Blood Red Chili

"You, you people, don't snatch it... Can you please give it back to me? I beg you, please return it to me."

The old woman was so anxious she was on the verge of tears, desperately trying to shield her belongings. However, she was elderly and lacked the strength; furthermore, her opponents were adult ninjas. How could she possibly be a match for them? In no time at all, everything she had was snatched away.

Although the surrounding crowd whispered among themselves—their tones filled with sympathy for the old woman and hostility and dissatisfaction toward the Military Police Force—the prestige of the Uchiha clan was deeply ingrained in people's hearts. As the current premier noble clan of Konoha, most of those present dared to be angry but dared not speak out.

Seeing that no one in the crowd would help her, the old woman collapsed onto her cart, crying and pleading, "Don't take it, please don't. This cart was made by my late husband with his own hands; it is the most precious thing he left me... I beg you."

The lead Uchiha man had been born into a noble family and could not understand the old woman's suffering. In his eyes, the duties of the Military Police Force came first, and the dignity and responsibility of the Uchiha came first. Having never experienced hardship, he could not understand others.

He gripped the old woman's shoulder with his right hand and threw her aside. The old woman felt a massive force strike her; with no ability to resist, she fell to the ground and burst into uncontrollable sobs!

"How can they treat an old person like this? This is too much."

"Oh, really. They snatched someone's things and even dared to hit her..."

"The old lady is so pitiful. The Konoha Military Police Force is so crude in their enforcement of the Konoha Police Law; is there really no one who can keep them in check?"

Seeing this scene, the murmurs in the crowd grew louder, and people even began pointing fingers in accusation. The lead Uchiha man's expression grew increasingly ugly. As a ninja, he was extremely sensitive to his surroundings; perhaps these passersby had lowered their voices, thinking they couldn't be heard, but he had heard every word clearly.

"Enough! We are acting in accordance with the regulations of the Konoha Police Law. Unauthorized street vending is not permitted; anything found must be confiscated. We are following the rules established by Konoha. Are you saying you don't even abide by the rules of Konoha?"

This Uchiha captain suddenly opened his scarlet eyes. Two black tomoe spun rapidly within the blood-red irises. A cold, sinister aura was suddenly released, and as he scanned the surrounding onlookers, it was so oppressive that no one dared to meet his gaze.

This was the power and pride that belonged to the Uchiha!

Sato Hideaka also felt this aura. Unlike a stern killing intent, this aura was more cold and ominous, exerting a tremendous impact on one's mental fortitude, as if it were inherently superior to everyone else!

"Hmph, which line of Konoha's regulations says you are allowed to throw an old woman to the ground? Since there is no such rule, aren't you the ones violating Konoha's rules? Hmph... hmph. Committing violence in the street is a much more serious offense than unauthorized vending...!"

A female voice rang out from the crowd. Seeing the probing gaze of the Uchiha captain's scarlet eyes, the onlookers quickly scattered to avoid being implicated. Only a girl of about seventeen or eighteen with long red hair remained standing there.

The person who spoke was this girl. She had a slightly chubby face, a black hair clip on the left side of her hair, and a wrist guard on her left arm. She stared directly into the Uchiha captain's scarlet eyes without a hint of fear.

"The Red Hot Habanero, Uzumaki Kushina, so it's you... You'd best not meddle in other people's business."

Uzumaki Kushina clapped her hands and looked at him, saying, "Hmph, Uchiha Izumiya, you bullied me when we were in school, and now that you're grown, you're bullying an old lady. I see you haven't made any progress at all."

"Tomato, others might fear you, but I, Uchiha Izumiya, do not. Even though you've become an elite chunin, you might not necessarily be my match!" Uchiha Izumiya's expression tightened, and he said with a look of disdain.

Hearing this familiar nickname, the smiling face of Kushina instantly darkened. Clearly, she was very dissatisfied with this moniker. She shouted an order to a handsome, golden-haired man standing beside her: "Minato, come and teach him a lesson for me!"

This golden-haired man did not look like a thug; he had a gentle and sunny demeanor. His hands were full of various snacks and shopping bags, and he was looking at Uzumaki Kushina with a helpless expression, his ice-blue eyes filled with doting and tenderness.

"Namikaze Minato, why are you here too?"

When Uchiha Izumiya saw this gentle-faced man, his expression changed abruptly. He no longer possessed the casual attitude he had shown toward Uzumaki Kushina. Although the other party was merely a civilian ninja, he had been taken as a disciple by Jiraiya, one of the Sannin, and possessed immense strength himself.

Even the strongest of their generation, the deputy captain of the Military Police Force, Uchiha Fugaku, could not be certain he could defeat this civilian ninja.

However, with so many people watching, the dignity of the Uchiha clan could not be discarded!

Namikaze Minato was not as impulsive as Uzumaki Kushina; instead, he advised, "Kushina, this matter falls within the jurisdiction of the Military Police Force. According to the rules, we shouldn't interfere."

"Since we can't interfere, let the Third Hokage decide. I don't believe that if something like this happens in his village, he won't stand up for the villagers and just let these people bully them!"

"Even if we go to the Third Hokage together, we are still acting within normal enforcement; there is nothing to fear!"

Although Uchiha Izumiya and Uzumaki Kushina held different views, both clearly believed their own actions were correct, and both demanded in unison that the matter be handled by the Third Hokage, Sarutobi Hiruzen.

"If we want to clarify the matter, we need at least a few witnesses to go with us; that's the only way to get to the bottom of the whole story!" Namikaze Minato looked at the two who had lost their composure and were glaring at each other, explaining carefully.

Hearing this from Namikaze Minato, everyone was stunned. The crowd of onlookers suddenly became chaotic and scattered, as if they had urgent business left unfinished, and the crowd vanished in an instant.

Really now...!

Namikaze Minato looked at this scene with a bitter smile. He had just prepared to grab someone from the crowd, but seeing the terrified expression on the person's face—as if they had seen a ghost—his heart softened, and he let them go.

Uchiha Izumiya and Uzumaki Kushina were also stunned. With everyone who had witnessed the event gone, how were they supposed to clarify things?

In fact, the onlookers had not all left.

Yuhi Kurenai was looking at Uzumaki Kushina, who was confronting Uchiha Izumiya, with an expression of pure admiration. Even Sato Hideaka's attempt to forcibly hold her hand and lead her away had failed; the two were still standing there.

"Hello, little friend, you are the daughter of Senior Shinku, right?"

Namikaze Minato looked at Yuhi Kurenai, who was staring blankly at Kushina, and asked in a gentle tone.

"Mm-hmm, my name is Yuhi Kurenai. Big brother, how do you know me?" Seeing someone talking to her, Yuhi Kurenai finally snapped out of it and asked curiously.

"I am a colleague of Senior Shinku. Because everyone who watched the event just now has left, I was hoping you could do me a favor. Kurenai, could you help me be a witness?"

"I can... mm... mm!"

Seeing Yuhi Kurenai open her mouth, Sato Hideaka quickly covered it and said to Namikaze Minato, "This big brother, we haven't had lunch yet. Let us eat lunch first, and then we'll come back to be witnesses for you..., okay?"

After speaking, Sato Hideaka pulled Yuhi Kurenai's hand and prepared to leave, but he felt his collar being grabbed from behind. He was lifted right off the ground, and a female voice mixed with hot breath whispered in his ear: "Little friend, can you really just watch an old lady being bullied and do nothing?"

"As a boy, you should have a basic sense of justice and responsibility. Look at the girl beside you; she has more sense of justice than you do!"

The woman holding Sato Hideaka by the collar was none other than Uzumaki Kushina, while Yuhi Kurenai stood on the ground, looking up at him with eyes full of expectation and encouragement. Clearly, she wanted him to be like her, "overcome his fear," persist in his "justice," and help the old lady seek justice together.

Honestly, every time I go out, I run into nothing but trouble!