"Summing it up…"
"Our Police Department understands everyone's concerns and promises to resolve the issue as soon as possible."
"As for the inconvenience caused, the Police Department is willing to apologize."
"Everyone, bow!"
Uchiha Tekka's throat was dry.
After finally finishing the lines Kai had drilled into him, he hurriedly bowed deeply to the gathered villagers.
The other Uchiha were reluctant, of course.
But what could they do?
Since their leader had already bowed, they could only follow suit.
So—down they went.
Meanwhile, the villagers of Konoha, who had been shouting angrily just moments ago, found themselves staring at each other in bewilderment.
Completely dumbfounded.
The Uchiha… apologized?
Now that was a rare sight!
So what were they supposed to do?
The issue wasn't resolved yet, which left them bitter, but with the overbearing Uchiha bowing and apologizing, they couldn't bring themselves to keep making a fuss.
Yes.
This was the contrast at work.
That's what they mean when they say "lay down the butcher's knife and become a Buddha on the spot."
Why is it that when the fiercest thug repents, it feels so impactful?
The reason lies right here.
The worse the propaganda against the Uchiha usually was, the stronger the effect now that they lowered their heads and apologized.
In the end, the villagers left grumbling, and the front of the Police Department was left a complete mess.
"Alright, everyone, disperse."
Uchiha Tekka let out a long breath.
He wiped the sweat from his forehead, feeling that this sort of verbal wrangling was even harder than fighting on the battlefield.
Waving everyone else away, he returned to the Uchiha compound to report to Uchiha Kai.
The gate to Kai's small courtyard was open.
Stepping inside, Tekka saw Itachi training, while Kai lounged lazily in a chair, basking in the sun.
"My lord, the action went smoothly.
The villagers making trouble have already left according to your instructions.
Although we persuaded them to go back, I could still feel their dissatisfaction."
Tekka bowed as he spoke.
Hearing his words, Kai opened his eyes lazily.
After having Tekka sit and exchanging a few pleasantries, he smiled and said:
"Of course they're dissatisfied—after all, they suffered losses.
Don't worry about it. Stick to our pace.
Next time the villagers come to block the gates, that's when you explain Uchiha's difficulties to them.
In the meantime, keep a close watch on the Hokage. The moment there's the slightest clue, report immediately.
From here on, let's see how the Hokage responds!"
Kai smiled faintly.
The villagers' complaints didn't matter to him.
What truly concerned him was Sarutobi Hiruzen.
He didn't believe the man would just sit still and watch him stir things up.
The question was: how would Hiruzen respond?
If the theft incident had been Hiruzen probing Kai—
Then this time, it was Kai probing Hiruzen.
Yes.
No matter how noisy it seemed, it was essentially still just a test.
That was only natural.
Even if Kai succeeded in the end, apart from embarrassing Hiruzen a little and damaging his reputation, what else could he achieve?
Nothing more.
In fact, with Hiruzen's prestige in Konoha, all he had to do was put on his "carpenter's humility" act—apologize earnestly to everyone, maybe allocate some funding to the Police Department—
And that would be it.
Case closed.
Kai's real aim wasn't just petty revenge for being tested.
It was to gauge Hiruzen's political acumen.
Because the original story never really explained it.
All that was known was that Hiruzen was supposedly the consummate political operator of the ninja world.
But in Kai's previous life, in a world full of cunning schemers, what level would that actually place him at? Hard to say.
Since they were now enemies, Kai needed to thoroughly understand Hiruzen's political capabilities.
This move was just to see how the Hokage handled it.
Once he observed the response, Kai would have a much clearer picture.
Meanwhile, at the Hokage Tower—
Sarutobi Hiruzen sat in his office, gazing at the noisy crowds outside.
He lit his pipe again, smoke swirling as his brows furrowed, his mind racing.
This was giving him a serious headache.
He couldn't let the village remain in chaos. He had to find a solution quickly.
But how?
Even he couldn't think of a good answer right now.
Yes, Konoha had been chaotic before, but never with a clan itself fueling the trouble. This was something else entirely.
Worse still, they were in the middle of a war. Most of Konoha's elites, including a large portion of the Anbu, had already been deployed to the front lines.
He simply didn't have the manpower to deal with such local disturbances.
The only option was to ask the other ninja clans for help, and have them fill in for the Uchiha.
But there were two glaring problems.
First, the other clans had no experience handling day-to-day civilian matters. Even if they stepped in, without some time to adapt, they might not manage well.
Second, though the Uchiha had made a big fuss, they were still playing within the rules. The other clans had no reason to intervene.
This was between the Uchiha and Konoha's leadership.
Since the Uchiha hadn't provoked them directly, why would they risk offending the clan?
Ninja clans weren't stupid.
Why take on something with no benefit and plenty of trouble?
They wouldn't.
Lastly—even if he managed to persuade a clan, or at worst, the Sarutobi clan itself to take over—
The key issue remained: funding.
If he released a budget for them, the Uchiha would cry foul immediately.
"Oh, so when we ran to the Police Department, the village was broke—couldn't spare a single coin.
That's why we were understaffed and the village so chaotic.
But the moment someone else takes over, suddenly there's funding?
What's this, conjuring funds out of thin air for others?"
If he couldn't explain that reasonably, the Uchiha would use it to smear his reputation all the same.
What to do?
Just then, an Anbu operative entered.
"Hokage-sama!
This is a letter from Jounin Nara Shikaku, please review it."
Hiruzen blinked, then a faint smile touched his lips.
Perfect timing.
He quickly accepted the letter, dismissed the Anbu, and tore it open.
But the moment he read the contents, his face fell.
The letter was long-winded, but its meaning was brutally simple:
Pay up.
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