"Sigh..."
After everyone had left the meeting, the Third Hokage leaned back in his chair and released a long, weary sigh. His thoughts swirled in confusion and frustration. He simply couldn't understand the Uchiha's behavior anymore.
Didn't they once fight tooth and nail for influence within the village? And now? They were practically throwing away their power and responsibility—no, discarding it!
And it wasn't even like Andrew had shown any intention of easing tensions. No… his attitude was clear. He wasn't negotiating. He was walking away from the fire with a can of gasoline in hand.
Meanwhile, inside the complaint office at the police department, Elder Yaoyang—one of Uchiha's five elders—was humming happily. His previously tired, wrinkled face now seemed to glow with vigor.
In the past, he'd been responsible for personally receiving complaints, writing up reports, reviewing statements, and assigning ninja squads for follow-ups. It was backbreaking, soul-draining work.
But now? Each of the major ninja clans had stationed contact officers at the department. All he had to do was collect the forms and toss them into the corresponding file trays.
It was stress-free. It was divine.
"Elder Yaoyang, hard at work so early, I see!"
The familiar voice of Boss Nakamura, a shopkeeper from the commercial district, echoed from the hallway as he entered with a smile.
"Ah, Boss Nakamura? Back again? Complaint form's right there—go ahead and fill it out. I'll send it over to the relevant contact shortly." Yaoyang grinned, not even pretending to be formal anymore.
This wasn't Nakamura's first time visiting. Ever since Uchiha had pulled back from the police department, Nakamura had been regularly pestering them about when the Uchiha would resume law enforcement duties.
For a while, he'd stopped showing up—right after the ninja clans took over.
But now? Now he was back again, almost daily. The merchants were getting nervous, even nostalgic. Yes, Uchiha had been heavy-handed, but they'd also been quick and decisive.
The current officers? Polite but sluggish.
In Nakamura's case, that slowness directly hurt business. A restaurant relied on foot traffic, but no one wanted to walk into a place where an unresolved fight was spilling onto the street.
"Don't worry!" Yaoyang said, waving his hand confidently. "Your complaint has already been passed along to the department. And now that the new members are still adapting, they've brought in reinforcements—Danzo's root operatives are being deployed for law enforcement."
He delivered the news with a grin. It was as if he had won the lottery.
"Root...? You're serious?" Nakamura asked, blinking. He'd heard of those infamous shadow operatives.
"Absolutely." Yaoyang nodded. "Think about it—these guys are elite troops. Sent out on assassination missions, black ops, battlefield recovery. Do you think they'll stand around dithering during a street dispute?"
He leaned in with a conspiratorial whisper. "If you were worried about efficiency before, you can put those fears to rest. These guys don't procrastinate. Ever."
Nakamura left, his mood mixed with curiosity and hope. But that hope was short-lived.
As he approached his restaurant, he could already hear raised voices inside. Not again...
"One hundred ryo for three dishes?! You're robbing me!"
The furious shout echoed out the door. Nakamura recognized the voice—it was a notorious drunkard known for harassing small vendors.
And sure enough, the chaos had already escalated.
Outside, his server was trying to push the troublemaker away when suddenly, two masked figures in standard-issue police armor appeared.
Within seconds, the drunk and his friends were slammed to the ground. The sound of cracking pavement echoed. Their limbs were twisted unnaturally, and the force used made even Nakamura wince.
But the worst part?
His server—who hadn't even thrown a punch—was being detained too.
"Your employee instigated a public disturbance. Detainment: seven days." one of the Root officers announced coldly.
"W-Wait! That's not—! He was trying to defuse it! He works here! He—!"
Nakamura pleaded, panicking. His restaurant had just reopened after weeks of repair, and now his staff was being hauled off.
But the Root operatives ignored him. They turned and marched off with their captives, faces as blank as ever.
"I... I can't believe this." Nakamura stared at the empty shop floor. With his staff gone, how could he run his restaurant?
And it wasn't just Nakamura.
All over Konoha, the same story played out. Merchants detained. Pedestrians arrested. Children screamed. Root operatives cracked down on petty arguments like they were subduing enemy spies.
By midday, the holding cells at the police department were overflowing.
Elder Yaoyang, who had once feared paperwork more than death, was now staring slack-jawed at the reports piling on his desk.
"What the hell... Did they misunderstand the assignment? We said maintain order—not initiate martial law!"
He stared out the window, watching another Root squad drag away someone accused of jaywalking.
"Tsk tsk... these Root guys really do have personality." Yaoyang muttered, shaking his head.
Still, it wasn't his fault. It wasn't Uchiha's fault. He shrugged and returned to his tea.
The commercial district, once the heart of Konoha's daily life, was now a ghost town. Streets were empty. Shops shuttered early. Children whispered and clung to their parents' sleeves.
But just across the river, in Uchiha territory, things were thriving.
Uchiha-owned businesses had no trouble. Their law enforcement? Six patrol teams from within their own ranks. Calm, fair, and most importantly—familiar. Villagers could haggle without fear of being tased.
"Yutai! You're patrolling this street today?" a merchant called out, recognizing the young Uchiha officer.
"Yep. Don't space out, Yan! You nearly bumped into a granny earlier. What if she reported you?"
The two men chuckled.
Uchiha's police might have once been seen as aloof, but now they felt like trusted guardians. Compared to the militarized coldness of Root, even Uchiha's colder members were preferred.
Back in the Hokage's office, Hiruzen had just finished reading a dozen urgent complaints about the new police conduct.
He buried his face in his hands.
"I'm going crazy..."
___________________________________
Get membership in patreon to read more chapters
Extra chapters available in patreon
patreon.com/Dragonscribe31