In the days that followed, the Third Hokage began renegotiating peace talks with the Hidden Cloud.
Previously, the Cloud had acted aggressively, constantly probing Konoha's defenses.
But with the powerful backing of the Uchiha clan, the Cloud had become like a toothless tiger.
They couldn't win in battle, nor could they afford a drawn-out stalemate, so they had no choice but to let Konoha dictate terms.
Originally, Killer Bee—the Eight-Tails' Jinchūriki—had come to intimidate, but instead he was beaten into the hospital and effectively turned into a hostage.
At the negotiation table, the Cloud suffered a major loss. Not only did they agree to pay three hundred million in reparations, but they were also forced to hand over some of their research technology to Konoha.
Though the technology wasn't their most cutting-edge, it was still something rare and difficult to obtain from outside.
The Third Hokage didn't dare keep it all for himself. He made copies of the entire set of documents and delivered them to Uchiha Natsuki.
On Konoha's Eighth Street, the merchants found something unusual today: every Uchiha Police Force patrol consisted of eight members walking together.
Whether on patrol or handling law enforcement, they never split up.
Fortunately, the merchants there had long since been disciplined by the Uchiha and were now obedient, so disturbances were rare.
The patrol formation only stirred curiosity rather than trouble.
But to Danzo, it was like swallowing a fly—utterly infuriating. Before he could even make a move, the Uchiha had already blocked every path.
"Not a single Uchiha goes out alone!?"
"Reporting, sir. Every Uchiha with awakened Sharingan now moves in groups. Not even groups smaller than four have been seen," replied his subordinate, Kido, in a low voice.
Recently, Danzo had transplanted a Sharingan into his right eye, and he had also used the last two spare eyes for experiments.
He wanted to uncover the secret of awakening the Mangekyō Sharingan.
But the attempts were futile. If unlocking Mangekyō could be done so easily, the Uchiha clan wouldn't hold such fearsome power.
Worse still, the Shimura clan was suffering because of him. Many ninja clans had cut ties, leaving Shimura without benefits, which in turn left Root with dwindling funds.
Even the Third Hokage had slashed his budget over previous incidents, causing many of his experiments to grind to a halt.
When Danzo had witnessed Natsuki display the might of the Mangekyō at the Hyūga estate, his envy had burned hotter than ever.
But his Sharingan stockpile was now exhausted.
Thus, he set his sights on the Uchiha Police Force.
Yet before he could act, the Uchiha—almost as if forewarned—took precautions, making it impossible to strike.
"Who leaked the information?"
Danzo's eyes grew dark. In his mind, the answer was clear: it had to be that old fox, Hiruzen Sarutobi.
Only the Hokage, with command of the Anbu, could be so well-informed of Konoha's movements.
When the village needed him, they courted him. Now that his power had grown, they sought to suppress him.
"Check around the Uchiha compound. Look for any chance we can exploit."
Kido hesitated. "Wouldn't that be too risky, sir? Right now even the Hokage's Anbu can't enter their compound."
Danzo smirked with confidence. "That's because the Third is being threatened by Natsuki. But the Uchiha compound is vast. Can Natsuki guard it all alone?"
"The more people there are, the less secure it becomes. Send Aburame Ryoma to scout for us."
Kido looked uneasy. "But… Aburame Ryoma is imprisoned in the Hokage's dungeon."
"Quietly release him," Danzo ordered coldly. "Tell him his illness can be cured—on the condition he captures a Sharingan-wielding Uchiha for me."
Though reluctant, Kido gritted his teeth. "Yes, sir."
In the shadows of the prison, a man in a black coat leaned against the wall. His body was muscular, yet his skin carried a faint grayish hue.
Footsteps echoed down the hall.
Kido approached the cell door. "Ryoma."
Ryoma seemed dazed, yawning as he stepped forward. "You are… Kido?"
Kido nodded. "Lord Danzo says there's a cure for your illness. But the condition is that you help him capture an Uchiha with the Sharingan."
"Sharingan, huh?" To Ryoma, catching an Uchiha didn't sound difficult. He had been locked in this dungeon far too long, completely unaware of the current situation outside.
"No problem. When do we start?"
Kido felt a chill run down his spine. For some reason, standing this close to Ryoma made his whole body go cold, his thoughts sluggish.
"The sooner the better. Lord Danzo is impatient," Kido said, unlocking the cell door.
Ryoma stepped out calmly. "Kido, do you even know why I was locked up here?"
Kido's scalp prickled, his nerves on edge. "I heard… you killed your teammates."
"Do you plan to fight me then?" Ryoma asked coolly.
"I… no…" Kido's unease deepened, and he instinctively readied himself.
Ryoma gave a faint smile. "Relax. I won't attack you. But my little pets haven't eaten in far too long. So… I'm afraid it'll have to be you."
"What—!?"
In an instant, Kido's body froze, his chakra falling silent. His vision went black, and he collapsed lifelessly.
Buzzing filled the air as a swarm of invisible kikaichū erupted from Kido's corpse.
What was left of him was nothing more than a withered husk.
Outside the Uchiha compound, Uchiha Keimei was busy at work.
He was placing chakra-conductive materials into the ground and carving barrier formulas into them.
Rushing against time, he and two others had managed to complete their training in detection barriers a full week ahead of schedule.
Keimei's last task was to finish inscribing this barrier node.
Since Natsuki's promotion to Vice Clan Head, the Uchiha clan had transformed day by day.
Though many had left the village, those who remained no longer suffered oppression or discrimination.
On the contrary, members of the Police Force were now highly welcomed.
Eighth Street, patrolled exclusively by Uchiha, had become the safest district in all of Konoha.
Merchants from other streets often came to inquire whether the Uchiha would patrol their areas too.
When told they would not, disappointment replaced their old contempt.
Witnessing his clan flourish, Keimei felt genuine happiness.
He himself was not fond of conflict. All he wanted was to see his clan thrive.
Now that the Uchiha had stepped back from Konoha's endless whirlpool of schemes, life had grown far less stifling—even if missions paid less, since safety now came first.
Moreover, the clan head had announced new policies to prepare for the future: because the departure of so many members had left the clan weakened, he encouraged families to have more children.
Any household with two or more children would receive a subsidy of 200,000 ryō for each child born, with further benefits to follow.
Many families were already planning to expand.
For young men and women, pairing off had suddenly become much easier—the birth subsidy was worth as much as completing an A-rank mission.
While these changes unfolded, Keimei focused on his work, eager to finish this barrier node so the Uchiha would soon have a fully functional detection system.
But he failed to notice the danger closing in.
From all around, swarms of tiny black insects crept closer.
"Bzzz… bzzz…"
The low hum reached Keimei's ears.
At that exact moment, he finished the sealing formula and instinctively infused chakra into the node.
A wave of invisible energy rippled outward.
In his mind's eye, countless dots of chakra signatures appeared.
Then—buzz!
A massive swarm of kikaichū descended with a shriek, their wings cutting the air.
Keimei rolled to the ground, narrowly evading the strike as the earth exploded into a crater.
Scrambling to his feet, he shouted, "Who dares cause trouble on Uchiha land!?"
His Sharingan flared open.
Without signal flares, he could only rely on his voice to alert the clan.
Never had he imagined someone would attack him right outside the Uchiha compound.
From the shadows, Aburame Ryoma emerged. "Unlucky for you—it's me. A pity you're only a two-tomoe. You'll do, I suppose."
Keimei's face hardened. The man before him radiated powerful chakra, his physique strong and intimidating.
And most of all—Keimei recognized him.
"You're… Aburame Ryoma!!"
He remembered the intelligence reports well. Ryoma was supposed to be imprisoned in the Hokage's dungeon.
So why was he here!?
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