I Alone Can Stop the Coup

I Alone Can Stop the Coup.

A few days later, during lunch break.

Shikamaru carried a shogi board over to Naruto and invited him to play.

Naruto glanced at the unfamiliar board and said jokingly, "Why are you asking me to play shogi, Shikamaru? I don't know any of the rules. Why not ask Choji instead?"

"Choji doesn't want to use his brain. He's already lost to me many times, and you're more willing to think than he is."

Shikamaru narrowed his eyes slightly and smiled. "Besides, if you don't know the rules, you can learn them slowly. People always need to learn in order to grow."

Naruto wasn't sure who had sent Shikamaru over, but he was interested in shogi as well.

Half an hour later.

After all of Naruto's pieces had been captured, a long-absent cheerful smile appeared on Shikamaru's face. "Naruto, you lost again. That makes five losses to me already."

Naruto scratched his head and stared at the board in distress. "I really am not good at shogi."

"You're already doing pretty well for a beginner," Shikamaru said with a smile. "Back then, I lost many times before I barely grasped the rules. Naruto, you still haven't learned how to calculate. Calculation is the most interesting part of the board."

"Ninjas are like shogi players. Only by understanding both the enemy's and your own intelligence can you win a battle."

Looking at the confident Shikamaru, Naruto held back a laugh. Battles between ninjas require knowing both sides' intelligence, but battles between Gundams are different. Rather than becoming a player or a piece, I'd rather be an outsider.

Besides, he truly wasn't good at shogi. If it had been Chinese chess, the outcome would have been completely different.

After winning several games, Shikamaru grew sleepy and carried the board back to the classroom.

Naruto sat down in the shade, holding a book related to medicine as he watched Shikamaru's retreating figure from the corner of his eye.

Dealing with smart people like Shikamaru was troublesome. He could have just said it directly, yet he always had to beat around the bush like this, reminding Naruto to follow the rules. What if Naruto had been some hotheaded idiot? Then it would have gone in one ear and out the other.

At that moment, a group of third- and fourth-year students gathered beneath a distant tree, excitedly discussing something. Their voices reached Naruto's ears.

"Did you hear? The Military Police Force got into another conflict with someone."

"Isn't that normal? The Police Force has always enforced the law violently. A lot of things could have been overlooked, but they insist on dragging people to the Military Police Force for detention and fines. Who could stand their temper?"

"Exactly. They're harsh on villagers but lenient with their own people. The double standard is too obvious."

"No, this time it was a conflict between the Police Force and ninjas. Apparently, other Ninja Clans were involved too. The situation only stopped getting worse because the Hokage stepped in."

"As far as I know, this isn't the only incident. Several have happened over the past few days."

"Konoha has three scourges: the Demon Fox, the Caged Bird, and the Military Police Force. Can't the Military Police Force settle down like the other two?"

Listening to the discussion, Naruto was indifferent and paid no attention to those little brats repeating rumors.

They had even come up with Konoha's three scourges. Didn't Konoha only have the three vices of booze, gambling, and women—the Sannin?

Still, if even children knew about the conflict between the Military Police Force and Konoha, then the Uchiha's reputation was completely ruined.

Unlike Naruto's calmness, Sasuke, who was passing by, could not tolerate the Uchiha being insulted. A dangerous look appeared in his eyes.

After being swept by his gaze, the older students immediately fell silent. They were no match for Sasuke one-on-one, and they also feared the Uchiha Clan's influence, so they could only tuck their tails and run.

Sasuke did not chase after them. Instead, he sat beside Naruto and said with considerable dissatisfaction, "Naruto, they were calling you the Demon Fox behind your back. Why didn't you go over there and beat them up?"

"They weren't wrong. I am the incarnation of the Demon Fox. Grandpa Hokage confirmed it himself. Maybe their parents died at my hands, so they speak badly about me behind my back."

Sasuke froze for a moment, then said, "You really are... the Demon Fox? The rumors outside are true? You really killed a lot of people?"

Naruto turned a page and smiled at Sasuke. "You really are easy to fool. But I do have some connection to the Demon Fox. He lives inside me. As for why I don't bother with those people, it's because I think it's a waste of time. I shouldn't waste my time on idiots like them."

After a pause, Naruto looked at Sasuke. "But why did you come looking for me? Do you want another one-sided beating from me?"

Sasuke's expression changed slightly. "That's not it. I just thought you looked lonely reading by yourself, so I generously came to keep you company. At least you won't be isolated by everyone else."

Naruto's eyes turned teasing. "But I'm not isolated. The ones isolated are those people looking at others through colored glasses. I have lots of friends: Hinata, Shikamaru, and Choji."

At those words, Sasuke immediately deflated and stood there awkwardly.

He would never admit that the real reason he had come over was because he did not have many friends at school either.

Other than those fangirls, Naruto was his only friend. He was even lonelier than Naruto.

Seeing Sasuke remain silent, another tsundere fox popped out and commented as a bystander watching the drama, "Naruto, this brat has feelings for you. If he were a girl, that would be a perfect kill. Unfortunately, he's just a brat. There's no future between brat and brat."

Naruto mouthed "get lost" at the Nine-Tails. "I'm not gay, you old pervert."

The Nine-Tails grinned. "Outside, you call this old man 'Demon Fox' every other word. I only made a little joke, and you're already getting worked up. A brat really is a brat."

Naruto darkly cut off the Nine-Tails' voice. He did not know why, but the Nine-Tails had become increasingly strange.

At that moment, Sasuke, having carefully chosen his words for a long time, said, "Naruto, there's one more thing. My parents acknowledge you as my friend and want you to visit our home more often. Do you have time?"

Hearing this, Naruto gave Sasuke a deep look.

After pondering for a moment, he shook his head. "Sorry, Grandpa Hokage won't let me go to the Uchiha Clan Compound for now. If I get the chance, I'll visit."

Considering the Uchiha's current situation, Naruto could almost confirm that Fugaku's purpose in inviting him was simple.

Fugaku wanted to use Naruto's visits to subtly influence him, then ultimately use him to threaten the higher-ups.

But unfortunately, neither Naruto nor the Third Hokage would give Fugaku a second chance. Fugaku possessed both strength and character, but he had one fatal flaw: indecisiveness.

He neither wished to accept the Uchiha's unequal treatment nor dared to gamble everything he had on one attempt.

In the end, he hesitated until he lost everything. He was an unqualified leader.

Hearing Naruto's polite refusal, Sasuke was somewhat disappointed, though he did not show it. He merely put on a cold expression and said, "Let's train together after school. I learned several new ninjutsu."

The Nine-Tails' voice rang out again. "Naruto, the malice around you clearly increased just now."

Naruto glanced at the Nine-Tails. Having a tailed beast beside him that could distinguish goodwill from malice was troublesome.

"Nine-Tails, you have plenty of malice too."

The Nine-Tails said disdainfully, "This old man is a tailed beast. Isn't the malice on me all from you humans? I've been polluted by humans for thousands of years until I'm unrecognizable."

"Then aren't you very dirty?" Naruto looked disgusted and moved farther away.

The Nine-Tails snorted coldly. "Brat, aren't you the same? Still, I'm looking forward more and more to the day you leave Konoha. Maybe we can find some place with kindhearted people and live there."

Inside the Hokage's Office.

The Third Hokage was unusually relaxed. He was neither working nor observing Naruto. Instead, he held a pipe between his lips and examined the portraits of the previous Hokage on the wall, letting nicotine numb his nerves.

Ever since Naruto left the Uchiha Clan Compound that day, the Military Police Force's behavior had grown much bolder.

Not only were they secretly purchasing weapons and Explosive Tags, but they had also become increasingly irritable when enforcing the law against villagers and even ordinary ninjas.

Logically speaking, the Uchiha's actions of alienating the public should have benefited the Hokage faction. With the Uchiha as a contrast, the higher-ups could maintain a favorable image.

But if someone lit the Uchiha powder keg, the entire village would be caught in the blast.

At that moment, there was a knock on the door. Shisui, his face full of exhaustion, entered the Hokage's Office.

Shisui... What was he here for?

The Third Hokage held his pipe between his lips, exhaling a faint purple wisp of smoke as he looked at the young Uchiha who had inherited the Will of Fire. He slowly said, "Shisui, you're here because of the conflict between the Police Force and the villagers, aren't you?"

Shisui nodded. As if he had made some decision, he said, "Not entirely. I came to plead guilty on behalf of the Police Force. I suspect the clan wants to launch a coup against the Hokage Building."

"A coup?"

The Third Hokage's expression changed sharply, but he quickly regained his composure and looked at Shisui. "Since you're willing to tell me this, you clearly don't want a coup to happen either. So what do you need me to do to help you stop it?"

"You don't need to do anything. I can handle the coup alone. I only hope you won't make things difficult for the clan."

The Third Hokage frowned and gave Shisui a deep look. "Stop the coup by yourself? Even if I joined forces with the Anbu, we might not be able to stop the Police Force's coup."

Shisui lowered his head and said calmly, "Third Lord, I don't need to deal with everyone. I only need to control Captain Fugaku."

"Captain Fugaku is the leader of the coup. If I change his will, he can stop it. And I happen to possess the dojutsu that can alter another person's will—Kotoamatsukami."