In the Nara compound, Inoichi Yamanaka stared at Shikaku in disbelief.
"Is it truly necessary to go that far?" Inoichi asked, referring to the plan to intentionally splinter their clans. "Have things deteriorated to the point where we must manufacture a rebellion just to secure a contingency plan?"
Choza Akimichi looked equally unsettled. To actively engineer a schism within the Ino-Shika-Cho formation went against centuries of tradition.
Shikaku's expression remained stone-cold. "It is absolutely necessary. You are underestimating Jin Uchiha's memory."
Shikaku leaned forward, emphasizing his point. "Do not forget our history. Our clans silently allowed the Senju to be dismantled to maintain our own power. Do you think a mind like Jin's will overlook that? He is currently playing the political game with restraint, but underneath that intellect, his core nature remains Uchiha."
Shikaku's Internal Monologue: A fundamental rule of the shinobi world: The stronger the Uchiha's visual prowess, the more extreme their psychological state. To unlock the Mangekyo Sharingan requires experiencing unfathomable trauma. Jin might appear calm and rational now, but he is fundamentally a traumatized extremist wielding apocalyptic power. If he secures total control of Konoha, he will eventually purge any clan he deems unreliable. We cannot risk being on his purge list.
"We cannot gamble the survival of our bloodlines on the hope that an Uchiha will be merciful," Shikaku stated firmly. "We must secure a foothold in his camp before he wins the war."
A chilling silence fell over the room. Realizing the grim reality of Shikaku's analysis, Inoichi and Choza felt a cold sweat break out on their backs.
"Understood," Inoichi finally agreed, his voice tight. "I will begin selecting candidates for the defection immediately."
Choza nodded grimly.
Shikaku exhaled a slow, heavy breath, looking out at the darkened village. The path ahead was treacherous. He knew the Hokage's immediate problems were only just beginning.
***
The Civilian Uprising
Shikaku's prediction proved flawlessly accurate.
Three days later, the civilian populace of Konoha finally snapped.
For weeks, the Uchiha Police Force had operated under malicious compliance, demanding exhaustive bureaucratic evidence for every minor infraction. The daily infrastructure of the commercial districts had ground to a halt. The citizens, desperate for resolution, had filed hundreds of complaints with the Hokage Administration.
But the administration had ignored them entirely, consumed by their panicked attempts to counter Jin's devastating rumors regarding their legitimacy.
The civilians could tolerate political scandals. They could not tolerate starving because the supply lines were paralyzed by legal gridlock.
By noon, thousands of furious civilians had besieged the Hokage Administration Building.
"Resign, Hiruzen!" the crowd roared.
"Fix the Police Force! We need to make a living!"
"If you can't govern, step down!"
A line of Anbu operatives stood before the building's entrance, their weapons drawn but angled toward the ground. As military personnel, they possessed the power to slaughter the crowd in seconds. However, attacking unarmed Konoha citizens would instantly trigger a full-scale civil war. The Anbu were paralyzed, desperately hoping the Hokage would issue a command.
***
The Checkmate of Malicious Compliance
Inside the Hokage's office, the atmosphere was suffocating.
Hiruzen, Koharu, Homura, and Danzo listened to the deafening chants outside. Danzo had been so hyper-focused on winning the information war that he had completely forgotten the operational catalyst: the Police Force strike.
"What is our move, Hiruzen?" Koharu asked, her composure shattered. "The situation has escalated beyond control. We must produce a solution immediately!"
"Can we issue a direct executive order forcing the Uchiha to abandon their new procedural rules?" Homura suggested desperately. "Order them to resolve these disputes today!"
Hiruzen took a long drag from his pipe, his eyes dark with exhaustion. He shook his head.
"We cannot," Hiruzen replied bleakly. "The Uchiha reformed their procedures under the legal justification of preventing 'false convictions.' If I issue an executive order forcing them to bypass due process, I am legally taking responsibility for any subsequent miscarriages of justice. The Uchiha will simply point to my order whenever an innocent person is jailed. The civilians' hatred will permanently shift from the Uchiha to me."
A heavy, terrified silence fell over the room. The elders finally realized the sheer perfection of Jin's strategy.
Homura's Internal Monologue: It is a flawless checkmate. If we do nothing, the village infrastructure collapses and the citizens riot against us. If we force the Uchiha to act, we absorb all legal liability and the citizens hate us anyway. Jin Uchiha has engineered an unsolvable trap.
"Damn it!" Homura cursed bitterly. "How is this possible? Are we certain he is an Uchiha? He fights like a Nara!"
No one had an answer.
Hiruzen turned to his darkest asset. "Danzo. Do you have a tactical solution?"
"Politically? No," Danzo answered flatly. He wasn't particularly bothered; the riot outside only damaged Hiruzen's standing. However, as an ally of convenience, he offered the only viable Root protocol.
"There is no administrative solution to this problem," Danzo stated, his single eye cold and lethal. "Therefore, we must remove the source. If you cannot solve the problem, you eliminate the person who created it. Jin Uchiha must die immediately."
Koharu nodded emphatically. "Execute the assassination order. He is too dangerous to live."
"Agreed," Homura echoed.
Hiruzen's face hardened into a mask of pure ruthlessness. "Danzo, accelerate your timeline. I want him dead. But we still need a stopgap measure for the mob outside." Hiruzen turned to an Anbu guard. "Summon Shikaku Nara immediately."
Ten minutes later, Shikaku entered the tense office.
Upon hearing the Hokage's demand for a solution, Shikaku maintained a carefully constructed expression of thoughtful concern. He had anticipated this exact scenario.
Shikaku's Internal Monologue: I will not involve the Ino-Shika-Cho forces in a direct confrontation with the Uchiha. However, as the Jonin Commander, I must provide a functional administrative solution to stabilize the village.
"Solving the root cause of the Uchiha's malicious compliance is politically impossible at this moment," Shikaku advised smoothly. "However, to temporarily quell the civilian unrest, I suggest an immediate executive override. Deploy the Anbu."
Hiruzen frowned. "The Anbu? For civilian disputes?"
"Yes, Lord Hokage," Shikaku confirmed. "Temporarily reassign Anbu squadrons to assume the duties of the Police Force. It is a massive misallocation of elite military assets, and it will be highly inefficient. But seeing the Hokage's personal guard stepping in to restore order will placate the civilians and buy you the time you need."
Hiruzen closed his eyes, considering the logistical nightmare. Using elite black-ops assassins to handle petty theft and merchant disputes was an insult to the Anbu's purpose. But with the Uchiha intentionally paralyzing the system and a riot forming outside his window, he had no other option.
"Very well," Hiruzen sighed heavily, conceding defeat. "Implement the Anbu reassignment protocol. We must stabilize the village at all costs."