Far from the central district of Konoha Village—
A towering building loomed in the darkness, its presence heavy and oppressive.
At its center hung a massive emblem of a sword held upright, and within the sword's hilt was the Uchiha clan's insignia: the fan crest.
This was the headquarters of the Konoha Police Force.
Uchiha Qianyu strode straight inside.
The two subordinates following behind him were trembling with fear, as if walking on thin ice, their heads too low to lift.
The moment Qianyu stepped into the headquarters, he felt an overwhelming surge of icy chakra rush toward him.
It came from the head of the Uchiha clan—
Uchiha Fugaku.
At this moment, several elite members of the police force surrounded Fugaku.
Among them were Uchiha Yashiro, the senior elder, as well as Uchiha Tekka and Uchiha Inabi.
As soon as Qianyu appeared, everyone's gaze locked onto him.
Especially Fugaku.
He took a deep breath, his face dark with barely restrained fury.
"Qianyu—what is going on with those two corpses?!"
Fugaku pointed at the spot on the ground where the bodies had already been taken away.
Qianyu didn't even glance in that direction.
"The man was a gambling addict. He even stole his own child's life-saving money to gamble, causing the child's death. His crimes deserved ten thousand deaths."
"The woman knowingly sheltered a criminal, defended him even after her child was killed by him, making her an accomplice. On top of that, she attempted to attack an officer. Her crime was aggravated—death was not unjust."
Fugaku was stunned speechless.
He exchanged looks with the surrounding elites, all of whom stared at one another in disbelief.
"Qianyu—do you actually believe what you're saying?!"
"I believe it without a shred of doubt."
"..."
Fugaku's voice rose.
"Do you realize how this kind of law enforcement will make the villagers and shinobi view the Uchiha clan?!"
"Do you realize that ever since the Nine-Tails incident, Konoha has already been deeply suspicious of us?! The village leadership watches us like hawks! At a time when tensions are this volatile—when one spark could set everything off—you still dare to act this extremely?!"
Qianyu remained unmoved.
"Clan Head, may I ask—what method should I use to make Konoha's villagers and shinobi view the Uchiha clan differently?"
"What method should I use to stop the village leadership from treating us with hostility?"
"This…"
Fugaku was momentarily at a loss for words.
Indeed…
At this point, no matter what the Uchiha clan did, it was impossible to change Konoha's impression of them—let alone alter the attitude of the upper leadership.
Uchiha Yashiro and the others exchanged glances, all letting out bitter smiles.
"Even so," one of them said, "we're already sitting on a powder keg. Why do you insist on personally lighting the fuse?!"
Qianyu replied calmly, "The fuse was never in my hands."
"As for whose hands it is in—Clan Head, you know that perfectly well."
"As for whether my methods are extreme, I reserve my own judgment."
"I only know one thing."
"Everything I do is for justice."
"My conscience is clear."
"If the Clan Head believes I violated orders, you may expel me from the police force."
"You—!"
Fugaku was so angry his head felt like it was about to explode.
How could there be someone this stubborn?!
And worse—
Completely impervious to reason!
But at the same time, Fugaku knew that Qianyu was incredibly powerful and had already gathered a group of fiercely loyal followers. The current Uchiha clan absolutely needed his strength.
Deep down, Fugaku couldn't even fully deny Qianyu's extreme methods…
"Elder Yashiro," Fugaku said helplessly, "help me talk some sense into him!"
Yashiro gave a bitter smile.
"Clan Head, he doesn't even listen to you—what use would my words be?"
Then he sighed and turned to Qianyu.
"But Qianyu… that gambling addict truly was beyond saving. Killing him was one thing. But was it really necessary to kill that woman too?"
"Forget the nonsense about assaulting an officer. She was just an ordinary middle-aged villager—could she really threaten a jōnin like you?"
Qianyu shook his head.
"I've already said it. Facing the murderer of her own child, she not only failed to resist him, but even defended him after I killed that man—redirecting her hatred toward me."
"Someone that foolish and complicit bears the same guilt as an accomplice."
"In this world, evil people deserve to die."
"But those who sympathize with evil…"
"…have no right to live either."
Yashiro couldn't help but draw in a sharp breath.
This man was terrifying.
And the worst part was—
His twisted logic was disturbingly hard to refute.
Qianyu would rather live within his own convictions.
Fugaku pressed his fingers to his forehead and sighed deeply.
"Qianyu… I know you're young, hot-blooded, and ruthless in your methods, but can't you consider things from my position as well?"
"If the Hokage questions this—do you expect me to answer him with this kind of logic?"
"What's the problem with that?"
Qianyu remained completely unmoved.
Fugaku had nothing left to say.
"If the Hokage insists on holding someone accountable," Qianyu continued, "then let the Clan Head tell him I'll speak to him personally."
"No matter what punishment is decided…"
"I'll accept it."
After saying that, Qianyu turned and left.
Inside the police headquarters, Fugaku and the others could only exchange bitter smiles and shake their heads.
…
Inside the Hokage's office, smoke curled through the air.
The pipe in the Third Hokage's hand glowed faintly in the dim light.
His expression was weary, yet he forced himself to continue reading the documents before him.
In the darkness behind him, Shimura Danzō stood silently, watching the Hokage's back, his face unreadable.
Suddenly, there was a knock at the door.
"Hokage-sama."
The Third Hokage set the documents aside, frowning slightly.
"ANBU?"
"Come in."
Two ANBU operatives wearing masks entered.
"Well?" the Hokage asked. "Any unusual movement from the Uchiha clan?"
The two ANBU exchanged glances.
"It's hard to say whether it counts as unusual…"
"There's a man named Uchiha Qianyu. He killed two Konoha civilians again…"
The Hokage's pipe trembled slightly.
"That cold-blooded bastard again?"
"What was the reason this time?"
The ANBU reported the incident in full detail.
The Hokage's expression darkened.
"Hmph. This man is becoming more and more excessive—utterly lawless!"
"The Second Hokage established the police force to distance the Uchiha from political power, and to isolate them from villagers and shinobi alike…"
"Does Uchiha Qianyu really think he holds the power of life and death now?!"
A cold chuckle echoed from the darkness behind him.
"Hiruzen," Danzō said quietly, "by your own logic, doesn't Qianyu's brutality only make the villagers hate the Uchiha clan even more?"
"Isn't that exactly what you want?"
"Then why are you still hesitating?"
Hiruzen replied coldly, "These are two different matters."
"If the Uchiha and the police force can decide villagers' lives without the Hokage, where does Konoha's authority stand?"
Danzō sneered.
"I think it's not Konoha's authority you're worried about…"
"But your authority as Hokage, isn't it?"
Hiruzen's gaze shifted sideways, sharp and cold.
"What's the difference?"
Danzō snorted and didn't answer.
One of the ANBU asked cautiously, "Hokage-sama… should we personally question the police force about this?"
"Or even…"
"Have Clan Head Fugaku hand over Uchiha Qianyu?"
The Third Hokage took a deep drag from his pipe, exhaled slowly, and said:
"Who's to say Fugaku wasn't behind this?"
"With relations between the Uchiha and the village already this tense, yet he still allows Qianyu to act like this—could it be that he's already prepared to tear everything apart?"
Danzō's eyes gleamed faintly in the darkness.
"Wouldn't that be even better?"
"A tumor that's existed since the founding of Konoha could finally be cut out completely—by our generation."
"Hiruzen," he continued, "you're far too soft."
"Watch your words, Danzō!" the Hokage snapped. "I'm the Hokage!"
"…You'll regret this, Hiruzen."
Danzō's figure vanished into the darkness, leaving through a hidden door.
The Third Hokage fell silent for a long time.
"…I'll use this incident," he murmured, "to personally test the Uchiha clan's attitude."