thought, the angrier he got!
What a tragic transmigrator—he had a probable cheat dangling right in front of him, yet still had to rely on his own training, even forced to use "wisdom" as a crutch.
Damn it—what kind of transmigrator in the Ninja World gets by on "wisdom" alone?