Jin Uchiha stood his ground, projecting absolute authority. Jiraiya clearly believed that his legendary status as one of the Sannin would force the Uchiha to yield. Jin found the assumption laughable. He owed Konoha nothing; Konoha owed his clan everything.
Jiraiya's reliance on the 'Will of Fire'—the village's ideology of self-sacrifice—was entirely useless against Jin's rational mindset.
Jin's thought process was cold and calculated. 'I demand compensation and justice, and he counters with vague philosophy. I point out Hiruzen Sarutobi's illegitimate rise to power, and he threatens violence because he doesn't want to discuss the past. This is the ultimate double standard.'
However, Jin also knew his own limitations. He did not possess the Eternal Mangekyou Sharingan—the final, perfected stage of his visual prowess that prevented blindness from overuse. Furthermore, he was cautious about killing Naruto Uzumaki; doing so might attract the attention of the legendary Sage of Six Paths. Finally, while destroying Konoha was easy, surviving the aftermath was not. If Konoha fell, the surrounding nations would invade the Land of Fire, leaving the isolated Uchiha Clan without geographical protection.
If not for those tactical constraints, Jin would have already taken control of the Nine-Tailed Fox and obliterated the village.
"Jin Uchiha!" Jiraiya erupted, his killing intent flaring violently. "Do you have no respect for the Will of Fire? Threatening the village like this... you are courting death!"
Jiraiya's patience had snapped. To him, the village's survival was paramount, and Jin's threats crossed an unforgivable line. He dropped his diplomatic stance and prepared to strike.
Jin simply crossed his arms, a mocking smirk on his face. He was completely unfazed.
"Are you angry, Jiraiya? What right do you have?" Jin sneered. "You came here to negotiate peace. But because you lack the authority to force the elders to apologize or execute Danzo, your default solution is to demand my clan sacrifice itself for the 'greater good.' And when I refuse, you threaten to fight me."
Jin took a step forward, his voice dripping with disdain. "Let me ask you a question. If I slaughter the Sarutobi Clan right now and execute your grand-student, Naruto, would you prioritize the 'big picture' and forgive the Uchiha? No. You demand generosity from the victims, but the moment the victims fight back, you brand them as traitors. Get out, you hypocrite."
Jiraiya remained silent, his fists clenched.
"If you push me," Jin continued, delivering his final strike, "I will go directly to Naruto. As a Mangekyou Sharingan wielder, I can easily place the Nine-Tails under my control, just like the masked man did years ago. I will force the beast to fire a Tailed Beast Bomb and vaporize this entire village."
System Explanation: A Tailed Beast Bomb is a highly concentrated sphere of pure chakra capable of wiping out mountains. The Sharingan possesses the unique ability to cast genjutsu (illusions) powerful enough to control Tailed Beasts.
Jiraiya's eyes widened in genuine horror. The threat bypassed his anger and struck directly at his fear.
"How do you know Naruto is the Jinchuriki?" Jiraiya demanded, referring to the boy's status as the human vessel for the Nine-Tails.
"You are truly naive," Jin scoffed. "The entire village knows. The elders deliberately allowed rumors to spread, publicly labeling the boy a 'demon fox.' Who else could he be? Your leadership failed to protect the boy's identity, just as it failed everything else."
Jin turned away, thoroughly disgusted. "Tsuki, see our guest out."
Without waiting for a response, Jin walked toward his private courtyard. Debating an idealist like Jiraiya was a tactical waste of time. Jiraiya had no political capital and no resources to extort. Jin realized he would have been better off spending his time resting.
His recent battle with Danzo had consumed ten percent of his ocular power. Because Jin constantly circulated chakra to his eyes, his recovery rate was exceptionally fast, but his logical calculations still indicated it would take a month and a half of rest to fully restore his vision.
Left behind in the reception room, Jiraiya stood completely paralyzed. His worldview had been systematically dismantled. Under Tsuki Uchiha's polite but firm gaze, he had no choice but to turn around and leave the compound.
However, as Jiraiya walked out of the Uchiha territory, he stopped dead in his tracks.
The streets inside the compound were bustling. He saw members of the elite Ino-Shika-Cho clans casually buying groceries from Uchiha merchants, acting as if they lived there. Even more incomprehensible, he spotted Kakashi Hatake and Might Guy walking out of an Uchiha training ground, chatting casually.
Jiraiya rubbed his eyes aggressively.
"Genjutsu," Jiraiya muttered to himself in disbelief. "This has to be an illusion. Why would Kakashi and half the noble clans be living inside the Uchiha compound?"