Danzō quickly returned to Root and summoned his subordinates.
After selecting the most suitable men, he instructed their leader, Nakamura Kazuya:
"Kazuya, once you enter the Guard Force, your task is to seize control as quickly as possible. But remember—at the start, do not get into conflicts with anyone. Especially with Uchiha Fugaku—don't give him any excuse to send you back. Understood?"
Meanwhile, Hizashi was reorganizing the Guard squads.
"Tokuma, withdraw the men from Streets One through Four and add them to the outer patrols. Each squad must be assigned at least two of our clan members to conduct overlapping Byakugan surveillance."
Hyūga Tokuma was particularly calm, steady, and mature, which was why Hizashi entrusted him with many duties.
"Tomorrow, Elder Danzō will be sending over a batch of men. Streets One through Four will be handed to them, while Streets Five through Seven remain unchanged."
"Lord Hizashi, why are we letting Elder Danzō's men in? Aren't they all Root?"
Hizashi smiled faintly, patting Tokuma on the shoulder. "You'll understand in time."
The next morning, at the Guard Force's daily assembly—
Nakamura Kazuya had already arrived with his Root team, waiting early at the site.
As he was still wondering how to deal with Hyūga Hizashi, he suddenly noticed someone unexpected—Uchiha Fugaku himself, whom he hadn't seen for quite a while. Even more surprising, Hizashi was standing directly behind Fugaku, clearly leaving the arrangements in Fugaku's hands.
Kazuya's face darkened. The situation seemed to be unfolding quite differently from what he had expected.
Soon, all the personnel were assembled.
Fugaku first addressed the remaining Uchiha: "All Uchiha personnel, your patrol ranges and deployments remain unchanged."
He then nodded to Hizashi, who stepped forward. "All Hyūga members, I've already given the new assignments to Tokuma. Follow his instructions after dismissal."
The Uchiha and Hyūga soon dispersed, leaving only Nakamura Kazuya and his Root squad.
Expression stern, Fugaku said, "Nakamura Kazuya, your assignment is Streets One through Four of Konoha. Your main duty will be maintaining public order."
Kazuya frowned. "Captain, Elder Danzō seconded us here to take part in patrol missions. Why are we being told to handle public security instead?"
Fugaku's face remained cold. "The patrol rosters have already been filled. Your sole duty is the security of Streets One through Four."
"But—"
Fugaku cut him off with a wave of his hand. "No buts. This is the Guard Force. I am the captain. If you won't follow orders, I'll have you sent back."
Kazuya gritted his teeth. "We will comply!"
Inwardly, though, he was already planning—first secure a foothold in the Guard Force, then think of the next step.
Fugaku gave a brief nod, then turned to Hizashi. "The rest is for you to arrange."
With that, he strolled away.
"What is Fugaku playing at?"
Receiving a report from the Anbu, the Third Hokage was deep in thought.
Fugaku had never gotten along with Root, especially after the incident with Shisui. How could he possibly allow Root into the Guard Force now?
Still, since the number of Root operatives wasn't too large, Hiruzen decided to wait and see what Fugaku's intentions were.
From willingly stepping back from political power, to reaching out to the Hyūga and leaving himself practically sidelined—
Now, relinquishing part of the Guard Force's authority and even admitting Root members.
The Uchiha's recent actions were utterly baffling.
At the Guard Force complaint office—
The owner of Shimizu Tavern on Third Street was back again. Lately, he'd been coming nearly every other day.
From initially complaining of neglect, to later saying the Hyūga weren't as good as the Uchiha, he was now a regular visitor.
Elder Yōhei, one of the four Guard Elders, was unmoved by the constant complaints. Each time, he had an excuse ready.
"This is nothing for you to worry about. Because of your earlier complaints, we've reassigned the Hyūga. They've been replaced with a stronger, Elder's direct unit. We're here solely for the benefit of Konoha's residents."
"Really?" The tavern owner was doubtful. As a bar owner, he naturally dealt with troublemakers. Back when the Uchiha were in charge, no matter who caused trouble, they were all dragged away—including his own staff.
When the Hyūga replaced them, their attitude was polite, but they were timid, slow, and inefficient compared to the Uchiha.
And now, yet another change?
Elder Yōhei smiled reassuringly. "Don't worry. The new personnel will be on duty today. They won't drag their feet on the job."
The tavern owner left half-convinced.
Once he was gone, Yōhei chuckled to himself. Root never acted timidly—they were even harsher than the Uchiha.
Later that day, at Shimizu Tavern—
The owner finally relaxed. He had seen the new patrols outside, moving up and down the street.
Two squads—faces grim, silent, and unfamiliar. Clearly, they were some elder's direct troops.
"Hey! Boss! This sake tastes off! Did you water it down?!"
"You did, didn't you?!"
A drunkard started shouting inside the tavern.
Two men entering at the door hesitated, then quietly stepped back outside.
The owner's face darkened. Such drunkards were common—always accusing him of watering the drinks.
Though in truth, he had watered it down. But the customer had always drunk watered sake before, so why make a scene now? It was bad for business.
He signaled to his staff. Two burly workers quickly grabbed the drunk and began dragging him out.
"Sir, please don't make trouble. You're disturbing our business."
"Damn it! You water down the drinks and then kick me out?!" The drunk resisted, scuffling with them.
Outmatched, he was soon shoved out the door.
The tavern owner was used to such disturbances. What he didn't expect was the sudden scream of his workers outside.
Rushing out, he found four Guard Force members blocking the doorway.
His two workers and the drunk were already on the ground. Three Guardsmen, expressionless, had pinned them brutally to the dirt.
The force of it made them shriek like pigs being slaughtered.
One Guardsman stepped forward. "Your employees and this drunkard fought in the street. They are hereby taken into custody by the Guard Force and sentenced to three days' detention. You may collect them after three days."
The tavern owner nearly fainted. How was he supposed to run his business without his staff?
Yes, the law did state that street brawls were punishable by three days' detention. But such rules had always been applied flexibly. The Guard Force could decide whether or not to enforce it.
No matter how much he pleaded, the Root operatives ignored him and took the men away.
The tavern owner was devastated. This was worse than before—even worse than the Hyūga!
And such incidents were happening all across Streets One through Four of Konoha.
Many were being arrested, and soon the Guard Force detention house was overflowing.
To Nakamura Kazuya, there was nothing wrong. He was simply enforcing the law to the letter. If someone broke the rules, they should be detained.
Now that all the troublemakers had been locked up, wasn't public order instantly improved?
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