"Tatsuya, what's wrong?" Guy asked, seeing Tatsuya suddenly halt their spar.
He'd just finished warming up and was really getting into the groove! The interruption was unexpected.
"Nothing! Let's continue," Tatsuya replied, looking up with a smile.
With that, the two figures blurred again, resuming their intense exchange of blows. Another fifteen minutes passed before their bout finally concluded.
Afterward, the trio headed towards a Yakiniku restaurant.
"Tatsuya," Kakashi began as they settled in, "now that Kyoko has started teaching at the Ninja Academy, what are your plans?"
"Plans?" Tatsuya shrugged nonchalantly. "Same as usual, I guess."
"You still intend to stay with the Military Police Force?" Kakashi pressed, a slight frown creasing his brow.
"The work there is fine. I quite like it," Tatsuya said with a smile, noticing Kakashi's expression.
Kakashi and Guy were rendered speechless. Slacking off every day… Of course, such a cushy job is nice! A ninja like Tatsuya, content with such a position, was definitely one of a kind in Konoha.
"Tatsuya," Kakashi tried again, "are you planning to just stay on the sidelines like this indefinitely?"
A faint, mocking smile touched Tatsuya's lips. "There are already enough people worrying about the village's big affairs. They don't need one more."
Kakashi fell silent. He knew very well that Tatsuya still harbored resentment towards the village higher-ups, particularly towards Danzo's Root organization. Thinking about some of the leadership's past actions, Kakashi found he couldn't bring himself to say anything persuasive.
For a moment, silence descended between them, broken only by the sound of Guy enthusiastically devouring the grilled meat on the table.
After a few moments, Kakashi spoke again. "Tatsuya, regarding the incident where you went to the northern Land of Wind and acquired the Dragon Vein of Roran… the village has already paid 50 million ryo as compensation to Sunagakure."
"Mn! I know about that," Tatsuya replied calmly, casually flipping a piece of meat on the grill.
Seeing Tatsuya's indifferent reaction, Kakashi sighed inwardly. "Tatsuya," he said seriously, "Konoha belongs to all of us. I hope… I hope we don't end up as enemies in the future."
Hearing this, Guy, who had been stuffing his face, suddenly paused, looking up at Kakashi with a bewildered expression.
Tatsuya, however, just offered a light, reassuring smile. "Relax, Kakashi. That day won't come."
After their meal, the three went their separate ways. Kakashi had a mission to attend to, while Guy announced he was heading out of the village for some intensive training. Tatsuya stood at the entrance of the Yakiniku restaurant, quietly watching his two friends depart.
A few minutes later, in the Hokage's Office.
"Lord Hokage," Kakashi reported respectfully to the Third, "Tatsuya still shows no intention of leaving the Military Police Force."
"Mm. Thank you for your trouble, Kakashi." Hiruzen didn't seem surprised by the report. He smiled wearily at the Jonin. He hadn't truly expected this attempt to sound out Tatsuya's intentions to succeed on the first try. As long as Tatsuya wasn't displaying outright hostility, Hiruzen felt relatively satisfied.
Nowadays, Tatsuya's power made him a heavyweight in Konoha. If Tatsuya himself was unwilling, even Hiruzen, as Hokage, couldn't easily force him to do anything. This influence was the main reason Hiruzen had been willing to use village funds to appease Sunagakure after the Dragon Vein incident, rather than holding Tatsuya solely accountable.
"Lord Hokage," Kakashi added, "before I left, I asked Tatsuya one more question."
"Oh?" Hiruzen looked at Kakashi with curiosity.
Kakashi immediately relayed their conversation about not becoming enemies.
Hearing this, the Third Hokage sank into silence. Kakashi, seeing this, gave a slight bow and quietly excused himself, leaving the Hokage alone with his thoughts.
Hiruzen sat alone at his desk, lost in contemplation for several long moments. Finally, he summoned an ANBU operative. "Go and bring Danzo here."
"Yes, sir." The ANBU acknowledged and vanished.
Shortly after, Danzo entered the Hokage's office, leaning heavily on his cane.
Looking at his old teammate, Hiruzen began, "You're aware of the full details regarding the recent events in the Land of Demons and the Land of Wind, I presume?"
Danzo nodded curtly. "I am."
"I am preparing," Hiruzen stated firmly, "to disband Root."
"Disband Root?" Danzo's head snapped up instantly, his visible eye fixing Hiruzen with a piercingly sharp gaze.
Meeting that intense stare unflinchingly, Hiruzen confirmed, "That's correct."
"Impossible!" Danzo refused coldly, his voice hard.
Silence hung heavy in the Hokage's office as the two old rivals stared each other down. Several minutes passed before Hiruzen spoke again, his voice weary but firm. "Fine, Root doesn't have to be formally disbanded. But from now on, Root is forbidden to make any moves without my explicit permission."
Danzo's gaze remained cold and unwavering. "Is it truly worth doing this… for that brat who defies the village's orders?"
Hiruzen looked straight back at Danzo. "This isn't just about him. You've crossed the line, Danzo."
"Hmph!" Danzo let out a cold snort, turned sharply, and walked out of the office without another word.
Staring at Danzo's retreating back, an unreadable emotion flickered in Hiruzen's eyes. His once-close comrade… they had truly drifted further and further apart over the years.
Tatsuya strolled casually into the Military Police Force headquarters building, significantly later than usual. Inside, the two MP members on duty saw him enter but pointedly looked straight ahead, completely ignoring Tatsuya's blatant tardiness as if they hadn't seen a thing.
Tatsuya headed straight for the office shared by Sakawa and Yuuhi Teru.
"Well, look who finally decided to grace us with his presence!" Teru exclaimed irritably the moment Tatsuya walked in. Sakawa looked up, equally surprised.
"This guy ropes us into joining the Military Police," Teru continued, venting years of frustration, "and we actually thought he might do something. But more than three years have passed, and we're still basically dispensable benchwarmers here!"
"The only benefits," Teru conceded grudgingly, "are having more time to train, and the fact that you occasionally drop by and give us a few pointers." Indeed, both their skills had seen considerable improvement during this period. By now, Sakawa and Teru were considered top-tier among the Chunin ranks. Considering their natural aptitude, reaching this level at their age was quite impressive.
"I came to see you guys," Tatsuya said, shrugging off the complaint with his usual nonchalance. "And to tell you to get ready. Your positions in the MP might be adjusted soon!"
"Adjusted?" Both Sakawa and Teru's expressions shifted slightly, and they looked at Tatsuya with confusion.
"That's right," Tatsuya confirmed with a nod. "The Military Police Force is going to face some adjustments soon. You've both been here long enough now; you're capable of handling higher positions."
"Higher positions?" Teru asked, his expression turning serious. "Will the Uchiha clan agree to that?"
Having spent over three years within the MP, both Sakawa and Teru had vaguely sensed that Tatsuya's relationship with Uchiha Shisui and Uchiha Misuke was far from ordinary. They knew those two held significant weight within both the Uchiha clan and the Police Force itself. But getting them to agree to promote two non-Uchiha shinobi to high-ranking positions within the MP? That would likely still be incredibly difficult. After all, the authority within the Military Police had always been firmly grasped in the hands of the Uchiha clan.
Hearing Teru's concern, Tatsuya just offered a mysterious smile. "Relax. They'll agree."
After lying low for so long, Tatsuya thought to himself, it's time to put certain plans into motion.