The air in the Police Hall was so thin it felt like it might combust. Hiko's words—calling a man who held the village's strings a "lonely widow"—had landed like a physical blow. The Uchiha officers were vibrating, a mix of terror and exhilaration surging through them.
"UCHIHA HIKO!"
A thunderous shout broke the spell. Uchiha Fugaku burst through the main doors, his face a mask of practiced fury. He stormed toward Hiko, his eyes blazing.
"What is the meaning of this? Why are you spewing such venomous, disrespectful garbage at the Lord Assistant?" Fugaku roared, though to those who knew him, his posture was a shield, not a weapon. "Have you forgotten your duty? Get out of here! Start your patrol immediately before I have you suspended!"
Hiko didn't miss a beat. He gave Danzo a mockingly helpless shrug, as if to say, 'The boss is grumpy, what can you do?'
"My apologies, Patriarch. Lord Assistant," Hiko said, his voice dripping with insincere humility. "The Third Squad, move out. Let's leave the Elder to his... quiet contemplations. We wouldn't want to agitate his humors further."
As they marched out, Zhiyan and the others kept their heads down, but their shoulders were shaking with suppressed laughter. Hiko had just done what every Uchiha had dreamed of for a decade: he had treated the "God of Shinobi's Shadow" like a senile old man.
The Patriarch's Shield
Once the lobby was clear of Hiko's influence, the atmosphere shifted from mockery to cold politics. Danzo's left eye was narrowed to a slit, his breathing heavy.
"Chief Fugaku," Danzo rasped, "your clan is becoming lawless. That brat is a spark that will burn this entire village down."
"He is a child with a sharp tongue, Lord Assistant," Fugaku replied, his voice smoothing into a diplomatic drone. "I will educate him. I promise such... 'unfortunate' descriptions of your personal life will not be repeated. But you must understand, the youth are restless."
"Enough of your excuses," Danzo snapped. "Release my men. Now."
Fugaku blinked, the picture of innocent confusion. "Your men? I'm afraid there's been a misunderstanding. We have no 'Root' or 'Village Assistants' in our holding cells. We do, however, have two unidentified masked assailants who attacked a Police Captain last night. Since they carried no identification, they were transferred to Konoha Central Prison this morning for formal processing."
Danzo's grip on his cane tightened until the wood groaned. Sent to prison. By moving them to the central facility, Fugaku had made their arrest a matter of public record. If Danzo wanted them back, he had to admit to the Hokage—and the council—that he had sent agents to kidnap an Uchiha officer.
"You've played your hand well, Fugaku," Danzo hissed, turning his back. "But remember: prisons have many doors. And some only open one way."
Sweet Meatballs and Bitter Truths
While the high-level officials traded threats, Izumi Uchiha was walking in a daze. Her world had been turned upside down. She had joined the police force to "integrate," but her Captain had just started a war with the village elders.
"You're going to catch flies if you keep your mouth open like that," Hiko said, stopping at a small stall. He bought three sticks of tri-color dango and handed them to her.
"Thank you, Captain," Izumi whispered, taking the sweets with trembling hands. She took a bite, the sugar hitting her tongue and slowly calming her racing heart.
"Are you scared, Izumi?"
She looked up, seeing the cold, arrogant Captain replaced by a man who looked remarkably tired. "I... I thought we were supposed to make the village like us. But everyone is looking at us with such... hate."
Hiko looked around the street. He saw the shopkeepers turn away, the mothers pull their children closer, and the resentful glares of those who had once been fined or arrested.
"Look closely," Hiko said. "They aren't afraid of the Uchiha. They are afraid of the Police. Anyone who carries the sword of the law is hated by those who fear its edge. The village higher-ups have spent years making sure the Uchiha are the only ones holding that sword."
"The Hyuga are more arrogant than us," Hiko continued, his voice low. "But do the villagers hate them? No. Because the Hyuga stay behind their walls. We, on the other hand, are the ones who tell the baker he's cheating on his taxes and the ninja he's being too loud at the pub. We do the village's dirty work, and the village rewards us by letting us be the scapegoats."
He looked Izumi in the eye. "If you want to be loved, join the choir. If you want to be an Uchiha, get used to the cold. Our dignity doesn't come from their smiles—it comes from the fact that despite their hate, they need us to keep the peace."
Izumi finished her dango, her grip on her kunai pouch tightening. She finally understood. Hiko wasn't trying to be a villain; he was just refusing to be a sacrificial lamb.