As Senju Tobirama spoke, the people around him couldn't help but gasp.
Chills ran down their spines; they clearly hadn't expected such a bone-chillingly deep meaning hidden behind this seemingly 'lenient' judgment.
For a moment.
They didn't know what to say!
Senju Hashirama felt a bit uneasy.
He wanted to say something, but he had no idea what to say.
Because Senju Tobirama was only speculating; he couldn't actually produce any evidence. At least on the surface, Uchiha Jin's judgment was indeed very lenient.
At the very least.
He had only killed the four main culprits, and the sentences for the others were basically quite light. At least it was better than the Uchiha's previous situation, right?
From this perspective, he had no grounds to speak!
Furthermore.
He was a dead man now, after all, and naturally didn't want to interfere in the world of the living.
So even though he felt stifled, he ultimately didn't speak.
He only looked at Hiruzen Sarutobi and the others with a gaze that instantly became filled with sympathy.
"No, I don't accept this!"
"I don't agree with this sentencing. Uchiha Jin, you might as well just kill us!"
"Kill all the Ninjas of our four clans; just let the Civilians, the elderly, and the young survive."
"I beg you, kill me!"
Hiruzen Sarutobi spoke up immediately.
Evidently.
His political wisdom might not match Senju Tobirama's, but he had also been Hokage for decades. The Senju and Uzumaki clans had perished under his watch, and countless powerful individuals had been killed by his various schemes... So, yes!
He saw through Uchiha Jin's ruthlessness, and that was why he was truly afraid.
He was willing to sacrifice all the Ninjas of the Four Great Shinobi Clans today in exchange for a future rise of the Sarutobi Clan, as long as the Civilians and the elderly and young of the Sarutobi Clan could be preserved.
The Civilians of the Sarutobi Clan could earn money, and because of the clan's rise over the years, the children basically all had Ninja potential, and the surviving elders could naturally teach them.
Adding the massive amount of Ninjutsu he had acquired over the years, as long as the sins ended with his generation and the future of the Sarutobi Clan wasn't intentionally targeted by Uchiha Jin, then once they grew up, they would naturally uphold the name of the Sarutobi Clan.
The Sarutobi Clan would still be a Ninja Clans!
Even if its size shrank by ten or twenty times, the Sarutobi Clan would still survive, at most returning to its scale before the founding of Konoha.
At the very least.
Compared to those Ninja Clanss that had vanished in history, this outcome for the Sarutobi Clan was considered decent.
But if they didn't choose to resist, and followed Uchiha Jin's plan, the Sarutobi Clan would completely perish!
The reason was—unity!
Even if all the Ninjas of these clans died, the Sarutobi and other three clans would still be united internally. As long as they weathered the toughest days with one heart, once the new generation grew up in ten years, the Sarutobi Clan would still be a Ninja Clans.
But if this judgment were truly executed, the Sarutobi Clan would collapse from within.
Yes!
He keenly sensed the terror of the Point System; it was clearly designed to divide the Sarutobi Clan from the inside, wasn't it?
There was no other way.
The Sarutobi Clan had no Bloodline Limit, nor were they a Secret Technique Clan like the Ino–Shika–Chō. If internal stability collapsed, they would be no different from Civilians.
So, absolutely not!
But, unfortunately.
Even though Hiruzen Sarutobi shouted until he was hoarse, before Uchiha Jin could even speak, Utatane Koharu screamed and roared.
"Hiruzen Sarutobi, shut up!"
"You want to die, but I don't! My Utatane Clan is willing to accept this punishment!"
"Thank you, Hokage-sama! My Utatane Clan is willing to undergo Labor Reform!"
Utatane Koharu spoke immediately.
Yes!
Who would want to die if they could live?
Although it seemed she was certainly doomed this time, her family and children could survive.
It was just Labor Reform, and there was a Point System.
She believed that with her efforts, she could at least get her family and children's sentences reduced first.
Hearing this, Koharu Utatane also nodded: "I also agree with the Village's punishment plan. The Mitokado Clan thanks Hokage-sama for his leniency!"
Hiruzen Sarutobi was dying of anger.
These two old friends of his were simply idiots. Having held high positions for so many years, how could they not see through such a scheme?
But, there was nothing he could do!
Smart people are a minority in this world, let alone in the history of the Ninja World where political maneuvering has rarely appeared. Thus, people like Utatane Koharu and Koharu Utatane are the majority.
Of course.
Do you really think they don't understand?
Not necessarily!
Perhaps they just didn't want to understand.
After all, compared to their Ninja Clans disappearing, they were more inclined to protect their own families.
At most, it could be said that Hiruzen Sarutobi chose the clan, while they chose their families.
Similarly.
With Utatane Koharu and Koharu Utatane speaking up, the Shimura Clan, which hadn't even had any screen time, also chose to accept.
As for Danzo, he had no interest at all.
The first thing he cared about was the position of Hokage, and the second was his Root.
Although the Shimura Clan existed and had enjoyed the benefits brought by Danzo.
But—not many!
Danzo wasn't as ruthless as in some other novels, completely pulling the entire Shimura Clan into Root, but he also hadn't given his clan too many advantages.
At most.
It was just slightly better than how he treated ordinary Civilians and other Ninja Clanss.
Anyway, he was already dead. Even if he were controlled by the Impure World Reincarnation Technique, he wouldn't peacefully undergo Labor Reform.
Either he'd be controlled to work, or he'd just completely rot!
He didn't care about the clan anyway, so naturally, it didn't matter.
After all—one is strong when they have no desires!
Meanwhile, on the other side.
Sitting on the rostrum, Uchiha Jin couldn't help but frown as he watched the argument below.
He really hadn't expected that old man Hiruzen Sarutobi would actually sense the deep meaning behind his disposal plan.
However, it didn't matter!
He just coughed once and directly stopped the argument below.
"Alright, shut up!"
"Hiruzen Sarutobi, you need to understand that this is a punishment for the wrong things you've done."
"This is not a negotiation; it's the Village's final decision!"
"Carry it out whether you understand it or not!"
"So, that's that!"
"Anbu, carry out the execution. After these people are dead, Orochimaru, you reincarnate them using Edo Tensei."
"Kakashi, it's up to you!"
After saying that.
Uchiha Jin sat back in his seat, leaning against the back of the chair and remaining completely silent.
Meanwhile, on the other side.
Following Uchiha Jin's command, Kakashi stood up and drew his White Fang Short Blade, walking step by step toward Hiruzen Sarutobi and the others.