At the Hokage Office
"Hokage-sama," the ANBU ninja said respectfully, kneeling on one knee."Many villagers are gathering outside. They've come to file complaints."
Hiruzen Sarutobi paused.
Koharu and Homura exchanged glances as the report settled in.
After the previous meeting, this was the last thing they had expected.
The Uchiha clan's name had finally begun to clear.What was once fear and hostility had shifted into something closer to pity and restraint. Openly smearing the Uchiha now—or turning the village against them—should have been difficult.
That was precisely why the situation felt wrong.
The elders had already been carefully planning their next steps—how to slowly dull the clan's war merits, how to limit their influence without provoking backlash.
Any move now requires extreme caution.
And yet—
This new action by the Uchiha Guard Force completely disrupted their calculations.
Koharu frowned lightly."Shouldn't they be focused on repairing their image?" she asked, turning toward Hiruzen. "Becoming more approachable… more cooperative with the villagers?"
Hiruzen nodded slowly."Changing the guard force rules so abruptly, enforcing them this strictly…" he muttered.
"Wouldn't that only deepen resentment among civilians?"
Homura's expression darkened."Or have they lost their senses?" he said coldly.
"Hiruzen—do you think there's a conspiracy behind this?"
As all eyes turned toward Hiruzen at once, he raised a hand calmly.
"Let us first understand the situation," he said. "Only then can we decide what is truly happening."
With that, the Hokage and the two elders stepped out of the office.
The hall outside was already crowded.
Villagers filled the space—far more than expected. Some faces were familiar, others completely unknown. The moment Hiruzen appeared, the restrained murmurs shattered.
"Hokage-sama, please help us!"
"Hokage-sama, the Uchiha clan is bullying civilians!"
"Why do we have to pay security money to the Uchiha?!"
"Please punish them, Hokage-sama!"
Voices overlapped one another, accusations piling up without pause.
The noise grew so loud that understanding a single complaint became difficult.
Koharu stepped forward, her voice sharp and commanding.
"Enough," she said. "Speak one by one. Only then can we understand your grievances."
Homura nodded, scanning the gathered villagers.
"Yes," he added firmly. "Remain calm. The village will give you justice—but only if you speak properly."
Slowly, the chaos began to settle.
As one man stepped forward, the murmurs slowly quieted.
It was Genta, a shop owner from Konoha.Almost everyone in the village knew him.
"Hokage-sama," Genta said, bowing deeply, his voice trembling with anger and fear.
"The Uchiha Guard Force is demanding security money from us just to run our businesses. There is no such rule in Konoha."
A ripple passed through the crowd.
"When we refused," Genta continued, clenching his fists, "they threatened us. They said that if a robbery happened—if anything went wrong—they wouldn't intervene. They'd look the other way."
Gasps followed.
Another villager stepped forward, his face pale.
"Yes, Hokage-sama," he said quickly. "They even warned us not to speak about this. They said if they caught us talking, they would beat us. Are we not even allowed to speak anymore?"
The tension in the hall thickened.
Then another voice rose—sharper, more bitter.
"They called us ungrateful," the man said, anger shaking his tone."They said it was because of villagers like us that the White Fang died… and that we deserved whatever fate awaited us."
Silence fell.
One accusation after another followed—
each more shocking than the last.
Hiruzen, Koharu, and Homura listened without interruption, their expressions growing heavier with every word.
Some claims sounded exaggerated.
Others sounded outright absurd.
Hiruzen glanced at Koharu and Homura.
Both elders were already looking at him—silent, their expressions asking the same question.
Are we truly hearing this?
"Hokage-sama," Genta said again, stepping forward.
His voice lowered, heavy with expectation."Please punish them. And make sure the Uchiha return the money they took from us."
Other villagers immediately echoed him.
"Yes, Hokage-sama!"
"Please give us justice!"
Hiruzen turned his gaze back to the crowd.
After a brief pause, he spoke in a calm tone.
"Dear villagers," he said, his tone steady and reassuring."I will personally look into this matter. The war is ongoing, and the village faces many pressures—but rest assured, you will not be ignored. Please give us some time."
Koharu stepped forward smoothly.
"Yes," she added. "Do not worry. We will speak with the Uchiha clan regarding this issue."
The villagers visibly relaxed.
Genta bowed deeply.
"Thank you, Hokage-sama."
"Please look into it," others said, gratitude replacing anger.
With that, the crowd slowly dispersed.
As Hiruzen and the elders walked back toward the office, his expression darkened.
The timing makes no sense.
The Uchiha had the perfect opportunity—public sympathy, rising war merits, growing influence. With their current standing, even the idea of producing a future Hokage candidate was no longer impossible.
And yet—
They had chosen a path that would only damage their image.
A path that invited resentment.
"What do you think, Hiruzen?" Homura asked quietly. "What are the Uchiha planning?"
Hiruzen did not answer immediately.
"For now," he said at last, "only time will reveal their intentions."
He opened the door to the Hokage's office and stepped inside.
Koharu followed and asked, "Will you speak with the Uchiha directly?"
Hiruzen sat down, lifted his pipe, and took a slow puff.
He said nothing.
Because deep down, he knew—
Whatever was happening…
It was not bad for him.
"We'll see," he finally said.
At the Root Base
Deep underground, far from the village's noise, a single torch flickered.
A masked Root ninja knelt before Danzo Shimura, delivering his report in a flat, emotionless tone.
For a moment, there was silence.
Then—
"Hahahahaha…"
Danzo's laughter echoed through the chamber, harsh and unrestrained.
"The Uchiha truly are a mad clan," he said, his lips curling upward."They had the perfect opportunity—and they threw it away themselves. What else can one expect from lunatics?"
His laughter slowly faded, replaced by cold amusement.
"Good," Danzo continued. "Now I don't even need to waste time planning how to damage their reputation. They're doing it for me."
The Root ninja hesitated, then asked,"Danzo-sama, should we increase surveillance on the Uchiha clan?"
"No," Danzo replied immediately. "Let it remain as it is."
He paused.
"What about that brat?" he asked. "Any new reports?"
"Yes, Danzo-sama," the Root ninja answered.
"He has remained mostly inside his residence. He only visits the Uchiha Grand Elder's home and does not go elsewhere."
Danzo's visible eye narrowed slightly.
"There is more," the ninja added. "He has also been seen visiting the Uchiha Uzuku household on occasion."
Danzo fell silent.
His fingers tapped slowly against the armrest.
"Keep watching him," he finally said.
The villagers returned to their daily lives, believing that the village's higher-ups would soon put an end to the Uchiha Guard Force's actions.
But a week passed—
And nothing changed.
If anything, it grew worse.
In one incident, a villager attempted to spread a rumour, loudly claiming that the Uchiha were thieves exploiting civilians.
He was caught, beaten, and dragged away to prison in full view of the street.
No explanation was given.
Fear spread quickly.
Day by day, the presence of the Uchiha Guard became something civilians avoided.
Whispers followed every red-eyed silhouette. When Uchiha passed by, villagers cursed them quietly from behind—never openly.
The clan's reputation, already fragile, sank even deeper than before.
Inside the Uchiha district, Shisui Uchiha stood before Kazuto Uchiha, his expression tense.
"Elder Kazuto," Shisui said, unable to hide his frustration,"please do something. The whole village is afraid of us now. When people see the Uchiha, they don't speak—but they curse us behind our backs. Our reputation this time is worse than ever."
Shisui had tried to intervene.
But every time he spoke up, he was shut down.
He was told he wasn't part of the Guard Force.
That he was ANBU.
That he should get lost.
The hawks dominated the streets now. They didn't even allow him to finish a sentence.
The moment they recognised him, the same words came out—
"Get lost."
Kazuto listened in silence, worry etched deep into his face.
He had already spoken to the Grand Elder.
The response had been cold.
Each faction was "managing its own area."There was no need for concern.
And when Kazuto warned that this would destroy Fugaku Uchiha's chances of ever becoming Hokage, the answer had been blunt—
The Grand Elder did not want a Uchiha Hokage. At all.
Kazuto finally spoke, his voice low.
"Shisui… we can't interfere in the Grand Elder's territory. These things aren't happening in the blocks under our control."
He looked directly at him.
"So don't worry," Kazuto said—though neither of them truly believed it.
Shisui Uchiha clenched his fists as he listened.
"No," he said firmly. "I can't let this continue."
He looked straight at Kazuto Uchiha, his voice steady but filled with urgency.
"This isn't just about one faction or one block. It's affecting the entire clan's image. If this continues, there won't be anything left to repair."
Shisui turned away.
"I'll speak with the Grand Elder myself."
Without waiting for a response, he began walking toward the Grand Elder's residence.
Kazuto did not stop him.
He already knew—No answer would come from that place.