The great migration within the Uchiha district began at dawn.
Jin's explosive revelations at the Naka Shrine had achieved their desired effect. The Uchiha were proud, but they were not foolish when it came to their own survival. The logic was simple: whether or not the Hokage officially planned to retaliate, the recent string of disappearances among border patrols was an undeniable fact. Choosing to believe Jin's warning cost them nothing; ignoring it could cost them their eyes and their lives.
Consequently, clan members who previously cared little for factional politics began packing their belongings. They abandoned their ancestral homes to seek asylum within the newly fortified Radical zone.
As the days passed, Clan Head Fugaku's chronic indecision only accelerated the fracture. Because he refused to order his loyalists to forcefully stop the migration, viewing it as too risky, the undecided Neutrals interpreted his inaction as weakness. They, too, fled to the Radicals.
Without a single drop of blood being spilled, the massive Uchiha district was physically and ideologically cleaved in two.
***
Meanwhile, Uchiha Shisui made good on his promise and bypassed the clan's chain of command to confront the Third Hokage.
Standing in the Hokage's office, Shisui demanded an explanation regarding Danzo's possession of Uchiha Kagami's Mangekyou Sharingan and the arm grafted with Hashirama cells.
Hiruzen Sarutobi, a master of political manipulation, did not panic. He calmly deflected the accusation with a perfectly crafted lie.
"Danzo and Kagami were the closest of comrades, Shisui," Hiruzen explained, his voice laced with manufactured sorrow. "Kagami knew he was dying. He entrusted his eye to Danzo on his deathbed to protect the village. It is no different than Uchiha Obito gifting his Sharingan to Kakashi Hatake."
'If Jin were here, he would have scoffed,' Shisui thought fleetingly, 'He would point out the absurdity of comparing a genuine battlefield sacrifice to Danzo's systematic hoarding.' However, Shisui was not Jin. Desperate to maintain his idealized vision of Konoha, Shisui allowed himself to be convinced. He accepted the flimsy excuse, conveniently ignoring the absolute taboo against harvesting a clan's Kekkei Genkai. Hiruzen further justified Danzo's grotesque arm as a "necessary sacrifice for the village's continued security."
Mollified and manipulated, Shisui returned to the Uchiha compound.
***
Ten days later, the great migration concluded.
The Radical zone was a fortress. It buzzed with martial energy. A new, independent barrier jutsu enveloped the territory, supported by a dense network of visible patrols and hidden sentries.
In stark contrast, the territory held by the Moderates and Neutrals remained completely exposed. Under the leadership of Fugaku and the recently returned Shisui, they chose to place their absolute faith in the Konoha Administration.
It was a fatal miscalculation.
During his battle with Jin, Danzo had been forced to activate Izanagi—the forbidden reality-warping jutsu that permanently blinds the sacrificed Sharingan—ten separate times to avoid death. To stabilize the volatile First Hokage's cells in his right arm, Danzo desperately needed to replenish his stock of Sharingan. Since the Radical zone was now heavily fortified, Danzo's Root operatives turned their sights on the easy prey: the unprotected Moderates.
Root moved aggressively in the shadows. Elite Uchiha who had awakened the three-tomoe Sharingan began vanishing without a trace.
Panic swept through the Moderate faction.
"Trust the village! Trust the Hokage!" Fugaku pleaded publicly, though his face was drawn with stress. "These disappearances are being investigated. It is merely a coincidence!"
"Do not panic!" Shisui echoed, trying to maintain order. "Lord Third is looking into this!"
Both leaders were terrified, burdened by immense psychological pressure. Yet, they categorically refused to adopt the Radicals' tactics. They dared not alter the village-approved barrier or increase their own patrols, because doing so would be a silent declaration of distrust toward Konoha. They chose to bleed rather than appear rebellious.
Three days later, the situation deteriorated further.
Vicious rumors erupted across Konoha's civilian and shinobi populations: 'The Uchiha are planning a violent coup.' The rumors were far more organized and intense than usual.
Fugaku and Shisui panicked and sought an urgent audience with Hiruzen. The Hokage offered them nothing but empty, recycled platitudes.
"Trust the villagers. Trust the village," Hiruzen soothed them. "Rumors end with the wise. Give it time. I am the Hokage; I will handle this."
Fugaku and Shisui, blinded by their naive loyalty, failed to see the obvious truth. Hiruzen was not stopping the rumors because he was actively allowing Danzo's Root to spread them. The administration was laying the psychological groundwork to justify the Uchiha's eventual extermination.
***
In sharp contrast to the Moderates' frantic desperation, the Radical Faction remained eerily silent.
Uchiha Jin had completely vanished from the public eye. He rarely left his residence. His primary objective was to minimize his chakra expenditure and slowly regenerate the ocular power of his Mangekyou Sharingan. Without a genetic cheat code like Hashirama cells or a system to rely on, Jin knew he had to maintain peak physical and visual condition through meticulous resource management.
This was the core reason he had not yet flipped the board and declared open war. He was currently restricting himself to a political and psychological war of attrition because his raw combat endurance was a fatal flaw.
Inside Jin's study, Elder Setsuna paced nervously.
"Jin-sama, are we truly going to just watch?" Setsuna asked, his ancient face twisted in pain. "The Moderates lost another three-tomoe elite last night. Even if they follow Fugaku, they are still Uchiha blood. It breaks my heart to see our combat power harvested like cattle. If we are going to rebel, we need every fighter we can get!"
Jin sat calmly at his low table, elegantly pouring a cup of tea. He did not share Setsuna's distress.
"I feel the loss as well, Elder Setsuna," Jin replied, his voice devoid of emotion. "But look at the Uchiha of today. They have been domesticated. They have lost the bloodlust and pride of our ancestors. They act like beaten dogs, begging their masters for scraps."
Jin took a slow sip of tea. "The only strategy left is destruction before construction. The losses we are sustaining now are a necessary catalyst. Only when enough of our shinobi die, only when Fugaku's illusions of peace are shattered completely, will the entire clan unite behind us. That is the 'only' way we earn the right to challenge the Konoha Administration."
Jin locked eyes with the Elder. "And mark my words, Setsuna. Even if I successfully unify the entire Uchiha Clan under my command... we still will not possess the strength for a clean rebellion. At best, we will only have the power to force Mutual Assured Destruction. We can drag Konoha to hell with us, but we cannot conquer it."
Setsuna froze, utterly stunned by the cold, pessimistic calculation.
"Jin... why are you so terrified of the village elders?" Setsuna asked, bewildered. "Are you not being overly cautious? Hiruzen was strong in his youth, but he is an old man now. The other ninja clans cannot match the Sharingan. If the Uchiha rebel with full force, our chances of total victory are high!"
Jin looked at his second-in-command, realizing just how deeply the Uchiha's arrogance blinded them to reality.