Even if Utatane Koharu had been a complete fool, she knew that the situation was now entirely beyond their control.
With her old partner, Mitokado Homura, supporting her, she could only leave in a wretched state.
As Homura pushed open the door, Uchiha Fugaku's voice rang out behind them. "Advisor, many spies from other countries have recently infiltrated Konoha. I hope you'll stay safe."
At Fugaku's words, the two of them stopped in their tracks.
Homura took a deep breath to calm himself, then bowed slightly. "Thank you for your concern, Clan Head Fugaku."
Homura was seething with humiliation, but had no choice but to accept Fugaku's threat.
Once they had left the Military Police Force Building, Fugaku watched them go and spoke coldly to his trusted aide. "Give them a warning. The two old relics can't die just yet, but everyone else is fair game."
"Yes." Without the slightest hesitation, the aide hurried out of the office to arrange the mission.
He looked as if he had been itching to do this for a long time.
Fugaku was left sitting in his office chair, swirling the teacup in his hand.
He took a sip of tea, and a murderous glint flashed in his eyes.
Those two old relics couldn't be allowed to live, but with Jiraiya here, it wasn't convenient to break with them openly.
Utatane Koharu and Mitokado Homura left the Military Police Force in a sorry state.
Once they were far from the Military Police Force, Koharu cautiously looked around.
After confirming that it was safe, she said indignantly, "Homura, what on earth does the Uchiha Clan think they're doing? They actually dared to do that in public..."
Homura looked at her and shook his head helplessly. "Koharu, don't forget who our authority comes from."
"The Hokage, of course," Koharu replied without a second thought.
As soon as she finished speaking, she suddenly realized the truth herself.
That was right. Her power came from Sarutobi Hiruzen. Now that he was dead, wasn't she just an ordinary clan head from a minor clan and a regular jōnin?
Though she had grasped the situation, she still said bitterly, "Homura, are we really going to sit here and wait for them to make a move?"
Homura shook his head. "Of course not. We just misread the situation at first."
"From now on, we just need to keep the Anbu under our control and reestablish our alliance with the Ino-Shika-Cho families and the Hyuga Clan. The smaller clans will naturally choose sides, and Konoha will still be under our control."
Koharu seemed to have regained her wits.
"What about Danzo? Shouldn't we win him over?"
Homura's eyes turned cold. "Don't worry. As long as the Uchiha Clan survives, Danzo will remain on our side."
The two continued their conversation as they walked.
The streets of Konoha were eerily quiet in the dead of night.
The "Konoha Crush Plan" Orochimaru had set in motion had only ended recently. Most of the streetlights along the roads had been shattered by the aftershocks of battle, leaving just a few flickering lights that blinked on and off.
Escorted by a group of trusted aides, Koharu and Homura hurried along.
They had just suffered a humiliating ordeal at the Military Police Force, but once they were back on their own turf, their minds began to stir with plans again.
"First thing tomorrow morning, I'll go see Hyuga Hiashi and Nara Shikaku myself." Koharu's eyes brimmed with venom. "I refuse to believe the Uchiha Clan can withstand pressure from all of Konoha's major clans combined!"
Homura was just about to nod in agreement when a ninja's instinct made every hair on his body stand on end!
"Something's wrong! Stop!!"
Homura's shout rang out sharply across the empty street.
But his warning came half a beat too late.
Splurt!
The two guards at the very front of the group, who had been scouting ahead, didn't even have time to cry out before their heads were sent flying. Hot blood sprayed like fountains, staining their fine robes a vivid red.
"Enemy attack! Protect the advisors!!"
The four remaining aides panicked. They didn't even have time to form hand seals before drawing the Ninja Blades from their backs.
They had only just spotted where the enemy was when several pairs of dazzling red Three-Tomoe Sharingan lit up in the pitch-black night!
"The Military Police Force is conducting an investigation. All unauthorized persons will be killed without exception."
During Fugaku's time as clan head, he had naturally kept trusted members of the Uchiha Hawk Faction close to him to maintain the balance of power.
These trusted aides were all staunch members of the Uchiha Hawk Faction. Now that they had received Fugaku's orders, they would show no mercy.
To be precise, they were enjoying this mission.
So every move they made was a killing blow.
The guards stood no chance against the elite Uchiha trained with such care.
One had barely drawn his Ninja Blade before a long sword coated in Lightning Release chakra pierced his chest.
Some unlucky fools were stupid enough to meet the gaze of Uchiha with the Three-Tomoe Sharingan.
They fell into genjutsu in an instant, and the Uchiha easily slit their throats.
The entire battle lasted less than a minute before it was over.
It was a one-sided massacre.
Utatane Koharu stared at everything before her in a daze.
Her face and clothes were now spattered with the blood of her own aides.
Pointing at the Uchiha, she trembled as she spoke. "What are you trying to do? Is the Uchiha Clan planning a coup?"
The Uchiha at the front sheathed his blade.
He looked at Koharu and Homura and spoke calmly. "Sorry for the scare. Our investigation just uncovered evidence that these men were colluding with Sunagakure and Orochimaru. It all happened so suddenly—if we've offended you, then we've offended you."
"Colluding with Sunagakure?" Homura shook with rage at the absurd accusation, his voice rising. "They've been our trusted aides for decades! How could they possibly collude with Sunagakure?!"
"Evidence? Advisor, aren't these bodies all around us the best evidence?"
The Uchiha elite in charge sneered, utterly unmoved by Homura's fury.
He slowly walked over to the body of a guard who had just stopped breathing. Bending down in front of the two advisors, he skillfully probed through the corpse's clothes with a bloodstained Kunai.
Just then, someone nearby reported, "Captain, we found something."
With that, he handed the captain a scroll that was completely free of bloodstains.
"See? Caught red-handed," he muttered to himself.
The Uchiha took the scroll and dipped it in blood in front of Homura and Koharu, making the "evidence" look convincing.
He waved it before the two advisors and explained, "Orochimaru attacked the village, yet these guards took you out wandering the streets in the middle of the night. They even tried to approach the Military Police Force Building, where dangerous criminals are being held."
"If our Military Police Force hadn't discovered them in time and executed them on the spot, who could guarantee your safety?"
"Who's to say they weren't planning to hold you hostage and curry favor with Sunagakure?"
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