Adorable, Pitiful, Hateful

Just as Darui was preparing to let the matter rest, several Anbu appeared on the scene.

Uchiha Yan watched the Anbu, sensing their chakra.

He realized that none of them were familiar faces.

That was normal, though; after all, Konoha had no shortage of Anbu.

It was not unusual for him to have never met them.

The Konoha Anbu arrived at the scene, taking in the sight of the blood-drenched Cloud Village ninja and the expressionless Konoha Military Police Force members preparing to leave.

The lead Anbu wore an eagle mask.

He glanced at the severed hand on the ground, then at the gloomy-faced Darui, before finally locking his gaze onto Uchiha Yan.

His tone was laced with a sense of haughty reproach:

"Uchiha Yan, do you have any idea what time it is? The Five Kage Summit is imminent, and the joint Chunin Exams are a grand festival of peace personally authorized by the Hokage and the other Kage. As the captain of the Military Police Force, you are leading the way in maiming ninja from another village in a busy district? Is this the hospitality of the Uchiha clan?"

Upon hearing this, before Uchiha Yan could even speak, the Uchiha clansmen behind him could no longer restrain themselves, their hands moving to the hilts of their ninja blades.

"Maiming?" Uchiha Yan sneered. "You should say that I am disciplining those ignorant beasts on behalf of the Cloud Village. Extorting Konoha civilians on Konoha soil—is that what you call 'guests'? I think your brain has been clouded by certain ideologies, or perhaps your mind is filled with your own career advancement rather than the interests of Konoha's villagers?"

Who didn't know how to pin labels on others?

Hearing Uchiha Yan's words, the Eagle-Masked Anbu barked, "Insolent! Do you know what will happen if this matter is not handled well? The Hokage has always emphasized demonstrating the demeanor of a great nation like Konoha, promoting harmony and friendship. Your behavior will only saddle Konoha with a reputation for brutality!"

He turned around and actually bowed slightly to Darui, his tone becoming gentle, even somewhat servile:

"My Lord, I am terribly sorry. This was an overreaction by the Military Police Force. We, the Anbu, will take full responsibility for the subsequent compensation."

A playful look appeared in Darui's eyes.

He had not expected the conflict between Konoha's greatest clan and the village's leadership to be brought so openly to the surface.

He did not believe that Uchiha Yan, a core member of the Uchiha clan, was unaware of the intentions of Konoha's higher-ups.

Even less did he expect the two major factions of Konoha to openly suppress each other in front of outsiders.

Darui nodded and said sarcastically, "I won't pursue it further, but I will demand that you Konoha people provide an explanation for my student's hand."

The Eagle-Masked Anbu grew anxious, staring at Uchiha Yan as he said, "Uchiha Yan, surrender your blade immediately and come with us to the Anbu to explain the situation, otherwise..."

The surrounding Konoha villagers, hearing the spineless words of the Anbu, wore expressions of anger and disappointment.

When Uchiha Yan had stood up for them earlier, they had felt an unprecedented sense of pride; now, the Anbu's behavior felt like a resounding slap to the face of every villager in Konoha.

Before the Eagle-Masked Anbu could finish, Zhijian, a member of the Konoha hawk faction following Uchiha Yan, activated his Sharingan.

In their eyes, their Konoha was the number one village in the ninja world, and their Uchiha was the number one clan.

That ninja from another village had been running wild here.

They were already extremely displeased.

In their view, Uchiha Yan had been far too lenient.

He should have just chopped those Cloud Village savages to pieces.

As the two sides stood at daggers drawn, the Konoha Anbu felt a bit guilty under the constant gaze of those "red-eyed" men.

However, they were already in a position where they couldn't back down.

As for the Cloud Village ninja whose wrist had been severed?

He had already fainted from blood loss.

Furthermore, when Uchiha Yan had severed his wrist, he had deliberately used wind-style chakra to destroy the tissue.

In other words, even if Tsunade came, she could only attach a hook to his arm; it was impossible to reattach it.

Darui stood to the side, watching the show.

At that moment, a lazy voice drifted over.

"Yan, what's going on here?"

The Eagle-Masked Anbu felt a sense of relief upon hearing that familiar voice.

He turned his head toward the newcomer and said, "Kakashi, Captain, you've finally arrived."

He immediately recounted the sequence of events.

Hearing the retelling, Kakashi already understood what had happened.

He said indifferently, "Alright, go back to what you were doing. Disperse."

The Eagle-Masked Anbu was about to respond to Kakashi's words when a single look from Kakashi forced him to swallow his reply.

Darui knew well that when the situation was against him, he had to yield; he dared not utter any more harsh words.

He could only pick up the severed hand and leave with his remaining students.

At this, the Konoha villagers felt a sense of relief and began to applaud and cheer.

This was their lovable, hateful, and pitiable side.

It is hateful that these Konoha villagers can harbor such extreme resentment, even hurling insults, at a hero's child like Naruto based on nothing but baseless rumors.

It is pathetic that they would condemn Hatake Sakumo for sacrificing the village's interests to save his comrades, all because of idle gossip.

Do not forget, if they or their children, husbands, or wives were to serve as ninja, they would likely face the same choice between the village's interests and their own lives.

One can only hope they will face it with the same composure and without complaint when other Konoha ninja choose their missions over everything else.

Kakashi kept his hands in his pockets.

He watched the circle of villagers around him, their faces flushed as they applauded spontaneously, and listened to them shouting, "Lord Uchiha is mighty!" and "The Military Police Force is the best!" A flash of deeply complex self-mockery crossed his eyes.

Once upon a time, this applause had belonged to his father.

This was the "lovable" nature of these villagers. They lacked the ability to distinguish true right from wrong; in their worldview, whoever allowed them to hold their heads high before their neighbors, whoever kept them from being extorted by foreign ninja, was a hero.

"Lord Yan! Next time those Cloud ninja dare to act up, you should chop off their other hand too!" The Mask Shop Owner who had driven Naruto away earlier waved his fist, his face filled with a simple, fervent sense of justice.

"Exactly! We are Konoha, the strongest of them all—why should we ever have to apologize to them?" a vegetable vendor shouted.

She was the very same woman who had previously cursed the Uchiha for their strict enforcement of the law.

He looked at these cheering, jubilant villagers.

They were so simple-minded, as if Uchiha Yan hadn't just incited a diplomatic incident, but had merely beaten up a street thug.

Their unreserved support seemed truly endearing at this moment; as long as you stood firmly on their side, they were the most solid backing in the world.

The prerequisite, however, was that you had to make them believe you were on their side.

They were like reeds in the wind, swaying in whichever direction the breeze blew.

Uchiha Yan waved his hand and said, "Everyone, disperse. Do not obstruct traffic."