White Dove: Since you won't be decent, I'll make you decent!

On the main street of Konoha.

Most people heard Uchiha White Dove's insult toward Mitokado Homura clearly, and even those who didn't would soon hear it spread by others.

"Is the Uchiha clan really this bold?"

"What nerve!"

"Is there something wrong with his brain?"

Countless gazes converged on White Dove.

Even Uchiha Fugaku looked at White Dove with an expression of utter disbelief.

Is this intentional, or just a slip of the tongue?

He truly could not fathom why the other party would dare to curse Mitokado Homura like that.

One had to realize that the man was not only a Konoha advisor but also held control over the village's internal affairs and diplomacy—he was practically a man with absolute power.

Even setting that aside, he was the patriarch of the Mitokado Clan and a disciple of the Second Hokage; even Fugaku usually treated him with the utmost respect.

Yet, Uchiha White Dove had simply "opened his mouth and let the flowers bloom," directly calling the man an old geezer.

"You dare..."

Mitokado Homura was stunned for a moment, and just as he prepared to reprimand him, he was interrupted again.

"What do I not dare to do? You've been suppressing our Uchiha clan constantly. Every funding application for the Police Force is either denied or slashed, not to mention the relocation compensation that has been delayed for so long—some people are practically starving to death because of it. Is there a problem with me calling you an old geezer?"

"Speaking of which, I truly admire the Advisor Elder's Mitokado Family. From a small clan of less than ten people back in the day to a major family with nearly a thousand ninja now—where did all those resources come from? It's so hard to guess!"

White Dove's tone was arrogant, laced with biting sarcasm.

He had originally intended to find someone to "kill the chicken to warn the monkey," and now that the other party had jumped out on his own, why not slap his face?

However, he also took this opportunity to expose the high-level suppression of the Uchiha and pointedly highlighted the growth of the other party's family.

"You... you're spouting nonsense!"

Facing White Dove's assault, Mitokado Homura appeared caught off guard, though he still denied the accusations.

The reality, of course, was that it was all true.

Weakening the Uchiha was something they had been doing all along.

That was why the Police Force's funding hadn't increased in years; instead, it had been continuously slashed. The annual budget now was less than half of what it had been when the village was founded—a testament to how ruthless the cuts were.

Uchiha Fugaku had naturally brought this up before, but he had been brushed off with a few casual remarks.

But now?

White Dove had exposed their ugliness directly, leaving Mitokado Homura unable to parry.

He was not like Uchiha Fugaku, who refused to speak of these things for the sake of so-called "Uchiha honor."

Well, much like the White-Eyed Wolf who chose to preemptively slaughter his own clan to protect the Uchiha's reputation and prevent them from being branded with the crime of "rebellion."

I often feel out of place in the ninja world because I'm not twisted enough!

This wasn't just a meme; it was the truth.

In White Dove's view, if his Uchiha clan was starving to death because of the exploitation and suppression by Konoha's high-level officials—no, wait, it seemed people were actually dying of hunger—then speaking of it was not a disgrace to the Uchiha, but to the village's leadership.

Seeing Mitokado Homura's reaction, the surrounding villagers who were watching the spectacle were stunned.

They only knew the Uchiha were powerful and cold-hearted, but they had never known about these matters.

"It couldn't... be true, could it?"

"Don't believe it, the Nine-Tails incident was the Uchiha's doing!"

"But if they really did it, the village leadership would have announced it long ago. They haven't said a word in all these years, so maybe it has nothing to do with them!"

"Regardless, the village leadership is being a bit too excessive, isn't it? This is a prestigious Konoha clan!"

"But the Mitokado Family growing so fast is a bit too exaggerated, isn't it!"

The villagers' discussions were like invisible whips, lashing out at the Konoha high-level officials.

Even the members of the major ninja clans looked on with surprise and bewilderment.

They truly hadn't known about these things.

They knew the village leadership suppressed the Uchiha, but because the Uchiha were indeed suspects in the Nine-Tails incident, no one thought there was anything wrong with it... yet no one had imagined it would be this ruthless.

This was no longer suppression; it was a rhythm intended to drive the other party to their deaths.

After all, there were too many people coveting the Sharingan, a Kekkei Genkai. If not for the Uchiha's immense strength, they would have been plundered clean by those who coveted it long ago.

But now that the village leadership had pushed the Uchiha to this point, once the other party lacked the strength, the Sharingan would be nothing more than "a treasure that invites disaster." If that wasn't driving them to their deaths, what was?

Ordinary ninja naturally couldn't see this layer, but these clan heads were certainly not stupid; they could see it clearly, and their gazes toward the officials shifted entirely.

They would have no objections to mere punishment and suppression; after all, the Uchiha were indeed under suspicion regarding the Nine-Tails incident.

But to truly purge the Uchiha as a "Konoha noble clan" would cross their bottom line.

As for the changes within the Mitokado Family, they had known about them for a long time; otherwise, they would not have been so hostile toward the village leadership.

If the resources cut from their ninja clans were truly being distributed to civilian ninjas, they wouldn't hate the leadership even if they were unhappy, as it would at least be for the sake of the village.

But to plunder resources from them to cultivate their own ninja clans under the banner of "doing it for the civilian ninjas" is what truly infuriated them.

"...It is possible that this was a misunderstanding caused by the errors of subordinates. The village has always valued the Uchiha immensely and would never suppress you. Don't you agree... Fugaku?"

Sarutobi Hiruzen took the initiative to take over the conversation from Mitokado Homura, offering an excuse.

A scapegoat!

Even if the ninja world doesn't use that specific term, the meaning is exactly the same.

Even if they were to audit the accounts, the leadership could produce evidence in minutes to prove that these matters had nothing to do with them.

Furthermore, the smartest thing Sarutobi Hiruzen did was to bypass White Dove and communicate directly with Uchiha Fugaku.

Yes, he realized that Uchiha White Dove was difficult to deal with, so he chose to pick the softest persimmon.

Communicating with an "honest man" like Uchiha Fugaku was far easier than dealing with White Dove.

"Lord Hokage says..."

Just as Uchiha Fugaku was about to nod instinctively, he felt a chilling, awe-inspiring sensation.

It was Uchiha White Dove!

He was currently staring coldly at Uchiha Fugaku.

Our side has only just gained the upper hand, and you are already undermining me?

White Dove had already made up his mind: since Uchiha Fugaku was so oblivious to the situation, there was no need to keep him around.

"Lord Hokage, since Clan Leader Fugaku is 'indisposed,' I shall take over the position of Police Force Captain!"

Uchiha White Dove interrupted the rest of his words, seizing power directly to his face.

Originally, he had intended to leverage the momentum of standing up to the leadership today to convene a clan meeting later, forcing the other party to step down from the position of Police Force Captain "gracefully."

But since the man was now failing to recognize his own position, he would simply make him step down in public.

"What..."

Sarutobi Hiruzen's eyes widened in surprise.

He had not expected Uchiha White Dove to be so reckless as to seize power right here, under the gaze of nearly all of Konoha.

White Dove offered no further explanation, merely looking at Uchiha Setsuna and giving him a hint.

As the leader of the hawk faction, the man had long been dissatisfied with Uchiha Fugaku's fence-sitting. However, constrained by the fact that the other party was the clan leader and stronger than him, he had no choice but to obey. Now, seeing White Dove step forward, he naturally did not hesitate to drive the knife in.

"That's right, Clan Leader Fugaku is 'unwell.' Otherwise, the team wouldn't have been led by White Dove. Therefore, the position of Police Force Captain should be held by him!"

Putting other aspects aside, Uchiha White Dove was, at the very least, more suitable for the position of Police Force Captain in terms of both status and strength.

Uchiha Fugaku naturally could not agree; the position of Police Force Captain had always been held concurrently by the clan leader. How could he possibly give it up?

But before he could speak, White Dove used a Sharingan genjutsu to transmit a message to him.

A message that made Uchiha Fugaku not dare to speak at all.

"Clan Leader Fugaku, you wouldn't want your Mangekyo to be exposed, would you?"

Yes, in order to make him shut up, White Dove directly threatened him with his Mangekyo.

If the Uchiha clansmen knew that their leader possessed a Mangekyo yet retreated again and again when facing the village leadership, it would certainly incite public outrage.

One must know that when Shisui was still around, he could have joined forces with him. With two pairs of Mangekyo, the success rate of a rebellion would not have been low. Thus, his hiding of the Mangekyo was certainly a good thing for the village, but for the Uchiha, it was nothing short of betrayal.

Therefore, this threat was extremely effective.

A leader who betrayed his own kin would not only lose his seat as clan leader but would also be unfit to serve as Police Force Captain.

And so, Uchiha Fugaku fell silent.

"Fugaku...?"

Sarutobi Hiruzen stared at Uchiha Fugaku, wanting him to stand up and object.

Because the position of Police Force Captain had always been the Uchiha's private domain, even he as Hokage could not interfere, so he naturally could not stand up to object himself.

"Lord Hokage, as the current Police Force Captain, I hope the village leadership can give the Uchiha a clear explanation. Is it true that something happened to Shisui? I believe I should have the authority to ask this, right?"

White Dove interrupted Sarutobi Hiruzen, directly asserting his position as Police Force Captain while entering the main topic of this "palace coup."

At any other time, the clan certainly would not have allowed him to ascend so easily.

But at a time like this, the Uchiha naturally knew the importance of unity. Even if they wanted to object, this was not the time; they could always discuss it after returning. Did you not see Uchiha Tenzan, the great elder of the dove faction, not standing up to object?

Objecting to White Dove now would be equivalent to infighting, so naturally, no Uchiha would jump out to question his position as clan leader.

Furthermore, it was not as if he lacked the qualifications to hold this position.

Whether it was the long-term benefits the One Heart Chamber of Commerce had brought to the clansmen or the fact that he had defeated Uchiha Fugaku, these were the best credentials for his ascension.