"Shisui, what are you doing here?"
Finally, one of the Police Force captains felt compelled to acknowledge Uchiha Shisui, though he practically had to hold his nose to do it. His tone dripped with suspicion, distrust, and even contempt. But since Shisui had come, he clearly wasn't bothered by the man's attitude. He just wanted to do his job.
"I'm here to handle a case involving a village brawl..." Uchiha Shisui explained his purpose gently, detailing the specifics of the incident. He continued, "Given that this matter hasn't been resolved and the individual involved has been detained for an extended period, I was hoping the case could be transferred to me for processing."
The captain's brow furrowed as he listened. He recalled the incident. "That case is being handled. The ninja in question not only violated regulations by fighting within the village but also openly insulted and resisted officers attempting to enforce the law. He showed complete disregard for discipline. Keeping him locked up for a while to cool him down is the correct decision. You..."
He stopped himself. Why was he bothering to explain so much to Shisui? It was pointless talking to a ninja who had abandoned his clan's stance.
"In short," the captain stated firmly, "this falls under the jurisdiction of the Military Police Force. Outsiders have no right to interfere."
Did Shisui want to interfere in matters like this? Not particularly. But the current situation forced his hand; some things, only he could do. Holding a brawler beyond the standard detention period wasn't a major crime in itself. However, it was the accumulation of such small incidents that painted the Uchiha – and by extension, the Police Force – as arrogant, unjust, and abusive of their power in Konoha's eyes. It only served to widen the chasm between the clan and the village.
For incidents like these, only Uchiha Shisui possessed the willingness, the capability, and the standing (however precarious) to address them properly.
"The problem is, the detention period has already been exceeded," Shisui persisted, still trying to reason with him. "To prevent the negative impact from escalating, wouldn't it be better to hand the case over to me? It would reflect better on the village and provide a clearer resolution for the ordinary shinobi involved."
Mentioning the "village" was the wrong move. The captain practically exploded. Village, village, village! What about the Uchiha's interests? What about their pride? Didn't Shisui's words just confirm he was selling out the clan, betraying their interests, wagging his tail for the Hokage?
"Insolence! Uchiha Shisui, do you even remember you're an Uchiha ninja?" the captain hissed, struggling to control the fury twisting his features.
Shisui sighed internally. He knew then that he could only press forward. "By order of the Third Hokage, please release the detained ninja into my custody." He produced the official order.
The captain didn't even glance at it. "I only obey the orders of the Clan Head."
Then, other Uchiha officers joined in, their voices rising in unison: "We only obey the orders of the Clan Head!"
The shouts were loud, echoing outside the building. They instantly put the ANBU members monitoring the area on high alert. Such blatant disregard for the Hokage's authority, shouted so openly in broad daylight? One ANBU operative immediately judged it as the Uchiha deciding to rebel and reached to trigger a Level 1 alert.
Fortunately, a more level-headed ANBU operative stopped him. Hold on, let's observe a little longer... Logically, the Uchiha clan wouldn't start a rebellion in broad daylight, and certainly not originating from the Police Force headquarters.
Indeed, no major move followed. The Uchiha's shouts merely proved, once again, that their collective intelligence perhaps wasn't particularly high. They acted like street thugs spoiling for a fight at the slightest poke, displaying none of the composure expected of a renowned noble clan.
Inside the tense headquarters, just as Shisui was facing a standoff with his hostile clansmen, thankfully, someone arrived in time to defuse the situation... Uchiha Itachi.
"Shisui."
Itachi began speaking quietly with the surrounding Uchiha officers. About ten minutes later, he returned to Shisui's side, accompanied by another ninja – the one who had been detained.
"Shisui," Itachi said calmly, "in the future, you can contact me first about matters like this. I'll handle the negotiations within the clan."
"I understand, Itachi. Thank you," Shisui replied. After expressing his gratitude, he didn't linger. He turned to leave with the released ninja.
"I'm finally being let go?" the formerly detained Uchiha asked Shisui, his tone mocking.
"Let's go. Your case still needs to be processed," Shisui said simply.
"Go with you? From one police department to another?" The man sneered. "No matter how different Uchiha like you pretend to be, you're still Uchiha."
His words dripped with sarcasm. Clearly, he felt not a shred of gratitude towards Shisui for securing his release. But one couldn't entirely blame him for being unreasonable or ungrateful. From his perspective, one Uchiha slapped him, and another Uchiha patted his cheek afterwards. Should he really feel indebted to the Uchiha for that? It seemed ludicrous.
Itachi watched Shisui's retreating figure until he disappeared completely. For some reason, a wave of profound, almost unbearable sadness washed over him.
Shisui gave a wry smile. It wasn't that he didn't want to rely on or contact Itachi, but... Itachi was only eleven this year. If one didn't stop to think about it, who would realize his performance, both in terms of skill and mental maturity, was already indistinguishable from that of a seasoned ninja?
Meanwhile, Shimura Danzo sat impassively in the Third Hokage's office. After much consideration, he had decided he needed to come here.
"Sarutobi," Danzo began, his voice low and grave, "you know the current situation in Sunagakure. We absolutely cannot allow Suna's today to become Konoha's tomorrow. Stability, from top to bottom, is essential. The supreme military leader must consider the issue of age. This isn't just about you anymore."
Danzo's words hit a nerve; it was indeed a persistent worry for Hiruzen. He was no longer young. Therefore, regardless of anything else, he needed a successor. If the Fourth Hokage were still alive, everything in Konoha would be stable. But now, there was a dangerous gap. Finding a ninja who was steady, powerful, prestigious, and unquestionably loyal to the village was incredibly difficult.
"Can't Jiraiya be recalled to the village?" Danzo asked.
"He won't agree to it," Hiruzen stated plainly. "At least, not until Orochimaru is dealt with. He won't stay in Konoha for long periods."
"Tsunade? We often receive word of her whereabouts, but the problem is, she's too fast on her feet." Hiruzen sighed wearily. Tsunade's speed was legendary – mostly for dodging debt collectors. Could she be faster?
"Finding someone suitable is difficult, but it must be done," Danzo pressed. "If those two are unavailable, then that leaves only you."
"Then the only path left is to find someone more suitable to take your place..." Danzo paused, his expression carefully neutral. "Find a capable ninja, perhaps one who is always restless staying within the village. Consider it making the best use of talent and resources."
The words he'd just spoken sounded like selfless concern for Konoha's future. In reality, it was a gamble. Not betting that Konoha could successfully retrieve Tsunade, but betting that they couldn't, thereby ensuring that an inconvenient ninja like Habara remained stuck outside the village long-term, much like Jiraiya chasing Orochimaru.
For Danzo, Habara wasn't just an eyesore; he actively hindered Danzo's plans. Although Habara believed he had already made sufficient concessions, Danzo still felt the man repeatedly sabotaged his schemes. If he couldn't eliminate this interference more directly, then temporarily throwing Habara out of the village was preferable. Danzo was currently orchestrating a crucial plan, one that absolutely could not tolerate any disruption.
Everything was for the sake of Konoha's legacy, development, and strength. If he, Shimura Danzo, could endure hardship for that cause, then surely Habara could too.
The Third Hokage fell silent, deep in thought.
Shimura Danzo's eyes remained deeply hooded, and he said no more, seemingly careful not to interfere with the Hokage's deliberation.
Elsewhere, the atmosphere within "Akakammuri" was one of thriving progress, a stark contrast to the stagnation and simmering madness of the Uchiha clan.
The rollout of the Curse Mark of Man was proceeding smoothly. Naturally, the first recipients were chosen from ninja who already had a high degree of acceptance and integration within Akakammuri. That was only natural – if you trust me, stand closer to me, then of course I'll think of you first when good things become available. Absolute fairness didn't exist. Should they start the expansion by offering it to Danzo's Root operatives? Impossible.
To date, all ninja within the organization's core had received the Curse Mark. So far, there had been no adverse reactions. The only 'issue', if you could call it that, was that the effects weren't perfectly uniform. Some experienced significant strength increases, while others only saw moderate gains. But honestly, that wasn't really a flaw or a problem. As long as it provided a positive enhancement and not a debuff, it was an undeniably valuable asset.
The effects of the Curse Mark had been verified. Therefore, after completing the internal distribution, the second phase of rollout began quickly. Even with Habara currently away from Konoha, the entire production process could be managed by Daigo.
As for the Third Hokage's order about strictly limiting the expansion? Habara maintained he was obeying the order and hadn't expanded unduly. Compared to the thousands of shinobi in Konoha, how many had he actually given the mark to? It was negligible.
Two shinobi were currently heading towards the "Konoha Level 2 Intelligence Archive." Their names were Uchiha Tsukasa, a Special Jonin, and Mikura Hyoei, a Chunin. If asked what they had in common, the answer was that both had joined the Akakammuri system early on. They had received intelligence support and remote chakra assistance through the system, and had also exchanged merits for jutsu. They fully recognized its benefits.
As the two walked towards the archive, they chatted casually.
"Speaking of leaders among the common shinobi after the Fourth Hokage's time, who do you think stands out?" Special Jonin Uchiha Tsukasa asked.
"Just after the Third Shinobi World War, that might have been a harder question," Mikura Hyoei replied. "But now, the answer is quite obvious. Anyone with a decent understanding of Konoha's shinobi would give the same answer... Jonin Habara."
"Habara?"
"Indeed, Jonin Habara," Uchiha Tsukasa affirmed. "Considering personal strength, reputation, past achievements, and current contributions, it really has to be him. Perhaps only him."
These two shinobi were not from established ninja clans, so discussing such matters was purely out of personal interest.
Although Habara consistently maintained a low profile, his influence grew daily. This wasn't unearned; it was the natural result of his actions. Just think about everything he had done for Konoha since the war... Anyone with even a basic understanding of his contributions would develop a corresponding level of respect. Habara truly had contributed much to Konoha's development, but who knew about it if he didn't publicize it? The most powerful weapon in the world was truly the mouth; it was practically a law-of-causality weapon. Only saying, not doing, was equivalent to doing nothing. Habara was truly inept at workplace politics.
The person most satisfied with the Curse Mark was Hatake Kakashi. It wasn't just about how much his strength had increased. Rather, the burden imposed by his Sharingan eye, already mitigated thanks to Tenzo's chakra, was now practically nonexistent due to the physical enhancement from the Curse Mark. He felt incredibly refreshed, as if the Sharingan was his own original eye now.
Even better than an original, perhaps. At least when he used the Sharingan now, his face wasn't covered in blood, looking rather unhygienic.
This growing respect even led to the emergence of certain "unconventional" thoughts, especially among the common shinobi. You could say some ninja had poor eyesight, but they genuinely saw echoes of the Fourth Hokage in Habara.
In fact, a very subtle, very faint, yet startlingly bold undercurrent of thought had begun circulating among the common shinobi – Perhaps Jonin Habara could even become Hokage.
Of course, this was currently an extremely marginal viewpoint, held by a tiny minority, perhaps even bordering on "crazy." But it existed.
Regardless of the potential long-term implications, these two shinobi were just chatting idly. They conversed happily, soon arriving at the archive, ready to receive their new enhancement.