Chapter 24: Why Does the Village Target the Uchiha? I Will Give You an Answer!
As Setsuna finished his question, his eyes flickered with confusion.
In an instant...
Every Uchiha in the courtyard turned to look at Jin.
It was obvious.
Before, they hadn't thought much about it, but now the realization hit them.
Right!
Maintaining public order in the village was a simple matter. For the High Command, deploying a few squads to patrol the streets should have been effortless.
So, why?
Why would the High Command rather return the valuable Ancestral Land to the Uchiha than simply handle the security themselves?
Jin paused for a moment, genuinely surprised.
He hadn't expected Setsuna, an old-school Radical known more for his temper than his intellect, to ask such a profound question.
Did this guy suddenly grow a brain after stepping down from active duty?
However, despite his surprise, Jin smiled.
"Elder Setsuna, that is an excellent question."
"I imagine everyone here is curious about the answer, so I will explain it simply."
"To understand the root cause, we have to talk about the Second Hokage—Tobirama Senju."
"Back when Madara Uchiha lost the election for Hokage, Tobirama created the so-called 'Police Force' to appease the clan."
"But fundamentally, it was unnecessary."
"Look at the other four Great Ninja Villages. Do any of them have a 'Police Force'?"
"The functions of the Police could easily be handled by the Anbu."
"So, why do you think he created it?"
Jin's eyes narrowed.
In the past, he wouldn't have bothered explaining this.
For one, the Uchiha were stubborn. If they didn't respect you, they wouldn't listen to a word you said.
For another, he hadn't had the time. When he first joined the Radicals, the clan was unstable. He needed to consolidate power and stabilize his faction above all else.
But now, things were different.
The Radical Faction was his ironclad base. Even the defectors from the Moderate and Neutral factions were now willing to follow his orders. Although he wasn't officially the Clan Head, he was their leader. And a leader needed to demonstrate wisdom, not just strength.
So, he paused, giving everyone time to think.
Following Jin's prompt, the crowd began to ponder.
Although they didn't immediately grasp the full picture, the fact that no other village had a Police Force—combined with Tobirama's notorious cunning—made them realize something was wrong.
Ten minutes later.
Seeing that no one had spoken, Jin took a deep breath. He knew better than to wait for these single-minded warriors to figure out complex political maneuvers on their own.
His tone became grave.
"The Police Force... is a conspiracy."
"Tobirama knew the Uchiha were proud and not particularly good at social interaction. He specifically assigned this task to us to create a barrier between the Uchiha and the other clans and civilians. This allowed him to rally the rest of the village to isolate us."
"In Tobirama's words: 'Because the Uchiha are too strong, they must be kept in a cage.'"
"After the Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, took power, he utilized countless rules—and exploited Fugaku's cowardice—to force the Police Force to abandon many of its original, critical functions."
"Counter-espionage, hunting spies, interrogation... all of these powers were lost under Fugaku's useless leadership."
"Today's Police Force retains only one function."
"Public Order."
"This is the least important function, but it is also the one most likely to cause friction with civilians and other ninja."
"Hiruzen Sarutobi naturally won't allow the Uchiha to abandon the Police Force. If we did, the barrier between us and the villagers would disappear. How would the High Command target us then?"
"That is why..."
"The village will never send its own people to do this job. They will only force the Uchiha to do it!"
Jin's voice was cold.
Hiss!
As Jin finished speaking, everyone in the courtyard froze. They were stunned.
No one had imagined that a simple institution like the Police Force carried so many layers of calculation and malice.
The atmosphere in the small courtyard turned terrifyingly oppressive.
Finally, an Uchiha couldn't take it anymore. "Why does the village want to force us into a corner? What crime did the Uchiha commit?"
"Damn the village!" another cursed.
Indignation filled the air.
Setsuna, too, was puzzled. He couldn't help but ask, "Jin, I know you are smart."
"Do you know the reason why?"
In an instant, all eyes turned back to Jin. They desperately hoped he could give them an answer that made sense of their suffering.
Jin pondered for a moment, then smiled—a cold, sharp smile.
"The reason? Of course I know."
"Since everyone wants to know, I'll put it simply."
"One word: Money."
"You must realize that although the Third Great Ninja War has ended and Konoha is ostensibly the victor, in reality, the village received zero war reparations. In fact, the village hasn't even paid out the pensions for the countless ninja who died in the war."
"Why?"
"Because Konoha has no money!"
"Pensions need to be paid. Supplies like food and ninja tools consumed during the war need to be replenished."
"The Daimyo has already stated that the Land of Fire will not provide these funds."
"So, everyone... where does the money come from?"
"Considering the sudden tension between the village and the Uchiha that began right after the Nine-Tails' Attack, I have every reason to suspect that the High Command has set their sights on our clan's wealth."
"Think about it carefully. Every time the ninja of the village demand their pensions, or every time the village faces a financial crisis, doesn't Danzo suddenly launch a new provocation against the Uchiha?"
"I can think of two reasons for this. First, to divert attention. By using the Uchiha—a clan everyone fears—as a scapegoat, they distract the populace from the missing pensions and the budget deficit."
"The second reason is to buy time."
"What is Konoha waiting for?"
"Consider this: if they wipe out the Uchiha Clan, the wealth we have accumulated over a thousand years will fall into the village's hands."
"With that money, the pensions for the war dead can be paid. The fiscal deficit can be filled. The supplies can be restocked. And after all that, the High Command can still pocket a tidy sum for themselves."
"Sacrifice one uncontrollable, feared Uchiha Clan, and suddenly the pension problem is solved, the budget is balanced, the leaders get rich, and Danzo gets the Sharingan he covets."
"Sacrificing one Uchiha brings happiness to thousands of families!"
"What do you think of this trade?"
"This is why I joined the Radicals. This is why I never considered compromising with the village."
"Because the Leaf... does not allow us to surrender!"
"If the Uchiha surrender and integrate, where will they get the money for the pensions? How will they solve the deficit?"
"Think about why the village is suddenly so eager to deal with us recently."
"Isn't it true that a month ago, a large group of ninja petitioned the village to expedite the release of the war pensions?"