Supreme enforcement power transcending that of the Hokage?
The ability to directly kill violators during enforcement?
Obstruction of enforcement equated to village betrayal?
Domineering clauses filled the scroll, every line radiating Uchiha Natsume's arrogance and provocation.
The more Hiruzen read, the hotter the fury in his heart grew, his chest feeling as if it were filled with a raging fire that threatened to incinerate his reason.
He was the Third Hokage, the leader of Konoha, and the world-renowned 'professor of ninjutsu'!
Yet now, an Uchiha junior intended to use this bill to trample him and the entire Konoha High Command underfoot!
This humiliation and rage nearly drove him to a violent outburst.
But when his gaze swept to the very bottom of the scroll, next to the signature of Uchiha Setsuna, and saw the annotation marked in vermilion ink, all his anger was extinguished like ice water poured over a fire, leaving only endless frustration and powerlessness.
"In accordance with the Third Clause, Seventh Article of the Original Act establishing the Konoha Military Police Force by Second Hokage Tobirama Senju: The Military Police Department possesses the power to revise Konoha's criminal law and holds supreme enforcement authority, free from any external interference—this power is the foundation of Konoha's founding and is irreversible."
That single line of text was like iron chains, binding Hiruzen's hands and feet tightly.
He naturally knew of this original law.
Back then, to appease the Uchiha, Senju Tobirama had elevated the power of the Military Police to unprecedented heights. It was meant to be a'sugar-coated bullet' to confine the Uchiha, but who would have thought that a hundred years later, it would become a blade for the Uchiha to turn against Konoha!
Xia Yin was too ruthless! He gave Hiruzen no room to resist at all!
Resist?
That would mean violating the Second Hokage's last orders and admitting he was a Rebellious Disciple. At that point, Uchiha Setsuna would only need to give the word to question the legitimacy of his succession and investigate the truth of the Second Hokage's death. His position as Hokage, which he had painstakingly cultivated for years, and even the entire Sarutobi Clan, would be doomed!
Not resist?
That would mean accepting this humiliating bill, watching the Uchiha use the Military Police Department to take control of Konoha's order step by step, leaving him, the Hokage, completely sidelined!
"I... I..."
Hiruzen opened his mouth, wanting to roar, wanting to refuse, but found he couldn't make any forceful sound at all.
His chest heaved violently, his blood flow reversed, and a sweet, metallic taste of iron surged from his throat to his nose.
The scroll before him began to blur. In his ears, he seemed to hear Uchiha Natsume's cold mockery, Uchiha Setsuna's fanatical clamoring, and the secrets he had buried deep in his heart—the decline of the Senju Clan, the death of Sakumo Hatake, the rise of the Sarutobi Clan... If these were ever investigated, the consequences would be unimaginable!
"Pfft—!"
Unable to hold it in any longer, a mouthful of bright red blood sprayed from Hiruzen's mouth, splattering onto the white scroll like a blooming flower of death.
The warm sensation of the blood cleared Hiruzen's mind slightly. He staggered back a step, only managing to steady himself by grabbing the desk behind him.
His face was as pale as paper, his lips bloodless, and his eyes bloodshot. His former majesty had vanished, replaced by deep exhaustion and despair.
"Whew... whew..."
He gasped for air, the pain in his chest like a knife cut; every breath brought a tearing sensation.
He stared fixedly at the blood-stained scroll, his eyes burning with unwilling fire, yet he was helpless.
"Uchiha Setsuna! Uchiha Natsume!"
Hiruzen suddenly looked up and let out a roar of absolute fury toward the empty office.
His voice was hoarse and shrill, carrying endless humiliation and resentment, making the wooden beams of the roof tremble slightly.
But after the roar, all that remained was deeper frustration.
He knew he had lost.
He had lost to Uchiha Natsume's ruthlessness, lost to that unsolvable open scheme, and lost even more to the 'iron law' left behind by Senju Tobirama.
There was no room for any other choice.
Hiruzen slowly released his grip on the scroll, letting the document that carried the Uchiha's ambition and his own shame fall to the floor.
He slumped into the wooden chair behind him, his body seemingly drained of all strength, aging ten years in an instant.
"Send... send out the order." Hiruzen's voice was so hoarse it was almost inaudible, carrying a hint of a tremble. "Recognize the legitimacy of the Konoha Military Police Force's new criminal law... effective immediately."
That one sentence exhausted all his strength.
In the office, only Hiruzen's heavy breathing remained, along with the scroll lying on the floor, looking particularly piercing under the sunlight.
The Third Hokage, a legend of the Ninja World, had ultimately been forced to bow his proud head under Uchiha Natsume's open scheme.
The balance of power in Konoha had completely tilted. And all of this was just the beginning of Uchiha Natsume's plan to subvert Konoha and take control of the Ninja World.
Hiruzen looked at the bustling scenery of Konoha outside the window, his eyes filled with complex emotions—anger, frustration, powerlessness, and a deep sense of worry.
He did not know what kind of future this compromise would bring to Konoha.
He only knew that from this moment on, Konoha's fate was no longer in his hands.
When Uchiha Natsume received the news of Hiruzen Sarutobi's forced compromise, he was sitting in the courtyard of the Clan Compound, sipping tea.
Sunlight filtered through the gaps in the leaves and fell on him, but it couldn't warm his cold eyes at all.
He wasn't surprised by this result at all—in the face of an absolute open scheme and strength, any resistance was futile.
"Send out the order." Xia Yin put down his teacup, his tone flat and calm, yet carrying an unquestionable authority. "Have Setsuna immediately organize men to transcribe a thousand copies of the new law and post them throughout the streets and alleys of Konoha. Not a single place where people gather is to be missed."
"Yes! Master Xia Yin!" The Uchiha Ninja who came to report took the order respectfully, turned, and left quickly.
What Xia Yin wanted was never Hiruzen Sarutobi's verbal recognition, but for everyone in Konoha to see this law with their own eyes and experience this order—the order established by the Uchiha.
Every clause in the law was a subversion of Konoha's existing power structure and an announcement to everyone: from now on, the Uchiha make the rules in Konoha.
As for anyone who was dissatisfied? A cold smile played on the corner of Xia Yin's mouth.
Dissatisfied?
Then they could go complain to Hiruzen Sarutobi.
After all, the legitimacy of this law was personally recognized by the Third Hokage. He wanted to see who would dare to question the Hokage's decision.
Within a single day, a huge stir was created in Konoha Ninja Village.
Notices of the law, filled with dense clauses, were posted on the bulletin board at the village entrance, the archways of the commercial streets, the entrances of various Clan Compounds, and even on the walls of the Hokage Building...
Advance chapter available on pãtrêon Got1808