Early the next morning, Uchiha Jin rose before dawn.
He left the clan compound together with Uchiha Fugaku, Elder Setsuna, and Elder Yashiro, heading straight for the Hokage Tower.
Today's jōnin assembly was nothing like the temporary meeting from before. Every registered jōnin in Konoha had the right to attend. Setsuna and Yashiro had insisted on coming along—not out of necessity, but because they wanted to witness history unfold.
The Hokage Tower's grand conference hall was already bustling.
A long central table dominated the room, large enough to seat over a hundred people. Along both sides, rows of tightly arranged chairs filled the remaining space.
The central table was reserved for department heads and clan leaders.
The side chairs were for jōnin without official positions—both clan-affiliated and civilian.
The hall could easily hold several hundred shinobi.
Though the meeting was scheduled for nine, the room was nearly full already.
Jin and the others took their assigned seats. Just like last time, seated beside them were the Hyūga brothers—Hyūga Hiashi and Hyūga Hizashi.
This time, however, several Hyūga elders had also come.
Jin chatted casually with the two brothers, passing the time.
After a while, Hiashi leaned slightly closer and lowered his voice.
"Jin. I heard that yesterday, the moment you returned, Elder Mito and Elder Shimura went to see you. I'm told Elder Mito left in a rather foul mood."
"What happened?"
The visit hadn't been concealed. Anyone paying attention had noticed. The Hyūga, naturally, had heard.
Given their quiet alliance, Hiashi saw no reason to be indirect.
Jin smiled faintly.
"It's not exactly a secret. It'll probably be brought up during the meeting anyway."
"I reached an agreement with the Daimyō."
"I took one of the Finance Department's revenue streams."
Hiashi's pupils contracted.
Jin hadn't spelled it out—but he didn't need to.
A revenue stream tied to the Daimyō could only mean one thing.
The subsidy funds.
"…You really accomplished something major without making a sound," Hiashi murmured.
"You've just seized one of the upper council's pressure points."
Jin's smile turned slightly cryptic.
"That's nothing."
"You might get an even bigger surprise shortly."
Hiashi blinked, unsure what Jin meant—but anticipation flickered in his eyes.
After glancing behind to confirm the Hyūga elders weren't listening, Hiashi lowered his voice again.
"There's another matter."
"The Divine Arrow Battalion can't be hidden much longer."
"Their performance at Kikyo Pass drew attention. Quite a few people have noticed them. Several elders have already questioned me."
The Hyūga Divine Arrow Battalion had been personally established by Jin and Hizashi. Its members were carefully chosen branch family shinobi they trusted.
Because they'd previously fought only small skirmishes in the Mist theater, the unit had remained largely unknown.
Until now.
Jin's gaze sharpened.
"What do your elders want?"
Hiashi's expression hardened.
"They want Hizashi to relinquish control."
"He couldn't refuse outright… so he transferred command to me."
"The main house elders aren't pleased—but they haven't pushed further."
"They won't let this go."
"For them, the Battalion's existence is a threat."
Within the Hyūga clan, the main house controlled the branch house through the Caged Bird Seal. Over time, that authority had become absolute.
Branch family members were treated as subordinates—sometimes worse.
Resentment was inevitable.
Rebellion had occurred before.
But rebels who relied solely on taijutsu rarely made it close enough to strike.
Now?
The branch family possessed long-range marksmen who could kill from hundreds of meters away.
For the first time, they had real leverage.
Of course the main house was uneasy.
Jin considered carefully.
"We can't rush this."
"Orochimaru and Kushina are still researching the Caged Bird Seal."
"At minimum, we wait until Minato secures the Hokage seat."
"And if we want to minimize casualties, we'll need the right moment."
Hiashi clenched his jaw.
"I'll delay them as long as I can."
Though he was the head of the main house, Hiashi had long harbored dissatisfaction with the clan's rigid system.
His own twin brother was the branch house head.
Even so, under the clan's strict hierarchy, even he was constrained by the elders.
He could only swallow his frustration.
But now—
Jin's presence had changed things.
This wasn't mere hope.
Jin's stance was unwavering.
The Hyūga system would change.
Whether they wished it or not.
Hiashi exhaled quietly.
He could only hope that when the time came, the main house elders would bow to the tide.
Time passed.
Nine o'clock arrived.
The hall was filled.
The doors opened.
The famed "Konoha F4" entered together.
Yet something immediately felt off.
Only three—Mito Menma, Utatane Koharu, and Shimura Danzō—walked toward the elevated seats.
Sarutobi Hiruzen did not.
Instead, he took a position near the front of the main table.
Murmurs rippled through the hall.
It was only then that everyone noticed—
The four seats that once symbolized authority…
Now numbered three.
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