Fugaku walked up to the door of the Hokage's Office.
The two Anbu guards at the entrance instinctively tightened their grips on their weapons when they saw his murderous expression.
Fugaku did not even glance at them.
He reached out and forcefully pushed open the heavy solid wood door.
Bang!
The door slammed into the wall with a deafening crash.
Everyone in the office turned toward the entrance at once.
Fugaku strode into the office.
His expression was stern, his sharp gaze sweeping over everyone present.
"Lord Hokage!"
Fugaku's voice rang out, thick with anger.
"Our Uchiha Clan has always obeyed the law and devoted itself to the village!"
"You higher-ups had better not push us too far!"
"Chikage is only a clerk. He came here with evidence to report a case!"
"If you dare make trouble for him, I, Uchiha Fugaku, will not stand for it!"
Fugaku shouted all the lines he had prepared in one breath.
He was ready to face the higher-ups' fury.
He was even prepared to fight Danzo outright.
But...
The reaction in the office was nothing like he had expected.
There was no shouting.
There were no accusations.
No Anbu ninja rushed out to point blades at him, either.
Fugaku froze.
He took a closer look at the scene inside the office.
Chikage was sitting squarely in the chair across from the desk, looking perfectly at ease.
He held a cup of the Hokage's Office's guest tea.
And was sipping it leisurely.
Not so much as a hair on his head had been harmed.
The higher-ups, on the other hand...
Mitokado Homura leaned against the sofa, his face deathly pale as he gasped for breath.
Utatane Koharu clutched her chest, clearly seething with anger.
Danzo stood beside them with his cane, the bloodshot veins in his lone eye plainly visible.
His whole body trembled with rage.
As for the Third Hokage, seated behind the desk...
The moment he saw Fugaku push through the door...
He actually let out a long sigh of relief.
His expression was nothing like that of someone facing an Uchiha Clan Head who had come to demand answers.
He looked more as though he had just seen his savior arrive.
"Fugaku."
The Third Hokage set down his pipe, unmistakable relief in his voice.
"You're finally here."
Fugaku was utterly bewildered.
What on earth was going on?
He looked at the relaxed Chikage, then at the furious higher-ups.
This wasn't how it was supposed to go.
Wasn't Chikage supposed to be trembling under their bullying, before he, the clan head, swooped in to back him up?
Why did it now look...
As though Chikage alone had cornered Konoha's most powerful leaders and left them speechless?
Fugaku swallowed, all the harsh words he had prepared catching in his throat.
"Lord Hokage, this..."
Fugaku pointed at Chikage, then at Danzo beside him.
For a moment, he had no idea what to say.
The Third Hokage stood up, walked around the desk, and approached Fugaku.
He patted Fugaku on the shoulder.
"Fugaku, you've come at just the right time."
"Let's sit down and have a proper discussion about what happened on South Street."
The Third Hokage genuinely found Fugaku much more agreeable now.
Compared with Chikage, that troublemaker whose every word was about rules and regulations...
Someone like Fugaku, who valued his clan's interests and was willing to negotiate, was simply a pleasure to deal with.
At least Fugaku would not invoke the First Hokage at every turn to lecture people.
Nor would he stand there with a copy of the Public Security Regulations, picking apart procedures word by word.
"Clan Head Fugaku, you've finally decided to show yourself."
Mitokado Homura had also recovered somewhat, and his tone carried a note of complaint.
"That deputy captain of your Konoha Military Police Force certainly has quite a temper."
"He even dares to question senior advisors like us to our faces."
Hearing this only deepened Fugaku's confusion.
He turned to Chikage.
Chikage set down his teacup and stood up.
"Uncle, what brings you here?"
"I was just discussing the development of Konoha's legal system with the advisors."
"They were saying that the Konoha Military Police Force bringing the people's grievances to the Hokage Building amounted to trying to force the Hokage's hand."
"I was just explaining the First Hokage's Will of Fire to them."
The moment Chikage finished speaking...
Mitokado Homura and Utatane Koharu turned a few shades paler.
Danzo slammed his cane hard against the floor.
"Uchiha Chikage, enough of your snide remarks!"
Danzo pointed straight at Chikage's face.
"You broke my nephew's leg! I haven't settled that score with you yet!"
Fugaku's eyes lit up at those words.
At last, there was something he could understand.
He immediately stepped forward, shielding Chikage behind him.
"Advisor Danzo, that's not a fair way to put it."
Fugaku set his face, projecting the authority of the Uchiha Clan Head.
"I've already heard about what happened on South Street."
"The members of the Shimura Clan were the ones who started smashing up shops and extorting the shopkeepers."
"As Deputy Captain of the Konoha Military Police Force, what did Chikage do wrong by lawfully stopping a suspect?"
"Whether excessive force was used can be investigated separately through the proper procedures."
"But your Root took Yashiro away without a warrant. You must explain that as well!"
Fugaku's words rang out with conviction.
He felt he had finally regained the upper hand.
Now this was how a negotiation was supposed to go.
But he noticed that after hearing him out, the higher-ups...
Were not angry at all. Instead, they looked relieved.
The Third Hokage even nodded in agreement.
Fugaku was more confused than ever.
He was clearly accusing them, so why did they look so pleased?
What he did not know was...
The higher-ups truly would rather negotiate with Fugaku now.
Fugaku spoke of assigning responsibility and protecting his clan's interests.
Those were all things that could be investigated and negotiated.
Chikage, however, spoke of procedure and regulations written in black and white.
Those could not simply be brushed aside.
If the higher-ups openly rejected the regulations, they would effectively be admitting that they disregarded Konoha's laws.
They would rather face Fugaku's anger than listen to Chikage recite that copy of the Public Security Regulations again.
"Fugaku."
The Third Hokage relit his pipe.
"The village will give the Konoha Military Police Force and the affected shopkeepers a proper answer regarding the South Street incident."
"As for Captain Yashiro, I'll send Anbu to Root immediately to bring him out."
"He'll be brought directly to the Hokage Building, where medical ninja will examine his injuries."
"The losses caused by Shimura Ken and the others smashing up the shops will also be compensated in full by those responsible."
The Third Hokage made a string of promises.
All he wanted now was to bring this uproar under control as quickly as possible.
"However..."
The Third Hokage shifted the subject.
"Bringing so many people to surround the Hokage Building could easily cause panic."
"Have the clan members who aren't here on official business return to the Konoha Military Police Force first."
"You and the personnel handling the case can stay, and we'll sit down to discuss how to proceed."
Hearing the Third Hokage agree to release Yashiro immediately...
Fugaku's anger subsided somewhat.
But he did not immediately agree to withdraw everyone.
"All right."
Fugaku nodded.
"I'll have the clan members who aren't involved in the case return to the Konoha Military Police Force first."
"But Yashiro must be brought safely to the plaza, and the compensation and assignment of responsibility must be put in writing."
"The Second Squad will withdraw once we've confirmed he's all right."
The Third Hokage did not hesitate.
"Agreed. We'll do as you say."
Fugaku turned, ready to go outside and give the order.
"Wait."
Chikage suddenly spoke, stopping Fugaku in his tracks.
Everyone in the office turned to look at him.
The Third Hokage's heart lurched again.
Mitokado Homura and Utatane Koharu also watched Chikage warily.
They were afraid the boy would dig up yet another clause.
Chikage picked up the case file from the desk and walked over to the Third Hokage.
"Lord Hokage, the release and compensation must be carried out."
"But there's still one matter that hasn't been resolved."
Chikage pointed to the interrogation record in the case file.
"Shimura Ken led a group in smashing up shops and extorting shopkeepers, then resisted arrest with a weapon."
"The physical evidence, the shopkeepers' testimony, and the police officers' records all corroborate one another."
"Under the Public Security Administration Regulations, he must serve fifteen days of detention with the Konoha Military Police Force."
"The three hundred and fifty thousand ryo in fines, compensation, and security deposit must also be paid in full within the prescribed period."
Chikage raised his head and looked at Danzo.
"Advisor Danzo, if you're willing to act as his guarantor, I can issue you a payment receipt right now."
"If you aren't willing to pay..."
"That's fine, too. He'll serve every last day of his fifteen-day detention, and the Konoha Military Police Force will recover the outstanding sum in accordance with the law."
Danzo trembled all over with rage.
He, a distinguished Hokage Advisor, was actually being pressed to pay a fine by a genin to his face.
It was an utterly humiliating insult.
"Not a chance!"
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