Sarutobi Guaguazhan Couldn't Keep Up with the Changes

"Bang!" With a crisp crash, the wineglass shattered on the floor, sending wine splashing over Sarutobi Guaguazhan's seemingly expensive clothes.

"I-I'm sorry, I'm sorry! I didn't do it on purpose!" The waiter went pale and hurriedly bowed in apology, his trembling voice nearly inaudible.

"You bastard!" Sarutobi Guaguazhan slammed the table and shot to his feet, the flesh on his face quivering as fury filled his eyes. "Do you know who I am? I'm Sarutobi Guaguazhan! An elite ninja of the Sarutobi Clan! Do you know how much these clothes cost? You dare spill wine on me? Are you tired of living?"

The waiter staggered back in fright, nearly bursting into tears. Seeing this, the owner hurried over to smooth things over, his face plastered with a fawning smile. "My lord ninja, please be magnanimous. This waiter truly didn't do it on purpose. How about this? Your bill tonight will be free, and afterward I'll have him clean your clothes. I guarantee they'll look good as new. Would that be acceptable?"

Slap! A sharp slap rang out, and the owner was sent sprawling to the floor by Sarutobi Guaguazhan's blow.

"You bastard!" Sarutobi Guaguazhan roared. "Are you trying to fob me off like some beggar? You think a few drinks are enough to settle this? I'm telling you, unless I get one million ryo today, this isn't over! Otherwise, he's dead!"

The owner clutched his face as he struggled to his feet, his eyes filled with anger. "This is extortion!"

"Extortion?" Sarutobi Guaguazhan sneered disdainfully. "You think I care about extorting you? Do you know how much these clothes are worth? Two million ryo! I even have the receipt right here! Asking you for one million is already doing you a favor!"

Just then, two ninjas in Uchiha Police Force uniforms appeared inside the tavern using Body Flicker, their cold gazes sweeping across the room.

"What happened here?" one of the Police Force members asked in a low voice.

Seeing them, Sarutobi Guaguazhan immediately pointed at the waiter and owner. "You came at the right time! This waiter spilled wine on my clothes and ruined clothes worth two million ryo! I have the receipt, and I asked them to compensate me one million ryo, but they refused! Arrest them and force them to pay!"

The owner hurriedly cried out, "I've been wronged, Lord Uchiha Police! I know this fabric. It's worth three thousand ryo at most! He's extorting us!"

Sarutobi Guaguazhan immediately flew into a rage. "You bastard! I'm an elite ninja of the Sarutobi Clan! The Sarutobi Clan is the Hokage's clan! You dare slander the Sarutobi Clan? That makes your crime even worse! Police Force, what are you standing around for? Arrest them already! Do I need to invite Lord Hokage here personally before you'll act?"

The Police Force member gave him a cold look, his tone icy. "Hmph. Look into my eyes."

Sarutobi Guaguazhan froze for a moment, then grew even angrier. "What? Are you trying to use the Sharingan to enforce the law violently? Go ahead, try using your Sharingan! I'll report you to Lord Hokage and make you regret it!"

"I said, look into my eyes!" The Police Force member's voice suddenly rose, carrying an irresistible authority as he directly used a hypnosis technique.

Sarutobi Guaguazhan's body stiffened involuntarily, and his eyes instantly turned dull as he stared straight into the other man's eyes. In an instant, everything before him turned crimson, as though he had fallen into an endless illusion.

"Tell me. How much are your clothes worth?" the Police Force member asked coldly.

A strange smile suddenly appeared on Sarutobi Guaguazhan's face. He burst into laughter. "Hahahaha! My clothes are only worth two thousand five hundred ryo! But I had the owner write me a receipt for two million ryo, then I came to the tavern at night and found a waiter to deliberately bump into me. Then I could make him pay three million ryo! Isn't that way better than working myself to the bone on missions? Hahaha! I really am a genius!"

The tavern's patrons erupted into an uproar upon hearing this.

"Tch. So he really is an extortionist," someone scoffed disdainfully.

"He probably just came back from outside and still thinks the village is the old village, and the Uchiha are the old Uchiha," another person said with a sigh, shaking his head.

"That's not quite right. The Uchiha are indeed still the same Uchiha, but we aren't the same people we used to be. We were so foolish before. We never believed the Uchiha and only knew how to ignore the facts," someone murmured in agreement.

"Shh, that's forbidden speech!" someone beside him hurriedly warned.

"Ah, I didn't say anything." The man quickly shut his mouth.

At that moment, the Police Force member released the genjutsu. Sarutobi Guaguazhan suddenly came back to his senses, and his face immediately turned deathly pale.

"Damn it! Everyone saw that, right? The evil Uchiha used the Sharingan to enforce the law violently and twist black into white! Are you colluding with the Uchiha?" Sarutobi Guaguazhan shouted furiously, pointing at the owner and the Police Force members.

"Hmph. You extort people and still dare threaten them so brazenly? You've got guts. Take him away!" The Police Force member snorted and gestured for his companion to seize him.

"You dare! I'm from the Sarutobi Clan! You actually colluded with this tavern owner to fabricate evidence! I'll report all of you to Lord Hokage!" Sarutobi Guaguazhan struggled, his face filled with rage.

"You don't know what's good for you! Beat him!" Seeing this, the Police Force member slapped him directly. With a slap, a bright red handprint immediately appeared on Sarutobi Guaguazhan's face.

Several Police Force members then rushed forward and began raining punches and kicks on Sarutobi Guaguazhan.

"Damn it! Uchiha, you actually dare enforce the law violently!" Sarutobi Guaguazhan screamed as he was beaten.

"The Uchiha are enforcing the law violently! Someone come! ANBU, come quickly!" He cried out himself hoarse, trying to draw the attention of those around him.

"Go on, scream. No one will save you even if you scream your throat raw!" The Police Force member sneered and hit him even harder.

"Aaahhh..." Sarutobi Guaguazhan's screams echoed through the tavern.

"Well done!" The tavern patrons applauded and cheered, their faces full of satisfaction.

"My lords of the Police Force, thank you so much! This is a small token of my appreciation. Please accept it. Thank you for stopping him in time." The owner beamed as he respectfully offered a bottle of fine sake to the Uchiha Police Force members.

The Police Force member accepted the sake, a rare smile appearing on his face as he nodded. "Then thank you. If something like this happens again, just ring the bell for us. We'll arrive immediately."

"Yes, yes, my lord!" The owner nodded repeatedly, smiling from ear to ear. "With you here, ordinary people like us can finally feel at ease!"

The Police Force member smiled faintly and patted the owner on the shoulder before turning to leave.

"You... you..." Sarutobi Guaguazhan, held off to the side, stared wide-eyed in disbelief. He fixed his gaze on the owner and the Police Force members as if he had seen something utterly unimaginable.

This was the Uchiha? The Uchiha whom villagers avoided and even secretly cursed? When had they become so popular? Didn't these owners used to grit their teeth at the mention of the Uchiha, wishing they could drive them out of the village? Why were they now treating the Uchiha with such respect, even voluntarily giving them wine in thanks?

Sarutobi Guaguazhan's head buzzed, and he could not understand the scene before him at all. He had only been away from the village for a few months. How had things changed so drastically? What had happened during those months?

"Hey, stop spacing out. Move!" A Police Force member shoved him impatiently.

Sarutobi Guaguazhan stumbled from the push, his face full of humiliation and resentment. Yet he no longer dared resist and could only lower his head as he was led away in disgrace.

Inside the tavern, the villagers' praise for the Uchiha remained as fervent as ever.

"The Uchiha Police Force is getting friendlier and friendlier!"

"Yeah. We misunderstood them before. Now we know they truly work for the village!"

"With them around, our lives might not have gotten much better, but we certainly feel much more at ease!"

"We really didn't know what was good for us before. We were always making trouble for nothing!"

Hidden in a dark corner, the Third Hokage silently watched it all, his brows tightly furrowed and his heart filled with mixed feelings. He had originally come out to clear his troubled mind, only to witness something that troubled him even more.

The Uchiha had actually begun to become more popular than the Sarutobi Clan.