Konoha Military Police Force

At the Konoha Military Police Force headquarters in Konoha, sunlight streamed through the windows, and dust drifted slowly through the light. Fugaku sat at his desk, working through a list of personnel. Today, he would be handing over the Military Police Force's authority.

Just then, a knock broke the silence. Fugaku didn't look up, still focused on the documents in front of him. He simply said, "Come in."

The door opened, and a group of people walked in. Most of them were members of the Konoha Military Police Force, led by its deputy captain, Uchiha Fu.

"Captain, are you really going to hand it over? If we give up the Military Police Force's authority too, then our Uchiha Clan will truly have no power at all. Things will be even harder for us from then on!" Uchiha Fu said with a frown, his voice tinged with resentment.

Several members behind him nodded and chimed in. Their eyes were full of hope as they waited for Fugaku to reconsider.

Fugaku let out a soft sigh and raised his head. His gaze moved slowly across the room before he asked, "What makes you think things will be worse for us if we hand over the Military Police Force's authority?"

Fu stepped forward. "Isn't it obvious, Captain? If we don't have authority over the Military Police Force, who in the village will still fear our Uchiha Clan?"

Fugaku folded his arms and closed his eyes. After a moment's thought, he asked, "They fear us, but they don't truly accept us. There isn't a single Uchiha Clan member among Konoha's higher-ups. Have you ever wondered why?"

One member of the Military Police Force couldn't hold back any longer. "It's because the village is targeting us! Danzo even attacked our people the night before last. That's a fact, isn't it? And now we're supposed to hand over the Military Police Force's authority. Who knows what the higher-ups will do to us?"

His words were like a boulder thrown into a calm lake, stirring up a thousand ripples. The others began to voice their agreement, and the mood in the room grew even more tense.

Uchiha Fugaku slowly shook his head and looked at everyone. "In the end, the Hokage simply isn't close to our Uchiha Clan. If our Uchiha children could become part of the Hokage's inner circle, things would improve greatly."

Everyone fell silent. After thinking it over, they realized Fugaku seemed to have a point. Fu suddenly caught on and said, "Right now, the Hokage's inner circle consists only of the Third Hokage's three students—the legendary Sannin. I don't think they're likely to take on any students. Apart from them, the only one left is the Fourth Hokage's student, Kakashi Hatake."

Everyone immediately understood. Then someone suddenly said, "I remember that the clan leader's two sons are on good terms with the Fourth Hokage's two sons. Could it be...?"

As soon as he said that, everyone seemed to understand. They all turned to Fugaku, as if seeking confirmation.

Seeing this, Fugaku nodded. Their faces immediately lit up, and the heavy expressions they'd worn before vanished without a trace.

Uchiha Fu smiled at Fugaku. "Captain, you should've said so earlier! If you'd told us that, we would've agreed right away. Does anyone still object?"

Everyone shook their heads, indicating that they had no further objections. Fu turned back to Fugaku and said, "Then we'll leave you to it, Clan Leader. Just call us if you need anything. We won't disturb you any longer!"

With that, Fu led the other members out. Fugaku watched them leave and shook his head helplessly. Now, he had placed all his hopes on the next generation of the Uchiha and Menma.

The scene shifted to the Uchiha Clan Compound. In a dim room, only a faint sliver of sunlight made it through the narrow window. A woman held a little girl of two or three and sobbed quietly. A boy in his early teens stood beside them, trying his best to comfort them.

"Shisui, your uncle was killed by Danzo just like that. What are Xingli and I supposed to do now...?" The woman looked at Shisui through her tears, her eyes full of helplessness.

"Don't worry, Auntie. I'll treat Xingli like my own little sister and take good care of her!" Shisui said firmly, trying to comfort her.

"Shisui, I was already in poor health. If something happens to me too, Xingli is still so young. What will she do?" The woman's sobs grew more heartbroken as she clutched the little girl in her arms.

The sight struck Shisui hard, filling him with sorrow. He didn't dare tell her the truth, afraid she would be overwhelmed with grief.

"Your uncle and I only have the one daughter. If I really am gone too, I'm entrusting Xingli to you." The woman looked at Shisui pleadingly.

"Auntie, don't say that. Your illness will get better. You'll be there to watch Xingli grow up. Besides, I've always treated her like my own little sister." Shisui forced a faint smile to reassure her, then looked at Xingli.

Xingli stared at Shisui without blinking. Seeing her mother cry, she began wailing too, as if she could sense the sadness.

When Xingli started crying, the woman quickly tried to soothe her. Watching them, Shisui was overcome by guilt. He couldn't help feeling that he was the reason Xingli had lost her father at such a young age.

"Auntie, I have to go on a mission now. I won't be at the clan compound for the next few days. If anything happens, you can go to Uncle Fugaku. He'll arrange for people to look after you both." As he spoke, Shisui stood up to leave.

Shisui's aunt didn't stop him. She only reminded him, "Shisui, be careful. Xingli and I will wait for you to come back to the clan compound."

Shisui gave her a warm smile. "Don't worry. I'll be fine." Then he hurried out.

Inside Konoha's Anbu prison, the air was dark and damp, and the place reeked of rot. Ever since the incident the day before, Danzo had been locked up here. Though trapped, he still refused to accept his fate and focused solely on escaping.

The prison door opened with a heavy clang. Danzo heard it and looked up. The moment he saw Hiruzen Sarutobi, he rushed over. "Hiruzen! You can't keep me locked up here! I'm the Hokage's advisor! The Hokage's advisor!"

Hiruzen Sarutobi shook his head helplessly and looked at Danzo. "Danzo, by rights, I should execute you. But in light of all you've done for Konoha over the years, I've decided to spare your life."

Danzo's face brightened at those words. Hiruzen Sarutobi sighed and continued, "Still, you can't stay in the village. I'll send you away, and then you can find some small village and spend the rest of your life there."

As soon as Hiruzen Sarutobi finished speaking, Danzo's expression darkened. His eyes widened in anger, and he began to lose control. "Hiruzen Sarutobi! You can't do this to me! I did all of this for Konoha! You're too indecisive to be Hokage. In my opinion, you should step down at once and let someone else take over!"

Hiruzen Sarutobi looked at Danzo and shook his head helplessly. Before Danzo could finish, he turned and headed for the prison door. Seeing him leave, Danzo hurried to block his way. "Hiruzen Sarutobi! You... you... you'll regret this!"

After saying that, Danzo dropped onto the stool in his cell and sulked by himself. Hiruzen Sarutobi shook his head again, then quickly walked out.

Meanwhile, at Naruto and Menma's home, sunlight streamed through the windows and dappled the room. Kushina placed one hand on Menma's forehead, and both of them had their eyes closed. Naruto watched curiously from the side. He had no idea what they were doing and assumed Menma wasn't feeling well, so Kushina was checking on him.

At the same time, inside the Nine-Tails' Sealing Space, the surroundings were dim and yellow. Pipes covered the ceiling, and water dripped here and there. A shallow layer of water covered the floor, making a faint splashing sound as they walked. It was like a vast, tangled maze, but Menma knew it well. As soon as Kushina entered the Sealing Space, Menma led her to the Nine-Tails.

When the Nine-Tails saw them, it was full of disdain and had no intention of paying Kushina any attention. It only looked at Menma and asked, "Menma, why did you bring Kushina in here? Get her out. I don't want to see her."

Menma was about to speak, but Kushina stopped him. She looked at Kurama and said respectfully, "Kurama, first, as Menma's mother, I want to thank you for looking after him all these years." With that, Kushina bowed deeply to Kurama.

Kurama's lips curled slightly at the sight, but it still didn't open its eyes or say anything.

Menma went over to Kurama and climbed onto its body, then whispered a few words in its ear. Kurama's eyes suddenly snapped open, and it sat up. The sudden movement caught Menma off guard, and he lost his grip and fell.

Fortunately, Kurama reacted quickly and caught Menma with its hand. It looked at him, set him down, and pretended to be angry. "You little rascal, how can you not even stand steady?"

Kushina smiled with relief at the sight. When Kurama saw her smile, it said, "You and Minato sure have a good son."

Kushina smiled even more brightly. After all, Kurama had just praised her child.

Menma came over to Kushina and asked expectantly, "Mom, is there any way to undo this seal?"

Kushina glanced at the seal and said helplessly, "This is indeed a seal from our Uzumaki Clan, but only the person who cast it can undo it. There's nothing I can do."

Menma's spirits sank at once. Kushina reached out and stroked his head, comforting him. Seeing this, Kurama's lips curled into a faint, almost imperceptible smile.

"If it can't be opened, then forget it. I don't want to open this door anyway. It's pretty comfortable in here." Kurama lay down as it spoke.

Menma immediately took offense. He stubbornly declared, "No way. The more you don't want me to open it, the more I'm going to open it." His stubborn streak had suddenly flared up.

"You little rascal, I told you I don't want that door opened!" Kurama lifted its head and looked at Menma. It seemed like it truly didn't want the door opened, but no one knew how happy it was inside.

"No way. This is inside my body. If I say I'm opening it, then I'm opening it," Menma said firmly.

"Hmph! You stubborn little brat, get out!" Kurama said, releasing a wave of force that sent them both out.

When Menma and Kushina left the Nine-Tails' Sealing Space, they slowly opened their eyes. Seeing them open their eyes, Naruto immediately asked, "Mom, what were you and Menma doing just now?"

Kushina looked at Naruto and smiled. "It's nothing. Don't worry." Then she reached out and ruffled his hair.