The Fourth Hokage's Demeanor!

A heavy snowfall had blanketed the entire Hidden Leaf Village. After the first snow of winter, the ninjas would have a period of relaxed leave, with special posts taking turns on duty to welcome the New Year.

Led by Namikaze Minato and Orochimaru, the ninjas at the front lines had defeated the invading Hidden Mist Village and were returning to the Hidden Leaf in batches.

As more and more ninjas returned, the Hidden Leaf gradually became lively again. The festive atmosphere of the New Year washed away the gloom of war, and the streets were filled with more drunkards… Uchiha Fugaku's workload increased significantly; in just a few days, the Police Force had dealt with dozens of incidents of drunken brawls.

The family had just sat down at the dinner table when Uchiha Itachi picked out slices of meat and meatballs from the pot and placed them on a small dish in front of Beiyuan, complete with seasonings. Beiyuan picked up a meatball and swallowed it with effort. Eating hot pot in winter was a blessing…

"Captain, there's a fight between Jonin at a restaurant on South Street!"

The door was immediately pounded on with deafening force. These Police Force ninjas… they really knew how to pick their timing!

Beiyuan was startled by the sudden noise, and a meatball fell back into the small dish, splattering seasonings onto its feathers… Itachi quickly took out a tissue and wiped the stains off Beiyuan: "...Were you scared?"

"...Caw!"

Annoyed!

Uchiha Fugaku got up to open the door, his expression a little displeased. After all, this was supposed to be leisurely family time… When he was enjoying time with his wife and children by the warm hearth, they were coming to him with fights involving Jonin! At the very least, it should have been… never mind, he couldn't get involved in fights between Genin, but at least it should have been the Third Hokage and Danzō fighting!

Crash!

He yanked the door open…

"You guys! What's going on?"

The messenger had good eyesight and clearly saw the captain's sour face. He quickly got to the point: "There's a drunken brawl involving ninjas on South Street. Hatake Kakashi is involved, but he refuses to admit fault or accept mediation!"

"Then let his fam—"

Uchiha Fugaku calmed down. He remembered that Hatake Kakashi's only relative, the Konoha White Fang Hatake Sakumo, had already committed suicide. Therefore, he had no family, not even… companions.

After the final battle with the Hidden Mist, only one person could handle Kakashi's case – Namikaze Minato.

"I've already sent someone to inform the Fourth Hokage! But…" The Police Force ninja's voice gradually lowered: "The clan… seems to have other intentions…"

Kakashi, that Sharingan!

But Kakashi's teacher, Namikaze Minato… According to the village announcement, the Third Hokage Hiruzen Sarutobi had resigned from his position, and Namikaze Minato was immediately appointed as the Fourth Hokage.

A ceremony for the succession of the Hokage would be held upon the arrival of the New Year.

This was going to be troublesome!

Fugaku couldn't bother to change his clothes and rushed to the Police Force. He was incredibly grateful that because most clan members were unwilling to work during the holiday break, his trusted subordinates were willing to step up and share the burden, apart from the forcefully assigned tasks…

Fugaku didn't return after leaving, and Uchiha Itachi became a bit dejected: "Dad…"

"Caw!"

Beiyuan heard Kakashi's name, flew onto Itachi's shoulder, and chirped excitedly: "Caw!"

Let's go see!

"Mom, I'm going to see Dad!" Uchiha Itachi casually threw on a coat and chased after the direction Uchiha Fugaku had left. Mikoto remained seated at the table as the young boy darted past her like the wind.

Uchiha Mikoto looked at the table full of dishes and helplessly lowered the flame: "...Come back quickly…"

The Konoha Police Force belonged exclusively to the Uchiha clan. As the clan head's son, Itachi had free passage here. Sometimes, when Itachi and Beiyuan were tired from wandering around the Hidden Leaf, he would come to the Police Force and wait for Fugaku to finish work so they could go home together.

As soon as Itachi and Beiyuan arrived, they heard the commotion in the Police Force hall…

"How can someone who kills even his companions understand the pain of losing a companion, sob sob sob…" The crying sounded truly miserable, and judging by the voice, this person was a burly man.

Uchiha Fugaku was trying his best to smooth things over: "You're drunk… Hatake Kakashi is a ninja of the Hidden Leaf, and he's your comrade too… Apologize to each other, you're all from the same village…"

"I will never acknowledge someone like that!"

"No!"

"Captain, let's just lock them all up! Kakashi's guilt is undeniable!"

"It's almost New Year's… it's best to let them go home for the holiday… Huh? How should one die? What book is this? Why are you picking up this book…"

"That's the evidence of Kakashi's assault…"

"...It's just a fight, don't treat this like a murder case!"

It seemed quite lively.

Setting aside Kakashi's complicated identity, it was just an ordinary drunken brawl. The problem lay in the attitudes of the involved parties and the stance of the Police Force. Uchiha Fugaku's arrival at least resolved the internal disputes within the Police Force.

However, Fugaku's firm decision to release both of them would damage the Police Force's prestige… They could only wait for the families of both parties to reconcile… But on Kakashi's side…

"Huh? Itachi, what are you doing out here?"

Her striking red hair was particularly eye-catching. Kushina, holding the hand of a gentle man with blond hair, stood before Itachi… the Fourth Hokage, who had just taken office a few days ago – Namikaze Minato.

Although this matter could have been resolved with just a Hokage's order, Namikaze Minato chose to appear as Kakashi's teacher. He probably didn't want the village to think the Hokage was too overbearing, and since it involved the Police Force, mishandling it could deepen the rift between the Uchiha clan and the village.

Kushina was willing to accompany him to the Uchiha clan; their love was truly strong…

"Aunt Kushina, I… Fourth Hokage!"

Uchiha Itachi's eyes widened as he saw Namikaze Minato beside Kushina.

Namikaze Minato smiled and bent down, greeting the young boy affectionately. He took his hand: "Itachi? Are you Fugaku and Mikoto's eldest son? It's very cold outside, let's go in together!"

He could so easily gain people's favor… Whether it was his father, mother, or son, this family was full of overpowered individuals…

Beiyuan noticed Hatake Kakashi at a glance, curiously observing the subtle changes in the white-haired youth's expression… it must have been the change in the eyes on his mask. The stubborn gaze slowly softened, and his hair, which had been sticking up, drooped down with his head.

"Fourth Hokage!"

"Hokage-sama!"

Namikaze Minato's arrival made everyone present considerably more reserved. He first approached Fugaku to talk. "I apologize. My disciple has caused trouble for the Police Force, and I've interrupted your family dinner."

"It's nothing. It's just part of the job," Fugaku said, shaking his head helplessly. He then looked at Kakashi and the others, saying, "I'll leave this to the Hokage."

After a brief understanding of the incident's cause, someone drunk had bad-mouthed Hatake Kakashi, openly and indirectly scolding the white-haired youth. Interspersed within this was the Jonin mocking Minato's unsuitability for the Hokage position. This was likely why Kakashi had acted.

"I am truly sorry. My abilities are indeed not yet recognized by everyone in the village; what you said is the truth." After Minato's gentle apology, his tone instantly became stern. The sight of the usually gentle man losing his temper startled everyone. "However, you shouldn't have taunted Kakashi! The battlefield is constantly changing, and his actions were for the village, to save more lives in Konoha! Including ours!"

Seemingly unaccustomed to such seriousness, Minato lowered his voice a few decibels. "Words spoken wrongly can hurt others more easily than fists…"

"I'm sorry, Hokage-sama… I…" The Jonin's mindset shifted slightly when faced with a direct reprimand from his superior. After a moment, he bowed to the white-haired youth. "I'm sorry, Hatake Kakashi!"

"Kakashi, because the Third Hokage resigned, I had no choice but to take on the position of Hokage. This is a fact." As expected, Minato began his lecture on the spot. Perhaps all Hokage after the Second had practiced public speaking…

"A ninja must be able to endure what ordinary people cannot."

"A ninja must believe in their own judgment and then do what is right. You did nothing wrong in the war, so why care about others' attitudes? Don't punish yourself for the mistakes of the entire war."

"Teacher… but… it was Rin!" Tears overflowed from Kakashi's eyes, streaming down his face and soaking his eye patch.

"It's precisely because it was Rin that you made the right choice. If one day I judged that my existence would endanger Konoha, I would also choose to let you kill me." Minato hugged his disciple, gently patting his back. "Rin must have understood you… she just underestimated the importance of her own life."

Rin certainly understood, but the other troubled youth who was alive definitely wouldn't…

Beiyuan suppressed the urge to comment as he watched Kakashi cry like a puppy.

When the white-haired youth's emotions had calmed, Minato continued, "So, Kakashi, the ninjas in the village are also your comrades… Is it not right to apologize for fighting with a comrade over a verbal dispute?"

"I'm sorry…" Kakashi, persuaded by his teacher, knelt dejectedly and apologized.

Minato scanned the crowd and said in a deep voice, "Both sides admit their mistakes, and this is considered acceptance of mediation. I order, in my capacity as Hokage, that they be released and sent home. Furthermore, as Jonin, fighting within the village is a serious offense. You two will each write a self-criticism report and submit it to the Konoha Police Force after the New Year. Do you have any objections?"

"Yes, sir!"

"Yes!"

In the end, everyone present, whether it was the parties involved in the disturbance or the Uchiha clan members of the Konoha Police Force, was convinced by Minato's handling of the situation.

The Hokage's authority had not diminished with his arrival, and one couldn't help but admire his approach to affairs… The status of the Uchiha Police Force was also respected; the two Jonin self-criticism reports meant that the matter would still be handled by the Police Force.

It was likely that many members of the Uchiha clan would come to agree with him during the Fourth Hokage's tenure…

"Fourth Hokage… truly amazing…" Uchiha Itachi seemed to have undergone a spiritual cleansing. It was unclear whether he was referring to the methods or the words that were amazi