The Warehouse Was Stolen

Deep beneath Konoha, in the depths of the Root organization's base.

The cold, stagnant air felt as if it had frozen solid, with only the occasional crackle of burning torches breaking the deathly silence.

Shimura Danzō sat upright on a stone chair, his single eye flickering with a ghostly light from within the shadows, much like a lurking viper.

Before him stood two of his most capable confidants, bowing respectfully: Aburame Tatsuma and Yamanaka Fu.

"Uchiha Ling..." Danzō's voice was low and raspy, carrying an undisguised loathing.

"This brat is becoming an eyesore. Joining the Military Police Force, winning over his clansmen, and even daring to touch the edges of Root. Hiruzen's indulgence has made him forget his place."

Aburame Tatsuma adjusted his glasses, analyzing the situation calmly: "His reputation within the Military Police Force is growing daily. Especially after the way he handled that recent dispute, many clansmen and villagers have begun to look at him with new eyes. If we let him continue to develop, he will surely become a grave threat."

Yamanaka Fu nodded, adding: "Furthermore, he seems genuinely intent on improving the relationship between the Uchiha and the village, which runs contrary to our policy of 'maintaining the Uchiha as a controllable threat.'

We must strike before his wings are fully grown. It would be best to transfer him away from the center of power, or... completely erase the threat."

Danzō's single eye narrowed, his fingers tapping lightly against the back of the chair: "Taking direct action carries too much risk. It would be difficult to answer to Hiruzen and Tsunade. We must use a more subtle method to make him commit a mistake himself and lose their trust."

Danzō pondered for a moment, and a sinister plan began to take shape in his mind.

"Tatsuma, you have a subordinate under your command who specializes in disguise and infiltration, codenamed 'Hui'an,' correct?" Danzō asked.

"Yes, Danzō-sama. Hui'an is most adept at manufacturing 'accidents' and framing others," Aburame Tatsuma replied.

"Excellent." A cold sneer curled the corners of Danzō's mouth.

"I hear there is a small ninja tool warehouse on the edge of the Uchiha Compound, managed by the radical faction of the Uchiha, with lax security. Let Hui'an go and do something there.

The target is that batch of newly arrived, specially numbered restricted Explosive Tags. The work must be clean, but leave behind subtle clues that point, ambiguously, toward certain elements within the Uchiha who are dissatisfied with the village."

Yamanaka Fu immediately grasped the intent: "Danzō-sama wishes to manufacture an incident where 'Uchiha personnel steal restricted ninja tools for their own use'?

Then, we 'accidentally' discover the clues and guide the Military Police Force, specifically Uchiha Ling, to investigate? Regardless of whether he solves the case, he will be trapped in a dilemma."

"Correct." Danzō nodded with satisfaction.

"If he fails to solve it, it is incompetence, and the suspicion of shielding his own kin will be impossible to wash away.

If he is pressured into investigating, or even harshly punishes his clansmen to prove his own innocence, it will trigger a fierce backlash within the Uchiha, destroying the reputation he has just built.

Either outcome is favorable to us. Fu, go and scout for a suitable 'informant.' They must appear reliable and be able to 'provide' key clues at the critical moment, pointing toward someone Uchiha Ling wants to protect."

"Understood!" Aburame Tatsuma and Yamanaka Fu replied in unison, their figures silently melting into the darkness to begin executing Danzō's plan.

A few days later, in the dead of night.

A figure like a shadow slipped silently into the target warehouse.

Hui'an's skills were superb; he skillfully bypassed the lax guards and precisely located the batch of restricted Explosive Tags.

He did not take them all, but only a small portion, creating the illusion of internal personnel stealing them in small, repeated quantities.

Before leaving, he deliberately left a small, intentionally frayed piece of fabric in an inconspicuous corner, which faintly showed a corner of the Uchiha clan crest, and left behind a trace of a special pine oil scent commonly used for maintaining Uchiha ninja tools.

After finishing all this, Hui'an vanished like a ghost.

The next morning, the theft was discovered.

The warehouse manager reported the crime in a panic, claiming that he had heard clansmen complaining about the village's unfair treatment near the warehouse a few days prior, and "recalled" seeing a radical young Uchiha loitering in the area.

This district was precisely under the jurisdiction of Uchiha Ling's squad.

"Ling-sama, this matter is suspicious. The timing of the theft, the direction of the intelligence, and the villagers' special attention—it looks like a trap set for us."

Uchiha Yashiro pointed out the key issue with keen insight.

Uchiha Ling nodded, his gaze sharp: "The other side has made their move. Yashiro, take your men and investigate openly according to standard procedure. Interview the manager and carefully inspect the scene; do not miss any details, but do not express any biased opinions to the public.

Tekka, pick some absolutely reliable brothers and keep that warehouse manager under twenty-four-hour surveillance for me. Also, screen everyone suspicious who appeared near the warehouse before and after the incident, but do not alert anyone."

The overt investigation was handled by Yashiro, who led his men to carefully inspect the warehouse, where they indeed found the "accidentally" left piece of fabric and the faint scent of pine oil.

While the manager appeared cooperative when answering questions, his eyes flickered, and the details of his story could not withstand repeated scrutiny.

Yashiro noted all of this silently, keeping his composure.

The covert surveillance was carried out by Uchiha Tekka.

This upright Uchiha poured twelve times the focus into the mission.

Uchiha Tekka's patience was rewarded—on the second night after the incident, he discovered the manager sneaking out of his house in the dead of night to meet secretly with a cloaked figure in a tavern alleyway, where he received a small scroll.

Tekka suppressed the urge to rush forward, memorized the contact's physical features and direction of departure, and followed them, eventually confirming that they entered an Underground Exchange stronghold with deep ties to the Root organization.

Heh, Danzō, is this all the trickery you have? Using public opinion and inciting the masses, hoping to push me and the Uchiha Clan back into opposition with the village?

A cold, sharp arc curled Uchiha Ling's lips. There was no anger in his eyes; instead, there was the composure of a hunter watching prey step into a trap.

Unfortunately, you've miscalculated. You've likely forgotten who established the authority of the Military Police Force, and what degree of independence was granted to it.

Uchiha Ling stood up slowly and walked to a filing cabinet on the side of his office.

This row of cabinets held all the rules, regulations, and copies of official documents since the founding of the Konoha Military Police Force, many of which were archives left over from the eras of the First Hokage, Hashirama Senju, and the Second Hokage, Tobirama Senju.

He precisely pulled out a scroll with a special texture and slightly yellowed edges.

Untying the cord, he spread the scroll across the desk. On it were clauses written in thick ink, and at the bottom, the signature of the Second Hokage, Tobirama Senju, was clearly visible.

This document was none other than the "Special Public Order Maintenance Ordinance of Konoha Ninja Village," personally drafted and promulgated by the Second Hokage, Tobirama Senju, back in the day.

It explicitly stipulated that the Konoha Military Police Force possessed near-independent law enforcement, investigative, and temporary detention powers in maintaining order and combating crime within the village.

Furthermore, when investigating "suspected acts endangering the safety of the village," they had the right to demand cooperation from any department or individual, and could employ "unconventional coercive measures" when necessary.

This ordinance had granted the Uchiha Clan immense power at the time, but to a certain extent, it had also isolated the Uchiha from the core of Konoha's power.