Shisui returned to the Hokage Building with the suitcase full of cash, untouched.
He placed the money case on Shimura Danzō's desk.
Danzo's expression darkened as he looked at the familiar black suitcase.
"What happened?"
"The Military Police Force wouldn't take it?"
With his head lowered, Shisui repeated Chikage's exact words from the Konoha Military Police Force Hall.
"Deputy Captain Chikage said overdue payments incur a daily late fee of five percent."
"Today's late fee is seventeen thousand five hundred ryō."
"If the amount is insufficient, the Military Police Force will not process the payment."
Danzo shot to his feet.
He snatched the teacup off his desk and hurled it to the floor.
Tea splashed everywhere, and shattered porcelain littered the floor.
"That bastard!"
"Who does Uchiha Chikage think he is, charging me a late fee?!"
Danzo's chest heaved with rage.
He had wielded power across the shinobi world for decades and had never endured such humiliation.
What he found even more intolerable was that paying this late fee would mean acknowledging that Root was also bound by the Military Police Force's regulations.
Shisui stood where he was, watching the furious Danzo.
"Lord Hokage instructed us to settle this matter as soon as possible."
"If the fine isn't paid in full, the Military Police Force won't process the payment."
"Shimura Ken will have to spend the full fifteen days in detention."
Danzo glared at Shisui.
"Are you telling me how to do my job?"
"Get out!"
Shisui did not argue. He turned and left the office.
Once the door closed, Danzo paced back and forth before his desk.
He wanted nothing more than to send Root charging into the Military Police Force and twist that brat Chikage's head off.
But he could not do that.
Yesterday's events had already displeased the Third Hokage.
Using force now would openly trample the village's laws.
Even Hiruzen would not protect him then.
Danzo stopped pacing and stared at the broken porcelain on the floor.
He suddenly recalled what Hiruzen had said yesterday.
Hiruzen intended to restrict Chikage through mission assignments and supply allocations.
Since the brat loved rules so much.
He would use those rules against him.
Danzo walked over to his desk and opened a drawer.
He took out a blank official letter bearing the Hokage Advisor's letterhead.
Picking up his pen, he wrote several lines.
"The Konoha Border Smuggling Case involves collusion between foreign merchant caravans and personnel within the village."
"Given the gravity of the case, the Konoha Military Police Force is required to cooperate with the Anbu in a joint law enforcement operation."
"Uchiha Chikage, deputy captain of the Military Police Force's Second Squad, is hereby specially assigned to lead a team to the border."
Once he finished, Danzo affixed his Hokage Advisor seal.
Looking at the bright red imprint, his lips curled into a cold smile.
Don't you clock in and out on time every day, Chikage, and refuse to leave the village?
Don't you think I can't touch you as long as you hide on Konoha's main streets?
Then I'll use an official order to send you out of the village.
It is difficult for me to act inside Konoha.
But out in the wilderness along the border...
All I need to do is arrange an attack by a few rogue ninja, and you'll die without anyone knowing the truth.
Danzo pressed the communications button on his desk.
Two masked Root ninja appeared in the office.
"Deliver this official letter to the Military Police Force."
"Hand it to Uchiha Chikage personally."
"Tell him this is a joint law enforcement mission requiring the Military Police Force's cooperation on behalf of the village."
"As a deputy captain of the Military Police Force, he must obey his assignment."
It was 4:20 p.m.
Inside the office of the deputy captain of the Konoha Military Police Force's Second Squad.
Chikage was leaning back in his chair with a copy of the Konoha Daily in his hand.
He had already memorized every detail of the discounts at the Dango Shop on South Street.
Buy three, get one free, plus the coupon he had.
He could save quite a bit on dinner tonight.
Chikage glanced at the clock on the wall.
Forty minutes until quitting time.
This endless workday was finally almost over.
As long as he made it through these forty minutes, a hundred points would be credited to his account.
Just then, someone knocked on his office door.
"Come in."
Uchiha Hikari pushed the door open, looking somewhat flustered.
"Deputy Captain, there are two Anbu outside."
"They say they're here on the Hokage Advisor's orders and have an urgent official letter to deliver to you in person."
Chikage raised an eyebrow.
The Hokage Advisor's orders?
That old bastard Danzo hasn't even paid in full yet. What is he up to now?
"Send them in."
Two ninja wearing animal masks entered the office.
They wore standard Anbu armor, but their mask designs and movements bore unmistakable signs of Root.
These were Root operatives.
They were delivering documents under the guise of Anbu. Apparently, Danzo meant business.
One of the Root ninja stepped forward and placed an official letter bearing a red seal on the desk.
"Deputy Captain Chikage."
"This is an official letter authorizing a joint law enforcement operation concerning the Konoha Border Smuggling Case."
"The Hokage Advisor specifically requested that you lead a team to the border to assist with the investigation."
"Please review it and sign to acknowledge receipt."
Chikage did not reach for the letter.
He merely leaned back in his chair and studied the two Root ninja before him.
"A border smuggling case?"
"Isn't that normally handled by the Anbu and the border forces?"
"Since when does the Military Police Force leave the village to investigate cases?"
The Root ninja answered stiffly.
"This case involves collusion between village merchants and outsiders."
"Under the Public Security Administration Regulations, the Military Police Force has an obligation to assist with the investigation."
"This is an official joint law enforcement order. Please comply."
Hearing the words "Public Security Administration Regulations," Chikage could not help laughing.
Danzo was already putting his new lessons to use.
Chikage had used the regulations to trip him up just yesterday, and today he had learned to strike back with them.
Standing nearby, Uchiha Hikari's expression had already changed.
She might have been young, but she was no fool.
Danzo had suffered a major defeat at Chikage's hands only yesterday.
And today, he had sent an official letter specifically naming Chikage for a mission at the border.
It was clearly a trap.
Once Chikage left Konoha and passed out of sight of his clan and the Military Police Force...
Root had countless ways to ensure he never returned.
Hikari hurried forward a step.
"Deputy Captain, this letter hasn't been properly authorized!"
"It only has the Hokage Advisor's seal. There's no mission seal from Lord Hokage or countersignature from the head of the Military Police Force!"
The Root ninja gave Hikari a cold look.
"The Hokage Advisor has the authority to coordinate village departments in major cases."
"If you refuse the assignment, we will report that fact to Lord Hokage."
Chikage leaned back in his spacious office chair, looking at the official letter with its red seal on the desk.
Uchiha Hikari stood beside the desk, stamping her foot anxiously.
"Deputy Captain, even if they can complete the paperwork, this is still a trap!"
"Out in the wilderness along the border, you wouldn't even find a witness."
"They could arrange an attack by a few rogue ninja, and even if we came back, we'd have nowhere to seek justice."
"You absolutely must not sign!"
As Hikari spoke, she reached for the official letter to inspect its seal.
The lead Root ninja stepped forward, blocking her access to it.
"Uchiha Hikari, remember your place."
"This is an official joint law enforcement order issued personally by the Hokage Advisor."
"Are you questioning the decision of the village leadership?"
"Can the Military Police Force bear the responsibility for openly defying a joint investigation?"
The Root ninja's tone was harsh, immediately branding their objections as disobedience.
Chikage sat in his chair, utterly unconcerned by the Root ninja's threats.
Looking at the official letter on his desk, he even found it a little amusing.
That old bastard Danzo had finally used his head for once.
Only yesterday, the Military Police Force's Public Security Administration Regulations had taught him a lesson.
Today, he already knew how to put that lesson into practice, using an official letter against Chikage.
He knew that acting inside Konoha could easily leave evidence against him and would also displease the Third Hokage.
So he intended to invoke the village's interests and a joint investigation to send Chikage outside its walls.
Luring the tiger from its mountain and killing with a borrowed blade-this scheme really was an improvement over his previous efforts.
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