All Coincidences Are Long-Planned

No wonder that later, when Kumogakure applied pressure, no clan spoke up for them.

From the very beginning, they had no trustworthy allies.

"Stop. Compile this intelligence and give it to the Third Elder. It seems Konoha needs to face reality; the previous plans were ultimately small-minded."

Shinichi Hyuga tapped the table lightly, suppressing everyone's enthusiasm and delegating the trivial matters to the Third Elder.

He only wanted to see now how the Uchiha Clan would react when the conspiracy was exposed.

Would they still wait for their destruction just the same?

The Third Elder was momentarily stunned, feeling as though his authority was growing ever larger.

In a flash, he thought, everything is for the clan.

Such a clan is worth their devotion.

Shinichi Hyuga was plotting an event in which all of Konoha should participate.

The Konoha Military Police Force of Konoha.

It was a right specifically established by the Second Hokage and reserved exclusively for the Uchiha Clan.

They handled various disputes that occurred within the village on a daily basis.

The power was not great, but it was enough to create a rift between the Uchiha Clan and the various other clans in the village.

The shortsighted Uchiha Clan, precisely because of such empty favors from the Second Hokage, had turned their backs on the ambitious Madara Uchiha in their hearts.

Now, all the various rights of the Uchiha Clan had been carved up by other clans.

They could only cling to the Military Police Force to maintain their final, hollow glory.

The ninjas of the Military Police Force also operated in three-man squads; to prevent extreme situations from arising, Hawk Faction and Dove Faction members were often present simultaneously.

As for the Dog Faction, their numbers were too few, and they generally served in the Anbu.

They followed their usual routes, patrolling Konoha to maintain the village's stability.

This was also a policy formulated by the Second Hokage; as long as the Uchiha Clan executed his orders and planted the spirit of protecting Konoha in their hearts, it was also a method of taming the Uchiha Clan.

For this reason, many ninjas of the Uchiha Clan had long harbored feelings of negligence.

However, the current clan leader was Fugaku Uchiha.

He was able to sit firmly in the position of clan leader because of the Third Hokage's influence behind the scenes.

Early morning.

The Uchiha Military Police Force dispatched its daily patrol squad.

Leading the patrol was Meihuo Uchiha, the son of the Great Elder of the Uchiha Clan and a staunch Hawk Faction ninja.

Following closely behind him was Shinichi Uchiha, also a Hawk Faction ninja.

Keeping his distance from the two was Tomoya Uchiha, from the clan leader's lineage and a Dove Faction ninja.

Although the three belonged to different factions within the clan, they usually got along well.

"Lord Meihuo, a scroll just hit me. There is a spy from Kumogakure appearing at the weapons trading post." Behind them, Tomoya Uchiha held a scroll in his hand, which contained a portrait of a person along with intelligence about him.

"The weapons trading post is now under the management of the Sarutobi Clan? We had better not meddle in other people's business. Besides, this way of passing intelligence is likely a trap."

As a member of the Dove Faction, the first thing that came to Tomoya Uchiha's mind was the words of Fugaku Uchiha.

With the Fourth Hokage in power, the Uchiha Clan would better integrate into Konoha in the future, provided they did not provoke the Third Hokage.

Tomoya Uchiha looked at the hot potato in his hand and wished he could slap himself.

He had only distanced himself from the two for a moment when the scroll hit him; he had to suspect there was a conspiracy involved, so he tried to dissuade Meihuo Uchiha.

Not far away, Hyuga Hiashi was watching them.

It was he who had just used the Gentle Fist technique to launch the scroll.

"Bastard, what are you saying, Tomoya? Why should we avoid the Sarutobi Clan? This is the right that our Military Police Force is entitled to, so of course, we must investigate it clearly."

Meihuo Uchiha was full of resentment toward the Sarutobi Clan.

It was the Third Hokage who interfered in the Uchiha Clan's election, which was why the Uchiha Clan's leader was that weak Fugaku Uchiha.

The level of detail in the intelligence mentioned on this scroll had already made him believe it to some extent.

He snatched the scroll from his hand, knowing that there might be some conspiracy hidden within it.

However, the Uchiha Clan's spirit of refusing to listen to advice awakened in his heart at that moment.

He rushed toward the weapons trading post.

Shinichi Hyuga and Hyuga Hiashi were observing everything with their Byakugan.

He had waited a long time for this opportunity.

The only thing Shinichi Hyuga regretted was the absence of the Dog Faction; otherwise, this show would have been even more spectacular.

The three of them sprinted until they reached the entrance of the weapons trading post.

It was a two-story wooden building that occupied half the area of Training Ground 8, filled to the brim with various ninja tools.

To accommodate the wagons used for transporting goods, the doors were built taller and wider than those of an average shop.

It could be considered a landmark building in Konoha.

A caravan was currently in the middle of a transaction, the flag hanging from their wagons bearing the mark of the Land of Lightning.

Wagon after wagon was piled high with large crates, all of them packed with weapons.

They were preparing to trade with the Sarutobi Clan.

At any time, arms dealing was a highly lucrative business.

BOOM!

An explosion erupted.

It came from one of the crates, the flash of fire stinging the eyes of everyone nearby.

After a moment of chaos, those who had been guarding the cargo scattered.

All that remained was a scene of utter devastation.

A mangled corpse lay right in front of the three men.

Meihuo Uchiha's attention fell upon the face of the deceased; was this not the very person mentioned in their intelligence reports?

Clutched tightly in the man's hand was a scroll.

The word "Uchiha" was visible on the seal of the scroll, but the rest of the text was obscured by the seal, making it impossible to read.

Meihuo Uchiha felt as if he were being guided; he could not help but walk toward the remains, intending to take the scroll from the man's hand.

"Lord Meihuo!"

Tomoya Uchiha stopped him at that moment.

The string of coincidences occurring here made him even more vigilant.

Matters like this were usually investigated by the Konoha Anbu, let alone the fact that it was happening within the sphere of influence of the Sarutobi Clan.

The current captain of the Konoha Anbu was Shinnosuke Sarutobi.

He did not want Meihuo Uchiha to come into conflict with the Konoha Anbu.

Meihuo Uchiha shot him a glare and continued to reach for the scroll.

Swish!

Just as his hand was about to grasp the scroll, a kunai blocked his path.

Had he not retracted his hand quickly, he likely would have been left with a bone-deep wound, though the person who struck clearly only intended to teach him a lesson.

Otherwise, it would not have been a mere warning strike.

"This area is now under the jurisdiction of the Anbu. All unauthorized personnel, leave at once."

An Anbu ninja stepped out from the weapons trading post, his face full of arrogance as he issued the order to Meihuo Uchiha.

"Shinnosuke Sarutobi! Do you think I don't recognize you just because you're wearing a monkey mask? I am taking this man today. He is the prey of our Military Police Force."

A dangerous light flickered in Meihuo Uchiha's eyes; it was Shinnosuke Sarutobi who had led the pressure against the Uchiha Clan back then.

The two sides stood on the brink of a clash.

Click!