Chapter 63: Righteous Mockery

To the average person, this entire incident was a case of the Uchiha clan shooting themselves in the foot and then cowering afterward. Any consequences were entirely self-inflicted. It wasn't uncommon for ninjas to die or disappear during missions, so why was there such suspicion directed at Konoha?

However, the truth was that the Uchiha clan did have a grievance. Danzo was clearly the one pulling the strings; their suspicions were justified.

But when considering the power balance between the Uchiha clan and Konoha, it had to be said that Uchiha Fugaku's ability to use reason to suppress his clansmen, rather than emotionally inciting some major incident, was a very correct decision. For other ninja clans, this would be the most basic requirement for becoming a clan head, but for the Uchiha, it meant that Uchiha Fugaku was exceptionally intelligent.

The newborn baby diluted the tension of the incident and also showcased Fugaku's strategy... Your clansman is missing, so what? Just have more kids, I've already provided a replacement, haven't I? Okay, that's a joke, but in short, the Uchiha clan, having vented their emotions, calmed down under Fugaku's control.

The conflict dissipated into nothingness, which was certainly a good thing. But it also revealed a hidden danger... Fugaku could suppress the Uchiha once, twice, but what about the third time?

...The above was Shimura Danzo's way of thinking. Therefore, he had to be constantly prepared.

However, even though he was the one who instigated the incident, he ended up concluding that the Uchiha clan was unruly, disobedient to Konoha's control, and would inevitably cause great chaos sooner or later. It was as if he had already forgotten that he was the one who had kidnapped the missing Uchiha.

Danzo-sama's thought process was a bit like teasing a dog. His theory was that if he gave a dog a good whack with a stick and the dog didn't bark or make a fuss, then it was a good dog. But if the dog dared to bare its teeth, then it was time to stew it... It was, shall we say, a very advanced management philosophy, capturing the essence of "if you're not absolutely loyal, you're absolutely disloyal."

But regardless, the Uchiha incident had temporarily subsided.

From late spring to midsummer, ANBU ninjas like Habara had spent a great deal of time on this mission, so much so that when this long-term assignment finally ended, they had to pack up their belongings before leaving that room.

There were definitely more than one of these surveillance points. In fact, although Habara's ill-fated suggestion hadn't been submitted, and the increase in the number of surveillance ninjas wasn't that dramatic, the gradual increase was still there.

Although ANBU adopted a posture of preventing a sudden uprising by the Uchiha, rather than forcing the Uchiha to rise up, similar surveillance points had long been set up all around the Uchiha clan.

The clan's every move, from their clothing and food to their comings and goings, was under Konoha's watch. This made clear the resentment and pressure they were under. For a moment, even Habara had the thought that the great ninja clans had their own unique difficulties.

Of course, he still didn't sympathize with the Uchiha. At least the Uchiha had the standing to fight for various rights, right? Even at the very end, their cries of injustice could still be heard by others.

Having finished packing, and feeling the relief of no longer being cooped up in a corner and the joy of not having to observe the Uchiha's sullen faces every day, Habara's squad left the building.

Coincidentally, as soon as they stepped outside, they ran head-on into a squad of Uchiha ninjas from the Konoha Military Police Force.

Enemies meeting... well, not really. ANBU, naturally, maintained a strictly professional attitude, but the Uchiha viewed them as mortal enemies.

Seeing their attitude, Habara thought that Danzo hadn't stirred the pot enough. The matter had just been settled; why couldn't they just behave themselves?

However, just as these Uchiha ninjas were about to start talking, a figure suddenly darted between the two groups. He then turned his gaze towards Habara and said, "Senior, thank you for your guidance back then. It made me realize many of my shortcomings."

The person who had blocked both sides in this manner was Uchiha Shisui. He clearly recognized Habara, and he was referring to the Chunin Exams.

But this was hardly surprising, since you couldn't find another ninja in all of Konoha who carried the same ninja tools as Habara.

It was strange. The older Uchiha were all disgruntled old farts, but the exceptionally young Uchiha Shisui was polite and courteous. It was just... was it really okay to reveal that he recognized Habara's identity like this? He was an ANBU ninja.

"If the elders in your Uchiha clan could have your breadth of mind and insight, that would be wonderful," Habara replied to Shisui, but his gaze was fixed on the Military Police Force Uchiha ninjas...on their bodies, not their faces.

This statement was openly saying that the Uchiha had lived so long for nothing, and that all those years had gone to the dogs.

"You!"

The Uchiha ninjas were clearly not so stupid that they couldn't understand that someone was insulting them. So, their anger, which they hadn't really wanted to suppress in the first place, became completely unsuppressable.

Habara actually thought it would be quite interesting to have a showdown with the Uchiha at the Uchiha's front gate. So, the iron sand behind him spread out, immediately taking on a menacing posture.

The Uchiha were supposed to be able to copy ninjutsu, right? Come on, try copying his jutsu. Whoever couldn't copy it was a grandson.

" Riku!"

Fortunately, just before the conflict escalated further, Captain Kazeri put a hand on Habara's shoulder, stopping his actions.

"Don't forget our mission! Don't forget your identity!"

Captain Kazeri thought to himself, This kid seems particularly energetic when facing the Uchiha. This won't do. Haven't you seen that the situation has only just calmed down? What, do you want to reignite the conflict?

He decided that he would have to keep Habara away from Uchiha-related missions in the future.

"Don't bring your emotions into the mission. Don't act impulsively. Put the village's interests first. Can't your stupid brain remember such a simple principle?" Captain Kazeri scolded.

And as the hand he pressed on Habara's shoulder gradually exerted force, Habara had no choice but to retract the iron sand. "Sorry, Captain."

Hearing Habara being scolded, the Uchiha ninjas couldn't help but sneer. Then Habara felt that his actions just now had been a complete waste of emotion... With that level of intelligence, could they really not tell who Captain Kazeri was actually scolding?

After Habara stopped causing trouble, Captain Kazeri nodded and prepared to lead his team away.

They walked forward a few steps and then came alongside the Uchiha ninjas. Then, Captain Kazeri suddenly reached out and shoved the leading Uchiha aside:

"Get out of the way! ANBU has priority!"

The Uchiha ninja was shoved aside, nearly stumbling and falling.

The road was wide, but Captain Kazeri insisted on walking on the side where the Uchiha were... Did they really think ANBU ninjas were pushovers?

Habara followed behind, looking at the captain's back. He suddenly felt that he was starting to appreciate this captain.

By the time the Uchiha ninjas realized what had happened, the ANBU squad had already walked some distance away. Should they chase after them to settle the score?

Please, that would make it seem like the Uchiha ninjas were the ones starting trouble again. Did they really think they were completely unconcerned about the current peaceful situation?

So, these Uchiha ninjas stood there dumbfounded, their faces alternating between red and green, feeling a surge of anger that they could neither swallow nor spit out!

It could only be said that Habara and his group were quite skilled at being irritating.