A Preventive Shot (Part One)

In the Police Force holding cells, the Third Hokage stared at Jiraiya through the bars, his anger rising.

He had called Jiraiya back to keep the Uchiha Clan in check.

Yet before Jiraiya could even be put to use, his reputation had already gone down the drain.

"Jiraiya, what the hell are you doing?! How are you supposed to keep a foothold in Konoha now?!"

Jiraiya was deeply frustrated as well.

"How was I supposed to know I'd run into Uchiha Natsuki this time? No one outside has ever managed to catch me."

The Third Hokage slapped the bars, producing a dull clang.

"I don't care what you do outside. But when you're in Konoha, put away those damn bad habits."

Jiraiya muttered, "Don't you use the Telescopic Jutsu to peep too..."

"Cough, cough!" The Third Hokage coughed twice with great solemnity, cutting Jiraiya off.

He glanced behind him. The Anbu stood far away on guard.

The Third Hokage picked up his pipe and said in a deliberately stern tone, "In any case, stay in here for fifteen days first. We'll talk after things blow over."

"If you escape early, it'll cause a lot of trouble. You'll just have to put up with it."

Jiraiya had heard Natsuki's ridicule earlier and knew there was no avoiding this spell in jail.

"Then get me some sake, old man..."

"Got it..."

The Third Hokage agreed as he walked out.

After the Third Hokage left, Natsuki arrived at the Police Force. He did not go see Jiraiya; he had come to find Hizashi.

When Fugaku had been captain of the Police Force, he would sometimes go out on patrol.

Hizashi, on the other hand, stayed at the Police Force every day and handled all sorts of affairs himself.

Just as Natsuki arrived, Hyuga Hayato finished his report and stepped out.

Natsuki patted Hyuga Hayato on the shoulder. "Not bad, kid."

Hyuga Hayato scratched his head somewhat bashfully.

"Lord Natsuki, I'll head out first, then."

Natsuki's eyes shifted.

"Wait."

Then he leaned close and whispered something into Hyuga Hayato's ear.

Hyuga Hayato nodded repeatedly. "Don't worry, Lord Natsuki. Leave it to me."

Natsuki waved his hand, then walked in without even knocking.

He saw Hizashi fully engrossed in the report documents in his hands.

"Hizashi, you're doing a pretty decent job."

Hizashi looked up, and seeing that it was Natsuki, he smiled too.

When they had first met, Natsuki had addressed him as "Lord Hizashi" every other sentence, his tone so respectful it was almost absurd.

But once they became familiar, Natsuki's unserious manner showed through. He never behaved properly around anyone.

Hizashi did not mind, though. Besides, the Hyuga Clan and the Uchiha Clan were currently in their honeymoon period.

During the earlier Cloud Village incident, it was thanks to Natsuki stepping in that things had been resolved. Otherwise, Hiashi would have beaten the other party to death.

The Hyuga Clan would truly have been in serious trouble.

They might even have had to pay with his Older Brother's life, or his own.

"Natsuki, you certainly made a splash today."

Natsuki waved his hand. "It was all an accident. Who knew Jiraiya would pull something like this as soon as he came back? I was just standing up for the civilians."

Yeah, right. You're one devious Uchiha, Natsuki.

You came to me specifically for a commission scroll today. Wasn't that so you could specifically cause trouble for Jiraiya?

There was no shortage of gossip about Jiraiya's escapades. When he traveled abroad, he truly indulged in wine, women, and pleasure.

Everywhere he went, visiting prostitutes and drinking were necessities.

And wherever he went, the local bathhouses would blacklist him.

Jiraiya had also written novels and manga.

His novels were proper novels. As for whether his manga was proper, no one knew.

But one's position determined one's perspective. Hizashi had once treated Jiraiya's romantic exploits as a joke.

Now that Hizashi was captain of the Police Force, he still had to intervene in behavior like Jiraiya's.

It was one thing for such a prominent figure to fool around outside the village.

But coming back to the village and still acting this way was a little excessive. Even rabbits did not eat the grass around their own burrows.

And this time, some of the victims were members of the Hyuga Clan.

If Hizashi had stepped in, it would have been difficult to handle.

After all, Jiraiya's status was what it was.

But it was different when Natsuki made a move. He had probably left Jiraiya traumatized.

Jiraiya, student of the Third Hokage, one of the Three Sannin, the Sage of the Toads, caught peeping into the women's bathhouse and publicly humiliated.

While lost in thought, Hizashi spoke.

"Natsuki, why did you do this?"

Natsuki shook his head. "No particular reason. I just can't stand this kind of behavior. Even if it's Jiraiya, it's not acceptable."

Hizashi gave Natsuki a deep look, then gave an indifferent hum.

"Also, I caught that Nakamura Kazuya from Root today. He actually tried to obstruct my law enforcement. You can use that as an excuse to dismiss him. With the rest of Root leaderless, they won't be able to stir up much trouble."

Hizashi nodded in agreement. That Nakamura Kazuya had been jumping around before, trying to recruit people from the Police Force.

But the structure of the Hyuga Main Family and branch family meant the branch family was as solid as a wall. Outsiders could not win them over or turn them against the clan.

Still, it was not good to let someone like that keep jumping around. Now that they had caught him, they might as well dismiss him outright.

Natsuki took out the commission scroll.

"Captain Hizashi, I think the Police Force is pretty fun, but I'm quite busy, so I'll resign for now."

Hizashi did not know whether to laugh or cry. Who did not know that Natsuki was only here to play around?

"Fine. Leave it there."

Many people probably guessed that Natsuki's purpose in doing this was to damage the reputation of the Hokage's faction.

But only Natsuki himself knew that he simply did not want Naruto to be led astray.

To Natsuki, all those acts of treating vulgarity as entertainment were extremely stupid.

Natsuki headed toward the Konoha Ninja Academy, hearing many people along the way talking about Jiraiya's arrest.

When Natsuki reached the academy, he found that school had been out for some time.

A nearby Police Force member happened to be from the Hyuga Clan. "Where did Sasuke go?"

The Hyuga Clan member hurriedly bowed.

"Lord Natsuki, Sasuke and Naruto just headed toward Yachimata."

"Fine, get back to work."

Natsuki searched along the way to Yachimata and indeed found the two boys.

They were each holding a skewer of takoyaki and eating. Naruto had more living expenses now.

Naturally, he no longer felt inferior, and he looked much more spirited.

"Naruto, Sasuke, so you're here." Naruto heard the familiar voice.

He looked up in delight. "Senior Natsuki!"

Sasuke, meanwhile, called out properly, "Master."

Natsuki tapped Sasuke's forehead with a finger.

"I heard you came first in this week's test again. As expected of a child of my Uchiha Clan. Sasuke, you did great."

Hearing such straightforward praise, Sasuke felt both proud and embarrassed.

Keeping a straight face, he said haughtily, "As Master's disciple, naturally I can't bring shame upon Master."

Naruto looked at Sasuke with some envy.

Sasuke had told him before that he had joined Senior Natsuki's tutelage and become his disciple.

He had once been all alone. Although he had more friends now, there were still very few elders close to him.