Is the Village's Security Really That Bad?

Is the Village's Security Really That Bad?

Sitting on the sofa, Naruto watched Sasuke squirm in embarrassment and tried not to laugh out loud.

He had merely repeated what Sasuke had said, yet Sasuke was so embarrassed he nearly buried his head in the sofa. This was far more interesting than defeating Sasuke in a spar.

The gap in strength between him and Sasuke was far too great. Their sparring matches were nothing but one-sided beatdowns.

For Sasuke to catch up to him in a short time, he would have to awaken the Three-Tomoe Sharingan right now and receive the guidance of Orochimaru, one of the Sannin.

Sasuke sat on the sofa with a cold expression, shutting himself off. He somewhat regretted inviting Naruto over as a guest, yet he also hoped Itachi would return soon so he could introduce Naruto to his brother.

"Kids really are full of energy."

Mikoto, busy preparing food in the kitchen, glanced at the two in the living room and considered how much food she should make.

As Kushina's close friend, she knew what Kushina liked. But she did not know her son's preferences. Should she go over and ask, or prepare food according to Kushina and Minato's tastes? She was a little torn.

Even more conflicted was Fugaku, who was hiding in the study next door. He had not expected the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki to actually accept Sasuke's invitation.

From the moment he saw Naruto, countless thoughts had surfaced in his mind.

For example, joining forces with the other Jonin in the clan to control the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki, seize the Nine-Tails' power, force the higher-ups to yield, and agree to the Police Force's demand to gain a place among the upper ranks.

But on second thought, this might be a trap set by the Third Hokage, deliberately allowing Naruto to enter the clan grounds.

On the surface, it gave the Police Force an opportunity to control the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki. In reality, it was baiting the Police Force into making a move, then joining forces with the other clans to pressure the Uchiha and force the Police Force to make even more concessions.

Thinking of the worst possibility, the Anbu and Root might already have assembled outside the clan grounds, only waiting for an order.

Just then, Fugaku heard someone vault over the wall. He used the Body Flicker Technique to appear behind the rockery and saw several radical ninja from the clan.

The moment they saw Fugaku, they smiled and said, "Captain Fugaku, have you finally made up your mind to take action against the village?"

Fugaku frowned. "What are you doing here? It is still far too early to fall out with the higher-ups. Go back now and stop getting in the way."

"Captain Fugaku, you brought the Jinchuriki into the clan grounds. If that doesn't count as falling out, what does?"

The radical Uchiha were utterly confused.

Fugaku's expression shifted slightly, and he did not know whether to laugh or cry. "Sasuke and the Jinchuriki became friends at the Academy. This time, Sasuke merely invited the Jinchuriki to visit our home. It is not some plan. If there is a plan, I will notify you in advance."

The radical Jonin were left speechless as well. They had thought they were finally going to move against the higher-ups, but this was all it was. Their anticipation had been for nothing.

Just then, one of the radical Jonin seemed to remember something. "Captain Fugaku, some hotheaded fool has already gone to make contact with the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki. He won't do something stupid, will he?"

"You leave first. I'll handle this!"

With that, Fugaku's face darkened as he activated the Body Flicker Technique and vanished from the spot.

Meanwhile, Naruto, who had nothing to do in the living room, was looking around. After examining the furniture and decorations, he turned his gaze to the artificial mountain and pond in the courtyard, only to meet a pair of One-Tomoe Sharingan.

"Genjutsu: Sharingan!"

Naruto now knew exactly what it felt like to be stared at by the Sharingan.

Under the effects of the genjutsu, the Chakra within his body and all five of his senses fell into varying degrees of disorder. But to him, this level of genjutsu felt more like a breeze brushing against his face—he could feel it, but barely.

So this is the dojutsu power of the One-Tomoe Sharingan?

The Uchiha clan doesn't even have this much patience? Are they already planning to control me and challenge the old Third Hokage?

Rather than feeling afraid after being struck by genjutsu, Naruto was somewhat expectant.

Just as Naruto was preparing to carefully experience the genjutsu, the Nine-Tails within the Sealing Space made its move. It unleashed the malice in its Chakra without restraint, pouring its negative emotions into the Uchiha who had attacked.

Under the influence of such immense malice, the other party suffered backlash and fell straight to the ground.

"Naruto, for this level of attack, there is no need for me to intervene at all. Even if you stood still, he could not shake the Chakra I have tempered for you."

The Nine-Tails' smug voice sounded by Naruto's ear, but Naruto was more concerned about something else.

"Big fox, how is the person who used genjutsu on me just now?"

The Nine-Tails wiped the smug look off its face and said casually, "I don't know. I don't have the ability to kill people with a single glare, but his Chakra is in disarray. That is enough to leave him unconscious for several days. If he wants to use ninjutsu afterward, he will have to rely on luck."

That had directly ruined more than half of a ninja's career.

Naruto sighed inwardly. It was not that he pitied the Uchiha who had attacked him, but he had gained a new understanding of the Nine-Tails' strength. Even with the Sharingan's suppression, it could still cripple a genin-level Uchiha.

At that moment, Mikoto carried dishes out of the kitchen and into the living room. Looking at Naruto and Sasuke, she said, "Sasuke, Naruto, it's time to eat. Go wash your hands."

Naruto quickly got up and headed to the kitchen to wash his hands. He wanted to see how good Sasuke's mother's cooking was.

At the same time, Fugaku arrived at the front courtyard from the backyard.

Seeing the unconscious clansman on the ground, Fugaku fell into thought and bent down to grasp the unconscious man's wrist.

After a brief examination, Fugaku guessed that the reason for his clansman's unconsciousness was genjutsu backlash. Genjutsu backlash was not uncommon, but for an Uchiha to suffer backlash from genjutsu was exceedingly rare, an event with an extremely low probability.

The cause of that backlash was even more worth pondering.

Had he suffered backlash from the Nine-Tails within the Jinchuriki, or from the Sealing Jutsu formula on the Jinchuriki?

Unable to make a definite judgment, Fugaku sighed softly. As expected, a Jinchuriki delivered right to their doorstep would not be so easy to control. This was clearly a trap the higher-ups had set for the Uchiha. I nearly fell for it.

After handing the unconscious clansman over to the radical Uchiha, Fugaku said with a stern face, "He has fallen unconscious. This is a trap set by the higher-ups, but there is still room to ease the situation. Do not create any more trouble."

With that, Fugaku vanished in an instant. Pretending nothing had happened, he walked out of the study and sat down at the dining table.

What Fugaku did not know was that from the moment he left the study until he entered the living room, he had remained within Naruto's perception the entire time, including his meeting with the radical Jonin.

Before the meal began, Naruto looked at Mikoto Uchiha and asked curiously, "Aunt Mikoto, I saw someone climbing over the wall just now. Did your house get robbed?"

"Did it?" Mikoto Uchiha held a bowl, her face full of confusion.

Fugaku Uchiha rubbed the back of his head and said with a smile, "There was a petty thief just now, but I already taught him a lesson and sent him to the Security Building."

A huge question mark appeared in Naruto's mind.

"Uncle Fugaku, Sasuke mentioned you before. He said you are the captain of the Military Police Force. Do thieves really dare to rob even the Police Force captain's home? When did the village's security become this bad?"

Fugaku's mouth twitched. "Security has been a little poor lately. I'll straighten things out tomorrow."