"Uchiha Dan, what the hell are you doing?" an Uchiha Clan elder demanded angrily.
This Uchiha Clan elder was also the deputy head of Konoha's Police Force.
Uchiha Dan shot back in disbelief, "You've got some nerve asking me that."
"The Police Force is supposed to maintain order in Konoha, yet your people attacked a civilian like me for no reason. Is there any law left in this village?"
"They... attacked you?" the elder asked incredulously.
Did he even hear himself?
The ones lying on the ground were their people.
"Yeah. Uchiha En attacked me as soon as he got here. Lots of people saw it. I had no choice but to fight back. That's all there is to it."
"You... What did you do to them? Why are they unconscious?" the Uchiha Clan elder demanded.
"I don't have to explain myself to you," Uchiha Dan said coldly.
The Police Force deputy head gritted his teeth. "Then I'll have to take you to the Police Force prison and question you there."
"Sure!" Uchiha Dan suddenly perked up and hurried him along. "Come on, come on. Lead the way."
"And remember, don't let me out for at least ten days. Otherwise, I'll tear your Uchiha Clan apart."
"You..." The elder thought he'd misheard, but after glancing at the villagers gathering around them, he forced down his anger and said viciously, "Take him away!"
Hokage's office.
Hatake Sakumo was reporting the details of the fight to Hiruzen Sarutobi.
It had started when Uchiha Dan rescued Uchiha Rei at Konoha Hospital.
But Uchiha En kept picking fights and giving Uchiha Dan trouble.
After Uchiha En was humiliated, he returned to the Police Force and brought men to surround the grocery store run by Namikaze Toneri and his wife.
When Uchiha Dan arrived, Uchiha En claimed he was obstructing official business and attacking Police Force officers, then immediately attacked him.
Uchiha Dan had been forced to fight back, knocking out all eight men, including Uchiha En, without suffering a scratch himself.
"Deca, was Uchiha Dan really that strong?" Hiruzen Sarutobi asked, his eyes narrowing.
"I saw it with my own eyes," Hatake Sakumo replied.
"You said you didn't sense any Chakra from him, and that his fighting style was very crude. He relied entirely on his physical strength and the dynamic vision of his Three-Tomoe Sharingan?"
"Yes!"
At that moment, Hiruzen Sarutobi seemed to understand.
He finally knew why Tobirama Senju had grown wary of Uchiha Dan after seeing him only once on the street.
He also finally understood why, even on the verge of death, his teacher had insisted that Uchiha Dan must not train and should remain an ordinary person.
It wasn't that he, as Hokage, couldn't tolerate others and had to pick a fight with a child.
It was that those discerning eyes of his had recognized Uchiha Dan's extraordinary talent at a glance.
Was he afraid the Uchiha Clan would produce another Madara Uchiha?
"Where is Uchiha Dan now?"
"He's been taken to the Police Force and locked up in their prison."
"The Police Force..." Hiruzen Sarutobi murmured.
"Would you like to see him?" Hatake Sakumo asked.
"No. It's not time yet. Go back and keep watching him."
"Yes!"
Once he was alone in the office, Hiruzen Sarutobi took out his pipe, tapped out the ash, refilled it with tobacco, and lit it. He took a few puffs.
After exhaling a cloud of smoke, Hiruzen Sarutobi felt a headache coming on.
What should he do about Uchiha Dan?
According to all the reports, Uchiha Dan had strictly followed his orders and hadn't trained for a single day in seven years. Yet somehow, his innate talent alone had given him such strength.
He was also an exceptionally gifted Medical Ninja, and the Revival Technique he'd created was groundbreaking.
Even Tsunade found the technique difficult. It had taken her three months just to grasp the basics.
Most importantly, Uchiha Dan felt no sense of belonging to the Uchiha Clan. The conflict between them made that clear.
If someone like him could have been won over with kindness from the start, he might have become another Kagami Uchiha.
Hiruzen Sarutobi regretted Kagami Uchiha's sudden death.
Although Kagami later did many terrible things and hinted that Danzo should harm many people, his death truly had nothing to do with Hiruzen.
Who wouldn't want a fiercely loyal, powerful enforcer?
That was why Hiruzen Sarutobi had always resented Shimura Danzō.
Shimura Danzō had always denied having anything to do with Kagami Uchiha's death, but Hiruzen Sarutobi knew him too well. He knew Danzō had done it.
But he had no proof, and Kagami Uchiha was already dead. There was nothing he could really do to Shimura Danzō.
"Ha..." Hiruzen Sarutobi sighed regretfully.
It was too late now. Nothing he could say would change that.
There was no time left to win Uchiha Dan over with kindness. The conflict between them had become irreconcilable.
Hiruzen Sarutobi had never done anything directly to Uchiha Dan, but he'd heard what happened.
Utatane Koharu had squeezed Uchiha Dan for all he was worth while humiliating him in the harshest, most cutting terms for five whole years.
Shimura Danzō had also repeatedly suggested getting rid of Uchiha Dan.
Should he really have him killed? And was it even still possible?
Hiruzen Sarutobi fell into deep thought.
In the Police Force prison, Uchiha Dan lay sprawled on the floor, taking it easy. No matter what the Police Force interrogators asked, he acted as if he couldn't hear them.
"Uchiha Dan!" one of the interrogators shouted furiously. "Are you really going to resist to the bitter end? Confess already!"
At that, Uchiha Dan perked up. "The Police Force sure throws its weight around. You're ready to convict someone without even getting the facts straight?"
"You'd better sort out the charge of an Uchiha Clan ninja attacking a civilian from the same village first."
As he spoke, Uchiha Dan activated his Three-Tomoe Sharingan.
The interrogating ninja's mind went hazy for a moment, but when he came around, nothing seemed to have happened.
Uchiha Dan was simply staring at him coldly, making him feel uneasy.
By then, Uchiha Dan had already appeared beside Tsunade.
He'd just cast a genjutsu on the interrogator, leaving a Shadow Clone in the cell.
"Dan, you really came?" Tsunade asked, pleasantly surprised.
She'd only tried to use her Chakra to activate the Flying Thunder God Formula Uchiha Dan had left on her. Just five seconds later, he'd appeared beside her.
"Are you all right?" Tsunade asked.
"If I can appear right beside you, what do you think?" Uchiha Dan said with a smile.
"Why did you have to be so reckless?" Tsunade said worriedly.
"I don't care how they treat me. It's not the first time in all these years."
"But they went after my adoptive parents. They don't even know what it means to court death."
"I understand!" Tsunade said, without the slightest hint of blame. "But why did you have to handle it yourself? I could've helped!"
"I knew you'd help," Uchiha Dan said with a relieved smile. "But I don't want you to offend the Uchiha Clan. Leave this sort of thing to me."
"By the way, I came to tell you that, in a little while, you should say you're in a bad mood because I was arrested, and refuse to treat those eight men."
"I used a few tricks when I hit them. I made sure only you and I can treat their injuries. I'd like to see what they do."
"Should I hide somewhere?" Tsunade asked excitedly.
There was no need to guess: Dan was plotting something again.
Being manipulated didn't feel great, but watching Uchiha Dan manipulate other people was pretty satisfying.
Uchiha Dan laughed at Tsunade's reaction. "No need. Just refuse them openly. We might as well keep them entertained for a while!"
The Police Force captain's office.
Uchiha Fukuyama, the Uchiha Clan leader, had a massive headache.
As soon as he saw Uchiha En and the others injured and unconscious, Uchiha Fukuyama had ordered all eight of them sent to Konoha Hospital.
But the person he'd sent to look after them had just reported back that Lord Tsunade had heard Uchiha Dan was arrested and was in a terrible mood. She'd flat-out refused to treat Uchiha En and the others.
The other Medical Ninjas had examined the eight men and all said there was nothing they could do.
Those eight were badly injured. Without prompt treatment, they'd all be left disabled, and their ninja careers would be over.
None of them were very old. The oldest was Uchiha En, who was only seventeen, and the youngest was just twelve. They were all hopes for the Uchiha Clan!
Even the Uchiha Clan couldn't afford to lose eight people at once.
Actually, there was a way to solve the problem.
All Uchiha Fukuyama had to do was release Uchiha Dan and say a few nice things. Then everything would be settled.
But he wasn't willing to do that.
Uchiha Dan had humiliated the entire Uchiha Clan. If he let him go just like that, where would that leave his own dignity?
Before you continue