To be honest, if it were possible, Aoki Yoru would have wanted the Yamanaka Clan to perform a Soul Search; he was certain they would find the truth immediately.
Unfortunately, that wasn't an option. Arbitrarily using memory-reading techniques on fellow villagers was a major taboo that would cause widespread panic, and even Tsunade wouldn't agree to it.
Afterward, Aoki Yoru ignored the matter of the ledgers and sat in his chair to practice his Breathing Technique; after all, strength was the foundation.
Before he knew it, the sun was setting, and the twilight deepened.
Aoki Yoru opened his eyes and stretched.
"Mmm! Slacking off at work feels great!"
In his past life, he had been a civil engineering dog, baking under the sun all day with no chance to slack off. Now, he finally experienced this sense of satisfaction.
Leaping over the ledgers scattered across the floor, Aoki Yoru arrived in the main hall.
Ignoring the mocking gazes directed at him, Aoki Yoru smiled and said, "Time's up. Work's over."
With that, he walked straight toward the main gate but suddenly paused at the entrance.
"By the way, I'll be inspecting all the warehouses tomorrow. You all should prepare in advance."
Having said his piece, he left without looking back.
The expressions of some people in the hall changed drastically; the mockery that had just been on their lips instantly froze on their faces.
Aoki Yoru stepped out of the Logistics Department, glanced back, and a mocking smile curled on his lips.
The Logistics Department was indeed the purse of the four great clans, but at the same time, it was also the private pocket of these parasites.
Guarding a granary, how could there not be thieving rats?
Those ledgers were made by their clans for outsiders to see; but did they record what they had privately embezzled in those books?
"I wonder if a drama like 'Burning the Granary' will play out tonight?"
Aoki Yoru hummed a little tune as he walked home.
From the moment Aoki Yoru entered the Logistics Department, the eyes of all the medium and large Ninja clans had been fixed on him, knowing a conflict between the two sides was inevitable.
But as the day passed, the Logistics Department remained surprisingly quiet with no movement. Finally, Aoki Yoru came out humming a tune, leaving everyone bewildered.
At the Nara Clan compound, Nara Shikaku and his son Nara Shikamaru were sitting across from each other playing Shogi.
Clack—
Shikaku dropped a piece, the Rook landing firmly on the board with a sharp click.
"Who do you think will win?"
He wanted to know his son's opinion. This concerned the power struggle for the next decade; as the future clan head, Nara Shikamaru had to see the situation clearly.
Hearing his father's question, Nara Shikamaru rubbed his head and said helplessly, "What a drag! Can't they just get along?"
"If I really have to pick someone, I think Senior Yoru will come out on top."
Nara Shikaku glanced at his son in surprise. "Tell me your reasons."
"How should I put it... it's just a feeling that no matter what Senior does, he's full of confidence and composed, as if everything is under his control."
"What about you, Dad? Who do you favor?"
Nara Shikaku didn't answer his son directly, only saying calmly, "He is very much like the Second Hokage, both in terms of strength and temperament."
Now it was Nara Shikamaru's turn to be shocked. This was a very high evaluation. Since the founding of Konoha, no one besides the First Hokage had reached the heights of the Second Hokage.
All of Konoha's current systems were established during the Second's time; the Sandaime merely refined them.
"Then..."
Nara Shikamaru was interrupted by his father before he could finish.
"Shikamaru, you must remember: it's true that we, Ino–Shika–Chō, are loyal to the Hokage, but we will never get involved in any power struggles."
"We, Ino–Shika–Chō, have already reached the top. As Advisors to the Hokage for generations, we can't go any further. Getting involved in struggles brings no benefit."
"Then why don't the two Advisors take a step back?"
"They can't. When the Sandaime was in power, money came too easily to them. Their clans' Ninja forces expanded repeatedly; even an elite Chunin would dare to maneuver to become a Jonin. Now that they've stepped down, they can't afford to support so many Ninjas, and their clansmen wouldn't agree anyway."
Shikaku turned solemn. "Shikamaru, you must keep this in mind. Don't get arrogant. They became too arrogant because the Sandaime was in power for over forty years, treating all of Konoha as if it were their own home."
Not just the Nara father and son, other clans in Konoha were also discussing this power-shifting struggle.
As the night deepened, Konoha seemed to have its pause button pressed, and the entire Village fell into a deep sleep.
Several stealthy figures moved through Konoha, avoiding the patrolling Police Force and heading toward the Village's supply storage areas.
Before long, flames suddenly erupted in several storage locations, the soaring fire illuminating all of Konoha.
"Fire! Fire!"
All of Konoha was instantly thrown into a commotion.
Sarutobi Takayuki gazed at the granary amidst the soaring flames, a sinister smile appearing on his face.
He had hidden it from his clan, having already embezzled and resold nearly ten million ryo worth of food. If the clan found out, his fate would be death.
This fire could cover up everything.
"Brother Takayuki, this isn't good, is it? We're the ones guarding the warehouse. If it burns down, we're finished."
The two clansmen beside him said fearfully.
"Don't worry. When the time comes, we'll just say you neglected your duties due to drinking. At most, it'll be negligence, and the clan won't kill you. But if our food reselling is discovered, all three of us are dead."
The two Sarutobi guards looked at each other upon hearing this, finally nodding helplessly, choosing the lesser of two evils.
Suddenly, an unexpected change occurred. A burst of light erupted from the core of the granary, and a Barrier appeared, blocking the fire outside.
Sarutobi Takayuki's expression changed drastically. "Not good, let's get out of here!"
"You're not going anywhere."
Yui appeared with the Police Force and blocked them. "The three of you are suspected of arson to destroy the granary. Come with us now for investigation."
"Scatter and run!"
The three immediately fled in three different directions. As long as they weren't caught on the spot, they could claim someone else used Transformation Jutsu to frame them.
Yui sneered at the three fleeing figures and vanished into a breeze.
Thud, thud, thud—
The three figures were knocked back to their original positions almost simultaneously.
"Take them back and interrogate them thoroughly."
The members of the Hyuga Clan and Inuzuka Clan behind her looked somewhat uneasy.
Vice-Captain Yui had suddenly kept them late tonight, saying they were going to watch a good show.
At first, no one thought much of it, but they hadn't expected to be inadvertently dragged into the conflict between the Hokage and the four great clans.
As members of the Police Force, they had certainly offended those four clans now.
Not just on Yui's side, but at several other warehouses, Kenta, Kakashi, and Yamato had also captured the culprits.
"Tsunade, we don't know why those people did this either. Hand them over to us; we will definitely give you a satisfactory explanation."
Homura Mitokado and Utatane Koharu looked extremely grim. They hadn't expected their clansmen to cause such a huge mess.
It didn't matter if those people died, but they were afraid Tsunade would follow the clues and dig out deeper secrets.
That was a mess of accounts; if it were exposed, a lot of people would definitely die.