Chapter 39: The Uchiha Veteran; Danzo's Social Disaster
"I didn't bring many, so everyone take one just to tide you over..."
Hiruzen laughed as he distributed the rice balls, acting playfully shocked when the basket nearly emptied. "Hey! Leave at least one for me!"
the patrol squad erupted in good-natured laughter.
Danzo Shimura walked silently beside Hiruzen, observing the squad. After a full day of inspections, Danzo finally understood the administrative logic behind this new unit.
The squads were composed of three to five shinobi who weren't necessarily frontline powerhouses but excelled in detection and tracking. They were led by battle-hardened veterans. These "Patrol Cells" created a cross-layered detection web around the village's perimeter.
Their salaries were paid directly by the village treasury, covering their specialized uniforms and equipment maintenance.
Earlier, Danzo had asked if the village could actually shoulder such a permanent financial burden. Hiruzen's answer had been simple: This isn't an expense; it's a revenue protector.
In the brutal economy of the Ninja World, a stable, government-backed job with benefits was incredibly attractive to Chunin and injured veterans, even if the base pay was only half of what a high-risk S-rank contract offered.
By employing these ninjas, Hiruzen wasn't just providing jobs; he was preventing the millions in damages that a single enemy infiltrator could cause. It was an "invisible" profit—one that most leaders ignored because they only looked at the gold in the vault, not the losses they avoided.
"How are you all finding the work?" Hiruzen asked warmly.
"You've seen the state of the world lately... spies and scouts are everywhere. The responsibility on your shoulders is heavy."
Hiruzen was "pumping them up," giving them a sense of purpose. "If you see anything unusual, report it immediately. And if you need more support from the office, don't keep it to yourself. I'll make the adjustments."
An Inuzuka Chunin shook his head vigorously. "Lord Hokage, this is more than enough! We love this job. Half my clan is jealous they didn't sign up. Even one of our Jonin mentioned he wished there was a slot for him!"
This particular Inuzuka wasn't a brawler; his mastery of the Fang Over Fang was mediocre at best. But the Patrol Net allowed his tracking skills to shine. He felt essential for the first time in his career.
Hiruzen smiled knowingly. He didn't want to turn his sharpest blades into shields. That's why, despite several Jonin applying for the stable pay, Sakumo had rejected them on Hiruzen's orders. This was about Optimal Resource Allocation.
"Is the food good, lad?"
Hiruzen patted an Aburame Chunin on the shoulder. "Good. You're quiet. You've got the makings of a master counter-intelligence agent."
The Aburame, hidden behind dark sunglasses and his high collar, remained outwardly expressionless, but his pupils were vibrating with shock. The Hokage... noticed me? I have a presence!
The Aburame clan was famous for being "invisible" in social settings. Hiruzen hadn't actually noticed him until he was standing right there, but as a seasoned politician, he knew how to make every soldier feel like the protagonist of the story.
As they moved to the next squad, Hiruzen's gaze shifted to the squad leader.
He was an Uchiha. He looked quite old for an active shinobi, and he was missing his left arm. It was clearly a war injury.
Hiruzen hesitated. An Uchiha of this age might not have lost that arm fighting for the Leaf. He might have lost it in the Warring States Period, before the village was even founded.
And in that era... who was most likely to have maimed an Uchiha?
It was a political minefield. Hiruzen decided to stick to small talk about the mission, avoiding the arm entirely.
Danzo, however, had missed the "subtlety" seminar.
Hmph. This Uchiha looks like he has the stiffest 'rebel bone' in the clan, Danzo thought. But Hiruzen said I need to use 'soft power' to dismantle them. I can do that.
Danzo forced a terrifying, rigid smile onto his face. His voice came out like grinding gravel, though he was trying to sound "approachable."
"That injury... you lost that arm for the sake of the village, didn't you?" Danzo said, gesturing to the empty sleeve. "The Leaf does not forget those who bleed for its walls. Do good work."
The air in the clearing turned to ice.
The Uchiha veteran, whose name was En, stared at Danzo. En was a true relic—older than both Hiruzen and Danzo. He was one of the few surviving Uchiha who remembered life before the Hidden Leaf.
He had lost that arm during the final clash between the Uchiha and the Senju. It had been severed by a high-pressure Water Style jet from a certain silver-haired man. Most people didn't remember it; to the Second Hokage, it had just been another Tuesday.
After the injury, En—a two-tomoe user—had been forced out of the frontline combat units. When the Police Force was formed, his pride wouldn't let him join. He didn't want a "desk job" or a "pity position" given to him by the people who had maimed him. He had spent decades making kunai and living a quiet, bitter life.
He had only joined the Patrol Net because Sakumo Hatake had personally visited him and asked for his "elder wisdom." He had enjoyed the last week; the Inuzuka and Aburame youngsters treated him with genuine respect and loved his stories of the "Old Days."
But looking at Danzo Shimura—the man who currently oversaw the surveillance of his clan—En felt the blood rush to his head.
"I appreciate the Assistant's concern," En said, his voice dripping with acid. "I will do my duty to keep enemies out of our home."
"But I won't claim honors that aren't mine. I didn't lose this arm for the village."
En straightened his back, his gaze locking onto Danzo's. "I lost it to Lord Tobirama."
The silence that followed was deafening.
The Inuzuka and Aburame ninjas instinctively swallowed hard, looking for an exit.
Danzo's eyes narrowed into dangerous slits. His "kindness" vanished, replaced by a surge of killing intent.
En didn't blink. As an Uchiha, he would rather die than take back a word he had spoken.
"Ah, Danzo..."
Hiruzen's voice broke the tension like a warm breeze. He stepped between them with a thoughtful look on his face.
"Now that he mentions it, Danzo... didn't your grandfather once take a chunk out of my father's shoulder during a border skirmish?"
Danzo froze. He turned to Hiruzen, bewildered. "Wait... Hiruzen, why are you bringing up that old grudge? That was sixty years ago!"
Hiruzen laughed, clapping Danzo on the back. "Exactly! My point exactly!"
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