Konoha's Third Street—a bustling commercial district.
Izakayas, restaurants, hot springs, and gambling dens, you could find them all here.
But where there are crowds, there are disputes, especially in such a busy street.
Normally, a squad of Uchiha Police Force would patrol this street.
Yet today, not a single one was in sight.
Just then, a man was thrown out of an izakaya. He reeked of alcohol—clearly a drunk.
The izakaya owner stepped out. "Causing trouble just because you've had a few drinks? You think you can eat and run!?"
The drunk hiccupped. "What's the big deal? I just owe you one night's bill!"
"Daring to be so arrogant without paying? Beat him!"
The owner signaled two workers, who quickly began punching and kicking the drunk.
After a good beating, the man was left with a swollen face, barely recognizable.
Covered in bruises, he lay on the ground as a crowd gathered to watch.
Normally, the Police Force would have appeared quickly at the first sign of a fight. But today, with no Uchiha around, the villagers treated it as rare entertainment.
After a long while, the drunk finally climbed back to his feet. Seeing so many villagers pointing and whispering at him, he grew furious.
Cursing angrily, he shoved his way through the crowd and left.
The people, with no more spectacle to watch, slowly dispersed.
But barely ten minutes later, the drunk returned—this time carrying a jug of liquor.
His expression was vacant, his movements stiff, almost puppet-like.
He didn't drink the wine. Instead, he stuffed a rag into the mouth of the jug, lit it, and hurled it at the izakaya's doorway.
Boom! The flames from the liquor quickly caught the curtains. At first, the fire was small.
But hidden in the shadows, a Root operative wearing a white cloak and a mask formed hand seals in secret.
Wind Release: Great Breakthrough!
Controlling his chakra output, he exhaled.
A gust of wind fanned the flames, spreading the fire rapidly across the wooden building. In an instant, panic broke out.
Chickens and dogs scattered as chaos erupted.
Fortunately, a passing chunin quickly performed a Water Release to put out the fire.
Even so, the izakaya's entrance was scorched black, its signboard completely destroyed.
Though no one was injured, the shop would be closed for days.
The drunk, suddenly snapping back to his senses after throwing the jug, looked dazed—unsure what had happened.
But with the deed done, he slipped away quietly in the confusion.
The izakaya owner cursed furiously.
"Damn Police Force! When there's nothing going on, they're everywhere. But the moment something actually happens, they're nowhere to be found! I'll go file a complaint!"
With the front of his shop burned, the owner had no choice but to shut down and rush to the Konoha Police Force headquarters.
Many people were going in the direction of the complaint office, yet all of them came out quickly, wearing strangely conflicted expressions.
Soon, it was the izakaya owner's turn. He pushed the door open.
Inside sat Uchiha Yangping, the Fourth Elder, leisurely at his desk.
"Elder Yangping! I'm here to lodge a complaint!"
Yangping calmly placed a complaint form before him. "What are you complaining about?"
The owner said, "When a disturbance happened at my shop, no Police Force members came to handle it."
"Oh? Which place? What's your shop's name?"
"I'm on Third Street, Kiyomizu Izakaya."
"Let's see." Yangping flipped through a thick stack of forms.
"Found it."
He pulled out a sheet.
"The squad responsible for your area was the Ninth Police Unit. Their officers are Uchiha Yangshu, Ōura, and Riku. They've been suspended, so for now, your district has no police coverage."
"What!? Suspended? Why!?"
The owner was dumbfounded. Uchiha being suspended?
"That's for you to answer. A week ago, someone caused trouble at your izakaya. You and your men beat him up. The Ninth Police Squad arrested you all, and you accused them of excessive force. Remember?"
The owner froze. He recalled the incident. Back then, he had ordered several workers to gang up on the troublemaker. The Uchiha Police came and stopped them by force.
Feeling wronged, he had filed a complaint against them.
"Uh… well, they were actually pretty good. Can I… withdraw my complaint?"
Elder Yangping waved his hand. "That's impossible. Our Deputy Clan Leader issued new clan rules. All Uchiha must live harmoniously with the villagers. If our clansmen make mistakes, suspension and reflection are necessary."
The owner felt bitterness well up. In the past, the Uchiha would arrive instantly whenever trouble started. Why had he been so rash?
"Then… when will a new squad be assigned?"
Yangping reassured him. "Don't worry. We'll redeploy manpower soon to cover your area."
Leaving the Police Headquarters, the izakaya owner couldn't shake the strange feeling.
Normally, after filing a complaint, people left feeling satisfied. But today, he felt as if he had punched cotton—cotton filled with hidden needles.
Depressed, he walked away.
Inside, Elder Yangping leaned back after a full day of handling complaints. Unlike usual, he felt refreshed. For the first time, he understood the Deputy Clan Leader's intentions.
In the past, dealing with these reports left him dizzy and drained—like losing half his life in one day of work.
But today was different. Every complaint that entered full of fury left in defeat.
The elder couldn't help but laugh aloud.
What was the Uchiha planning?
Elsewhere, Obito, masked, appeared in the Uchiha compound.
He had witnessed last night's events from start to finish, yet couldn't grasp Fugaku's purpose.
Was all this really just over one ordinary clansman's Sharingan?
They recovered the Sharingan, only to suspend so many in their own Police Force.
Was Fugaku trying to curry favor with the Third Hokage?
Had he shifted toward the dovish faction?
But there were far more people patrolling the Uchiha compound now. Next time, he would need to tread carefully.
Perhaps it was time to send Kirigakure to investigate.
Finding nothing more of value, the space twisted and Obito vanished.
Meanwhile, Ao, ever since being scared off by Uchiha Shisui, had become a laughingstock.
Now, under orders from the Grand Elder, Ao was to infiltrate Konoha once again. If the opportunity arose, he was to capture the Nine-Tails' jinchūriki.
Currently, many members of the Uchiha Police Force had been replaced.
Shisui had been ambushed by Danzo, who stole his Sharingan.
Though Danzo later returned the eye, Shisui's ties with the village were surely broken.
These developments in Konoha reached Kirigakure in an astonishingly short time.
Despite the vast distance across land and sea, the Mist shinobi were unsurprised. Their Grand Elder had risen to power through unparalleled skill in intelligence gathering.
It was widely believed he commanded a secret force dedicated to scouring the ninja world for information, making his prestige absolute.
Ao, receiving his orders, saw this as the perfect chance. Gathering his team, he departed swiftly.