Nara Shikaku spoke in a low voice.
The other two froze at his words. Yamanaka Inoichi could not help but say, "Do we really need to go that far? Things haven't reached that point yet, have they?"
Akimichi Choza was equally horrified. The disbelief in his eyes as he looked at Nara Shikaku was unmistakable.
"It's necessary. Extremely necessary!"
"Never underestimate Uchiha Jin. The most terrifying thing about him is that he thinks."
"The things our Shinobi Clans did in the past—no, there's no way we can hide them from that man. What I fear most is Uchiha Jin coming to settle accounts with us in the future."
"After all, no matter how clever he is, his nature is still Uchiha!"
"And he's an Uchiha who awakened the Mangekyo. That proves that, at his core, he is still an extreme person."
"We can't take that risk!"
Nara Shikaku's tone was grave.
The other two broke out in cold sweat upon hearing this. Because of Uchiha Jin's usual conduct, they had truly overlooked his Uchiha nature.
Everyone in the Shinobi World knew that the madder an Uchiha became, the stronger he grew!
And for an Uchiha like Jin, who had awakened the Mangekyo, who knew what darkness lay buried in his heart?
He might seem controllable now, but once he truly grasped Konoha's power, many matters would become difficult to predict.
"Fine, I agree!"
"I'll make the arrangements when I get back!"
The two fell silent for a moment before quietly nodding.
At that.
Nara Shikaku merely nodded as well. He then looked out into the night before finally letting out a helpless sigh.
The road ahead was difficult!
At the very least.
The Konoha Higher-ups' troubles were about to descend once more.
And that was indeed the case.
Three days later.
The lower-class civilians, no longer able to endure it, directly gathered around the Hokage Building. They wildly demanded that Sarutobi Hiruzen solve the problem, threatening that if he could not, he should immediately step down!
There was nothing they could do!
With the Konoha Military Police Force refusing to handle matters, they could only hope that the Konoha Higher-ups would step in.
But unexpectedly.
How much time had already passed?
There had not been the slightest movement from the Hokage Building.
Over the past few days, everyone had held back for the sake of gossip.
But now?
They could not endure it any longer!
After all, everyone needed to eat. Gossip could not fill their stomachs.
Therefore.
The civilians, having reached the limits of their patience, voluntarily blocked the entrance to the Hokage Building.
"Sarutobi Hiruzen, step down!"
"Can the Konoha Military Police Force's problem be solved or not? If not, replace the Hokage with someone who can solve it!"
"We need food! We need to live!"
"..."
Before the Hokage Building, the enraged civilians shouted without end.
Every face was filled with fury. Years of resentment had driven them mad, leaving them with not the slightest respect for Sarutobi Hiruzen.
At that.
The Anbu guards stationed before the Hokage Building felt their scalps go numb.
They might have been powerful, but when facing these civilians, they did not dare act rashly.
In the end.
They could only barely maintain their formation to prevent the civilians from storming the Hokage Building. Then they turned to look behind them, hoping their Hokage would quickly find a solution.
Unfortunately.
Inside the Hokage Office.
The Konoha Higher-ups had gathered there, and every one of them had a splitting headache.
Including—Danzo!
Clearly, he had been having too much fun waging a public opinion war against the Uchiha lately and had long forgotten about this matter.
"What do we do?"
"This has completely blown up. We need to come up with a solution as soon as possible!"
"Hiruzen, what do we do?"
"How about ordering the Uchiha to resolve this today, no matter what?"
Utatane Koharu and Mitokado Homura were as anxious as ants on a hot pan.
In the end.
Unable to think of any solution, they could only hope to make the Uchiha handle it, since the Uchiha had caused this mess in the first place.
At that.
Sarutobi Hiruzen rolled his eyes. After setting down his pipe, he spoke in a faint voice. "The Konoha Military Police Force's reforms are ostensibly for the village. What grounds do you have to make them abandon them?"
"If Konoha orders the Konoha Military Police Force to abandon its reforms, then when wrongful convictions occur in the future, they can dump the blame on us and say everything was ordered by the Konoha Higher-ups."
"What will you do then?"
"More importantly, once that order is issued, the Uchiha will have someone to shift the blame onto. The villagers will hate us from then on!"
Almost instantly.
As Sarutobi Hiruzen spoke, everyone present fell into dead silence again.
They were all stunned!
There was no helping it.
What Uchiha Jin had set up was an Open Conspiracy. No matter what they chose, it would be a mistake.
"Damn it!"
"Isn't Uchiha Jin a little too difficult to deal with?"
"Is he really an Uchiha?"
Mitokado Homura's face was full of bitterness.
At that.
No one could give him an answer!
Sarutobi Hiruzen spoke. "Danzo, do you have a solution?"
"No." Danzo shook his head.
He was still able to remain composed, because this matter dealt a blow to Sarutobi Hiruzen.
Of course.
Considering that they were allies, he thought briefly before speaking directly. "At the very least, there is no conventional method. The only thing I can think of is to eliminate him completely!"
"If you can't solve the problem, can't you solve the person who raised it?"
His face was filled with ruthlessness.
For the leader of Root, this was perhaps the best solution.
Utatane Koharu said, "Let's do that!"
"Uchiha Jin truly deserves to die!" Mitokado Homura nodded.
Sarutobi Hiruzen's expression also turned ruthless. "Danzo, do it as soon as possible. As for the Konoha Military Police Force's problem, call Shikaku over and ask him about it."
Immediately afterward.
He summoned an Anbu and ordered him to find Nara Shikaku.
Ten minutes later.
Nara Shikaku arrived at the Hokage Office. After hearing Sarutobi Hiruzen's request, he pondered briefly before speaking. "Truly resolving this matter will be troublesome. I cannot think of any solution for the moment."
"As for temporarily stabilizing things, I suggest deploying the Anbu."
"Have the Anbu temporarily take over the Konoha Military Police Force's duties. At the very least, it can suppress the civilians' discontent in the short term."
Nara Shikaku spoke slowly.
Since he had long anticipated this day, he had naturally already thought of a solution.
That was right!
If he were asked to confront the Uchiha head-on, Nara Shikaku would certainly be unwilling.
After all...
This was a struggle between the Konoha Higher-ups and the Uchiha. It had nothing to do with Ino-Shika-Cho.
However.
If they merely wanted him to think of a way to stabilize Konoha's chaos, then there would be no problem.
That was what he, as an Advisor, was supposed to do!
Sarutobi Hiruzen pondered for a moment.
In the end, he let out a sigh before speaking directly. "If that's the case, then we'll do as Shikaku says!"
Clearly.
He truly had no other solution now, and in the end, he accepted Nara Shikaku's suggestion.
Though he was somewhat reluctant to make the Anbu handle the Konoha Military Police Force's dirty work, with the Konoha Military Police Force collectively refusing to work, he could only nod in agreement for Konoha's stability.
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