Sarutobi Hiruzen was preparing to leave his office for the day when an Anbu agent suddenly arrived with urgent news. He hadn't even managed to organize the scattered documents on his desk before the words hit him like a surprise attack.
"People from a hostile village infiltrated near the Uchiha compound, disguised in our Anbu uniforms. They were discovered and killed by Uchiha Andrew!"
The Third Hokage froze mid-motion, his eyes narrowing as he processed the information. After a long silence, he finally drew the key point from the report, his lips twitching in disbelief.
This wasn't the first time someone had snuck into Konoha. But it was absurd to think that, with the current heightened security—especially around the former police department—any enemy could sneak in unnoticed. Not only was the Police Department on alert, but even his own Anbu were conducting covert surveillance. There was no way a foreign ninja could slip in so cleanly.
More suspiciously, the infiltrators had targeted the Uchiha clan specifically. If the enemy village truly had such poor intelligence and tactical planning, Konoha wouldn't be struggling in the shadows. No, this wasn't an outside enemy.
The conclusion was obvious: the so-called "enemy ninja" was almost certainly someone from Danzo's Root division.
Yet, as always, there was no official record of Root's existence. Everyone among the high-ranking officials in Konoha knew about Root, but it couldn't be openly acknowledged. If those buried roots were suddenly pulled into the sunlight, it could stir up political chaos.
So the Third Hokage sighed and accepted reality.
"We'll handle the situation according to Andrew's report. And tell Danzo to keep his head down for now."
The relationship between the Uchiha and the village had finally reached a rare period of calm, and Sarutobi wasn't going to let Danzo ruin that. If peace was to be preserved in Konoha, Danzo would have to grit his teeth and endure the blow.
Meanwhile, in the underground base of Root, Danzo was seething with fury.
"That damn brat Andrew! How dare he kill one of my operatives and get away with it?!"
His voice echoed with rage, but there was nothing he could do. The Third Hokage had already issued a warning, and Danzo knew he couldn't risk further exposure. Normally, he operated under the veil of secrecy, assigning Root missions under the guise of regular forces. But this time, he'd acted carelessly—and Andrew had made sure there was no room for denial.
Danzo couldn't punish Andrew outright, not without revealing Root's involvement.
But Danzo was not the kind of man to forget a slight, especially when it came from the Uchiha.
"If I can't deal with you directly, then I'll make your life miserable in other ways. Don't think the Uchiha will ever be truly accepted in this village. That's a fantasy!"
······
Elsewhere, Andrew strolled through the streets of Konoha. He'd just finished a check-in at the old police department building and decided to walk around to see how things were going firsthand.
But he hadn't walked far before the villagers started approaching him—specifically, the shopkeepers and merchants from the commercial district.
"Captain Andrew! What a surprise to see you here! Are you checking in on the police department's work? Let me tell you—these new recruits are a disaster!"
"Yes, Captain! You have to do something! They're not upholding the law—they're beating people up!"
"Please! Can't you take charge again? We'd all prefer the Uchiha in charge of the police! At least you kept the peace!"
Though most of the villagers had never interacted directly with Andrew before, they recognized him from the posters and records still circulating in the department. Dressed in the official police uniform, and with his distinct Uchiha features and age matching the file, it wasn't hard to connect the dots.
Within minutes, a crowd had gathered around him like he was a returning hero.
"Everyone," Andrew said calmly, "as citizens of Konoha, you absolutely have the right to express complaints. That's your privilege."
"But what you do with those complaints is your own business. As for me? There's not much I can do about the current police department. Those new recruits you're upset about? They were appointed directly by the Elders. The Uchiha clan isn't involved in the department's leadership anymore."
The crowd's mood soured further. Clearly, they had all been on the receiving end of the Root's so-called "law enforcement."
"Impossible!" a merchant shouted. "You're the captain of the police department! The elders can't just override you! Tell us which elder it was—we'll file a joint complaint!"
"Exactly! The elders shouldn't be micromanaging the department! That's what made things worse!"
Andrew coughed twice and waved his hand to calm them. As much as he would have loved to say Danzo's name out loud, doing so in public—with Root members likely lurking nearby—would only give Danzo an excuse to retaliate.
"It's not that simple," he said. "The police department doesn't belong to the Uchiha. It belongs to the village. We were just tasked with managing it."
He bowed slightly to the villagers and continued:
"To be honest, we didn't always do a great job. There were plenty of conflicts in the past between the police and the people. For that, on behalf of the Uchiha, I apologize."
"But don't worry—things will change." Andrew straightened up, voice firm. "All those who've caused dissatisfaction have been dismissed. And I promise, I won't rehire them. With the guidance of Lord Hokage, the newly restructured police department will meet your expectations."
If someone didn't know any better, they'd assume Andrew was a loyalist to the Hokage's office. In reality, he was anything but.
"The current police department isn't just disappointing," Andrew thought bitterly, "it's hopeless. Even if the Hokage himself led it, nothing would change."
Still, the villagers only cared about their livelihoods. They weren't thinking about politics or ideals. They just wanted to stop getting harassed while running their shops.
Seeing the crowd grow even larger, Andrew knew it was time to retreat.
He slipped away before anyone could follow, leaving behind a disappointed but stirred crowd of merchants. They watched him disappear into the streets, many of them silently making up their minds.
"If Andrew can't help us, maybe Hokage can."
"He's right. If the elders are causing this mess, then it's time someone higher stepped in."
For now, Andrew had no idea that his words had sparked a different kind of movement. The merchants weren't going to sit still anymore.
If the elders were interfering with the police department and disrupting business, then they'd take their grievances straight to the Hokage.
Meanwhile, having left the commercial street, Andrew found himself standing near a familiar barbecue shop. His eyes narrowed.
A blonde-haired brat was sneaking along the alleyway, tiptoeing toward the restaurant with a bulging sack in his arms.
Andrew raised an eyebrow, watching in silence. Just when he thought his day had calmed down, something new was about to unfold.
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