Land of Fire.
Konohagakure.
At this moment, the entrance to Konoha's village was in chaos, yet an unspoken order remained.
Uchiha Bai Ye stood with his arms crossed, one foot pressing down on the Raikage's head, his expression filled with amusement.
Ahead, Uchiha Satoshi rampaged, his Kamui-warped ninjutsu tearing through the ranks of Kumogakure shinobi.
The village gate had become a battlefield.
Members of the Uchiha Police Force's Third Division moved efficiently, clearing away the fallen bodies.
Meanwhile, Konoha's shinobi and its citizens watched Bai Ye with uncertain expressions, their minds filled with speculation.
Was this a calculated display of strength from the Uchiha Police Force?
Was Uchiha Bai Ye challenging the Hokage's authority under the guise of law enforcement?
What would the consequences be of attacking the Raikage?
Would the Hokage punish him?
Would this lead to war between Konoha and Kumogakure?
These were the concerns of the shinobi.
But the civilians had far simpler thoughts.
They only believed what they saw.
And what they saw was that the arrogant, muscle-bound man had begun throwing his weight around, attempting to storm into Konoha unchecked.
He had even smashed a table—well, if that counted as public property.
Damaging public property was already a violation of Konoha's regulations.
And when the Uchiha Police Force stepped in to maintain order, that so-called Raikage had the audacity to resist arrest and attack law enforcement.
Now, lying face down in the dirt, he had only gotten what he deserved.
Was the Police Force being excessive?
Not at all.
The Raikage had struck first, charging straight into the village without clearance.
Had Bai Ye not acted, would the villagers have been attacked?
Some even felt he had done well.
He had upheld Konoha's dignity.
This was the number one village in the ninja world—it could not allow itself to be provoked.
Footsteps approached.
The crowd turned.
The Third Hokage had arrived, surrounded by ANBU.
Hiruzen Sarutobi had clearly received word of what had happened.
Raikage was here? In person?!
Why hadn't he been informed?
Where had the intelligence failed?
Sarutobi was momentarily stunned.
Danzo, however, let out a soft chuckle.
Of course, he had known about the Raikage's arrival.
He had even tried to inform his old friend earlier but had been dismissed outright.
Serves you right, Sarutobi.
Danzo had always considered Sarutobi unfit to be Hokage.
But now, as he took in the sight before him, his amusement turned to shock.
There was a monstrous figure tearing through the Cloud shinobi defenses—sending enemies flying with a single punch.
"Is that… Uchiha Satoshi?!"
Sarutobi's sharp eyes locked onto the battlefield, his shock evident.
First, he glanced at the fallen Raikage, groaning in pain.
Then his gaze shifted to the young man standing tall in the middle of the carnage.
Oh my god.
Was Uchiha Satoshi really this strong?
For a moment, Sarutobi's expression flickered with deep contemplation.
Danzo narrowed his eyes.
He had just found an intriguing target.
Boom!
A final punch landed.
Uchiha Satoshi flicked his wrist, his face twisted with arrogance.
Even now, he couldn't resist putting on a show.
"Those who defy the Police Force will be punished—no matter how far they run!"
Unfortunately…
Just as the words left his mouth, his Mangekyō Sharingan faded.
Then came the backlash.
It was as if an untrained shinobi had forced open the Eight Inner Gates—his body crumpled, his eyes rolled back, and he fainted on the spot.
Three seconds of glory.
Bai Ye sighed.
Clearly, Uchiha Satoshi's newly developed ocular technique had serious drawbacks.
To even begin to wield it properly, he would need immense physical conditioning.
Otherwise, once he mastered it, the recoil might become even worse than the Eight Gates' price.
"Take him alive. Wrap it up."
Bai Ye's interest waned.
He tilted his head back and gazed at the blue sky, a peaceful smile forming on his lips.
The troublemakers had been stopped.
The villagers' safety was secure.
As the captain of the Uchiha Police Force, he was quite satisfied.
"Today is another day of peace."
Peace.
Yet, standing before him, Sarutobi Hiruzen's aged face darkened.
The Hokage had abandoned all pretense of composure.
He took deliberate steps forward, his anger barely contained as he roared:
"Uchiha Bai Ye! Do you even realize what you've done?!"
Bai Ye frowned.
Why so loud?
"Annoying."
Smack.
His hand landed on Sarutobi's head.
The message was clear: Keep shouting, and I'll crush it.
"Cough—what I mean is…"
Sarutobi's body trembled—whether from anger or something else, no one could say.
But despite his rage, his voice involuntarily dropped a notch.
"That man is the Raikage!"
"Raikage came to Konoha to negotiate a peace treaty! And as the head of the Police Force, you—treated him like this?!"
Gritting his teeth, he met Bai Ye's gaze, his tone growing more forceful.
"Do you understand the consequences of your actions?"
"Even if you intimidate me, I will not back down!"
"You owe the village an explanation! What happens if this leads to war?!"
War?!
The villagers snapped back to reality, their faces turning pale.
Right.
That was the Raikage.
He had been beaten down.
So many Cloud shinobi had been killed.
If this triggered a war…
The mere thought filled them with dread.
Konoha had yet to recover from the Third Great Ninja War—its foundations had been weakened.
The standard of living had already dropped.
After all, war drained money.
And where did money come from?
The villagers.
But finances weren't even the worst concern.
Shinobi.
They didn't want to lose any more loved ones.
The mere shadow of war sent a chill through them.
Tears welled in some eyes.
Yet, despite their fear, they did not turn on Bai Ye.
Because deep down, they understood—if he hadn't acted, what might have happened?
Sarutobi saw his chance.
He had manipulated public sentiment perfectly.
No matter how powerful Uchiha Bai Ye was, even he couldn't talk his way out of this.
A faint smile tugged at Sarutobi's lips.
Politics was his battlefield.
He had played this game for decades.
Uchiha Bai Ye was no match for him.
The advantage was his.
Everything was under control.
And yet…
For some reason, Bai Ye showed no trace of panic.
Instead, his expression held something else.
Pity.
He looked at Sarutobi like one would at a foolish old man.
The Hokage frowned.
Something wasn't right.
What was this feeling?
Why… did he suddenly feel like he was the one being played?