Chapter 15 - Raging Against Danzo, Hiruzen Sarutobi
"Lord Third, we have a situation!"
An Anbu member held a report, placing it before Hiruzen Sarutobi. As he unrolled the scroll, Hiruzen Sarutobi's expression shifted.
What is the Uchiha Clan up to?
"Hiruzen, what's wrong?"
Utatane Koharu glanced at the Anbu, then at Hiruzen Sarutobi, watching his expression change. Utatane Koharu was also somewhat puzzled, wondering what had happened.
Could it be that madman from Kumogakure was going to start another war?
"It's an Uchiha Clan issue. See for yourselves."
Hiruzen Sarutobi rubbed his forehead, a troubled look on his face, then placed the report in front of the others for them to read.
He truly hadn't expected things to turn out this way. Was this Bai Ye's first move?
Although he had long guessed that Bai Ye would definitely do something after taking office, Hiruzen Sarutobi had certainly not anticipated this move!
"The Police Force is just playing dumb?"
"What exactly are they trying to do?"
Utatane Koharu and Homura Mitokado were both bewildered.
No way!?
Doesn't this feel like a child's game?
They're just refusing to deal with anything?
"This fellow is very clever."
Danzo said with a gloomy look. Compared to Homura Mitokado and Utatane Koharu, his political acumen was clearly superior, and he naturally saw what Bai Ye intended to do.
This move seemed like a child's game, but it could indeed have some effect.
But if the Uchiha Clan wanted to rely on this to solve their predicament, it seemed a bit insufficient, didn't it?
"Hokage-sama, many villagers are currently waiting downstairs for your decision."
"I understand. Have them wait for a bit. Go find the new Uchiha Clan head and the elders from the three factions and bring them here."
After a moment of silence, Hiruzen Sarutobi decided to talk to Bai Ye first.
This time, he was clearly more difficult to deal with than Uchiha Fugaku.
Therefore, he also needed to sound out Bai Ye.
"Yes!"
The Anbu disappeared from the Hokage's office, and the four of them began discussing what to say when Bai Ye arrived.
Preparing in advance would prevent any issues later.
"Uchiha Bai Ye and the three elders, Hokage-sama requests your presence to discuss some matters."
The Anbu quickly found Bai Ye.
Uchiha Tetsu, Uchiha Setsuna, and Uchiha Jin, who were nearby, turned to look at Bai Ye in disbelief.
It was really as he said? If they did this, the Hokage would soon come looking for them?
After the clan meeting, the Uchiha Clan began to slack off according to the plan Bai Ye had set earlier.
The Uchiha Police Force began to play dumb and mediate, and when dealing with matters, they leaned towards telling Konoha villagers to seek resolution from the Village, while they themselves were either drinking tea in the office or simply couldn't be found, being 'on a mission'.
In just one morning, the entire Village was in a bit of chaos.
Previously, whenever there were trivial matters in the Village, people would always go to the Uchiha Police Force. Everyone had their own reasons, and if the Uchiha couldn't handle it well, then it was the Uchiha's problem.
But now, the Uchiha simply refused to deal with it. They just drank tea, couldn't be found, and told them to go to the Village side for resolution.
These villagers, accustomed to being treated like VIPs, instantly panicked.
Who didn't know that for years, if there was a problem, they'd go to the Uchiha, and it was fine to lose their temper, as the other party would tolerate it.
This was one of the few opportunities they had to vent their anger at Ninja VIPs, so the villagers naturally wouldn't let this chance pass.
But now, the Uchiha Clan simply wasn't playing along. Apart from a few old men drinking tea and reading newspapers in the Police Force, all the other young people had left their posts due to 'urgent missions'.
And they even said it was registered, and they would deal with it immediately once the people returned, but there was no one there at all. They wanted immediate resolution, so a group of people started gathering at the Hokage's office.
Some wanted to solve problems, while others wanted to complain about the Uchiha Clan.
"Please wait, we'll be there shortly."
Bai Ye nodded, a smile playing at the corner of his lips.
It seemed his plan had succeeded. It was originally meant to annoy Konoha and those villagers.
He wasn't their father; why should he care about so many of their affairs?
Complain all you want; if I take it seriously, I lose!
What if they complain to Konoha?
The Police Force's salaries were originally paid internally by the Uchiha Clan, and Bai Ye had no desire to ease the relationship between the Uchiha and Hiruzen Sarutobi, so he naturally let it be.
As for disheartening the villagers?
The Uchiha Clan wasn't not dealing with it; it was just that they had some urgent matters to attend to. Once their own issues were resolved, wouldn't they immediately help them? Besides, weren't there a few retired old men assigned to register their complaints?
"Let's go, the three of you."
"Mhm."
The three exchanged glances, then followed Bai Ye.
Bai Ye might have been experiencing this kind of scene for the first time, but the three of them had already been through it.
"Clan Head Bai Ye, this must be our first meeting since you became Clan Head."
Hiruzen Sarutobi looked at the newcomers, greeting them with a cheerful smile. Danzo and Homura Mitokado, on the other hand, had cold, expressionless faces.
They had already discussed their strategy before Bai Ye arrived.
"Yes, it is indeed our first meeting. Hokage-sama, do you have something to discuss with me? Please speak directly."
Bai Ye didn't waste words with Hiruzen Sarutobi.
This attitude somewhat surprised Hiruzen Sarutobi; he was so direct.
However, he quickly recovered, calmly took a puff from his pipe, and smiled kindly with narrowed eyes: "I was just thinking that the Uchiha Clan suddenly elected a new Clan Head, so I wanted to meet him."
Tsk.
What an old fox.
Bai Ye cursed inwardly, then replied: "It was an internal clan arrangement. I was also a bit surprised."
Hiruzen Sarutobi implied that the Village didn't even know about the Uchiha Clan changing its Clan Head, wondering if the Uchiha Clan didn't even notify them of such a major event. Bai Ye, however, directly retorted that it was an internal matter of the Uchiha Clan.
Hiruzen Sarutobi had initially thought Bai Ye wouldn't be able to handle it, but then he realized he had underestimated Bai Ye.
"That's right. I thought Fugaku had been doing well all these years, so why did he suddenly step down? It was quite sudden, indeed. Speaking of which, is Fugaku resting within the clan these days?"
Hiruzen Sarutobi continued speaking as if he hadn't understood Bai Ye's implication.
"Fugaku has indeed been resting these days. He mentioned recently that he felt too tired. Sometimes he wanted to do things, but someone always treated the Clan Head as if he were nothing, so he got tired and wanted to retire. As for those within the clan who didn't treat the Clan Head as a person, I simply dealt with them, and it seems the effect is quite good."
Holy crap!?
This kid is good, isn't he?
Uchiha Setsuna, standing nearby, looked at Bai Ye in shock, clearly stunned by Bai Ye's ability to spin a tale without batting an eye.
He had originally thought that Bai Ye, facing such a situation for the first time, would perhaps be a bit timid.
But he hadn't expected Bai Ye to handle it with such ease?
What Bai Ye said was about internal Uchiha Clan matters, but wasn't he implicitly referring to Konoha?
He said that there were people within the Uchiha Clan who didn't respect Fugaku, but in reality, he was talking about the conflict between Konoha and the Uchiha.
And Bai Ye's statement about simply dealing with it and the good effect referred to the Uchiha Police Force's slacking incident, which seemed to be working quite well.
"This kid must be eliminated."
Danzo glanced at Hiruzen Sarutobi, saying nothing, but internally he had already marked Bai Ye for death.
In his opinion, Bai Ye absolutely had to die this time!
Otherwise, based on what this guy was currently showing, he would definitely be a hundred times more troublesome opponent than Uchiha Fugaku.
"But constant pressure doesn't seem like a good approach, does it? Aren't you thinking of easing the atmosphere within the clan?"
Hiruzen Sarutobi asked.
"Easing it is useless, after all, some people just want to see our clan members suffer."
Bai Ye replied.
Frowning, Hiruzen Sarutobi looked at Bai Ye, then sighed: "Clan Head Bai Ye, I feel there might be some misunderstanding here!"
He's not easy to fool.
Hiruzen Sarutobi felt that this situation was truly difficult to handle.
"For example?"
A hint of amusement flashed in Bai Ye's eyes, and he then handed the initiative to Hiruzen Sarutobi. He wanted to see what Hiruzen Sarutobi would say next.
"Regarding the Uchiha Police Force's issue, I actually don't think it should be handled this way. This will only intensify the villagers' perception of the Uchiha Clan. I've already stabilized the situation for you, but if it continues like this, I won't be able to keep persuading those villagers."
A flicker of displeasure and frustration crossed Hiruzen Sarutobi's mind. If it were Uchiha Fugaku in the past, he would definitely express gratitude first.
But from Bai Ye's face, he saw none of that. Instead, he felt as if the other party was looking at him with a playful gaze.
This couldn't help but make Hiruzen Sarutobi doubt himself a little.
"The Uchiha have some internal matters to deal with and are temporarily unable to handle other things. We can only trouble Hokage-sama to handle them for now!"
"You bastard, do you know what the Uchiha Police Force does? Do you know how many things this has delayed? All consequences will be borne by you Uchiha! Do you know how many people want the power of the Police Force?"
Danzo saw that Hiruzen Sarutobi's 'red face' approach wasn't working, so his 'black face' clearly needed to make an appearance.
"I didn't say we wouldn't handle it; it's just that we need to deal with our own clan's matters first. Besides, the Police Force's salaries aren't paid by Konoha, are they? If you're dissatisfied with the Police Force, we Uchiha can hand the Police Force over to other Ninja clans. Since Elder Danzo wants it so much, if the Police Force is such a hot commodity, why not give it to your Shimura clan?"
As Bai Ye finished speaking, Uchiha Setsuna, who was beside him, instantly couldn't hold back his laughter.
"What are you laughing at?"
Danzo looked at Uchiha Setsuna with a gloomy face.
"My apologies, I just thought of something amusing!"
Uchiha Setsuna had undergone professional training; generally, he wouldn't laugh unless he couldn't help it.
He hadn't expected Bai Ye to be so cutting.
Speaking of which, seeing Danzo's frustrated face, he felt a surge of satisfaction, and at the same time, it further solidified his resolve to support Bai Ye.
"Bai Ye, the Village has always wanted to improve relations with your Uchiha Clan. Besides, the Police Force was a responsibility you took on yourselves. Are you just going to abandon it now? Isn't that a bit irresponsible?"
Hiruzen Sarutobi quickly tried to persuade Bai Ye. Everyone knew the Police Force was a means of restricting the Uchiha.
If it were truly abandoned, it wouldn't be such a desirable position.
Looking at Hiruzen Sarutobi, who was trying to smooth things over, a cold sneer flashed in Bai Ye's eyes. Were they resorting to moral blackmail again?
"Since all of you believe the Uchiha Clan is incapable of handling it, then why insist on the Uchiha Clan doing it? Isn't it because these matters cause offense, which is why they were dumped on the Uchiha Clan in the first place?
Hokage-sama, why don't we all just speak frankly? Why continue with so much pretense?"
This...
Hiruzen Sarutobi was stunned for a moment, clearly not expecting Bai Ye to speak to him in such a manner.
"Hokage-sama, you know very well who escalated the conflict. Isn't this the tactic you are most skilled at using? Right, Advisor Danzo?"
"?"
No!
If you're going to attack Hiruzen Sarutobi, then attack Hiruzen Sarutobi, but why call out my name at the end!
Danzo's eyes were gloomy, and he then said faintly: "Why must the Uchiha's own problems be attributed to others? Your clan is arrogant and doesn't know how to restrain itself in the Village, so naturally, it will cause rejection from the entire Village. Besides, during the Nine-Tails' Chaos, the Nine-Tailed was controlled by the Sharingan, and the First Hokage died not long after battling your Uchiha Clan ancestor, Uchiha Madara!"
This tactic was one they had used time and again with great success.
Even when Fugaku tried to explain, it was the Uchiha Clan's Sharingan that controlled the Nine-Tailed, and everyone had clearly seen the Sharingan in the Nine-Tailed's eyes.
They had no way to explain it, did they?
"If the First Hokage's death is to be blamed on our Uchiha Clan, then let's go further back. In the Sengoku period, you also killed many of our clan members, so let's count that in as well. Since we're going to calculate properly, why not invite the Hyuga Clan to join in and calculate how many Ninja each side killed during the old wars of conquest?"
Pfft!
"Sorry, sorry, I'll hold it in!"
Uchiha Setsuna waved his hands repeatedly, then forced himself to hold back.
Damn it!
This kid's words could truly infuriate people to death. Even if he had no reason, he would still argue for a point.
Just now, he didn't know how to explain, but Bai Ye just pulled out a 'historical revision' move. You like reminiscing, do you? Then why not reminisce even further back.
"Then how do you explain the Nine-Tails' Chaos?"
"On that day, someone also saw a strange masked man appear. I now strongly suspect that this masked man is Lord Danzo's subordinate or collaborator. After all, getting information about the Fourth's wife giving birth is something our Uchiha Clan cannot do, but Lord Danzo, as the Hokage's advisor, can obtain it."
"Secondly, none of your Root members appeared during the Nine-Tails' Chaos. I strongly suspect this was all orchestrated by you!"
You motherf—!!!!
Danzo was already cursing inwardly.
Everyone around them was also stunned into silence by Bai Ye's reasoning. Weren't the Uchiha supposed to be nothing but reckless brutes who only knew how to fight?
When did they become so articulate?