The Trap Unfolds
When the three Uchiha ninjas passed by an alley, they heard a heated discussion.
"The good days of those Uchiha guys are over. I just saw the ugly faces of those patrolling Uchiha ninjas and I wanted to laugh," said one voice.
"Yes, they all look like dogs with their tails between their legs. They look so gloomy and pathetic," another added mockingly.
"With Sora-sama here, the Uchiha clan will finally crumble," commented a third person.
"I hope they get what they deserve. The Uchiha are the cancer of Konoha—they should have been dealt with long ago!"
The three Uchiha ninjas grew furious hearing these words. They rushed into the alley and surrounded the villagers who were talking.
The villagers looked at them with fear in their eyes.
One Uchiha ninja growled, "Who said they wanted to laugh just now? Come on, smile for me now!"
The second one sneered, "Our Uchiha clan is still the largest ninja clan in Konoha!"
"You dare to insult our Uchiha clan? Do you have a death wish?" threatened the third.
"Hey, apologize quickly, or I'll make you regret—"
Before he could finish, the three Uchiha ninjas were suddenly grabbed by the backs of their necks and slammed heavily to the ground.
The Uchiha ninjas turned their heads with difficulty and saw three expressionless faces staring down at them. These were Root ninjas who had been patrolling nearby. Two ANBU ninjas stood behind them, looking dumbfounded.
Did they really just take action so directly?
One Uchiha ninja demanded, "What are you doing?! Let us go!"
A Root ninja announced in a stiff, mechanical tone, "You three were attempting to commit a crime. You are now under arrest."
The three Uchiha ninjas were stunned. How had they attempted to commit a crime?
They struggled hard against their captors. "Hey, don't frame us! We didn't do anything wrong!"
A Root ninja looked at the villagers and asked coldly, "Were they threatening you just now?"
A villager immediately responded, "Yes! He threatened us and asked if we wanted to die!"
The Root ninja announced, "The evidence is conclusive. We are arresting all three of you. If you resist, we will use force."
One Uchiha ninja tried to break free from the Root ninja's grip.
Without hesitation, the Root ninja snapped the Uchiha ninja's arm.
"AHHH!" The pain made the Uchiha ninja scream in agony.
The screams attracted passersby who gathered to watch the commotion.
Seeing their companion's arm broken, the other two Uchiha ninjas broke into a cold sweat and stopped resisting.
The three Root ninjas escorted the captured Uchiha ninjas away while the two ANBU ninjas just watched the entire process. They couldn't interfere, and they were shocked at how easily the Root ninja had broken the Uchiha's arm.
The gathered crowd pointed at the three Uchiha ninjas as they were led away. This was the first time they had witnessed such a scene. In the past, they had always seen Uchiha ninjas arresting others, but now others were arresting Uchiha ninjas.
After everyone left, villagers surrounded those involved and asked what had happened. The villagers exaggerated the story, and the crowd began expressing their opinions.
"It seems the Konoha Defense Force treats ninjas equally and won't turn a blind eye just because it's the Uchiha clan."
"With the Konoha Defense Force, we don't need to fear the Uchiha anymore."
"After all, it is Sora-sama's Konoha Defense Force. If the Uchiha bully us again, we can report directly to them!"
This was just the beginning—a first step in breaking the villagers' fear of the Uchiha clan.
Half an hour later, at the Root Base, nine people knelt on one knee before Danzo.
Four of them were the "villagers" involved in the incident, while the rest were those who had voiced opinions in the crowd. In a puff of smoke, all nine transformed back to their original appearances.
"Master Danzo, the mission is complete," one reported.
Danzo nodded with satisfaction.
This group wasn't the only one Danzo had deployed. Several teams had enacted similar scenes throughout Konoha village. On the first day alone, fifteen Uchiha ninjas had been captured, with half of them injured. Those injuries all resulted from attempts to resist arrest.
In the Root prison, the captured Uchiha ninjas were terrified. Each was confined to a tiny cell so small they couldn't even sit down. The cells were pitch black with no light penetrating the darkness, making it impossible to sense the passage of time.
Yet they could hear sounds—strange, unsettling noises that came at irregular intervals. In this environment, their fear grew exponentially. Soon after being locked up, some Uchiha ninjas began to break down mentally.
At the Konoha Defense Force headquarters, Uchiha Shisui burst into the office and confronted Sora. "What are you trying to do? Are you using the Konoha Defense Force to capture Uchiha ninjas everywhere?!"
Sora calmly took a sip of tea and replied, "I told you that if you believe I've done something wrong, you can report it to the Fourth Hokage. Since you came directly to me instead, I assume you haven't found any evidence of wrongdoing, correct?"
Uchiha Shisui said angrily, "You're behind this, aren't you? Today, there were suddenly many people insulting the Uchiha clan throughout Konoha, and every time an Uchiha ninja tried to respond, your ninjas appeared right on time to arrest them for 'attempted crimes'! This can't be coincidence!"
Sora smiled, setting her teacup back on the table. "Where's your evidence? As Vice-Captain of the Konoha Defense Force, you need proof when making accusations, don't you? You know the villagers of Konoha have long resented your Uchiha clan."
She continued smoothly, "Perhaps the villagers now trust our Konoha Defense Force and are no longer afraid of the Uchiha clan. They finally feel free to speak their minds. Your clan has committed many questionable acts in the past—can't your people handle a few harsh words? Are the Uchiha really so fragile?"
Uchiha Shisui's expression twisted with anger. But he had no evidence. He had investigated before confronting Sora and found that those arrested were indeed Uchiha ninjas who had verbally threatened villagers who insulted their clan.
And those verbal threats could technically be classified as attempted crimes.
Uchiha Shisui asked, "Where are you keeping the captured Uchiha ninjas?"
"Root Prison," Sora replied simply.
"What?!" Uchiha Shisui stared at Sora in disbelief. He never imagined she would place the captured Uchiha ninjas in the Root Prison.
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