Forceful Arrest

Konoha, commercial district.

Outside the Hot Spring Bathhouse.

When Zhengye arrived with his men, three squads of the Police Force were already stationed at the entrance. Shisui was there as well.

A man stood with his head lowered, saying something to Shisui.

"What happened?" The moment Zhengye arrived, every Uchiha's eyes lit up, as though they had found their backbone.

Shisui stepped beside Zhengye and said quietly:

"While bathing, this customer discovered that Jiraiya used ninjutsu to make a hole between the men's and women's baths so he could peep."

Zhengye swept his gaze around. Most of the people nearby were civilians.

Spotting Kurenai Yuhi, Zhengye went over and greeted her.

"Kurenai Yuhi, could you do me a favor? Go to the women's bath and get everyone out. There could easily be chaos during the arrest, and they might be frightened."

Kurenai froze for a moment. She had not expected him to truly be preparing to arrest someone, much less be so considerate.

"Sure, no problem!"

Without any hesitation, Kurenai Yuhi quickly headed inside.

Zhengye waved his hand. "Spread out and surround the place. If you see anyone climb over the wall to escape, raise the alarm immediately."

"Yes!"

Kurenai Yuhi moved quickly. About three minutes later, numerous female customers came rushing out, clutching their clothes, their hair still dripping wet.

The customers were all rather young. There were even four girls around ten years old who came out together.

Their faces were filled with shame and anger, even fear, but no one let out a shriek.

As the number of female customers dwindled, a furtive-looking person who appeared to be an ordinary villager slipped out from inside.

Zhengye stared at him, then suddenly shouted, "Jiraiya!"

The man's expression changed. He kicked off the ground and leaped straight onto the wall.

Just as he was about to jump again, Zhengye's hand lit up.

"Lightning Release, Lightning Spear!"

Whoosh!

A blue-white beam shot out like lightning.

The man's expression drastically changed, and he crossed both arms before himself to block it.

Screech!

The Lightning Spear was not particularly powerful, but it was enough to knock him out of the air.

With a bang, the Transformation Technique was undone. It really was Jiraiya.

"Peeping in broad daylight? Looks like you have no respect for our Police Force!"

With a metallic ring, Zhengye drew his longsword and slashed mercilessly at Jiraiya.

The moment Jiraiya saw the people rapidly leaving the women's bath, he knew something was wrong. He had not expected the Police Force to be waiting outside to arrest him.

Seeing the crowd surrounding him, his face stiffened. He barely dodged the overhead slash and reached for Zhengye's wrist.

"Wait! I'm Jiraiya!" Jiraiya said in a low voice.

"I'd arrest you even if you were Sarutobi Hiruzen!"

Jiraiya became somewhat irritated. "I was just gathering some material. Why are you so determined to make a big deal out of this!?"

Zhengye twisted his blade, forcing Jiraiya's hand back.

The moment he heard those words, he knew that this person's values were fundamentally different from his own.

A cruel smile appeared on his face, and he took a deep breath.

"Even if you are the Third Hokage's disciple, Jiraiya the Toad Sage, as long as you peep on the women's bath, our Police Force will bring you to justice!"

His longsword thrust forward again, straight for Jiraiya's chest.

The instant Jiraiya heard him shouting, he knew he was in trouble!

He had actually announced his identity. The old man would probably skin him alive!

With a toss of his head, countless strands of white hair lengthened and wound toward Zhengye.

"Hmph!" Zhengye snorted. His wrist flicked, and his longsword became a blur of blade light.

Amid repeated tearing sounds, the white hair was continuously cut into fragments that drifted down.

Yet Jiraiya kept retreating by extending his hair.

Zhengye's eyes narrowed slightly, then abruptly flew open!

The Three-Tomoe in his eyes suddenly burst apart, transforming into three diamond shapes!

Mangekyō Sharingan, dōjutsu: Amenotokotachi!

A crushing pressure abruptly descended upon Jiraiya.

Jiraiya's feet sank, and with a crack, he shattered a roof tile beneath him!

"What is this!?" Jiraiya's face filled with horror.

He forcefully kicked off the ground and leaped up again!

But this time, while in midair, his body became twice as heavy.

The immense gravity forcefully dragged him down at around three meters, though he had originally intended to leap seven or eight meters high.

Jiraiya inwardly cursed. Channeling chakra, he wrapped himself in white hair and crashed fiercely into the ground!

Crack, crack, crack...

When he landed, the bluestone pavement was smashed into a massive depression.

Zhengye stared at him, his Sharingan continuing to increase the pressure.

Four times gravity came crashing down.

With a buzz, Jiraiya felt even the air becoming viscous. Bang!

His entire body was slammed hard into the ground, his face scraped bloody.

Jiraiya had not expected the situation to turn so sharply. He tried to raise a hand and use his blood to form hand seals.

But Zhengye had already planted a sword beside his neck and said in a ghostly voice:

"Use another technique, and I'll cut your throat."

Jiraiya's pupils abruptly shrank to pinpoints. The killing intent in Zhengye's words was unmistakable.

He truly would kill him.

Jiraiya did not want to die so inexplicably, and he dejectedly lowered his hand.

Zhengye deactivated his Mangekyō Sharingan, and the pressure on Jiraiya eased at once.

"Whew..." Jiraiya took a deep breath. He had nearly been unable to breathe under that pressure.

Zhengye beckoned. The Police Force officers stepped forward, dragged Jiraiya up, and began tying him up.

He reached into the prize space, pulled out a bundle of steel wire, and tossed it onto the ground.

"Use this, so Jiraiya doesn't break free."

Staring at the tightly coiled steel wire, Jiraiya said resentfully:

"Mangekyō Sharingan... You're Uchiha Zhengye, aren't you? I was only gathering some material. Was this really necessary?"

Soji immediately stepped forward and wound steel wire around Jiraiya's hands and feet.

Zhengye was so angry he laughed.

"Your logic is pretty interesting. Since you see it that way, I'll let someone collect you as material too."

"Soji, strip him."

"Yes, Lord Zhengye!" To Soji, Zhengye's words were an imperial decree. He immediately reached out and began stripping off Jiraiya's clothes.

"Hey! Hey! Hey! Are you seriously doing this!? I'm Jiraiya!"

Jiraiya finally panicked a little. He had finally realized that Zhengye had no intention of discussing social niceties with him, nor did he care about his status.

He was domineering, crushing Jiraiya with nothing but his own logic.

"Zhengye... Zhengye..."

Having watched the entire scene, Asuma saw that Jiraiya had been stripped down to his underwear and hurriedly stepped forward to plead for him.

"Even if Lord Jiraiya was peeping, he should only be detained. There is no need to strip him, right?"

Zhengye frowned, turned, and glared at Asuma.

"If you're sick, go get treated! What if Kurenai had been bathing in the women's bath!? Idiot!"

Asuma shuddered. Turning his head, he saw Kurenai Yuhi standing there with her arms crossed. The gentleness once in her eyes had been replaced by utter disgust.

Clearly, his plea for Jiraiya had already angered the woman he was pursuing.

"Kurenai, um, that wasn't what I meant," Asuma explained stiffly.

Kurenai Yuhi snorted and turned to leave.

Asuma sprang up as though his backside were on fire. How could he still care about Jiraiya? He hurried after her.

Might Guy was also somewhat stunned. "Ah, the Police Force is truly diligent."

"No, I was wrong, I was wrong! Stop stripping me, stop!"

Jiraiya kept twisting his body, but his hands and feet were tightly bound with steel wire. His struggles were futile.

Annoyed by his struggling, Soji knocked him unconscious with a chop to the neck, then swiftly stripped him completely naked.

"Lord Zhengye, what should we do next?" Soji had carried out Zhengye's instructions with utmost diligence.

A cold glint flashed through Zhengye's eyes. "Hang him outside the Hokage Building!"

"Then use a loudspeaker to repeatedly broadcast: Jiraiya, disciple of the Third Hokage, was hung here as punishment by the Police Force for peeping on the women's bath..."