Xuanye stared at Hiruzen Sarutobi with a faint, ambiguous smile, then led the old man straight into the Konoha Military Police Force's lobby.
The moment they stepped inside, Xuanye demanded an outrageous sum, naming a string of astronomical ransoms!
Naturally, Hiruzen Sarutobi refused to be fleeced at first. In his eyes, an old bag of bones like Mitokado Homura simply wasn't worth that much money.
But when Uchiha Shanyang handed over the interrogation confession Mitokado Homura had signed just last night, Hiruzen Sarutobi read a couple of lines and immediately shut his mouth.
Half an hour later, outside the Konoha Military Police Force's entrance.
His aged face dark, Hiruzen Sarutobi led his own son Asuma, along with Mitokado Homura and son, outside.
In the lobby, Genya stood smiling as he watched them leave, while the police officers beside him cheerfully counted the large crates of cash that had just arrived.
Besides the mountain of cash, the table also held an authorization to expand the Konoha Military Police Force, stamped with the Hokage's official seal.
To bail out these three disgraces, Hiruzen Sarutobi had practically emptied his coffers today!
He shot a sidelong glance at the battered, swollen face of Mitokado Homura beside him, so furious his lungs nearly burst.
To think this old fool was one of the village's senior advisers, always putting on airs. Yet once inside the Konoha Military Police Force Prison, he hadn't even lasted a single round of interrogation before confessing everything about reselling military supplies and embezzling death benefits during the Third Shinobi World War!
If this confession were posted publicly, it would do ten times more damage than Mito Qingteng's treason, and the entire Konoha High Command would go down with him!
Hiruzen Sarutobi could only swallow the humiliation and obediently pay the ransom.
But paying up and accepting his loss didn't mean he would let this go!
So the police force thought it could spread its wings now?
Just as he was approaching the main entrance, Hiruzen Sarutobi suddenly stopped and turned to Xuanye:
"Captain Xuanye, you've kept the village in excellent order lately. Everyone in the village has seen your contributions."
In the past, Hiruzen Sarutobi really hadn't thought much of the police force, considering it nothing more than a thankless department with no perks.
But after suffering such a crushing setback today, he suddenly realized that the police force held a terrifying amount of law enforcement authority!
A department this important absolutely could not remain in Uchiha hands!
A calculating gleam flashed in Hiruzen Sarutobi's eyes.
With relations between the village and the Uchiha as tense as they were, even as Hokage, he couldn't forcibly strip the Uchiha of control over the police force.
Besides, Xuanye followed regulations in every arrest and every case, leaving no faults to pick at. His reputation among civilians and merchants was even absurdly high.
That was what baffled Hiruzen Sarutobi most.
Back then, the Second Hokage Tobirama Senju had clearly established the police force to put the Uchiha Clan in the hot seat, making them earn the resentment of the entire village through law enforcement and isolating them step by step.
Yet under Xuanye, not only had they avoided isolation, he had become an upright magistrate beloved by the entire village!
The Second Hokage's openly laid scheme had completely failed!
Hiruzen Sarutobi saw it clearly. There was nothing wrong with the system itself. The problem lay entirely with that brat Uchiha Genya!
The old fox, who had spent his entire life playing political games, thought rapidly.
Abolishing the police force outright wasn't realistic, but removing Xuanye as its captain was entirely feasible!
Everyone made mistakes. As long as Xuanye made one, he could seize on it and strip him of his position completely!
At that thought, Hiruzen Sarutobi discreetly laid a major trap for Xuanye:
"Kumogakure's negotiating delegation will arrive in Konoha in a couple of days. I will entrust the police force with full responsibility for their security during their stay in the village."
"With your abilities, Captain Xuanye, surely nothing will go wrong?"
Having delivered those barbed words in a mild tone, Hiruzen Sarutobi turned to leave.
Smack!
A large hand suddenly reached over and pressed heavily onto Hiruzen Sarutobi's shoulder!
The immense force made Hiruzen Sarutobi stagger, nearly sending him sprawling on the spot!
"Rest assured, Lord Hokage. Maintaining public order is our police force's duty. We'll handle everything properly."
Xuanye wore a brilliant smile and spoke casually.
Hiruzen Sarutobi's expression changed sharply. A trace of horror flashed in his eyes as he stared fixedly at the hand on his shoulder.
He couldn't break free!
Although Hiruzen Sarutobi boasted in Konoha's textbooks that he was the strongest Hokage, there was certainly some self-aggrandizement involved. After all, with the two towering figures of Hashirama Senju and Tobirama Senju before him, he had no claim to being the strongest.
But setting aside the exaggeration, he was still a genuine Kage Level powerhouse!
Apart from weaklings like the Mizukage and Tsuchikage who would appear merely to fill the ranks in the new era decades later, not one of this era's Five Kage was easy to deal with.
Yet when Xuanye had raised his hand and pressed it down just now, he hadn't been able to react at all!
If what had come at him had been a kunai rather than a palm, he would already be a corpse!
Since when had a monster like this emerged from the Uchiha Clan?!
Hiruzen Sarutobi secretly stirred his chakra, trying to shake off the hand on his shoulder, only to discover that he was like an old monkey caught fast in an iron clamp, unable to move even an inch!
Just as sweat began to bead on Hiruzen Sarutobi's forehead, the smile slowly faded from Xuanye's face.
He lowered his head, leaned close to Hiruzen Sarutobi's ear, and spoke in a voice only the two of them could hear:
"You don't need to worry about the village's security, Lord Hokage. I'll keep an eye on it myself."
"But there's something I need to warn you about in advance."
"Once you get back, keep a close eye on that precious son of yours."
"If I ever see him buzzing around my woman like a fly again, he'll be leaving the police force feetfirst next time!"
The completely undisguised warning hit Hiruzen Sarutobi square in the face!
Those words had nothing to do with the police force or the Uchiha Clan. They were purely Xuanye's own overbearing declaration!
He was intensely possessive. He absolutely would not allow other men to covet a woman he had his eye on.
The only reason he dutifully clocked in at the police force every day was to farm the system's long-term mission rewards.
If someone really pushed him into overturning the whole game, the entire village of Konoha would bear the Uchiha name in less than an hour!
After all, Konoha had been built through the joint efforts of the Uchiha and Senju clans. What the hell did the Sarutobi Clan amount to?
They were merely vassals who had later brought their clansmen over to seek protection!
Having said his piece, Xuanye released his hand, turned, and strolled toward the captain's office.
Still standing there, Hiruzen Sarutobi drew a deep breath and stiffly rotated his shoulder. Waves of intense pain radiated from deep between his bones.
Even without lifting his clothes to look, he knew his left shoulder must already be swollen and covered in a large purple bruise.
Hiruzen Sarutobi stared fixedly at Xuanye's retreating back, a chill running down his own.
Just how terrifying was the strength this Uchiha Genya had been hiding?!
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