The onlookers who had been about to disperse stopped as well, turning their attention back to the center of the scene.
Hiruzen Sarutobi slowly turned around and fixed Fugaku with a furious stare.
"Fugaku, I said, this. Is. A. Misunderstanding!"
Hiruzen Sarutobi stared into Fugaku's eyes and spoke one word at a time.
"Enough, Lord Hokage. It's getting late. Don't waste everyone's time. One minute wasted per person, with this many people here, adds up to several days. Let's return to that question from several days ago."
Hiruzen Sarutobi ignored Seiichi and continued looking at Fugaku, who returned his gaze expressionlessly.
Faced with Fugaku's silence, Hiruzen Sarutobi finally gave up.
"Uchiha Seiichi, the few of us have recently been discussing revisions to some of the village's old regulations. After all, rules need to keep up with the times, so we may not have paid attention to this matter for a while.
"This was a small preliminary trial on our part to check whether the new provisions would work. If they did, we would roll them out on a larger scale.
"So this really is a misunderstanding. I hereby apologize to your Konoha Military Police Force for the inconvenience caused."
Hiruzen Sarutobi appeared to have apologized, but what he was actually telling everyone present was: did the Uchiha Clan's Konoha Military Police Force think it was hot shit?
I'm the Hokage. Those rules you value so much? I can change them whenever I damn well please.
Seiichi's smile remained unchanged.
"Ohhh, then our most beloved Lord Hokage and our Elders and Advisors really have worked hard. At your age, you've worked yourselves so hard you can't think straight. Thank you for all your effort.
"Come, let's give our most, most, most hardworking Lord Hokage our warmest applause!!!"
Seiichi led the applause, and the Uchiha Clan members followed.
The surrounding onlookers did not understand what was happening, but seeing this, they went along with the crowd and clapped too.
Only a handful of senior figures from the shinobi clans understood, and they broke out in cold sweat.
The endless "clap, clap, clap, clap, clap..." filled the scene.
This was not applause. These were fucking slaps landing one after another on Hiruzen Sarutobi's face.
Hadn't they seen how he had squeezed the pipe in his hand into the shape of a check mark?!
"Lord Hokage, you've all worked far too hard. Honestly, what's wrong with all you other departments? Can't you take some of the burden off these respected elders?
"You really ought to learn from our Konoha Military Police Force. Our rules took this into account right from its founding.
"So our 'wise and mighty' Second Hokage racked his brains, and with the cooperation of our Uchiha Clan's forebears, finally produced rules that could be used indefinitely.
"When the agreement was signed, the Second even very thoughtfully included a special note in both parties' copies: no one could amend the Konoha Military Police Force's regulations, including future successors of the Uchiha Clan and all. Future. Hokage!!!"
Seiichi delivered that last sentence while looking Hiruzen Sarutobi in the face, deliberately stressing each word.
At Seiichi's words, Hiruzen Sarutobi's head buzzed, and his vision seemed to go dark.
What the fuck was this?
His own teacher had stabbed him in the back decades later?!
"Any more questions, Lord Hokage? If not, we'll continue our work of maintaining public order."
Seiichi looked at Hiruzen Sarutobi with a teasing expression.
But what else could Hiruzen Sarutobi say? Use his authority as Hokage to force the issue?!
Yet if he did nothing, Danzo certainly would not surrender without a fight and let his Root submit to an inspection by the Uchiha's Konoha Military Police Force.
But if he intervened?
How the hell was he supposed to do that!!!
Hiruzen Sarutobi was genuinely at a loss now!
He could neither fight nor let the matter slide.
Simply dragging things out meant staking his own prestige as Hokage.
"Members of the Konoha Military Police Force, hear my orders. Detain everyone present who is concealing their identity and is not Anbu. Take them back to the Konoha Military Police Force and verify their identities one by one.
"If anyone dares resist, retaliate on the grounds that they threaten Konoha's security, whether they live or die. Handle any future discoveries the same way!"
"We obey your orders, Young Clan Leader!"
Seiichi issued his orders with a smile.
"Uchiha brat, don't you dare! All Root members, hear my orders..."
"Danzo, shut up!"
There was no helping it. Seiichi's relentless barrage left Hiruzen Sarutobi unable to keep up.
He could not fall out with the Uchiha Clan now, so his old friend would have to put up with this.
He would find an opportunity to help him get even later.
"Hiruzen! What are you doing! You're making my Root submit to an inspection by the Konoha Military Police Force!"
Danzo looked at Hiruzen Sarutobi in disbelief.
"Seiichi, you may inspect them, but you must guarantee their safety. We're all people of Konoha. Why make things difficult for our own?"
Hiruzen Sarutobi first forced those words through gritted teeth.
Then he ordered all the Root members not to fight.
Yet after issuing his order, he discovered that every Root member had turned to look at Danzo.
He, too, narrowed his eyes at Danzo.
Danzo gritted his teeth, then gritted them harder, a grinding sound coming from his mouth.
"All Root members, do. Not. Fight!"
Hearing Danzo's words, the Root members present relaxed their bodies and submitted to being restrained by the Konoha Military Police Force.
"That should do it. Everyone, disperse!"
Hiruzen Sarutobi felt utterly drained.
"Of course... not, my Lord Hokage. You must have heard what Assistant Danzo just said.
"His Root? Does the Hokage's assistant have the authority to command a private armed force? I don't recall that. If anyone here knows, come out and explain it to me."
"Uchiha Seiichi!!!"
At that moment, Danzo truly wished he could devour him alive!
Having his Root members inspected was one thing. Once they were checked and released, he could still use them.
Now, he wanted to tear Root out by its roots!
"Because Anbu was short-staffed, I had Assistant Danzo temporarily establish Root to relay intelligence."
Left with no alternative, Hiruzen Sarutobi could only take the blame himself.
He truly had no other choice.
Just as Danzo understood him well, he also understood this old buddy of his very well.
If making Root submit to the Konoha Military Police Force's inspection earlier had merely cost Danzo face, then apart from being somewhat hard for him to stomach emotionally, it had caused no tangible losses.
But now Seiichi intended to destroy Root as an organization altogether. Danzo would never accept that. If Hiruzen did not shoulder this now, he would be forcing Danzo to take action and spark a civil war within Konoha.
"If Anbu is short-staffed, you can recruit more Anbu. I don't think anyone would criticize you for that.
"But having someone else establish an organization like Root is not acceptable.
"Back then, the Second Hokage, who was also the teacher of you old gentlemen,
"issued an ironclad order for Konoha's safety: throughout Konoha, no one except the serving Hokage, including retired Hokage, may privately establish an armed force!"
The fucking Second Hokage again. For the first time, Hiruzen Sarutobi realized just how annoying his teacher could still be despite having been dead for decades.
Before you continue