Gentō immediately took the hint and chimed in:
"That's a good thing!"
He wore a smile:
"After all, the Lord Third has a wealth of experience. It's only right that he pass that valuable experience on to Minato, our newly appointed Hokage."
Hiruzen looked pleased at that. He nodded and took a puff of his pipe.
Then he changed the subject, turning to business:
"Minato has already told me in detail about the evacuation drill you proposed."
"In principle, I approve. But the Uchiha must guarantee the safety of the civilians you evacuate."
"Furthermore, you must not force any civilians who are unwilling to participate."
Gentō nodded at once and said solemnly:
"Of course!"
He turned to Shisui behind him and ordered:
"Go tell Director Fugaku to begin the evacuation drill according to plan."
"Yes, sir!"
Shisui clasped his hands in acknowledgment, then vanished in a blur.
Gentō looked back at Hiruzen and asked casually:
"Kushina is due to give birth soon. Has everything been arranged? If necessary, we Uchiha can offer our assistance."
Hiruzen's smile faded slightly, and his tone cooled:
"There's no need for you Uchiha to concern yourselves with that."
He paused, his tone leaving little room for discussion:
"I've already arranged for the Barrier Team to set up a barrier. I cannot disclose the exact location. In addition, my wife, Biwako, will oversee the delivery with several medical ninja. In short, everything has been taken care of."
Gentō said nothing more and simply nodded:
"In that case, I'll take my leave."
With that, he turned and headed for the door.
Now that he had the Hokage's permission, he needed to hurry back and oversee the evacuation.
Every additional civilian they evacuated was another life they could save.
Gentō left the Hokage's office building and followed the street toward the village center, intending to check on Fugaku's progress with the evacuation.
He had just rounded a corner when the clamor from Konoha's Central Square hit him.
On a raised platform, Fugaku stood in a row with dozens of members of the Konoha Military Police Force. A conspicuous banner hung behind them:
"Evacuation drill."
Below the platform, a dense crowd packed the entire square.
Fugaku stepped forward, his voice carrying across the square:
"Everyone, we've gathered you here today to explain the evacuation drill that will soon begin..."
"We're not leaving!"
A burly middle-aged man waved his arms:
"What gives you Uchiha the right to order us to evacuate?"
"Uchiha Fugaku, how many years have you even been chief of the police force? We've lived here for decades! What haven't we seen?"
"We're not going anywhere! If you want a drill, do it yourselves!"
"That's right! We're not going!"
"Anyone who wants to go can go!"
Voices rose in agreement below the platform, each wave louder than the last.
Fugaku frowned and spoke again:
"Everyone, calm down!"
"This drill was approved by Lord Hokage! It's for your safety!"
"Don't use Lord Hokage to push us around!"
A man with a pinched face and pointed jaw hopped up and down as he shouted:
"The Fourth Hokage only just took office! You Uchiha must have fooled him!"
"An evacuation drill? Please."
Someone chimed in sarcastically.
"If you ask me, the Uchiha just want to show off what they can do and make us civilians jump through hoops for their amusement."
A shopkeeper in an apron shouted in a shrill voice.
"What do you Uchiha know? All you do is arrest people, lock them up, and bully civilians!"
"That's right! All you do is arrest people!"
An elderly woman leaned on a cane and pointed a trembling finger at the police force members:
"Do you think we don't know what you Uchiha are up to? You just want to abuse your power!"
"My son only did something minor, and you Uchiha arrested him! You still haven't released him, and now you're pretending to be good people!"
Watching coldly from the sidelines, Gentō immediately recognized the elderly woman.
The "something minor" she mentioned was her son killing someone in a drunken rage.
The police force had arrested her son lawfully and according to procedure, yet she had twisted it into an abuse of power.
"Exactly! The Uchiha arrest people over anything! If that isn't abusing their authority, what is?"
The crowd erupted.
"Get off the stage!"
"Uchiha, get off the stage!"
"We don't need your fake kindness!"
The civilians surged forward, pointing at the police force members on the platform and pouring out years of pent-up resentment.
Just then, a stern rebuke rang out.
"What's all this shouting? Have you no sense of decorum?"
The crowd parted on its own.
Shimura Danzō approached slowly.
Danzo walked to the front and asked with a frown:
"What happened?"
"Lord Danzo!"
A man immediately rushed over and gave him an embellished account.
After listening, Danzo looked up at Fugaku:
"This is utterly ridiculous."
"An evacuation drill? This is nothing but fearmongering!"
Danzo turned toward the crowd and raised his voice:
"We aren't at war. What enemy could possibly invade Konoha?"
"And even if one did..."
He paused, sweeping his gaze over the crowd:
"I would lead Root into the fray before anyone else to protect Konoha's civilians!"
A stir ran through the crowd.
"Lord Danzo was a student of the Second Hokage!"
"I trust Lord Danzo!"
A bald man was the first to shout:
"Lord Danzo said there's no need to evacuate!"
"That's right! Lord Danzo will protect us!"
"The Uchiha don't need to concern themselves with our safety!"
The crowd erupted again, but this time with excitement and smug satisfaction.
They shouted at the platform:
"Did you hear that? Lord Danzo will protect us!"
"You Uchiha can go make yourselves scarce!"
"Stop embarrassing yourselves here!"
Danzo turned to Fugaku, his gaze filled with contempt:
"Did you hear them?"
"The people of Konoha don't like you."
"You should take your men and leave."
He paused, lowering his voice until only the few people nearby could hear:
"Trying to gain power with a cheap trick like this. How laughable."
Fugaku opened his mouth to say something, but as he looked at the excited faces and mocking smiles below, the words caught in his throat.
A hand suddenly settled on his shoulder.
Gentō had appeared beside him at some point.
His gaze calm, Gentō looked over the crowd below, over their smug faces, and over the sneer at the corner of Danzo's mouth.
He slowly addressed the civilians:
"Since you've said you don't need the Uchiha's protection..."
"We'll do as you ask."
"I only hope you won't regret it when you're truly in danger!"
The crowd froze for a moment, then burst into even louder cheers.
"We won't regret it!"
"Go on! Hurry up and leave!"
"Who wants your protection?"
"Even if there is danger, Lord Danzo will protect us!"
Gentō ignored their jeers. He simply looked at Danzo and said evenly:
"I hope you'll really step forward when Konoha's civilians are in danger."
Danzo immediately replied with contempt:
"There's no need for you to concern yourself with that."
Gentō said no more. He turned to Fugaku:
"Withdraw."
With that, he left with Shisui without looking back.
Behind him, the cheers rose in wave after wave.
"The Uchiha are gone!"
"Long live Lord Danzo!"
"Let's see if they dare throw their weight around again!"
Once he was out of the square, Gentō paused and glanced back at the distant, clamorous crowd.
Since Konoha's civilians were so naive, they would have to pay for that naivety when the Nine-Tails was released tomorrow.
"We've done what we should."
"If they don't want it, then... let them do as they please."
Now he had to head to the clan's settlement first.
After all, Obito harbored considerable malice toward the Uchiha Clan as well as Konoha.
Gentō had to get back in case Obito suddenly changed his mind and attacked their home.
So he said to Shisui and Fugaku:
"I'll head to the clan's settlement first. You two stay alert here in Konoha. Contact me immediately if anything happens."
"Yes, sir!"
With the arrangements made, Gentō left Konoha without another backward glance.
The farce soon became a favorite topic of conversation among Konoha's villagers.
In taverns, at dinner tables, and among groups of women, people discussed it everywhere.
"Ah, that felt good today! Did you see the looks on those Uchiha faces?"
"Exactly! They wanted us to obey them? In their dreams!"
"Lord Danzo sounded so tough! 'I would lead Root into the fray before anyone else.' Now that's a real man!"
"If you ask me, the Uchiha just have too much time on their hands. We aren't at war. What danger could there be?"
"Exactly! What danger could there be?"
"Come on, drink up! Let's celebrate the Uchiha getting put in their place!"
"Cheers!"
Amid that atmosphere, another day and night passed.
Night fell.
Outside the village, atop a large tree.
Space slowly twisted and creased.
A masked man gradually emerged from the distortion.
He stood on the treetop, looking down at Konoha below.
Beneath his mask, only a single crimson Sharingan was visible.
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