Village Center.
Sarutobi Hiruzen hurried out of the Hokage Building, only to be dumbfounded when he heard Jinghuo Uchiha's questioning.
What the hell?
He came to the Village Center and unleashed Susanoo over something this trivial?
No! That wasn't right!
Weren't his eyes ruined?
While his thoughts were in chaos, Nara Shikaku hurried forward. "Jinghuo, calm down." There was really no need to be this violent!
Once the surrounding villagers realized Jinghuo Uchiha was not here to smash up the ground, they all gathered around to watch the spectacle.
Hearing Nara Shikaku's words, one villager complained, "He was so angry that he awakened his eyes again, and you're telling him to calm down?"
Those words spread throughout the silent Village Center.
Everyone looked at the rage-like Susanoo, their mouths twitching uncontrollably.
They found it absurd, yet somehow reasonable.
After all, it was common knowledge that Uchiha awakened their eyes through emotional upheaval.
"No way, right?"
"He got so angry that he awakened his eyes?"
"How bad-tempered must he be?!"
Jinghuo Uchiha ignored them. His mottled blood-red eyes, along with the massive Susanoo, fixed Sarutobi Hiruzen with an imposing gaze.
Sarutobi Hiruzen knew that Jinghuo Uchiha was waiting for his answer.
"The Police Force has always belonged to the Uchiha Clan..."
Before he could finish, Jinghuo Uchiha impatiently cut him off.
"Positions only have suitable and unsuitable candidates!"
"What good is a system passed down through one line!"
"Just like your teacher was the Second Hokage, you were the Third Hokage, and your grandstudent is the Fourth Hokage—it doesn't mean you are the most suitable people to be Hokage!"
Jinghuo Uchiha's outrageously rebellious words made the villagers flush red with anger.
But after seeing the more than twenty-meter-tall Susanoo, they chose to get angry for a moment.
The scene fell silent. Everyone looked at Sarutobi Hiruzen as if saying, "We can't beat him, Lord Hokage! You do it! Beat him up!"
Sarutobi Hiruzen, who was skilled at reading people, could not help but twitch.
Like hell I can beat him!
Forget that Susanoo—this brat also had Fire Style Chakra Mode and some Emperor Flame Mode!
Left with no choice but to placate him, Sarutobi Hiruzen put on a kindly smile.
"Jinghuo, dismiss it first. Can I explain everything to you properly?"
"No need! Let's settle this quickly. Just say it here! Why are you refusing to let the Sarutobi Clan take over the Police Force?!"
Jinghuo Uchiha's words also sparked discussion among the villagers.
"That's right, why is Lord Hokage refusing?"
"The Shimura Clan was wiped out because they were incompetent. The Uchiha Clan nearly staged a coup because they... cough, cough!" The villager glanced at Jinghuo Uchiha. Seeing that he did not seem to have heard, he sighed in relief and wiped the cold sweat from his forehead. He had almost screwed himself over.
Still...
"I think the Sarutobi Clan is the most suitable clan in Konoha!"
"Me too!"
"I think so too!"
"I support the Sarutobi Clan taking over the Police Force!"
"A clan with Lord Hokage in it will definitely do a good job!"
Sarutobi Hiruzen had wanted to smooth things over and drag the matter out, but seeing the villagers' increasingly fervent support, his scalp went numb. He hurriedly addressed them.
"It wouldn't be appropriate, it wouldn't be appropriate. It would give people the impression of favoritism. Thank you for your support, everyone, but this truly won't do."
After thinking about it, the villagers felt that made sense.
"So that's why."
"Then there's nothing to be done."
"After all, he's Lord Hokage. He has many things to consider."
Before those words could fully leave the villagers' mouths, Jinghuo Uchiha rebuked them.
"Now that the Police Force has such a poor reputation, this is exactly the time for Konoha's finest Sarutobi Clan to stand out as an example!"
"As Hokage, are you so concerned about a little gossip about favoritism that you won't even give the villagers a model to follow?"
"Do you cherish your reputation that much?!"
Originally, the villagers had been somewhat displeased by Jinghuo Uchiha's disrespect toward Sarutobi Hiruzen.
But as they listened...
Hey, that made sense!
Favoritism had nothing to do with them anyway; it was not as if they could get those positions.
But the Police Force directly affected their lives.
If another clan like the Shimura Clan came along, life would be unbearable.
If the Sarutobi Clan, which had the Hokage, took over the Police Force... just imagining that wonderful future made them drool a little.
Thus, they unhesitatingly took Jinghuo Uchiha's side.
"Lord Hokage, I definitely won't say you're playing favorites!"
"Exactly! Lord Hokage, please rest assured and let the Sarutobi Clan take over the Police Force!"
"The Shimura Clan was terrible. If your clan takes over, Lord Hokage, I'll be at ease!"
"That's right! Lord Hokage!"
"Lord Hokage..."
The situation became increasingly one-sided.
Even the ninja felt that if Sarutobi Hiruzen did not agree, his time as Hokage would be over.
The thought left them stunned.
The Hokage, the village's highest-ranking leader, actually had to listen to others?!
They could not help looking at Jinghuo Uchiha, the one who had caused all this.
Once again, they recalled the terror of being dominated.
They trembled in fear.
Nara Shikaku, who wanted to stop this, felt his scalp go numb.
He could see why Jinghuo Uchiha wanted the Sarutobi Clan to take over the Police Force.
Because Jinghuo Uchiha wanted to turn the Sarutobi Clan into a second Shimura Clan.
He found this kind of infighting, this method of weakening one's own combat strength, utterly foolish.
But when someone possessed absolute power, it was no longer foolishness—it was ruthlessness.
This was a purge!
A purge of the Third Hokage and his people!
The Ino-Shika-Cho Trio—the Nara, Akimichi, and Yamanaka clans—had always stood behind the Hokage.
No matter who the Hokage was, they only offered support.
But the current Third Hokage... he approved of the purge.
Through the Third Hokage's weak behavior over the years, he could clearly see that Konoha had been steadily weakening.
Yet he had taken no action, merely watching coldly as a spectator.
Now, he saw hope—Jinghuo Uchiha.
Only...
He glanced at Sarutobi Hiruzen, the current Hokage, and chose to give up.
Choosing a side was not frightening. Choosing the wrong side was.
The Shimura Clan's fate was the consequence of choosing the wrong side.
As the Nara Clan Head, he would not gamble his entire clan merely for the village's sake.
"As long as I stand firmly behind the Hokage, no matter who the Hokage is," he told himself.
In the end, Sarutobi Hiruzen had no choice but to agree to let the Sarutobi Clan take over the Police Force.
When the Sarutobi Clan Head learned of it, his entire body trembled, his hands and feet turning cold.
He knew what had happened to the Shimura Clan.
So he hurried to find Sarutobi Hiruzen, hoping he would rescind the order.
"This is the village's wish." Sarutobi Hiruzen's voice was calm, but it brooked no doubt.
"This..." The Sarutobi Clan Head was horrified and at a loss. "Is there really no way at all?"
Sarutobi Hiruzen looked at the Sarutobi Clan Head and sighed. He only said, "Please be cautious, cautious, and more cautious."
The Sarutobi Clan Head opened his mouth.
In the end, he could only utter one word. "Yes..."
Before you continue