Almost in an instant.
Uchiha Jin could feel his Dōjutsu Power draining at a terrifying speed; even the Eternal Mangekyō was struggling to keep up.
Similarly.
As Uchiha Jin pushed harder, Senju Hashirama's Buddha began to crumble inch by inch, and even his Edo Tensei body started to collapse.
'Incredible!'
'So this is the Mangekyo Technique Madara spoke of? Brutal and completely unreasonable!'
'Little Uchiha, it looks like you've won.'
Senju Hashirama wore a calm expression.
As someone already dead, he cared little for the outcome; besides, this time Uchiha Jin seemed to be the 'hero' while Hiruzen Sarutobi looked like the 'villain,' so losing to Jin bothered him even less.
On the contrary.
After a good fight he felt exhilarated!
He was no stranger to the Uchiha's exclusive ocular arts—thanks to Uchiha Madara.
It's just that…
Madara's mind was straightforward, so his Mangekyo Technique was a simple amplification type, which was why his Ninjutsu or Susanoo far outclassed other Uchiha.
So today…
For the first time, Hashirama witnessed the bizarre variety of Uchiha Mangekyo Techniques.
Immediately after.
As he sighed in admiration, his entire body began to disintegrate.
However…
Because of Edo Tensei, he quickly re-formed.
But by then Uchiha Jin had rushed forward, using Tsunade's Sealing Scroll to seal Hashirama on the spot.
At that moment.
Without another word, Jin stood before Hiruzen and the others.
Behind him, Tsunade, Kakashi, and the other New Konoha Ninja had gathered, completely surrounding Hiruzen's group.
'I'll ask one last time!'
'Do you surrender?'
The instant he spoke, the air turned to ice.
Hiruzen's face was ashen.
He understood Jin's unspoken message: surrender and everyone could save face; counting on Jin's need for 'righteousness,' perhaps only the top leaders would be purged, while the clan—though discriminated against and forced to keep their heads low in the new Village—would survive.
The clan would go on living.
At worst they'd face the same marginalization the Uchiha once endured; outright annihilation would be avoided.
Would Jin secretly kill them?
Impossible.
The Uchiha's thousand-year reputation could be trusted on that.
After all… the Uchiha weren't Danzo.
But if they refused to surrender, could they escape the Land of Fire?
Frankly—unlikely.
First, the Uchiha side was too powerful; even if the Four Clans fought to the death, only a handful could flee.
And even if they did, would other Ninja Clans accept a group of Rogue Ninja?
No.
Because the Sarutobi and the other three clans weren't bloodline families; they ranked even below secret-jutsu clans like Ino–Shika–Chō, so they didn't even qualify as 'breeding stock.'
Thinking this, he drew a long, slow breath.
'I surrender.'
With those words, everyone present exhaled in relief.
For the shinobi of the Four Great Shinobi Clans, the worst-case scenario had been averted; at the very least, their lives were spared.
Meanwhile…
Jin's side was equally elated.
Had they slaughtered one another, every corpse—whether from their own ranks or the enemy's—would have been heart-breaking.
Such top-tier workhorses; wasting them here would be a crime!
Clearly…
After two years under Uchiha Jin's rule, the clans' outlook had changed.
In the past, too many Ninja were seen as a burden, and wars were even used to cull their numbers.
Now, it was different.
Every lost workhorse hurt; each had once provided a thousandfold return for the price of a daily meal.
'Good.'
'You're a sensible man; let's follow procedure.'
'Tsunade!'
'Seal all of them with Sealing Jutsu and escort them to the western wasteland of our Village.'
'Shikaku.'
'Handle their resettlement.'
Jin smiled.
At his order, Tsunade led the sealing squad to block Hiruzen's Chakra.
Hiruzen averted his gaze from her.
Several times he opened his mouth, but Tsunade ignored him, slapped on the seal, and walked away without a glance.
She never looked at him once, her lips curled in open disdain.
Obviously…
She still resented her old teacher.
Hiruzen: '…'
Watching her leave, he sighed in resignation.
He was defeated.
He had hoped Tsunade might intercede to ease the Sarutobi's future suffering.
Alas…
She wouldn't even speak to him, leaving him at a loss.
Of course…
After a moment's thought, he understood her silence.
Back when he, Hiruzen, had stood at the pinnacle of power, he had shown the Senju no mercy; had Tsunade's status been less unique—and had she not left the Village and shunned power—she would likely have died too.
So under the circumstances, why should she spare him now?
There was no way around it.
He himself had burned that bridge long ago.
His ruthless actions back then had sealed the Sarutobi's fate.
…Time trickled by.
Tsunade's team sealed prisoners while Kakashi's Anbu ferried batches to New Konoha.
Uchiha Jin kept the entire Sarutobi force encircled, preventing any desperate escape attempts.
Two hours later.
After the last group left, Jin turned to Orochimaru.
Yes…
Orochimaru had neither left nor interfered; he simply stood by and watched.
When he saw Hiruzen's Chakra sealed and the former Hokage led away by Kakashi's Anbu, sorrow flickered in his eyes.
Clearly…
He still cared for Hiruzen; after all, when his own parents died on the battlefield, the one who had filled that void was his teacher—Hiruzen Sarutobi.