Putting Konoha in Order

In a sense, Danzo and Xuanye had thought of the same thing.

Those three clans were all spineless, anyway, and they had always supported whoever became Hokage.

Since that was the case, why should he, the dignified Hokage Assistant, fear offending a few clans?

Even combined, those three clans were no match for a single Uchiha.

He dared to confront even the Uchiha head-on. What did a few spineless clans amount to?

Besides, they surely did not have the nerve to rebel.

Danzo was even certain that as long as Sarutobi Hiruzen stepped in, the Ino-Shika-Cho clans would definitely compromise and obediently hand the people over to him.

Since he knew they would compromise, shouldn't he press his advantage and extort them for all they were worth?

Seeing Shimura Danzō's utterly unyielding expression, Sarutobi Hiruzen's anger flared.

How many messes have I cleaned up for you over the years? Do you really have no idea?

Yes, the Ino-Shika-Cho clans were indeed staunch allies of the Hokage Faction, but the continuation and prosperity of their clans absolutely mattered more than this bit of friendship with the Hokage Faction.

After all these years, Shimura Danzō still had not changed at all. He believed violence alone could subdue everyone.

"Get back there and behave yourself. Don't do anything during this period," Sarutobi Hiruzen said, directly telling Danzo to get lost.

"So the Root shinobi died for nothing?" Shimura Danzō was still unwilling to accept it.

"What else do you want? The Uchiha clan hasn't come knocking at Root's door to settle scores with you. You should be thanking your lucky stars!"

"You went after the head of the Security Division. They are completely in the right on this matter! If this blows up, none of us will be able to contain it."

"I can't clean up your mess every single time. You're like a child who never grew up! All you know how to do is cause trouble!"

Shimura Danzō's face flushed crimson with rage. As far back as he could remember, Sarutobi Hiruzen had never spoken to him with such disappointment.

After venting the resentment in his heart, Sarutobi Hiruzen looked at his old friend and said with bitter disappointment, "Behave yourself lately. Kushina's due date is close, and the Nine-Tails concerns Konoha's very survival. Every matter in Konoha must give way to this right now!"

"If you have nothing to do, get back to your Root. And don't stir up trouble with the Uchiha lately."

"Hiruzen, you'll regret this!"

Danzo held it in for a long while before managing only that one sentence, then he slammed the door and left.

Sarutobi Hiruzen sighed and turned his gaze back to the diligently working Namikaze Minato.

How wonderful it would be if everyone were like Namikaze Minato.

The Uchiha and Danzo—every one of them was a destabilizing factor.

After suffering a major setback, Shimura Danzō seemed to have quieted down. At least, he did not secretly continue making moves against the Uchiha.

Of course, Xuanye knew Danzo had not actually become obedient. He was probably still cooking up something sinister.

Xuanye's training of the Uchiha Security Force had also been basically completed.

Now, when the Uchiha Security Force patrolled the streets, nearly everyone carried a Rubber Baton, specially commissioned by Xuanye at considerable expense.

The idea was simple: it hurt when it struck, but generally did not cause fatal injuries.

Now, whenever they encountered people picking fights and causing trouble in the streets, the Security Division members would not bother distinguishing right from wrong. They would rush in and greet both sides with a barrage of batons.

Anyone who dared resist would immediately be slapped with a serious accusation.

—You actually dared attack the Konoha Security Division established by the Second Hokage. You are no ordinary troublemaker.

I'd say you're not loyal enough to Konoha!

Loyalty that isn't absolute is absolute disloyalty!

You, a spy from another nation's Anbu, actually dared come before the Konoha Security Division to make trouble!

Bold of you!

The key was that the people who usually started trouble in the streets really could not defeat the Uchiha of the Security Division.

If they resisted, they were immediately branded as spies or rebels. If they did not resist, they might only get beaten up.

Xuanye's specially commissioned Rubber Batons left people bruised black and blue, but fortunately, the Uchiha usually left after beating them up or simply demanded they pay a fine.

At the very least, that was much better than being thrown into the Security Division's prison.

It was said that the troublemaker Xuanye had personally ordered arrested and taken to the Security Division had now vanished without a trace. No one knew how miserable his fate had been.

Because of the Uchiha's "brutal conduct," a tense atmosphere filled all of Konoha.

Many minor everyday disputes were simply let go whenever possible.

Otherwise, they might draw the Security Division over, and then both sides would get a painful beating. It simply was not worth it.

Those Konoha troublemakers who usually threw their weight around finally experienced what it meant to have nowhere to turn.

Sarutobi Hiruzen and Shimura Danzō were more than happy for the relationship between the Uchiha and Konoha's villagers to worsen.

That way, they could further isolate the Uchiha later and seize control over all of Konoha.

Many Uchiha had also taken a liking to batons. They were effective enough to leave people dazed without damaging their brains, and swung through the air with a satisfying whoosh when used to beat someone.

Because of the Uchiha's "rectification," Konoha's crime rate dropped considerably. Namikaze Minato had far fewer matters to handle and more time to spend at home with his wife and unborn child.

The only thing that displeased Xuanye was that he had originally wanted Mitaraishi Anko to pass a message to Orochimaru, but it had vanished without a trace.

Even Hong Dou had disappeared.

That left Xuanye somewhat frustrated. Orochimaru should have been very interested in the Uchiha clan, shouldn't he?

But he soon realized that he had made the mistake of relying on past assumptions.

Orochimaru should now have seen through Sarutobi Hiruzen's true nature.

Disheartened, he had therefore devoted all his energy to developing forbidden techniques.

He had changed from one of the Ninja World's foremost scientists into a fanatical follower of Kekkei Genkai.

That should have happened after Itachi instantly defeated him with a single Tsukuyomi.

Only then did Orochimaru truly understand one thing: ordinary shinobi had limits.

Descendants of the Otsutsuki, such as the Senju, Uchiha, and Uzumaki, were just damn stronger than ordinary shinobi—and not by a small margin, either.

Take the Uchiha, for example. As long as they awakened the Mangekyō, they were guaranteed Kage Level strength!

And the Uchiha's ocular techniques were absurdly unreasonable. They did not need hand seals; as long as they made eye contact, they could cast them instantly.

It was enough to drive shinobi like them, who honestly studied ninjutsu and formed hand seals with both hands, to despair!

Even someone as exceptionally talented as Orochimaru could only suffer crushing defeat before the gap in innate talent. There was no other possible outcome.

From then on, Orochimaru completely changed, setting his heart on obtaining a perfect Uchiha body.