Chapter 26: Hiruzen Sarutobi's Path to Power; Jin's Detailed Breakdown!
Uchiha Jin's eyes narrowed slightly.
Faced with Uchiha Amano's question about the Third War, his mind began to race.
His current influence had reached its peak. Thanks to Danzo's frantic assassinations, nearly everyone who could be swayed had already defected to his side. The only ones left with Fugaku and Shisui were those who would never join him, no matter what he said.
So, the time was ripe.
It was time to lay his cards on the table. For his future plans to succeed, he needed the complete and unwavering cooperation of everyone here.
He had no choice.
Without a System and without the Eternal Mangekyo, taking on the entire village alone was a suicide mission. His only hope lay in these remaining Uchiha elites.
Taking a deep breath, Jin spoke slowly.
"Elder Amano is correct. I saw through it all a long time ago."
"But the Uchiha is a clan that respects strength above all else. Back then, I was a nobody. Even if I had spoken up, no one would have trusted me."
"Therefore, the only thing I could do was ensure my own survival."
Hearing this, the gathered clansmen nodded in understanding.
It was true. The Uchiha listened to power. A weakling—even a Moderate like Shisui—could talk all day, but unless they had the strength to back it up, no one would care.
Uchiha Setsuna chimed in. "Jin-kun made the right choice. The Uchiha can be... extreme. But let's not dwell on the past. Let's talk about the matter at hand."
"A lack of political wisdom is a common flaw among our people. Jin-kun, please use this opportunity to explain the 'Big Picture' to everyone."
"At the very least, let everyone understand the true nature of the village and our clan!"
The crowd nodded eagerly.
Whether they were Radicals, Moderates, or Neutrals, they all shared one trait: they rarely used their brains for politics. Now that they had a chance to learn, they were desperate to listen.
Why was Jin so certain during the Third War that the village intended to destroy the Uchiha?
Jin didn't deflect. He nodded. "Since everyone wants to hear it, I'll share a few thoughts."
"That would be great!" the crowd murmured.
Jin wasted no time. "Everyone knows that Hashirama Senju became Hokage because he possessed the strength to suppress the entire ninja world. Tobirama Senju, while not as strong as his brother, was still a top-tier powerhouse, and his strategic mind was unmatched."
"So... what about Hiruzen Sarutobi?"
"Does he rely entirely on his self-proclaimed title of 'The Strongest Hokage'?"
Jin's face was filled with disdain.
The crowd looked confused.
That's true!
They knew little about the First and Second, but they were very familiar with Hiruzen.
Was he strong? They didn't really know.
Hiruzen had fought a few times during the Second War, but after taking the seat of Hokage, he rarely stepped onto the battlefield. The same went for the rest of the "Konoha F4."
Yet...
They had sat securely in their positions of power for decades. No one questioned it. Everyone had gotten used to it.
But now?
Hearing Jin point it out, they finally realized something was wrong.
Damn it! That really doesn't add up!
Look at the other Kage. The Fourth Raikage, A, was a physical monster who fought Minato to a draw. The Third Raikage was even more legendary.
Onoki of the Stone had Particle Style.
Yagura of the Mist and Rasa of the Sand had both proven their strength on the battlefield.
But Hiruzen?
They called him the "Professor" and the "God of Shinobi," but had anyone actually seen him go all out?
"Why is that?"
"The Third Hokage just seems to talk about the 'Will of Fire' all day."
"They call him a hero, but we rarely see him fight."
"I don't get it!"
Even the older Uchiha shook their heads in confusion.
Finally, they all turned their eyes to Jin, waiting for their leader to solve the puzzle.
Jin sighed lightly.
"Actually, someone already said the answer."
"The Will of Fire."
"But this wasn't his original plan. It was something he developed later."
"Hiruzen initially became the Third Hokage partly due to Tobirama's dying wish, but mostly because of the support of Mito Uzumaki."
"But when he finally took the seat and prepared to rule, his heart went cold."
"The Senju Clan, pressured by Mito, didn't openly oppose him, but they ignored him completely. They engaged in passive resistance, obeying in name but defying in action."
"The Uchiha, needless to say, looked down on him entirely."
"If the Senju and Uchiha treated him like that, the other clans were even worse. You could say that the early reign of Hiruzen Sarutobi was that of a puppet!"
"So, how did the situation change?"
"Helpless and lacking real power, Hiruzen turned to the Ninja Academy. He began preaching his 'Will of Fire' to the children because that was the only place he had influence."
"But then came the Second Great Ninja War, and with it, his opportunity."
"Does everyone remember Nawaki Senju? He was the hope of the Senju Clan, the one most likely to become the Fourth Hokage. Yet, the moment he stepped onto the battlefield, he was blown to pieces by an explosive tag trap."
"Here is the problem!"
"What is the defining trait of the Senju? Massive chakra and immense vitality!"
"Even if an Uchiha took an explosive tag to the face, we'd likely survive with heavy injuries. But Nawaki, a Senju with incredible vitality, died instantly? So thoroughly that even Tsunade, the legendary medic, couldn't save him?"
"With that, the Senju suffered a heavy blow."
"Then, Hiruzen launched the Hashirama Cell Experiments, claiming he wanted to recreate the Wood Style. What followed was a massacre of Senju volunteers on the operating table."
"Add to that the fact that during the early Second War, the Senju were always sent to the front lines. These two factors wiped out the Senju elite. To preserve their bloodline, the survivors had no choice but to follow Tobirama's integration plan—some abandoned their surname to become commoners, others fled to the Daimyo."
"At that point, the Senju Clan effectively vanished."
"But their reputation remained. Tsunade and Mito were still there. And then Dan Kato rose to prominence."
"He was Tsunade's lover. Backed by the remaining Senju influence, his call to become the Fourth Hokage was loud."
"Then... he died!"
"The Uzumaki Clan refused to merge with Konoha. When they were besieged and wiped out, Konoha—which had the Sannin and Sakumo Hatake—managed to save only one person: Kushina Uzumaki. Oh, and they also managed to 'save' the Uzumaki's entire library of sealing jutsu."
"Thinking about it makes me want to laugh. They couldn't save the people, but they managed to loot all the scrolls? Interesting, isn't it?"
"Next was Sakumo Hatake, the White Fang. Another strong candidate for Fourth Hokage. And then he committed suicide over a 'failed mission'."
"I find it fascinating. Sakumo was on an S-Rank mission. Even A-Rank missions require strict confidentiality. Yet, the details of his S-Rank failure spread through the streets of Konoha in a single day? Where were the confidentiality protocols?"
"Sakumo killed himself, and no one was held accountable for the leak. It was just swept under the rug."
"Then came Orochimaru. Caught doing human experiments and forced to defect. To me, this is even more ridiculous. Orochimaru was a commoner. Even if he had clan support for Hokage, those clans wouldn't have funded illegal human experiments."
"Human experimentation costs an astronomical amount of money. High-end equipment isn't cheap."
"Where did the money come from?"
"If you tell me the village didn't fund it, I won't believe you."
"Considering this happened right when Orochimaru's popularity for Fourth Hokage was at its peak, it's obvious the High Command plotted it."
"They didn't want Orochimaru to win. Although he was a commoner, he was ruthless and had his own principles. He would never have been Hiruzen's puppet."
"So, he had to defect or die."
"Finally, Minato Namikaze. This is the most interesting one. He was a commoner with no background. Hiruzen let him become Hokage hoping he would be a puppet."
"But Minato had his own will. Once he took the hat, he wanted to rule for real."
"He placed Kakashi in the Anbu and started building his own Hokage Guard. He was actively wrestling power away from Hiruzen."
"Then... he died!"
"Do you see the pattern now? Anyone who threatens the F4's grip on power ends up dead. The only exception is Orochimaru, who became a missing-nin."
"Hiruzen uses the Will of Fire to manipulate the village. Anyone who affects their authority meets a tragic end."
"And now... it's the Uchiha's turn."
"On one hand, we are disobedient, powerful, and unpredictable. On the other hand, the village is broke."
"We are the fat pig that has been fattened up for slaughter!"