The Fourth Hokage's Bearing!

A heavy snowfall blanketed all of Konoha. After winter's first snow, the ninja would have a relatively relaxed break. Those in special posts rotated shifts as they awaited the coming New Year.

Under the leadership of Namikaze Minato and Orochimaru, the frontline ninja had defeated the invading forces of Kirigakure and were returning to Konoha in batches.

More and more ninja returned, and Konoha gradually became livelier. The festive New Year atmosphere washed away the gloom of war, and there were more drunks on the streets as well... Fugaku Uchiha's workload had increased considerably. In just a few days, the police force had handled dozens of drunken brawls.

The family had just sat down at the dinner table when Uchiha Itachi picked slices of meat and fish balls from the pot and placed them on the small dish before the crow, complete with seasonings. Kitahara picked up a fish ball and worked hard to swallow it. Being able to eat hot pot in winter was a blessing...

"Captain, jonin are fighting at the tavern on South Street!"

The door was immediately pounded hard enough to shake the house. These police force ninja... they really knew how to pick their timing!

Kitahara was startled by the sudden noise, and the fish ball fell into the little dish, splattering specks of seasoning across his feathers... Itachi hurriedly took out a tissue and wiped the stains from Kitahara. "...Did that scare you?"

"...Caw!"

He was pissed!

Fugaku Uchiha rose to answer the door, his expression somewhat unpleasant. This was supposed to be peaceful family time... His wife and child were beside him, the warm bed waiting, and yet they came to him over a fight between jonin. At the very least, it should have been chunin... Forget it, he could not get involved in chunin fights either. But at the very least, it should have been the Third Hokage and Danzo fighting!

Crash!

He yanked the door open...

"You lot! What happened?"

The messenger had sharp eyes and saw his captain's foul expression perfectly clearly. He immediately kept it brief. "A drunken fight between ninja broke out on South Street. Hatake Kakashi is involved, but he refuses to admit fault or accept mediation!"

"Then have his fami—"

Fugaku Uchiha calmed down as he remembered that Kakashi's only relative, Konoha's White Fang, Hatake Sakumo, had long since committed suicide. Kakashi had no family. He even had... no companions.

After the final battle against Kirigakure, only one person could take part in handling Kakashi's case—Namikaze Minato.

"I've already sent someone to notify the Fourth Hokage as well! But..." The police ninja's voice gradually lowered. "The clan... seems to have other intentions..."

Kakashi, that Sharingan!

But Kakashi's teacher was Namikaze Minato... The village had announced that the Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, had resigned from the position, and Namikaze Minato would immediately take office as the Fourth Hokage.

After the New Year, the Hokage inauguration ceremony would be held.

This sounded troublesome!

Fugaku did not even stop to change clothes before hurrying toward the police force headquarters. He was immensely grateful that, since most clan members refused to work during the holiday break, aside from forcibly assigning duties, his trusted subordinates had stepped up to share his burden...

Fugaku did not return after leaving, and Uchiha Itachi became somewhat dejected. "Dad..."

"Caw!"

Kitahara heard Kakashi's name and flew onto Itachi's shoulder, calling excitedly, "Caw!"

Let's go take a look!

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

Uchiha Mikoto looked at the dishes piled high on the table and helplessly turned down the flame. "...Come back quickly..."

Konoha's police force belonged exclusively to the Uchiha clan. As the clan head's son, Itachi could move through it without obstruction. Sometimes, after he and Kitahara grew tired of wandering around Konoha, Itachi would come to the police department and wait for Fugaku to finish work so they could go home together.

The moment Itachi and Kitahara arrived, they heard the uproar in the police department lobby...

"How could someone who would even kill his companion possibly understand the pain of losing one? Waaah..." The crying sounded miserable. Judging by the voice, the man was a burly fellow.

Fugaku Uchiha was trying his best to smooth things over. "You're drunk... Hatake Kakashi is a Konoha ninja, and he's your companion too... Apologize to each other. You're all from the same village..."

"I'll never acknowledge someone like him!"

"No!"

"Captain, lock them all up first! Kakashi's crime is beyond dispute!"

"The New Year is almost here... It would be best to let them go home for the holiday... Hm? How should one die? What kind of book is this? Why did you pick up this book..."

"That's evidence that Kakashi attacked someone..."

"...It's just a fighting incident. Don't handle it like it's a murder case!"

It seemed rather lively.

Setting aside Kakashi's complicated identity, it was only an ordinary drunken brawl. The issue was the attitudes of both parties and the police force's stance. Fugaku Uchiha's arrival had at least settled the internal dispute within the police force.

But if Fugaku forcibly chose to release both men, it would damage the police force's authority... They could only wait for the families on both sides to reconcile... Yet on Kakashi's side...

"Huh? Itachi, why are you outside?"

A head of striking red hair stood out brilliantly. Kushina stood before Itachi alongside a gentle blond man... the Fourth Hokage, Namikaze Minato, who had only taken office a few days ago.

Though a single Hokage order could have resolved this, Namikaze Minato had chosen to appear as Kakashi's teacher... He probably did not want the villagers to think the Hokage was overly domineering. Moreover, since it involved the police force, mishandling it would only deepen the rift between the Uchiha clan and the village.

Kushina was willing to accompany him into Uchiha territory. Their relationship was truly good...

"Aunt Kushina, I... Fourth Hokage!"

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

Namikaze Minato smiled and bent down, warmly greeting the little boy as he took his hand. "Itachi? Are you Fugaku and Mikoto's eldest son? It's cold outside. Let's go in together!"

He could raise people's favorability so casually... Father, mother, and son alike, this whole family had cheats...

Kitahara immediately noticed Hatake Kakashi and curiously observed the shifting expression on the white-haired boy's face... Or rather, the changes in the eye above his mask. The stubborn gaze gradually softened, and his upturned hair drooped as he lowered his head.

"Fourth Hokage!"

"Lord Hokage!"

Namikaze Minato's arrival made everyone present considerably more restrained. He first stepped forward to speak with Fugaku. "I'm sorry. My student caused trouble for the police force, and interrupted your family's dinner as well."

"It's nothing. It's our duty." Fugaku shook his head helplessly and looked toward Kakashi and the others. "I'll leave them to you, Lord Hokage."

After briefly learning what had happened, it turned out someone had gotten drunk and insulted Hatake Kakashi, openly and covertly berating the white-haired boy. Mixed into it were that jonin's jabs at Minato being unfit to become Hokage. That was likely why Kakashi had attacked him.

"I'm sorry. It is true that my abilities have not yet earned the recognition of everyone in the village." After Namikaze Minato apologized gently, his words instantly turned stern. When a gentle person became angry, everyone was startled. "But you should not have mocked Kakashi! The battlefield changes in an instant. What he did was for the village, so that more people in Konoha could survive! That includes us!"

Seemingly unaccustomed to such severity, Minato lowered his voice several degrees. "Wrong words can hurt others more easily than fists..."

"I'm sorry, Lord Hokage... I..." Faced with his direct superior's reprimand, the jonin's mindset shifted. After a moment, he bowed to the white-haired boy. "I'm sorry, Hatake Kakashi!"

"Kakashi, I only had to take the Hokage position because the Third Hokage resigned. That is the truth." Namikaze Minato unsurprisingly began lecturing on the spot. The Hokage after the Second had probably all practiced speeches to some extent...

"A ninja must endure what ordinary people cannot."

"A ninja must believe in his own judgment, then do what is right. You did nothing wrong in the war, so why care about other people's attitudes? Don't use the mistakes of the entire war to torment yourself."

"Sensei... but... that was Rin!" Tears filled Kakashi's eyes and streamed down his face, soaking his eyepatch.

"Precisely because she was Rin, she made the right choice. If one day I judged that my existence would endanger Konoha, I would choose to let you kill me too." Namikaze Minato embraced his student and gently patted his back. "Rin surely understood you... She simply underestimated the importance of her own life."

Rin truly understood, but another troubled boy who was still alive definitely would not...

Kitahara watched Kakashi cry like Pakkun and suppressed the urge to make a snide remark.

Once the white-haired boy's emotions improved, Namikaze Minato continued, "Then, Kakashi, the ninja in this village are your companions too... Shouldn't you apologize for fighting a companion over an argument?"

"I'm sorry..." Kakashi was persuaded by his teacher and knelt down dejectedly to apologize.

Namikaze Minato swept his gaze over everyone and said solemnly, "Both sides have admitted their mistakes, which will be treated as acceptance of mediation. In my capacity as Hokage, I order that they be released to return home. Also, as jonin, fighting in the village is a serious offense. The two of you will each write a self-criticism 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 the troublemakers or the Uchiha clan members of Konoha's police force—was thoroughly convinced by Namikaze Minato's handling of the matter.

The Hokage's authority had not been weakened by his arrival. One could not help admiring the way this Hokage conducted himself... The status of the Uchiha police force had also been respected. Two jonin self-criticisms meant that the matter would still be handled by the police force.

During the Fourth Hokage's tenure, quite a few Uchiha clan members would probably come to acknowledge him...

"The Fourth Hokage... is amazing..." Uchiha Itachi seemed to have undergone a spiritual baptism. It was hard to say whether he meant Minato's methods were impressive or his words were.