In truth, it wasn't just that Anbu member—
even Hiruzen Sarutobi himself was stunned.
Good grief!
What exactly was Uchiha Kai trying to do?
Just listen to those orders:
The entire Police Force was forbidden from doing real work, everyone told to slack off.
If villagers come to complain, respond politely but always find excuses to brush them off.
Deliberately let the village fall into disorder?
And once the situation got out of hand, announced publicly that the village had cut off their funding, so the Police Force was helpless.
Members had families to feed, and since no salaries were paid, they were forced to take side jobs outside?
One had to admit—
This excuse was watertight.
Impossible to refute.
He was turning Hiruzen's own move back on him!
And indeed, if the Uchiha really did this, there would be no way to hold them accountable.
Because what they said was true—the village really hadn't funded them in years.
In fact, except for the early years when the Police Force was first established,
when Tobirama Senju was still Hokage and budgets were relatively sufficient,
after Hiruzen took office the allocations became more and more meager,
until in recent years they stopped entirely.
Back then, it all seemed clever enough!
The Uchiha were rigid and simple-minded.
All Hiruzen had to do was keep claiming the village faced difficulties,
and what could those fools do?
But he hadn't expected—
that now the Uchiha had produced a Kai.
That bastard was truly cunning.
Instead of blocking the Hokage's door demanding funds,
he chose to plunge Konoha into chaos,
using the fury of the villagers themselves to turn the pressure back on Hiruzen.
Damn it.
This was suffering in silence!
Hiruzen felt like he had swallowed filth.
Face dark as iron, he could only hold in his frustration.
What to do?
For the moment, he truly had no answer.
Compared to this, the matter of those three captured Anbu was trivial.
Bang!
As Hiruzen pondered, the office door was suddenly kicked open.
Shimura Danzo strode in with a cold, hard face.
"Hiruzen, you're too soft."
"Why is Uchiha Kai so arrogant? It's because you indulged him."
"He dares detain Anbu, even plotting to throw the whole village into turmoil."
"For an evil Uchiha like this, we cannot let him grow. Otherwise, one day he will destroy Konoha."
"Trust me this once. Leave it to me."
His face was full of arrogance.
As for Uchiha Kai—Danzo never saw him as a threat.
In fact, truthfully,
He didn't think much of Hiruzen either.
Yes—
Hiruzen Sarutobi was too weak.
The duty of protecting Konoha should fall to him, to Root.
Silence.
Hiruzen neither agreed nor refused.
He was thinking.
Had his approach toward Kai been too soft, just as Danzo said?
If he had struck earlier, would today's mess never have happened?
What now?
Should he let Danzo handle it?
After a moment's hesitation, he took a deep breath.
"Danzo, I'll trust you this time."
"This matter is yours. Handle it well."
"Especially those three Anbu—
you must get them back.
We cannot afford to lose face, understand?"
Danzo was taken aback.
He had spoken casually, not expecting Hiruzen to truly agree.
But to his surprise,
the always cautious and hesitant Hiruzen actually approved this time.
Clearly, Kai had truly enraged him.
Good.
This was excellent!
Ecstatic, Danzo immediately pledged:
"Hiruzen, don't worry."
"Even if I don't kill Uchiha Kai this time, I'll make sure he's properly punished."
"No one challenges the village without paying the price."
"For an evil Uchiha like him, death itself would be his greatest contribution to Konoha."
"Just watch—Root will see this done."
"This time, let Root be the shield that protects the Leaf."
With that, Danzo was too eager to waste more words.
Before Hiruzen could respond, he turned and left swiftly.
His excitement was obvious.
Hiruzen narrowed his eyes at the sight, then lit his pipe.
After a few long drags of smoke, he sighed.
As for Danzo, he felt only disdain.
Yes, they were nominally fellow disciples.
But in truth, Danzo was nothing more than his blade—
a weapon hidden in the dark to do the dirty work.
The Hokage must remain untarnished.
And as for Kai—was he really so easy to deal with?
That was a Mangekyo Sharingan wielder!
If Danzo failed, it would not hurt Hiruzen.
If he succeeded, the Hokage would reap all the benefits.
Put plainly,
Danzo might win, but Hiruzen could never lose.
Allowing Danzo to act was also a test—
to see what kind of man Uchiha Kai really was.
Did he have the caliber to stand against Hiruzen himself?
"Enough."
"Since Root has taken over, this matter is closed."
"But still—
Anbu cannot relax.
Keep close watch on Root's movements."
"If anything unexpected happens, report to me immediately."
The masked Anbu operative "Crow" nodded silently,
then left the Hokage's office to summon reinforcements,
setting them to shadow Root's every move.
Danzo, of course, didn't care.
He understood Hiruzen's caution, but dismissed it.
What was Uchiha Kai, really?
So what if he had Mangekyo?
He was just a twelve-year-old boy!
Root was deploying numerous elites this time.
Would they fail to take down a single child?
Mangekyo? So what?
He had dealt with them before.
Even Uchiha Kagami back in the day had one.
Smirking to himself, Danzo returned to Root.
Gathering his forces, he gave the order in a cold voice:
"This mission's target is the Police Department."
"Primary target: Uchiha Kai. Be aware—he has awakened Mangekyo."
"Kill him at all costs."
"Anyone who dares stand in the way—eliminate them."
"And while you're there, break into the Police jail and recover those three idiot Anbu."
"Move out!"
At his command, Root sprang into action.
Countless Root shinobi, expressionless, moved with mechanical precision.
Their pace was lightning-fast.
In just half an hour, they arrived at the Police Department's gates.
Nine full Root squads,
each composed entirely of Jounin-level fighters.
At their head stood a man in dark glasses.
He glanced at the Police Department under the black of night,
then casually waved his hand.
"Do it!"
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