The Hokage's dignity? What's that?

Within moments, Shimura Hongyu had been completely subdued. He could only kneel on the ground, struggling and raging helplessly.

"How dare you tie me up! My uncle will never let you get away with this! I'll report you for abusing your authority!" Shimura Hongyu roared and cursed.

Zongyan bent down and stared straight into his eyes.

"We're enforcing the law impartially. We haven't violated any regulations, and all these people around us witnessed it."

Zongyan's gaze turned cold as he said firmly, "You've relied on your relative's position in Konoha High Command to openly defy village regulations and bully others."

"A high-ranking official's relative refusing to obey the law or exercise restraint, instead causing trouble in a public street and bullying ordinary merchants, is no trivial matter. It's a vile act of running rampant on privilege and undermining Konoha's public order."

"If I showed favoritism and indulged you today because your uncle is Danzo, the police force would be neglecting its duty, and Konoha's rules would mean nothing!"

Waves of emotion stirred in the villagers watching from behind shop doors, at windows, and at the ends of alleys along the street.

That was right. Who said the village's high-ranking officials could use their power to bully people?

If one official bullied them today and another did it some other day, would they have any way to survive?

Scattered murmurs gradually rose from the crowd. They had actually begun to think.

Konoha's villagers hadn't earned their reputation as troublemakers for nothing. Their attitude was that no matter how powerful someone was, what did that have to do with their bullying?

"He's right... the rules have always been for ordinary people like us. Those big shots' relatives have always done whatever they wanted."

"It was just a bowl of ramen. Not only did he refuse to pay, he smashed up the shop and hit people. Having a high-ranking relative really made him think he was above the law."

"The Uchiha are scary, but as far as I'm concerned, these officials' relatives are pretty scary too."

The scattered criticism grew. It was no longer merely fear of the Uchiha, but indignation at the abuses of privilege among Konoha High Command that Shimura Hongyu represented.

Kneeling on the ground, Shimura Hongyu heard every word. The reversal in the public's attitude left him furious and frantic, his roars growing increasingly deranged.

"Nonsense! You're deliberately smearing the leadership and sowing discord!"

"My uncle works tirelessly for Konoha, with nothing but Konoha in his heart! How dare you slander him!"

Zongyan scoffed at that, his words cutting straight to the heart. "Then how did something like you come along?"

"You! You! You!"

Zongyan scoffed, his words cutting mercilessly to the heart. "If he truly served the public with integrity and honesty, how could he have raised a parasite like you, abusing power to do evil and wreak havoc in the streets?"

"You! How dare you insult my uncle!" Shimura Hongyu trembled with rage, his words becoming incoherent.

Zongyan wasted no more words. Straightening up, he ordered in a low voice, "Take him away. Bring him back to police headquarters, register his offenses, determine his guilt, and deal with him according to regulations."

Takuma and Naoki immediately acknowledged the order, hauling the bound Shimura Hongyu to his feet and preparing to leave.

But the instant they turned around, a cold, grave voice suddenly came from the street entrance, carrying a bone-chilling chill.

"Stop."

The wind abruptly fell still, and the street went deathly silent.

Several black-clad figures strode over, dressed in standard Root uniforms, and lined up on either side.

The damned old man at their head was none other than the Pot Kage-Danzo.

He had just finished an "interrogation" when he heard that the Uchiha Clan had publicly arrested his nephew on South Street. He immediately rushed over with members of Root.

"Uncle! Save me! Hurry, save me!" As though clutching at a lifeline, Shimura Hongyu struggled desperately and screamed, "They're abusing their authority to target me! Make them release me!"

Danzo swept a dark gaze over the bound Hongyu before looking at Zongyan. His single eye narrowed slightly, his cold tone bearing down on him. "Uchiha brat, let him go."

As he finished speaking, the Root ninja on either side also took a step forward, bringing an intense sense of pressure.

"A street disturbance, a civil dispute-such trifling matters require only mediation. Resorting to detention at the slightest provocation is making a mountain out of a molehill."

Under pressure from one of Konoha's most powerful officials, Takuma and the other two looked tense, their hearts heavy.

Zongyan looked Danzo straight in the eye and said calmly:

"Lord Danzo."

"This is by no means a trivial matter. It's a serious incident involving a high-ranking official's relative defying village regulations, abusing power to bully villagers, and corrupting the village's standards."

"As a member of Konoha High Command, you should hold yourself to strict standards, keep your relatives in line, and set an example by protecting the villagers. Now that your relative has publicly committed wrongdoing and disturbed public order, rather than holding him accountable and punishing him, you're openly interfering with our duties."

"This amounts to accepting rampant privilege and allowing your relatives to trample Konoha's rules!"

His speech was so high-minded and righteous that it was almost blinding.

The onlookers heard every word clearly. Their discussions gradually grew louder, and their gazes began to turn strange.

Danzo's expression instantly darkened, killing intent quietly churning in his eye.

He had spent his life enduring, scheming, and painstakingly building his influence. His lifelong obsession was to ascend to the Hokage position.

He valued his public standing and reputation above all else and would never dare give anyone grounds to accuse him, in full public view, of "showing favoritism and indulging privilege."

By now, more and more villagers had gathered along the street, countless eyes fixed on the scene.

Holding his towering fury deep inside, Danzo clenched his fingers tightly. An endless chill seemed to surround him, lowering the temperature considerably.

He stared fixedly at Zongyan, his cold, hoarse voice suppressing extreme fury. "Good. What fine impartial law enforcement."

With that, he swept away, ultimately forcing down the urge to strike.

Shimura Hongyu was utterly dumbfounded, staring at his uncle in disbelief. "Uncle! Save me!"

All he got in return was Shimura Danzō walking away without looking back.

Watching Danzo leave, Zongyan's lips curved slightly. Only then did he leave with his teammates, escorting their prisoner.

"Uchiha... Zongyan..."

"That hateful Uchiha brat. The Uchiha Clan really is an inherently evil clan. They truly cannot be allowed to remain..."

Danzo muttered under his breath, every word steeped in hatred, then turned toward the Hokage Building.

Inside the office in the Hokage Building.

Hiruzen Sarutobi was bent over his desk handling village affairs. When Danzo stormed in, his face dark with anger, he already had a good idea why he had come.

"Hiruzen."

Danzo was furious, his tone icy.

"The Uchiha Clan is growing more arrogant and overbearing by the day!"

"Today, they dare allow a junior to defy his superiors. Tomorrow, they'll dare lead their entire clan in rebellion."

Hiruzen Sarutobi put down his papers and pen and rubbed his brow, looking helpless.

He and Danzo had known each other since childhood and fought side by side for years. He knew full well how Danzo repaid every slight and defended his own without restraint.

His visit was simply an attempt to use his standing as a high-ranking official to exert pressure, force the prisoner's release, and favor his relative.

"Danzo, I've heard a little about what happened in the street."

"Your nephew did break the rules first. The police force acted according to the law and did nothing wrong."

"Young people are upright in how they do things and don't know how to bend. It's hardly as serious as you're making it out to be."

Danzo grew even angrier. "Acted according to the law? As far as I can see, he was deliberately targeting me!"

"He used his position in the Uchiha police force to publicly smear my name!"

"It was only a bowl of ramen. Why make such a fuss and ruin my reputation in public?"

The two argued back and forth for a long time, and the atmosphere in the office grew increasingly strained.

In the end, out of consideration for their years of friendship, Hiruzen Sarutobi took a step back and decided to mediate.

He sent someone to summon Zongyan to the Hokage's office. Once Zongyan arrived, he advised him gently, "Zongyan, your impartial enforcement of the law deserves praise, but you should leave some room in everything you do."

"Comrade Shimura is a senior statesman of the village who has worked hard and rendered great service. His nephew made a mistake, but punishment is enough. Don't pursue it excessively and aggravate the conflict."

"For my sake, release him for now and let this matter rest. How does that sound?"

As his words fell, the atmosphere in the office instantly froze.

Danzo watched coldly, waiting for Zongyan to yield, admit his mistake, and back down.

Yet Zongyan remained calm, neither servile nor overbearing.

"Lord Hokage."

"I would like to ask what you mean by leaving some room."

"When villagers break the rules, punishing them severely without leniency is called upholding the rules. When a high-ranking official's relative breaks them, we must consider personal relationships and let him off lightly. Is this the privilege of Konoha High Command?"

"If you ask me to show favoritism and release someone today because of your friendship with Lord Danzo, will other officials use personal relationships to interfere with law enforcement tomorrow? If this continues, village regulations will become meaningless, ordinary people will lose faith, and the powerful will act without restraint. Where will Konoha's fairness be?"

"In your eyes, do friendships among high-ranking officials matter more than Konoha's laws and justice for ordinary people?"

Question followed question, each cutting to the heart, every word a slap across Hiruzen Sarutobi's face.

Hiruzen Sarutobi was instantly at a loss for words. He opened his mouth but could find nothing to refute him.

As Hokage, he had spent his life governing the village fairly and winning people over through virtue. He prized his reputation and the village's credibility above all else. If he spoke in favor of privilege, he would personally destroy the reputation he had built over decades of governing.

Danzo's face turned even more livid, his heart full of pent-up fury with nowhere to vent it.

The attempt to pressure and mediate in the office ultimately ended in the leadership's complete defeat.

Since the young man was upright and refused to make allowances for personal relationships, he could simply find a middle-aged man instead.

So Hiruzen Sarutobi privately sent for Uchiha Fugaku. The two spoke at length in the Hokage Building, and no one knew the specifics of their conversation.

The news that eventually reached Uchiha Zongyan was that the Uchiha Clan seemed to have acquired another shop on South Street.

After being detained for several days, Shimura Hongyu was ultimately released early.