The Third Hokage's Vigilance

Hokage Building.

In the conference room, the Konoha Quartet—Sarutobi Hiruzen, Shimura Danzo, Utatane Koharu, and Mitokado Homura—sat upon the floor mats.

Sarutobi Hiruzen usually conducted his business from his office; since his authority had solidified, such four-person policy discussions had become increasingly rare, occurring only a few times a year.

"A mere minor nation dares to challenge Konoha time and again. Salamander Hanzo truly does not know the meaning of death."

Mitokado Homura held a dossier in his hand, his tone dripping with disdain.

The Land of Rain, the protagonist of the Second Shinobi World War, remained restless even after the war.

Utatane Koharu added, "Intelligence reports indicate that the Land of Rain is vigorously training ninjas, consolidating their forces, providing relief to villages, and developing their economy. It seems they harbor grand ambitions; we must be on guard."

"Salamander Hanzo still fails to recognize reality."

Third Hokage Sarutobi Hiruzen shook his head while holding a scroll.

The information gathered by Konoha's intelligence agents was largely accurate, but there were some misconceptions. While Salamander Hanzo was a master of ninjutsu, he was also notoriously arrogant; such complex orchestration was beyond his capabilities.

The intelligence agents lacked a deep understanding of the Land of Rain's true leader and assumed it was all at Hanzo's behest, relaying this misinformation back to the village.

Shimura Danzo's Root organization had gathered more specific details. By this time, several mercenary groups had emerged in the Land of Rain, and Root had even identified their leaders. Clearly, Danzo's Root was a cut above Konoha's standard intelligence system.

Furthermore, having led campaigns in the Land of Rain during the Second Shinobi World War and dealt with Salamander Hanzo personally, Danzo possessed a certain insight into the man.

Without any desire to explain himself to the other three, Danzo spoke coldly, as if he were merely performing a routine duty: "I shall lead Root to the Land of Rain."

Sarutobi Hiruzen glanced at Danzo. He held a certain respect for this old partner of his.

It could be said that wherever Shimura Danzo and his Root went, chaos followed.

Sowing discord and creating turmoil among various nations—Danzo deserved much of the credit for Konoha's stability.

Yet, Sarutobi Hiruzen felt a twinge of apprehension regarding the current scale of the Root organization.

Since the end of the Second Shinobi World War, even Sarutobi Hiruzen was no longer certain of the exact size of Root.

Utatane Koharu and Mitokado Homura shared this sentiment, exchanging a look with the Third Hokage.

The Third Hokage nodded slightly and said in a deep voice:

"Danzo, I leave it to you."

Danzo did not reply, merely giving a slight nod.

Utatane Koharu set down the scroll in her hand, picked up a second one, and frowned.

"The leader of the Uchiha, has he now seized control of the Military Police Force?"

"The system established by the Second Hokage has its merits; there is no need to interfere too much in their internal affairs."

Sarutobi Hiruzen exhaled a ring of smoke. The change in leadership of the Military Police Force still required reporting to the Hokage, after all.

"It shows that Uchiha Nara's ambition is not small; we must be vigilant. But with so much work between the Uchiha clan and the Police Force, can he handle it all alone?"

Mitokado Homura also picked up a dossier to examine it.

"Although Uchiha Nara possesses superb ninjutsu and great strength, he is, after all, a dog kept in the house, a bird in a cage."

The Third Hokage puffed on his pipe, shook his head, and spoke slowly.

The Military Police Force was an inescapable, calculated trap. Its authority was indeed vast and significant, but firstly, its funding was firmly gripped by the Hokage Building.

The amount of funding was decided by the Hokage. Originally, it had been over 150 million ryo, but the Quartet had gradually suppressed it, citing reasons like the shinobi wars, the ninja academy, and the hospital, steadily reducing the Police Force's budget.

Secondly, ninjas were originally meant to be tools. Although the education at Konoha's ninja academy was enlightened, it was, in reality, a brutal screening process. Those who survived the fires of war almost all reached the level of jonin.

By controlling the Military Police Force, the Uchiha appeared to hold high status and power, but in truth, they were merely house dogs kept in a pen.

The Uchiha clan, once renowned for their might during the Warring States period and the early days of Konoha, had hardly produced any famous ninjas since the Second Hokage took office.

The current Uchiha clan had lost its edge. Many Uchiha ninjas took on Konoha missions to make a living, and the Third Hokage would always select simple C or D-rank missions for them, allowing them to survive without having to take risks.

In short, for the Uchiha ninjas, asking for a little money and doing low-end tasks was perfectly acceptable.

Joining the Police Force to hold a position and avoiding conscription to the front lines was also fine.

This appearance of great favor had caused the Uchiha to grow corrupt and indulge in peace.

Most of the ninjas possessed meager strength, becoming tigers without claws.

Perhaps when the opportunity arose in the future, all of the Uchiha's power could be reclaimed directly; if they refused to submit, they would be wiped out.

In the anime, by the end of the Third Hokage's reign, the Uchiha had become completely corrupt and were indeed wiped out by Konoha.

"The Uchiha clan must be guarded against; they are a clan cursed with evil. Do not forget that man—even after decades, the mere thought of him feels like an insurmountable mountain."

Shimura Danzo warned. In truth, Shimura Danzo and the hidden Root were not fit for the light of day; they were merely the blade in Hiruzen's hand.

The Third Hokage's indulgence and tolerance had allowed Root to grow fat and strong because Danzo was reliable and truly willing to do the dirty work.

The Third Hokage could never have imagined that this "good comrade" who dared to fight and struggle, whom he saw before him, would eventually become even more cold-blooded than himself, and would even watch silently as Konoha turned to ruins just to preserve his own strength...

The Quartet discussed Konoha's politics and development, as if they were young once again.

At Yamato Izakaya in Konoha, the owner personally served a bottle of sake to a customer, his tone warm and hearty:

"Please, enjoy."

"Thank you."

The customer whispered his thanks, picked up the sake flask, inspected its spout, and poured himself a cup.

Just then, eight ninjas in distinctive attire entered the shop. They wore blue caps emblazoned with a shuriken-encircled fan emblem, blue shirts, and black ninja vests.

Their left armbands bore the same shuriken-fan emblem, while their right armbands were embroidered with a shield.

Within the eight-man squad, the shield emblems were marked with either "Criminal Investigation Division" or "Special Police."

The group split into two, four surrounding the owner of the Yamato Izakaya, and four surrounding the customer.

"Kimura Sasuke, owner of the Yamato Izakaya, right? You're coming with us."

The ninja from the Police Force's Criminal Investigation Division finished speaking and pulled out shackles, locking the owner's hands.

The owner stared in bewilderment at these uniquely dressed ninjas.

On the other side, Uchiha Saburo, an elite of the Police Force, stood before the drinking customer, reached out to take the sake flask he had been using, and examined it closely.

The customer looked at the Police Force ninja, appearing utterly confused.

"Genin Mitsui Yo, you're coming with us."

"Sir, I am a genin who respects the Hokage. I don't know what I've done wrong?"

Uchiha Saburo couldn't be bothered to explain, waving his hand impatiently.

"Don't you know what you've done?"

Upon hearing this, Mitsui Yo looked puzzled. Just as he was about to speak, he met Uchiha Saburo's eyes and froze on the spot.

"What are you standing there for? Shackle him and take him away."

The nearby Police Force officers took out shackles and secured the Iwagakure spy.

Uchiha Saburo pulled a kunai from his Ninja Tool Pouch, sliced the sake flask in two, and carefully inspected the pieces. The inner walls were covered in writing.

This was exactly how Iwagakure spies transmitted intelligence.

Seeing the spy's honest appearance earlier, Uchiha Saburo had briefly doubted if they had made a mistake.

Now that the man and the evidence were caught together, Saburo felt relieved.

"The spies from Iwagakure are elite indeed."