Concerns

Sarutobi Hiruzen stood before the crowd, his gaze sweeping over the battle-ready Uchiha before finally settling on Uchiha Ren at their head.

Faced with the nearly tangible hostility, not a trace of anger appeared on his face.

Instead, he wore his usual gentle smile, one that put people at ease.

"Hehe."

He chuckled softly, his calm voice overriding the faint noises in the room.

"The Shinobi World's universally acknowledged foremost clan, the department entrusted with maintaining Konohagakure's order—yet in your words, Ren, it has become 'small.' Isn't that a little too modest?"

His words paused as his gaze seemingly casually swept past Ren—

Fugaku, the head of the Konoha Military Police Force; Mikoto, granddaughter of an elder from the Dove Faction; and the sharp-eyed Uchiha elites standing behind them.

Thinking of the intelligence that the Uchiha Clan's three internal factions had joined forces, he had assumed that even if it were true, it had only just begun.

But now, the heirs of two factions were openly standing behind the grandson of an elder from the Hawk Faction. The Uchiha Clan's internal situation was even more complicated than he had imagined.

Though inwardly shaken, Sarutobi Hiruzen shifted to the main subject.

"The Konoha Military Police Force made quite a commotion today, arresting several ninja in the streets and stirring up much discussion in the village. This old man cannot help but worry."

"What crimes did they commit to warrant such a large-scale mobilization from the entire Konoha Military Police Force?"

He avoided mentioning the Anbu or Root, clearly intending to turn a major matter into a minor one and let it pass.

Moreover, the Hokage himself had come in person, giving the Uchiha Clan ample respect.

Noticing this, quite a few Uchiha who leaned toward the Hokage showed subtle changes in expression. Their hostility had lessened, but their guard remained up.

The Hyuga Clan head and the others standing behind the Third Hokage said nothing, merely observing the Uchiha side's reaction in silence.

Seeing the Uchiha lineup, they were no less shocked than Sarutobi Hiruzen.

A divided Uchiha Clan and a united Uchiha Clan were fundamentally two different clans!

Seeing Sarutobi Hiruzen's attitude, Ren understood.

This old monkey had concerns now!

Then it was time to press his advantage!

Ren shifted slightly aside, clearing the path leading deeper into the Konoha Military Police Force building.

At the same time, he raised a hand in invitation, his bearing calm and unhurried.

"Third Hokage, clan heads, tea has been prepared in the Administrative Hall."

"Discussing what happened during the day outside the Gate is neither proper hospitality nor proper procedure for negotiations. Please come inside so we can speak in detail."

This invitation into the trap made the Shinobi Hero's profound gaze linger on Ren's face for a moment, as though he wished to discern some clue from it.

But Sarutobi Hiruzen was, after all, the Third Hokage who had weathered countless storms. The gentle smile on his face did not change in the slightest, and he nodded agreeably.

The Uchiha Clan had put the Hawk Faction at the forefront, yet their words remained polite. Their stance was obvious: if talks failed, they would fight.

Utatane Koharu, behind him, wanted to dissuade him, but Sarutobi Hiruzen silenced her with a look—

I am the Hokage!

"You have been thoughtful, Ren."

As if he had truly come as a guest, Sarutobi Hiruzen calmly headed toward the brightly lit Administrative Hall of the Konoha Military Police Force.

Utatane Koharu hurriedly signaled to the others. Only after seeing the other clan heads follow did she breathe a sigh of relief and trail behind the Hokage.

She truly feared that the Uchiha Clan would take this opportunity to strike from the shadows. Putting herself in their place, Utatane Koharu certainly would not have passed up an opportunity to suppress the Uchiha Clan.

Once everyone had taken their seats, Sarutobi Hiruzen's gaze once again fell upon Ren in the seat of honor. Clearly, he had no intention of letting the earlier topic rest.

Meeting the Third Hokage's gaze, Ren answered calmly.

"The Hokage should know that the Konoha Military Police Force's duty is to maintain stability within the village. The rules and regulations were personally established by the Second Hokage, and we would not dare slacken in the slightest."

"Those arrested today were merely suspicious individuals sneaking around the outskirts of the Uchiha Clan compound."

"Especially with war about to break out, all sorts of forces are mixed together."

"There is no guarantee that spies from other nations have not infiltrated the village, seeking to steal Konohagakure's secrets or even sow discord and undermine unity within the village."

The ninja clan heads stared wide-eyed at the Uchiha Clan's outrageous exaggeration, as though Columbus had discovered a new continent.

"As for the large-scale mobilization..."

Ren kicked the question back without leaving the slightest opening in his words.

"To ensure Konohagakure's safety and eliminate hidden dangers, the Konoha Military Police Force has never hesitated to commit manpower. After all, if they truly are spies and we let them escape, the consequences would be endless."

"Hokage-sama, wouldn't you agree?"

The smile on Sarutobi Hiruzen's face faded by an imperceptible degree.

Just as he was about to speak, Utatane Koharu beside him could no longer hold herself back, her voice carrying suppressed anger.

"What a ridiculous argument! They clearly—"

"Koharu."

Sarutobi Hiruzen raised a hand to stop Utatane Koharu, who had been acting as his mouthpiece, then looked at Ren again.

"Since they are suspects, should they not be handed over to the Anbu for unified interrogation according to procedure?"

"The Konoha Military Police Force is responsible for public security. Interrogating spies is likely not its specialty."

This was the true objective—taking the prisoners.

The atmosphere in the hall grew even tenser.

Every Uchiha understood that once the prisoners were handed over, today's efforts would be wasted, and they might even be bitten back.

It had not been long since Ren had spoken of Hatake Sakumo's case at the clan meeting.

Before Ren could answer, Mikoto rose and stepped half a pace forward, bowing slightly.

"Hokage-sama, Advisor-sama. Precisely because this matter may involve spies and the case is of great importance, the Konoha Military Police Force must proceed with even greater caution."

"We have already obtained some preliminary leads and are conducting urgent interrogations, striving to uncover the network behind them."

"Transferring them rashly now may interrupt the interrogation process and cause the leads to be cut off."

Mikoto raised her head, poised and composed, her tone earnest.

"For Konohagakure's safety, I ask that Hokage-sama allow the Konoha Military Police Force to investigate this case thoroughly. Once the interrogations are complete, we will immediately submit the full case files to the Hokage Building."

Her words were reasonable and well-founded. They both demonstrated the Uchiha Clan's "loyalty" and blocked any excuse the other side might use to forcibly take the prisoners.

Sarutobi Hiruzen gave Mikoto a deep look, then looked at Ren, who remained as steady as a mountain and calm-eyed, his heart turning cold.

The younger generation before him was even harder to deal with than the crude older generation.

He fell silent for a moment, and the air around them seemed to freeze solid.

Quite a few Uchiha tensed, ready to swarm forth at Ren's command and chop the Hokage and the others to pieces.

In this tense atmosphere, Utatane Koharu fought back the urge to flee, inwardly cursing, You innately evil Uchiha brats!

The ninja clan heads also prepared themselves to be caught in the crossfire. They did not dare gamble on whether the Uchiha Clan might kill them along with the rest.

"Oh?"

Under everyone's gaze, the Third Hokage finally spoke slowly, his voice betraying neither pleasure nor anger.

"Since that is the case, this old man shall wait and see what astonishing 'leads' the Konoha Military Police Force can uncover."

"Of course, Ren, you would not mind if this old man arranged for the Yamanaka Clan to lend a hand and uncover those 'leads' more quickly, would you?"

"Of course... I wouldn't mind."

Ren smiled.