Half an hour later, Jiraiya left the Uchiha compound, his heart heavy. As he stepped onto the main streets of Konoha, his despair deepened.
The village was descending into chaos. Compared to the disciplined harmony inside Uchiha territory, the civilian sectors were a disaster. In just a two-block walk, Jiraiya witnessed seven separate shouting matches and two outright brawls.
Anbu Black Ops operatives—the Hokage's elite masked assassins—were scattered everywhere. They had recently taken over the Military Police Force's duties from the Uchiha, and it was painfully obvious they were failing.
The Anbu lacked the Uchiha's rigid, impartial discipline. When the Uchiha ran the police force, they arrested anyone who broke the law, even if the offender belonged to the Hokage's own Sarutobi clan. The Anbu, however, operated on bias. If a troublemaker had backing from a major ninja clan, the Anbu looked the other way. If the offender was a commoner without connections, the Anbu arrested them immediately.
Worse, the Anbu were trained for lethal combat, not conflict resolution. Their patience for civilian disputes was non-existent.
Jiraiya watched a frustrated civilian point a finger and yell at an Anbu officer over a property dispute. The masked officer, annoyed, casually swatted the man's hand away. A sickening crack echoed down the street. The civilian screamed, his arm shattered. The Anbu, unbothered by the "accident," simply slapped cuffs on the injured man and dragged him away.
Jiraiya opened his mouth to intervene, but then stopped. He let out a long sigh and turned away. Intervening wouldn't fix the systemic rot.
Jiraiya's Internal Monologue: The power gap between a ninja and a civilian is immense. You cannot assign assassins to handle petty theft and noise complaints. Jin Uchiha knew exactly what he was doing. By forcing the Anbu into this role, he has exposed the administration's incompetence and turned the civilian populace against the Hokage. Jin didn't even have to break a single law to do it.
"Jin Uchiha, you are ruthlessly efficient," Jiraiya muttered to himself. "The situation is far worse than I imagined. I cannot solve this alone. Should I find Tsunade? ...No. If she hears the rumors Jin is spreading about her brother's death, she might destroy the village herself."
Shaking his head, Jiraiya headed straight for the Hokage's office.
***
The Hokage's Office
This time, Jiraiya didn't enter through the window. He pushed the heavy wooden door open and walked in, devoid of his usual dramatic flair. His desire to visit the hot springs or gather 'research' for his novels was completely gone.
Hiruzen Sarutobi sat behind his massive desk, puffing on his pipe. He looked at his former student's defeated posture, his expression entirely neutral.
"What's wrong? Did reality finally set in?" Hiruzen asked dryly.
Jiraiya nodded, exhausted. He grabbed a chair, spun it around, and straddled it, resting his arms on the backrest. "The political situation is a nightmare. I don't even know where to begin. Jin Uchiha is too cunning. If he were just a powerful fighter, I could challenge him. But he fights with laws, rumors, and bureaucracy. How do you defeat an enemy when you can't even prove he's doing anything wrong?"
"You don't need to think about it," Hiruzen replied smoothly, exhaling a cloud of smoke. "I didn't recall you to the village to play politics or negotiate with the Uchiha. You are here because we lack high-level combatants. If Jin Uchiha snaps and launches a coup, your job is to fight. You are the muscle, Jiraiya. Leave the strategy to me."
Jiraiya felt a wave of relief wash over him. Relieved of the leadership burden, his mind cleared enough to offer a tactical suggestion.
"The Uchiha's malicious compliance is destroying public order," Jiraiya noted. "Can't we officially strip them of their police authority? We could draft a few ninja from every major clan to form a new, coalition-based Military Police Force."
Hiruzen rolled his eyes. "Do you think Jin would object? He wants to dump the police duties entirely. But who would take the job? The Anbu have been running it for less than two weeks, and they are already despised. The clan heads are not fools; none of them will accept a poisoned chalice that guarantees the hatred of the civilian populace."
Jiraiya fell silent. Hiruzen was right.
Defeated, Jiraiya stood up and waved dismissively. "I won't leave the village. If you need me for a fight, have the Anbu track me down. I'm going."
Hiruzen watched him leave without stopping him. He knew Jiraiya couldn't untangle the political knot Jin had tied. Having a Sannin in the village was simply a nuclear deterrent against an Uchiha uprising.
***
Days passed. The village remained in a tense standoff.
After his harsh rejection by Jin Uchiha, Jiraiya reverted to his persona as a lecherous wanderer, haunting the local hot springs. The Uchiha Clan remained fortified within their compound. The Military Police Force existed in name only, paralyzed by their own red tape, while the Anbu continued to botch daily security.
Inside the Uchiha compound, Jin remained completely dormant. Aside from light physical training, he spent his days meditating, circulating chakra to his eyes to accelerate the recovery of his Mangekyou Sharingan.
He was waiting.
Jin's Internal Monologue: I spared Danzo's life for a specific reason. A cornered rat will lash out, and Danzo is the ultimate rat. It is time for him to prove his worth and destabilize the Hokage's coalition from within.
Three days later, Danzo Shimura made his move. Armed with an official authorization document signed by the Hokage, he began visiting the major clan compounds.
His first target: the Ino-Shika-Cho alliance.
***
The Nara Clan Compound
Shikaku Nara sat in his formal receiving room. Because Danzo had sent an official notice beforehand, Inoichi Yamanaka and Choza Akimichi were already present, sitting silently beside him.
The atmosphere was tense. They knew Danzo's arrival meant trouble.
As the scarred elder entered, Shikaku masked his apprehension with forced politeness. He gestured to a cushion and poured a cup of tea.
"Elder Danzo," Shikaku said, his voice carefully neutral. "To what do we owe the honor of this visit?"