Hiashi Hyuga's Byakugan trembled slightly as he turned to the Hokage advisor with a blank expression, his eyes practically asking:
"Are you serious?"
Already worn out and frustrated, Hiruzen Sarutobi rubbed his temples.
He really was at his limit.
'Why are all my comrades such dead weight…'
Koharu Utatane urged with a completely straight face,"Clan Head Hiashi! What are you waiting for? This concerns the survival of the entire village!"
Despite the command coming from a Hokage advisor, Hiashi still looked hesitant.
Spying on the Hokage with the Byakugan was a serious taboo.
But the Third Hokage, just to silence Koharu's endless noise, nodded at Hiashi.
Only then did Hiashi feel reassured. The veins bulged around his eyes as he activated the Byakugan.
After a moment of observation, he bowed deeply to Hiruzen.
"Hokage-sama, forgive my offense just now!"
Seeing this, Koharu finally let go of her suspicions.
"Everyone, there's no other option anymore. We must do what Naruto suggested. If not, Konoha may not see tomorrow."The Third looked around at the village's pillars of strength.
Military strategist Shikaku Nara frowned, thoughts racing through his mind, trying to calculate a better solution.
Koharu, on the other hand, didn't hesitate:"Hiruzen, you're being too pessimistic. The Jinchuriki may be strong, but surely, with the strength of the entire village, we can oppose him?"
"When the actual Nine-Tails appeared back then, didn't we suppress it? Are you saying a Jinchuriki is harder to deal with than the Tailed Beast itself?"
"If this Jinchuriki doesn't obey, then we'll just replace him!"
Hearing this, the Third took a deep breath, his head spinning.
Before he could reply, Shikaku cut in calmly:"A Jinchuriki is much harder to deal with than a Tailed Beast."
"Especially when it's Naruto—he has the Flying Thunder God. That's what makes him so dangerous."
"As long as he avoids direct combat, there's nothing we can do."
"If Naruto fires a Tailed Beast Bomb and then uses Flying Thunder God to flee, it won't take long before all of Konoha is turned into rubble."
Koharu fell silent at the blunt analysis.
"And let's not forget… it was the Fourth Hokage who sealed the Nine-Tails last time..." Shikaku trailed off, not finishing the implication.
"Which brings up another question: Why does such a dangerous person have access to the Flying Thunder God technique?!"
Koharu once again deflected the blame with another problem.
CLAP CLAP CLAP!
Suddenly, sharp claps rang out across the Hokage's office.
A slightly mocking, youthful voice followed.
"What a brilliant analysis. But Granny, at your age, don't you know it's incredibly rude to badmouth someone behind their back?"
Whoosh— Naruto appeared in the center of the room.
"You—It's you!"Koharu stumbled backward several steps. If Homura Mitokado hadn't caught her, she would've hit the floor.
When she saw Naruto clearly, the fat on her face visibly trembled.
"You called me dangerous? Heh."
"Well, you're not wrong."
With that, Naruto's figure flickered—and a loud smack landed on the old woman's face, sending her crashing to the floor, blood spurting from her nose and mouth.
Respecting the elderly is a virtue, sure.
But this clearly wasn't the time for that.
Clutching her rapidly swelling cheek, Koharu stared up in disbelief.
She was a Hokage advisor! Second only to the Hokage himself!
And he just slapped her? What about my dignity!?
Homura, though usually calm, now glared with unrestrained anger.
"Uzumaki Naruto! You've gone too far! This is—"
Naruto cut him off with a flying kick to the face, silencing him mid-sentence.
"If you two care so much about the villagers, why don't you go keep them company?"
After that line, one had a swollen left cheek, the other a swollen right one.What they shared was a matching look of utter humiliation.
Less than a minute into their encounter with Naruto, they'd already experienced his "diplomacy."
No warning. Just fists.
In all their long lives, they'd never met someone so unreasonable.
Afraid to retaliate, they looked desperately to the Third Hokage, hoping their old comrade would speak up for them.
But Hiruzen simply turned his head, avoiding their gaze.
"Third Hokage, the time is up. You have the list. Start the arrests."Naruto stared at Hiruzen, issuing his final ultimatum.
The Third took a long breath… and gave the hardest order of his entire Hokage tenure.
The Anbu didn't want to follow it.
But they were Anbu. They had no choice.
All Anbu and several clan shinobi began executing the arrest orders.
Konoha plunged into chaos.
"What are you doing?! I didn't commit any crimes! On what grounds are you arresting me?!"
"Let go of me! I invested tens of millions in Konoha! I'll report you to the Hokage!"
…
The arrested villagers quickly realized the situation was serious and struggled to resist.
But against Anbu, they had no chance to stir up a storm.
One after another, Konoha citizens were bound and dragged off to the Police Force HQ.
Within an hour, the HQ was packed beyond capacity, forcing the shinobi to start lining them up along the surrounding streets.
Row after row. It looked like a lockdown drill.
From above, the scene looked like a massive concert gathering.
By the end of the operation, all the Anbu were physically and mentally exhausted.
Not only did they have to arrest thousands by force—they had to endure endless complaints and insults the whole time.
They were drained.
The civilians, on the other hand, though bound at the wrists and ankles, were oddly energetic.
"What is this?! Where's the Hokage?! We want to see the Hokage!"
"Let the Hokage come out! Let the Hokage come out!"
No one knew who started the chant—but soon, tens of thousands were shouting in unison.
Inside the Hokage Tower, a guard bowed and asked,"Hokage-sama, shall we go out and calm the people?"
"What would be the point?"
Hiruzen, completely drained, waved his hand.
"No need. Send in the Genjutsu Division—hit them with a dose of Temple of Nirvana Technique. They're too damn loud..."