Boom boom boom!
"Who is it, making noise at this hour?"
At the home of Sarutobi clan's chief elder, Sarutobi Taro, the servant on night watch shouted from behind the door.
"Open up. Anbu inspection."
Kakashi's voice came from outside, cool and flat.
Snap!
The door creaked open.
"Go away, it's the middle of the night. Do you have any idea you're disturbing my master's rest? Come back tomorrow if it's so important!"
The servant waved impatiently, his tone dripping with disdain.
After all, everyone in the Sarutobi household knew: as long as Hiruzen held onto power, the Fourth Hokage was just a figurehead.
Why would they respect Minato? Even the servants dared to sneer.
Bang!
Before the servant could continue, Kakashi slapped him flat onto the ground.
Without sparing him another glance, he raised a hand.
"Search."
"Yes!"
The Anbu flowed into the residence like shadows.
"Hey! Do you even know whose house this is?!"
The butler stormed in at the noise, jabbing his finger at Kakashi.
He barely got two steps before Kakashi's silhouette blurred—then the man was sent flying into the rockery with a groan, coughing like he'd just eaten Gai's cooking.
"Owww! Master! Anbu is killing people in your house!" the butler wailed, voice like a slaughtered pig.
"Presumptuous!"
Sarutobi Taro staggered out, pants half-done, face flushed red with rage.
"How dare you dogs of the Fourth Hokage break into my house! You think yourselves bold? Even if Hiruzen himself walked through that door, he would show me respect!"
Swish!
Before he could finish, Kakashi vanished.
Sarutobi Taro, a seasoned Jōnin, instantly tensed. A chill surged up his spine—too late.
Bang!
Kakashi appeared with his hands in his pockets, casually kicking the elder down and grinding his heel into the man's back.
Snap!
"Pffft!"
Taro vomited blood as his spine cracked, his body collapsing into uselessness beneath Kakashi's boot.
"Y-You bastard!" he croaked. "Hiruzen will have you tied up and beaten until you're kneeling outside my house!"
Kakashi tilted his head. "Not bad. I was running out of creative punishment ideas. Thanks for the suggestion, Elder. Very… community-spirited of you."
"You—what are you planning?! I'm the great elder of the Sarutobi clan! Not even Minato can save you from offending me!"
Taro's voice wavered with desperation.
Kakashi didn't bother to answer, leaving him to choke on his own curses.
Half an hour later, Anbu returned.
"Captain, we've finished the search. Sarutobi Taro's illegal assets amount to six hundred million ryō!"
The Anbu operative's voice trembled with anger.
Six hundred million. Just from one man.
In this world, even an S-rank mission rarely brought more than a million ryō. For ordinary Jōnin, this kind of wealth was absurd.
On the black market, Sarutobi Hiruzen's own bounty had been half that.
Taro had bled the village like a leech.
"Six hundred million, huh? Taro, you must've really believed you were the Daimyō's accountant," Kakashi muttered. "Except accountants usually hide the money better."
His voice turned sharp.
"Rope. Neck. Drag him."
The words made Taro's blood run cold.
"No! I am the great elder of the Sarutobi clan! Hiruzen will—"
Yank!
Anbu pulled the rope tight. Taro's words dissolved into strangled coughs as his body was hauled away, leaving him choking on dust, limbs twitching uselessly.
One by one, the Sarutobi involved were rounded up.
At the same time, Uchiha Fugaku led the Police Force—Yashiro, Tekka, even Shisui—raiding the other three families.
Those who resisted had their arms and legs broken on the spot. The Uchiha weren't exactly famous for restraint.
By the end of three hours, every suspect in the four major families had been arrested.
The numbers were staggering.
Sarutobi clan: more than 4 billion ryō.
Utatanes and Mitokados: around 2 billion each.
Shimura clan: barely 300 million.
Kakashi almost pitied the Shimura. Almost.
"So Danzo really did squeeze his clan dry," Kakashi thought. "No wonder they collapsed later. He turned every talent into a weapon for Root, and left his family so broke they couldn't buy decent sandals. Can't even fund a ramen run."
The contrast with the Sarutobi was obvious. Their arrogance came from fat coffers and political strings. Hiruzen's soft hand had let them grow bloated.
That weakness was why these elders strutted like roosters who thought they owned the coop.
"Chief Fugaku, the Sarutobi suspects are yours now."
Kakashi turned to him. "Hokage-sama needs swift convictions to calm the villagers. Up for an all-nighter with Chief Yamanaka?"
Fugaku gave a rare grin, patting his chest.
"Leave it to me. With Yamanaka's mind jutsu, we'll have the truth before sunrise. Minato-sama won't be delayed."
Even Fugaku, usually stoic, couldn't hide the satisfaction of seeing these arrogant families dragged into the dirt.
"Hah, then I can rest easy," Kakashi chuckled, turning away.
"Alright, everyone, mission's over. Let's hit a midnight snack stall. My treat. Anyone says no, I'll make you eat Gai's experimental protein bars instead."
The weary Anbu perked up instantly and followed him out. After all, empty stomachs weren't loyal soldiers.
And Kakashi? He knew morale sometimes cost less than money, but paid back more than treasure.
To be continued....