The moment Jin finished speaking, every gaze in the conference chamber shifted toward Fugaku Uchiha.
"Dereliction of duty."
The accusation had been delivered calmly—too calmly. But its meaning was unmistakable.
It was a slap across Fugaku's face. In public.
Yet what unsettled the room even more was Fugaku's expression.
He looked… composed.
No anger. No embarrassment.
Just quiet acceptance.
It took only a second for the sharper minds in the room to understand: this wasn't a forced removal.
This was coordinated.
Hiruzen Sarutobi narrowed his eyes and coughed lightly.
"Minister Fugaku has served the Military Police diligently for many years. Even if one cannot claim extraordinary merit, his contributions and hardships are undeniable. To label that as dereliction… seems excessive."
His tone was mild—but firm.
"If the Uchiha remove a capable department head under such a vague accusation, the village will not acknowledge it."
Hiruzen didn't yet know what had happened at last night's clan meeting.
But one thing was clear:
Between Fugaku and Jin, Fugaku was far easier to manage.
If possible, Hiruzen intended to keep him exactly where he was.
Fugaku's eyes flickered.
So… the Third valued him that much?
Strange. That hadn't been the impression in recent months.
He gave a faint snort.
"With respect, Third-sama, right is right, and wrong is wrong. In these past years, I have indeed failed both my clan and the village in many respects. I am no longer worthy of leading the Police."
A subtle tension entered Hiruzen's gaze.
Fugaku's cooperation was gone.
The room remained silent.
Most attendees were here merely to witness the procedure. Watching was safer than speaking.
Hiruzen shifted his attention to Jin.
"Uchiha Jin. Fugaku is the head of a major department. Without concrete evidence, removing him under the charge of 'dereliction' will not satisfy the village—or even the Uchiha."
The meaning was clear:
Produce proof.
Jin smiled faintly.
"Third-sama, the Uchiha are not unreasonable brutes. Evidence, of course, exists."
Hiruzen nodded.
"Then present it. Since everyone is gathered, we can fairly judge right from wrong."
He was not worried.
If Fugaku and Jin were cooperating, then any so-called "evidence" would likely be harmless—a formality.
Once Jin spoke, Hiruzen could dismantle it with logic and authority.
With momentum on his side, Fugaku would remain in office—willingly or otherwise.
Jin cleared his throat.
When all eyes settled on him, he began evenly:
"Fugaku Uchiha has failed in many respects—both as clan head and as Chief of the Military Police."
"I will not waste everyone's time listing them all. I will only mention the most representative example."
He paused.
"The recent rumor crisis in the village."
A faint stir ran through the chamber.
Jin continued:
"It began when Fugaku refused the proposal to suspend the pensions for fallen and disabled Uchiha shinobi, as well as delay rewards owed to those who bled for the village on the battlefield."
"At that point, rumors began circulating—claiming the Uchiha lacked perspective, that we did not understand the village's hardship."
"Later, the slander escalated."
"We were called arrogant. Inhuman. Detached. A destabilizing presence. A disaster waiting to happen."
The atmosphere changed.
Everyone present knew the truth.
The rumor campaign had not emerged spontaneously.
It had been a calculated pressure tactic—approved at the highest levels.
The four elders seated above knew that.
The others suspected it.
But everyone had tacitly agreed not to say it aloud.
And yet—
Here was Jin.
Saying it.
In front of them.
Directly.
The air grew heavier.
"Enough!" Hiruzen's voice cut through the room, sharp and cold. "Uchiha Jin, you were asked to speak of Fugaku's failings—not to bring up unrelated matters."
"Are these rumors connected to his supposed dereliction?"
Jin did not flinch.
"Of course they are."
His voice was steady.
"As clan head, when the Uchiha faced a crisis and our reputation plummeted, Fugaku did not immediately step forward to resolve the matter. Instead, he allowed the rumors to spread unchecked."
"Is that not a failure of leadership?"
He let that hang for a heartbeat.
"And as Chief of the Military Police, whose duty is to preserve order and stability—"
"These rumors escalated to the point where the village became tense, fearful, and divided. Distrust spread. Suspicion poisoned neighbor against neighbor."
"The order of Konoha faltered."
Jin's eyes sharpened slightly.
"And yet, the Military Police did not swiftly apprehend those who spread malicious slander and fanned the flames."
"The situation spiraled beyond control."
He tilted his head—just enough.
"It even reached the point of shaking Third-sama's authority and accelerating your decision to step down."
The silence that followed was suffocating.
This was no longer an argument.
This was a blade pressed against the throat of the leadership.
Everyone in the room understood the implication.
The "criminals spreading slander"—
Who exactly were they?
Jin had just implied, in front of the entire governing body of Konoha, that there were villains manipulating public opinion.
And by doing so—
He had effectively pointed at the elders without naming them.
A direct, point-blank assault.
Even worse—
He had publicly referenced Hiruzen's early retirement as fallout.
That was not just criticism.
That was execution by implication.
Somewhere in the back of the room, someone swallowed audibly.
The younger Uchiha clan head stood there, expression calm, voice controlled—
And utterly fearless.
Bold didn't begin to describe it.
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