The Uchiha may not stand openly against the village, but that doesn't mean they won't stand against someone within it—someone like Danzo.
Yan smirked slightly.
Tonight's confrontation wasn't a total loss. At least Uchiha Fugaku, the clan head, chose to concede rather than escalate.
Concessions. Again and again. But how long can you keep backing away?
Pitiful.
A powerful clan like the Uchiha… and this is the kind of patriarch they have.
Fortunately, all was not lost.
There was still time for redemption.
Danzo… are you ready for this surprise?
Meanwhile, on the opposite side of the village, Danzo, who had brought many of his subordinates to wait in ambush, realized as time passed that the arrest plan had failed.
Yan didn't fall into the trap. Not only that, but the shinobi he sent out had yet to return.
His forces had either disappeared, been taken out, or worse—apprehended.
"Damn that Uchiha brat!"
"Withdraw the team!"
With the plan a failure, lingering served no purpose. Whatever happened to his men, he would find out tomorrow.
But Danzo didn't expect Yan to act faster than even his most cautious prediction.
Yan had promised to send Danzo's men to prison the next day, but he couldn't wait.
He did it that same night.
"We're subordinates of Danzo-sama!"
Danzo's operatives, thrown into the Konoha Police prison facility, didn't stop asserting their allegiance.
Unfortunately, no one listened.
Wearing ANBU gear with no official clearance or identification, lacking even the insignia, was already a serious offense.
And attacking the Chief of the Police Department? That made it worse.
So Danzo's operatives became prisoners overnight, detained without ceremony.
How long they would remain locked up depended on how quickly Danzo and the Third Hokage reacted.
The arrival of unidentified suspects, wearing masked ANBU gear and claiming to serve Danzo, was enough to raise alarms.
The prison staff immediately relayed the situation to the Hokage.
Sure enough, the very next morning—before the Third Hokage could even sit down in his office—he received the news.
"Unidentified persons wearing ANBU equipment assaulted the Chief of Police?"
The Third Hokage frowned, clearly troubled.
There was no doubt. These were Danzo's men. Only Root agents moved like this—without records, without accountability—and with such reckless aggression.
Root, for all its secrecy, had crossed a line.
This time, they'd hit an iron wall—and got tossed in prison like common criminals.
The Third Hokage sighed.
Since when did Danzo become so reckless?
"Send someone to bring them out. Hand them back to Danzo. And tell him… to be more careful next time."
Things had gone too far. But the Third Hokage couldn't publicly reprimand Yan—he wasn't in the wrong.
And exposing Root operations would bring only further complications.
So, quietly, discreetly, it would be resolved.
Danzo had to swallow this one.
What irritated Hiruzen even more was when another ANBU came to report that Uchiha Yan had been seen… eating breakfast outside the Ninja Academy again.
"Copy complete. Gained partial Indra chakra. Fuse now?"
There had been a lot of rewards recently—and this wasn't just a trace of chakra.
This was a significant portion of Indra's chakra.
Yan hadn't expected such a fortunate reward first thing in the morning.
"Fuse."
As the Indra chakra flowed into him, Yan felt his Sharingan react—an intense pressure built behind his eyes.
A sign of imminent evolution?
Back when his Sharingan reached three tomoe, it evolved so naturally he barely noticed. With his spiritual energy and ocular prowess continuously improving, advancement came easily.
No dramatic training montages. No life-or-death triggers. Just patient development and OP-level hacks.
Others had to struggle for every upgrade—he just had to show up on time.
It was borderline unfair.
"As expected… hard work and sweat are no match for talent. But talent with hacks? That's the real cheat code."
Pleased, Yan paid for his food, rose, and made his way back to the police department.
As for little Sasuke, who had already entered the academy with his backpack, he and Naruto had long become Yan's low-key tools.
"Captain!"
A synchronized greeting rang out in the Third Team's lounge, making Yan wonder for a second if he'd walked into the wrong room.
These delinquents… since when were they so disciplined?
He stepped back and double-checked the doorframe.
No mistake. This was the Third Team's base.
Getting this squad to follow orders was one thing, but to greet him like model shinobi?
Impossible.
He knew these troublemakers too well.
Then he noticed the difference.
A new face in the lounge.
Smaller build. Polished demeanor. Clear eyes.
A girl.
"New recruit?"
Even the rowdiest squad changes when a girl joins. Especially when she's cute.
Yan frowned slightly. The girl looked oddly familiar…
"Captain!"
The girl bowed quickly and politely.
Though she had passed the initial screening by the Personnel Department, her fate ultimately depended on Yan's personal evaluation.
If he didn't approve, she would be removed from the department.
Just like how newly graduated genin had to be evaluated by their jonin-sensei before joining a team, the police department followed a similar process.
Looking her over, Yan asked calmly:
"You're Uchiha Izumi? Hazuki-san's daughter?"
Uchiha Izumi wasn't born into the main Uchiha family—she was considered someone who had returned to the clan midway.
Her mother, Uchiha Hazuki, had married outside the clan in her youth. After her husband died, she brought Izumi back into the Uchiha fold.
Hence, Izumi began using the Uchiha name.
However, their position within the clan was delicate.
"Yes," Izumi nodded nervously.
"My mother often spoke of the captain. After I graduated, she encouraged me to join the police department—to help both of us integrate better into the clan."
"I see…"
So it wasn't Yan's butterfly effect at work. This had been Uchiha Hazuki's plan.
Izumi had bypassed the usual team assignments and submitted herself to the police department's evaluation program.
Yan nodded slowly.
"Since you've chosen this path, work hard. Stay grounded. If you're sincere, the clan will eventually accept you—and Hazuki-san too."
He turned to the others.
"Get ready for patrol. Izumi will follow me today."
It was standard practice for captains to lead rookies during their first outings.
And it was Yan's job to take the lead.
"Yes, sir!"
The team responded in unison.
As Yan stepped into his office, the others shot Izumi encouraging glances.
"Don't worry, Izumi. The captain might act tough, but he's actually a pretty chill guy."
"You'll pass with no problem."
Izumi smiled nervously. Even with the reassurance, her heart thumped like a drum.
Her mother had told her many times—Yan wasn't strict.
Still, the pressure was real.
Had the Sixth Elder—currently hospitalized—heard that, he might have coughed up blood on the spot.
Just as Yan prepared to take his team out on patrol, an unexpected visitor entered the police department.
A figure whose presence froze the entire hall.
Carrying a simple wooden cane, the man walked in slowly. The moment he stepped inside, all movement halted.
Danzo Shimura.
His cold gaze swept the hall.
"I want to see Uchiha Yan."
After an entire night with no word from his agents, Danzo couldn't ignore it any longer.
He had to save face—and try to recover what little he could.
"I'm right here."
Descending the staircase, Yan looked at Danzo with amusement.
So he came in person, huh?
The room went dead silent.
Some officers slipped away to alert Fugaku.
Danzo appearing in person was never a good thing for the Uchiha.
"May I ask what brings you here, Honorable Advisor?"
Yan stepped forward calmly.
The oppressive silence continued.
"Don't just stand around like you've seen a ghost," Yan waved a hand. "Let the man speak."
Danzo's lone eye narrowed coldly.
"I don't care for smart-mouthed brats like you."