Chapter 46 People of the Old Era
Chapter 46 People of the Old Era
The night was as dark as ink, but the Konoha Police Department building was brightly lit.
This is the core of Konoha's security and a symbol of the Uchiha's power.
In the past, this place was a forbidden area that ordinary ninjas and villagers were unwilling to set foot in.
Tonight, a somber atmosphere permeated the air.
Third Squad Office.
This department is directly controlled by the radical elder Uchiha Setsuna. They are usually the most arrogant and domineering. The Uchiha from the daytime belongs to this department.
"Bang!"
The heavy solid wood door was suddenly pushed open.
The dozen or so Uchiha guards who were inside smoking, chatting, and even complaining about Fugaku "favoring outsiders" looked up in surprise.
The person standing at the door was not one of their people, but a young man with dazzling blond hair and a gentle smile on his face.
Minato Namikaze.
Good evening, everyone.
Minato held a transfer order freshly stamped with the captain's seal in his hand, his clear voice standing out starkly in the quiet office:
"By order of Captain Fugaku Uchiha, in view of the Third Division's recent repeated violations during law enforcement operations, which have led to serious clashes between the police and civilians, it has been decided to suspend all members of the Third Division for reorganization."
"Please hand over your swords, headbands, and police badges, and return home immediately to await further instructions."
The deathly silence lasted for two seconds.
Then, a burst of mocking laughter erupted.
"Huh? Did I hear that right?"
A burly Uchiha Chunin stood up, his face filled with deep contempt. "A commoner brat, holding a piece of scrap paper, thinks he can disarm us? Has Fugaku gone mad?"
"Don't think you can run wild here just because you're famous on the battlefield. This is the police department! Get out!"
The other person drew a kunai, his Sharingan eyes flashing with three tomoe, exuding a murderous aura.
Minato looked at these elites who didn't even glance at him, his smile unchanged, but a hint of helplessness and sharpness appeared in his azure eyes.
"It seems Che was right."
Minato sighed and gently placed the transfer order on the table beside him. "Sometimes, reasoning doesn't work."
"court death!"
Enraged, the Chunin thrust his kunai, accompanied by a whooshing sound, straight at Minato's face.
However, at the very moment he made his move...
"Whoosh!"
The golden figure disappeared.
It's not ninjutsu, it's simply a body-flickering technique that's incredibly fast.
The next second, the Chunin felt a numbness in his wrist, and the kunai in his hand had changed hands. Immediately afterwards, a sharp pain came from his abdomen, and his whole body arched like a shrimp, flying backward and crashing heavily into the filing cabinet behind him.
"What?!"
The remaining dozen or so Uchiha clan members' expressions changed drastically, and they all activated their Sharingan in an attempt to pinpoint the enemy's location.
But in the cramped office, that golden flash was an unsolvable ghost.
"Too slow."
"Over here."
"That seal isn't finished yet."
Accompanied by a dull thud and the sound of a heavy object hitting the ground, it lasted less than thirty seconds.
After the last member who attempted to use fire jutsu by forming hand seals was knocked unconscious by Minato's chop to the back of the neck, the entire office returned to calm.
Minato Namikaze stood in the center of the room, his blond hair swaying slightly, his breathing steady, and even his clothes were perfectly in place.
He bent down, picked up the police department armbands scattered on the ground, and neatly stacked them on the table.
"I've already said, please cooperate with the rectification."
……
Meanwhile, deep within the Uchiha clan's territory, at the elders' residence.
Uchiha Setsuna was sitting in the tea room, listening to his subordinates' report, his wrinkled old face terribly gloomy.
"Fugaku...how dare he?!"
In an instant, the teacup in his hand shattered, scalding tea dripping through his fingers, yet he remained oblivious. "He's declaring war on the family. For the sake of those lowly commoners, he's actually turning against his own people?"
"Elder, something terrible has happened!"
A trusted aide stumbled in, shouting, "The third squad... is wiped out! That Minato Namikaze single-handedly took them all down! Fugaku's men have taken control of the police department now!"
"Rebellion! Rebellion!"
He abruptly stood up, grabbed his cane, and shouted, "Gather the men! I'm going to hold a clan meeting! I'm going to remove that traitor from office!"
"No need to trouble yourself, Elder Setsuna."
A cold voice came from the courtyard.
The paper door to the tea room was pulled open.
Fugaku Uchiha, dressed in a black suit, stood alone in the moonlight.
Nishikawa Tetsu did not come along. Fugaku had to handle these kinds of "family matters" personally in order to establish his authority.
"Fugaku!"
At the sight of the young clan leader entering, his eyes blazed with fury. "You dare come to see me? Do you know what you're doing? You're destroying the foundation of the Uchiha clan!"
"I'm saving the Uchiha."
Fugaku walked into the tea room and casually tossed a stack of documents onto the tatami mat in front of Setsuna.
That was evidence that Nishikawa Tetsu had compiled overnight regarding the Third Division's violent law enforcement, bribery, and infiltration by Danzo in recent years.
"Look, this is what you call the foundation."
Fugaku's voice was as cold as ice. "They were used as pawns by the people in the root, drugged and deliberately provoked without them even realizing it, walking into the trap like idiots. If I hadn't dealt with it quickly today, the villagers would be criticizing the police department tomorrow, and the higher-ups would use that as an excuse to cut our payroll."
"So what!"
Without even glancing at the documents, he slammed his cane heavily on the ground. "The Uchiha don't need to be subservient to others! As long as they have power..."
"strength?"
Fugaku suddenly laughed.
"Do you mean these eyes?"
Before he could finish speaking, Fugaku suddenly raised his head.
The originally dark pupils instantly changed, and the three tomoe spun wildly, eventually connecting to form that eerie and terrifying blade-shaped pattern.
Kaleidoscope Sharingan!
"boom!"
A tangible, chilling chakra instantly filled the entire tea room.
In an instant, the elder felt a darkness before his eyes, as if an invisible giant hand had gripped his throat.
Under the suppression of the Mangekyou Sharingan, those two cloudy, three-tomoe eyes trembled instinctively, as if trying to shut down.
This is a suppression from the depths of one's bloodline.
"This...this is..."
In an instant, his pupils trembled violently, and his body slumped uncontrollably into the chair. It was the "Eye of Asura" that Hanzo had mentioned in his announcement.
Seeing it with my own eyes was even more despairing than the rumors had suggested.
He seemed to see Madara Uchiha from back then.
"Times have changed, Elder Setsuna."
Fugaku slowly withdrew his pupil power, his eyes returning to black, but the suffocating aftereffects still lingered in the air.
He looked down at this once arrogant radical leader.
"The era of Madara Uchiha is over. The current Uchiha clan doesn't need mindless mad dogs; it needs people who can see the situation clearly."
"Starting today, you are feeling unwell and need to rest."
Fugaku turned and walked away, leaving Setsuna with a resolute back view.
"You won't need to worry about the police department's affairs anymore."
Inside the tea room, Uchiha Setsuna sat there blankly, his back soaked with cold sweat.
As he looked at that figure from behind, he seemed to see, in a daze, the figure that had once terrified the entire ninja world.
But he knew that Fugaku's path was completely different from Madara's.
"Now...that's more like a clan leader...I'm really getting old!"
……
The next morning.
The bulletin board at the main entrance of the Konoha Police Department was once again surrounded by people.
This time, however, it wasn't a group of protesters, but rather a group of surprised onlookers.
A huge red paper notice with black lettering was posted in the most conspicuous position.
[Announcement Regarding Disciplinary Rectification and Personnel Appointments/Removals within the Police Department]
[An investigation revealed that the former Third Squad committed serious disciplinary violations during law enforcement operations... All members are hereby dismissed.]
[Minato Namikaze has been appointed as Special Operations Advisor to the Police Department, responsible for overseeing law enforcement regulations.]
[The police department has established a complaint reception office, effective immediately. Villagers are welcome to supervise...]
"My God, was it really dealt with? Or was it a complete sweep?"
"That Minato Namikaze? Is he the blond guy? He actually got into the police department?"
"Can someone who isn't from the Uchiha clan get into the police department?"
"It seems the Uchiha are serious this time."
Amidst the crowd, Nishikawa Tetsu listened to the surrounding discussions, a slight smile playing on his lips.
He held a freshly printed copy of the Konoha Weekly in his hand, the front page headline being the sentimental article he had written the night before.
The accompanying photo is a candid shot: Fugaku, in the rainy night, with his back to the camera, looks at his clansmen being taken away. His back view appears incredibly lonely yet resolute. In reality, Fugaku is so exhausted that he can't straighten his back.
"Che!"
Not far away, Nara Shikaku walked over, yawning, holding a document stamped with the Hokage's seal.
"You guys are too efficient. My old man just handed over the proposal, and you've already arrested all your people."
Shikaku handed the document to Nishikawa Tetsuya, "Here is the Hokage's approval. He agrees in principle to the pilot reform of the police department and has assigned our Nara clan to assist in formulating the new regulations."
Nishikawa Tetsu took the document and glanced at the bright red "Yes" on it.
"Thanks, Shikaku."
"Don't thank me, thank Danzo instead." Shikaku glanced meaningfully in the direction of the Hokage Building. "I heard that a lot of things were smashed at the Root base last night."
A glint of light flashed in Nishikawa Tetsu's eyes.
"This is just the beginning."
"Next, it's time to let those who are truly capable of doing the work come in."
He looked at Minato Namikaze, who was giving instructions to several newly recruited Uchiha members not far away.
The golden sunlight shone on Minato, creating a strange harmony with his dark blue Uchiha uniform.
The Konoha Police Department is finally no longer a stagnant pool.
dmims