The Slap Came Swiftly

Konoha's commercial district.

The atmosphere was deathly silent.

The villagers who had been jeering moments ago now looked like ducks with their throats seized, not daring to even breathe loudly.

Shimura Takuma lay sprawled on the ground, half his face stained red with blood.

His two companions stood frozen in place, their faces alternating between pale and livid. They wanted to step forward and save him, but they did not dare truly make a move.

Because Uchiha You's foot was still pressed against Shimura Takuma's back.

That posture did not look like he was subduing a Konoha jonin.

It looked more like he was stepping on a disobedient dog.

"Uchiha You!"

One of the Shimura clansmen gritted his teeth and spoke.

"Do you know what you're doing? Takuma is from the Shimura Clan!"

Uchiha You glanced at him.

A chill ran through the man's heart, and he instinctively took half a step back.

Uchiha You said calmly, "Of course I know."

"If he weren't from the Shimura Clan, I might not have made such a big deal out of this."

The Shimura clansman's expression darkened.

"What do you mean?"

Uchiha You pressed down slightly with his foot.

Shimura Takuma immediately let out a muffled groan.

"It means that members of the Shimura Clan should know Konoha's rules even better."

"As Konoha ninja, you openly shielded a lawbreaker, obstructed the Police Force in the line of duty, and even attacked Police Force members in the street."

"What is that called?"

Uchiha You turned to look at Uchiha Chuan.

Uchiha Chuan's heart jolted, and he immediately answered loudly:

"Assaulting law enforcement officers!"

Uchiha You nodded.

"And what else?"

Another member of the Uchiha Police Force gritted his teeth. Finally seeming to throw all caution aside, he said in a deep voice:

"Disrupting Konoha's public order!"

Uchiha You continued, "What else?"

A fierce glint flashed through Uchiha Chuan's eyes.

"Throwing their weight around, tarnishing the reputation of Konoha's ninja clans, and disregarding the authority of the Police Force!"

As soon as those words were spoken, the expressions of the surrounding villagers changed slightly.

They suddenly realized that the Uchiha seemed different today.

In the past, the Uchiha Police Force would always endure situations like this.

They were clearly in the right, yet they always feared being held accountable by the Hokage Building, feared the villagers' gossip, and feared Danzo making an issue of it. In the end, they would turn major matters into minor ones and minor matters into nothing.

But today.

Uchiha You had no intention of backing down.

Not only had he beaten that illegal vendor.

He had also stepped on a Shimura Clan jonin in front of everyone.

Was this even law enforcement?

This was practically a public slap in the Shimura Clan's face!

No.

More accurately, it was a slap in Danzo's face!

Uchiha You looked at the two Shimura clansmen and said calmly:

"You two, will you come back to the Police Force with us on your own, or do I have to make you?"

The two men's faces instantly turned livid.

"Uchiha You, don't go too far!"

"Too far?"

Uchiha You looked as though he had heard something hilarious.

"When your Shimura Clan member obstructed the Police Force from enforcing the law just now, why didn't you say that was too far?"

"When he threatened the Police Force in the street, why didn't you say that was too far?"

"When this trash used the Shimura Clan's name to bully ordinary villagers, why didn't you say that was too far?"

At that point, Uchiha You's gaze suddenly turned cold.

"What?"

"Only your Shimura Clan is allowed to trample on others, but no one else is allowed to trample back?"

The two Shimura clansmen flushed red from his retort, yet they could not utter a single word.

The eyes of the surrounding Uchiha Police Force members, however, grew brighter and brighter.

This felt good!

It felt so damn good!

How much humiliation had they endured over the years?

They were clearly the Konoha Police Force.

They were clearly maintaining the village's public order.

Yet in the end, they had become the villains in the villagers' eyes.

When ordinary villagers caused trouble, they had to endure it.

When other ninja clans provoked them, they had to endure that too.

When they encountered people like the Shimura Clan, those under Danzo's command, they had to endure even more.

They had endured for so long that they had nearly forgotten the Uchiha Clan was also one of Konoha's great clans!

They were even one of the clans that had founded the village!

Why did they have to keep lowering their heads?

Why did they have to keep backing down?

Uchiha Chuan took a deep breath, and three tomoe slowly emerged in his eyes.

He looked at the two Shimura clansmen and said in a deep voice:

"Surrender peacefully."

"Otherwise, you will be treated as attackers of the Police Force."

Several other Uchiha Police Force members stepped forward at the same time.

Pairs of scarlet Sharingan looked especially glaring beneath the morning sunlight.

The expressions of the two Shimura clansmen changed completely.

They knew things had gotten out of hand today.

If they fought now, they might not win.

Even if they did win, it would still be an open attack on the Police Force.

But if they did not fight and were taken back to the Police Force by the Uchiha, the Shimura Clan would lose all its face.

Just as the two were trapped in a dilemma, Shimura Takuma painfully raised his head from the ground and stared at Uchiha You with venom in his eyes.

"Uchiha You..."

"You'll regret this..."

"Lord Danzo won't let you off..."

Hearing that, a mocking glint flashed through Uchiha You's eyes.

"Regret?"

"The only thing I regret now is not hitting you hard enough earlier."

As soon as he finished speaking.

Bang!

Uchiha You kicked Shimura Takuma in the abdomen.

Shimura Takuma slid several meters across the ground and crashed into the shattered stall, vomiting another mouthful of blood.

The surrounding villagers backed away in fright.

Uchiha You said coldly:

"Take them away."

"All three members of the Shimura Clan included."

"Anyone who tries to stop us gets arrested too."

"Yes!"

This time, the Uchiha Police Force members answered especially loudly.

There was no hesitation.

No retreat.

Several Uchiha clansmen stepped forward and bound Shimura Takuma and the other two with ninja tools.

The fat vendor had long since been scared witless.

He had originally been counting on Shimura Takuma to save him.

But his savior had barely appeared before Uchiha You stomped him into the ground.

Now, seeing the Uchiha clansmen walk toward him, the fat vendor began trembling all over in panic.

"No... Don't arrest me!"

"I was wrong!"

"I'll never dare do it again!"

"My lords, I really know I was wrong!"

Uchiha You did not even look at him.

"Take him away."

Two Police Force members dragged the fat vendor away.

Not a single person in the crowd dared make another sound.

The few villagers who had cursed the loudest just moments ago now lowered their heads, wishing they could hide in the cracks of the ground.

Uchiha You stood in the middle of the street, his gaze slowly sweeping over everyone.

"The Police Force maintains Konoha's public order. We are not your punching bag."

"If you think the Uchiha enforce the law unfairly, you can file a complaint at the Hokage Building."

"But if anyone dares break the law while using the Uchiha name as an excuse again..."

His voice paused slightly.

The hearts of everyone around him tightened with it.

Uchiha You said blandly:

"Then don't blame me for personally teaching him what Konoha's rules are."

With that, he turned and left.

Several Uchiha Police Force members followed behind, escorting Shimura Takuma and the others.

Only after they had gone far away did the villagers in the commercial district dare whisper among themselves.

"Have the Uchiha gone mad?"

"They even dared arrest the Shimura Clan..."

"This will definitely reach the Hokage Building."

"That Uchiha You is probably in trouble."

"In trouble? Didn't you see what Shimura Takuma was beaten into? I think we'd better avoid provoking the Police Force from now on..."

Within the crowd, a masked ANBU silently watched the direction in which Uchiha You had departed.

A moment later, his figure flashed and vanished from the rooftop.