The moon was dark and the wind was strong. The abandoned industrial district on the outskirts of Konoha lay utterly silent.
It had once been a ninja tool factory built during the Second Hokage's time. It was later abandoned due to pollution and aging equipment, and had been left unattended for years.
But tonight, dozens of pairs of eyes were fixed on it.
"Three o'clock direction, ten meters underground. There's a strong Chakra Barrier reaction."
A member of the Hyuga Branch Family security team crouched on top of an old chimney, the veins at the corners of his eyes bulging as his Byakugan glimmered faintly in the darkness. "And I can see a lot of human Chakra signatures... Most of them are children, and they're in very poor condition."
"So they really are here."
Uchiha Fugaku stood on high ground, his deep blue Police Uniform fluttering in the night breeze.
Behind him stood Namikaze Minato and Nishikawa Tetsu, along with thirty fully armed elite members of the "new Police Force."
"Operation Codename: Sweep Away the Black."
Fugaku coldly uttered the words. "The reason is—to investigate missing persons and..."
He glanced at Nishikawa Tetsu beside him.
Nishikawa Tetsu added with a straight face, "And to inspect a major fire safety hazard. According to the village's Building Codes, the underground structure here is an illegal extension. We have the authority to demolish it."
"..."
The corners of the Uchiha clan members' mouths twitched. What the hell was this fire safety hazard? Only he could come up with an excuse like that.
"Move!"
At Fugaku's command, Namikaze Minato vanished in an instant.
"Rumble—!!!"
A tremendous crash shattered the silence of the night.
There was no sneaking in, and no assassination.
Namikaze Minato simply slammed a not-yet-fully-formed Rasengan—or rather, the force of its airflow, powerful enough to shatter stone—into an iron door disguised as a warehouse entrance.
The heavy iron door flew away like a sheet of paper, revealing a deep, dim passageway—and the Root guards inside, staring in shock.
"Who's there?! How dare you trespass—"
Two masked Root Ninja had barely drawn their blades, and hadn't even had time to form Hand Seals.
"Konoha Police Force. Routine inspection."
A flash of golden light.
Two precise knife-hand strikes landed on the backs of their necks.
The two Root elites collapsed limply without so much as a groan.
Minato stood behind them, wearing an apologetic smile. "Sorry, we're in a hurry, so I'll skip showing my credentials."
"Go!"
Fugaku waved his hand, and the Police Force members behind him charged inside like a pack of wolves.
This was their first battle since the force had been reorganized. And their opponents were the gloomy, arrogant Root, whom they usually despised. The mixed Uchiha and Hyuga squad was fired up like never before.
"Don't move! Hands on your heads and crouch down!"
"Is that a prohibited ninja tool? Confiscate it!"
"This is evidence too? Take it away!"
The underground base instantly descended into chaos.
Root's Ninja were well trained, but they had never expected to face such a large-scale assault inside the village.
And with their opponents carrying out the raid under the banner of Police Force law enforcement, they weren't sure whether they should resort to killing.
"Damn it! Stop them!"
A Root squad leader roared. "This is Lord Danzo's—"
"Fire Style: Great Fireball Technique!"
Uchiha Fugaku didn't bother listening to him. He opened his mouth and sent a huge fireball hurtling toward him, forcing the squad leader to retreat.
"Danzo? This is public property!" Fugaku declared righteously. "Anyone who digs beneath Konoha without permission and imprisons villagers is betraying Hokage-sama!"
After spending so much time with that kid Tetsu, Fugaku felt like he'd been led astray. He couldn't believe he was saying things like that without a second thought.
Taking advantage of the chaos at the front, Nishikawa Tetsu led several Ninja from the Nara Clan straight toward the archives and supply warehouse.
"Tetsu, that's Root's records room. The Sealing Squad is guarding it," a Nara Clan member whispered.
"The records don't matter. They're bargaining chips in the Hokage's and Danzo's struggle. They're useless to us—and they'd only get us into trouble."
Without so much as glancing at the records room, Nishikawa Tetsu turned toward the supply warehouse on the other side. "We're after something practical."
"Based on the thermal imaging and metal readings, there should be Chakra Conductive Metal and Explosive Tag Raw Material inside."
Nishikawa Tetsu stood before the warehouse door, looking at the complicated Fuinjutsu formula carved into it, and smiled faintly.
"Four Symbols Seal? I'd have been helpless against this before."
He pulled out the Chakra Storage Belt, connected it to the Stinger Armguard on his left hand, then took out a specially made chisel engraved with Reverse Unsealing Jutsu formulas.
"Minato! Come give me a hand! Charge me up!"
The Flash, who had been clearing the way up front, instantly flashed back.
"On my way!"
As a massive amount of Chakra poured in, the chisel in Nishikawa Tetsu's hand burst into a dazzling light. He drove it hard into a sealing node.
"Crack."
The seal shattered.
The doors swung open with a boom.
Inside were mountains of crates filled with supplies.
"Are those Puppet Parts from Sunagakure? And Explosive Clay from Iwagakure?" The Nara Clan member stared in shock. "Root was secretly keeping all these spoils of war?"
"They're 'Confiscated Supplies' now, belonging to the Police Force."
Nishikawa Tetsu swept his hand through the air and quickly produced a stack of prepared Sealing Tapes. "Put them on! Take everything! Hurry, that old bastard Danzo is probably already on his way!"
Just as Nishikawa Tetsu's side was "stocking up" like mad, the mood on the main battlefield suddenly turned oppressive.
An icy Chakra, accompanied by the sound of a cane striking the ground, came from the deepest part of the base.
"Uchiha Fugaku..."
Shimura Danzō, the man lurking in Konoha's shadows, had finally appeared.
His face was dark, his one visible eye filled with murderous intent. Behind him followed more than a dozen Root Jonin radiating an elite air.
"Who gave you the nerve to lay a hand on my Root?"
At his appearance, the air seemed to freeze. The ordinary Police Force members around them suddenly found it hard to breathe. It was the pressure of a veteran warrior.
Fugaku's expression stiffened. He instinctively wanted to activate his Sharingan to resist, but then he remembered Nishikawa Tetsu's instructions—not to meet force with force, but to argue the "law."
"Counselor Danzo."
Fugaku braced himself against the pressure and produced the Public Order Reinforcement Order drafted by Nara Shikahisa and signed by the Third Hokage.
"The Police Force received numerous reports from villagers alleging unlawful imprisonment and missing persons here. We're conducting a search on the Hokage's orders."
"A search?" Danzo sneered, glancing at the wrecked base around him. "You call this a search? This is robbery!"
"I'm cultivating talent for the village!"
"Do you need to lock seven- and eight-year-old children in cages to cultivate talent?!"
Namikaze Minato, who had just returned, spoke up furiously.
He pointed to a cell that had just been broken open behind him. Inside, more than a dozen emaciated children with vacant eyes huddled together.
They had IV tubes inserted into their bodies. Clearly, they had been subjected to some sort of cruel experiment or training.
The sight ignited the anger of every decent Ninja present, especially the Uchiha and Hyuga clan members.
"So this is how Root 'cultivates' talent?"
A member of the Hyuga Branch Family clenched his fists. "They won't even spare children..."
Danzo's expression darkened further. Even he found it difficult to handle being exposed in public like this.
"Some sacrifices are necessary to protect Konoha," Danzo said coldly. "What do you fools who live in the sunlight know about the 'Root'?"
"Kill them."
Danzo didn't want to waste any more time. Root's elites instantly drew their blades.
Fugaku's pupils contracted. He was just about to activate his Sharingan.
An aged yet imposing voice came from the entrance.
"Stop, Danzo."
The Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, finally arrived with two squads of Anbu—at the "most opportune" moment.
He wore his Ceremonial Robe and looked at the mess, as well as the children locked in cages. A trace of pain and disappointment flashed through his eyes.
"Hiruzen..." Danzo looked at his old friend, his gaze dark. "Those eyes will destroy the village sooner or later."
"That's a matter for another time."
Hiruzen Sarutobi stood in front of Fugaku and took a deep breath from his pipe.
"But right now, the Police Force's operation is legal. Danzo, you've gone too far."
"Take these children away and send them to the hospital," the Third Hokage ordered.
"Yes!" The Anbu Ninja sprang into action.
Danzo glared at Fugaku, then looked at Nishikawa Tetsu directing people to empty out his warehouse. He was so furious that he nearly snapped his cane in two.
"Good. Very good."
Danzo laughed in his fury and turned toward the darkness. "Uchiha Fugaku, and that brat called Nishikawa Tetsu... I'll remember you."
"Hiruzen, you'll regret this!"
"Danzo, don't forget—I'm the Hokage!"
"Bang!" Nishikawa Tetsu, who had rushed over to enjoy the show, supplied a sound effect in his head.
Now that was more like it!
Half an hour later.
The Police Force returned loaded down with supplies.
Nishikawa Tetsu was tallying their haul.
"Three hundred pounds of High-Purity Chakra Metal, two tons of Explosive Tag Raw Material, plus all kinds of Rare Medicinal Materials..."
Nishikawa Tetsu smiled with satisfaction. "We're rich."
Fugaku was still shaken by his confrontation with Danzo, but when he heard those words, the corners of his mouth curled up too.
"This time, we weakened Root and made a name for ourselves. More importantly..."
Fugaku glanced at the children they had rescued.
"We stood on the side of justice."
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