Chapter 34: Police Force and the Root's Confrontation

"Chizumi-senpai, that … Anbu ninja named Sarutobi Shinnosuke—was he once your teacher? And … does he have a close connection with the Third Hokage?"

All the way, Izumi felt Chizumi-senpai was walking very slowly.

The prolonged, awkward silence made her uneasy.

She mustered her courage, broke the silence, and carefully asked.

"He was my jōnin instructor."

Uchiha Chizumi spoke: "A few years ago, when the Third Shinobi World War erupted, he took me to the battlefield. His family name is Sarutobi, so of course he's related to the Third. In fact, he is the Third Hokage's eldest son."

"!!!" Izumi's eyes widened.

The dialogue between Chizumi-senpai and that Anbu during their fight had been muffled; Izumi hadn't caught it all.

At that level of battle she hadn't even dared get close.

She had never imagined Sarutobi Shinnosuke was actually the Hokage's eldest son!

Izumi swallowed nervously, her palms sweating no matter how she wiped them.

Offending the Third Hokage this badly—wasn't that suicide? Yet she was also confused: why had the Hokage simply let her and Chizumi-senpai leave?

The Hokage had arrived with so many Anbu, clearly ready to mete out punishment.

"So, about the Hokage …"

Before Izumi could voice her worry, Uchiha Chizumi cut in:

"Relax. Since the Third didn't detain me just now, it means he respected Shinnosuke‑sensei's dying wish."

He glanced at the worried Izumi again.

"You don't have to fear Anbu sneaking to your bedside tonight."

It felt like Chizumi-senpai had read her mind again.

"O‑okay!"

Izumi nodded meekly.

In truth she couldn't grasp the hidden currents at play; she didn't even know when the Hokage's son had left any 'last words.'

But if Chizumi-senpai said it was fine, then … it was probably fine?

Just then, Izumi felt something heavy press down on her head and yelped.

An odd‑toned voice sounded right above her forehead:

"Meow. Rookie, give Chizumi-sama a little quiet time—stop with the endless questions, meow!"

Izumi fell instantly silent.

In their little trio of two humans and one cat, she likely held the lowest rank—beneath even the cat.

"You two don't need to overcomplicate things."

Uchiha Chizumi's voice was calm.

"Sarutobi Shinnosuke took the wrong path—he was already in the abyss without realizing it. Only at the moment of death did he finally understand, yet he still felt no regret."

"The shinobi world today is so diseased that even an elite jōnin sees falling into the abyss as nothing serious. Cases like his are happening everywhere, all the time."

"Rookie, this is your fourth lesson."

"Whatever noble pretext others attach to 'evil,' you must carry out Absolute Justice without wavering—even if your blade must point at those closest to you."

Izumi engraved every word in her heart.

"Understood, Senpai!" she answered solemnly.

…

Meanwhile, in Konoha

"Danzo-sama, what is Root trying to pull?"

Uchiha Fugaku led a squad of Uchiha Police onto a street, confronting Danzo Shimura and his Root operatives.

Behind Fugaku, the Uchiha glared daggers at the Root ninja.

The air was taut—one spark from violence.

Fugaku's face darkened as he stared Danzo down:

"Uchiha Chizumi of the Police Force encountered an emergency outside the village; I'm bringing reinforcements. That's perfectly reasonable, isn't it?"

"Yet you, Danzo-sama, brought all these Root ninja to block us—why?"

As he spoke, Fugaku's gaze kept flicking to the bandages on Danzo's arm.

He remembered what Chizumi had told him about Danzo's trump card: beneath those white wrappings might lie one Sharingan after another.

A shadow crossed Fugaku's eyes.

"Hmph!" Danzo shifted uncomfortably. From Fugaku's reaction he knew that evil little Uchiha brat must have tattled.

Damn it. That brat was the village's greatest menace—he wondered whether "Monkey" (the Third Hokage) had managed to eliminate him.

Danzo did not budge. He would never let Fugaku support Uchiha Chizumi.

"The Hokage has already taken Anbu to 'assist.' Your Uchiha interference is unnecessary. Besides, your Police jurisdiction ends at the village walls; outside Konoha you have no authority."

When facing Uchiha, the phrase "speak nicely" did not exist in Danzo's dictionary.

Fugaku was taken aback.

He stared hard at Danzo. "With extra Police manpower, the Hokage could end things faster. Danzo-sama, please let us leave the village."

Danzo's eyes chilled. "Fugaku! Are you disobeying the higher‑ups' orders?"

Root ninja behind Danzo had already laid hands on their weapons.

The Uchiha responded in kind.

"You—" A younger, hot‑blooded Uchiha began, but Fugaku stopped him with a sharp gesture.

Fugaku then said to Danzo:

"If Danzo-sama's obstruction causes the Uchiha clan to lose a dual‑kekkei genkai prodigy, I will report directly to the Hokage."

Danzo snorted.

Just then, a Root ninja who had been watching from afar stepped up and reported:

"Danzo-sama, the commotion over there has been quiet for more than ten minutes. I'd guess the Hokage's unit arrived some time ago and already stopped the battle by unknown means."

Fugaku heard this and frowned.

Danzo's lips curled—mission accomplished. Narrowing his eyes, he said:

"Fugaku, it seems it's over. Do you still intend to gather all these Uchiha here? Or … do you have some other aim, Fugaku?"

Fugaku clenched his fists—then relaxed them.

"Disperse!" he ordered, face blank, breathing deep.

"Clan Head!" Many Uchiha were indignant.

It wasn't that they truly wanted to rush out to aid Chizumi; they were furious at being mistrusted.

"Disperse!" Fugaku repeated through gritted teeth.

~~~

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