Chapter 15 - Confronting Danzō and Sarutobi Hiruzen
"Lord Hokage, there's a situation!"
An Anbu operative handed a report to Sarutobi Hiruzen. As he unrolled the scroll, Hiruzen's expression changed.
What on earth were the Uchiha up to?
"Hiruzen, what's wrong?"
Koharu Utatane glanced at the Anbu, then at Hiruzen, noticing the shift in his expression. She was puzzled—what could have happened?
Was it that lunatic from the Cloud Village planning to start another war?
"It's about the Uchiha clan. See for yourselves."
Hiruzen rubbed his forehead in frustration, then placed the report in front of the others for them to read.
He hadn't expected things to turn out like this. Was this Renji's first move?
Although he had anticipated that Renji would take action after assuming power, this move was something Hiruzen hadn't foreseen!
"The Uchiha police force is slacking off?"
"What are they trying to do?"
Koharu and Homura were both baffled.
What kind of childish game was this? Were they just giving up?
"This guy is clever..."
Danzō muttered darkly. Compared to Koharu and Homura, his political instincts were sharper, and he could see what Renji was trying to achieve.
This move might seem like a child's play, but it could indeed have some effect.
But if the Uchiha clan thought this would solve their problems, they were sorely mistaken.
"Lord Hokage, many villagers are already downstairs, waiting for your decision."
"I understand. Have them wait for now. Go and summon the new Uchiha clan leader and the elders from the three factions."
After a moment of silence, Hiruzen decided to talk to Renji first.
This time, it seemed Renji would be harder to deal with than Fugaku.
So, he needed to gauge Renji's intentions.
"Yes!"
The Anbu operative vanished from the Hokage's office, and the four began discussing what to say when Renji arrived.
They needed to prepare in advance to avoid any mishaps.
"Uchiha Renji and the three elders, Lord Hokage requests your presence to discuss some matters."
The Anbu quickly found Renji.
Beside him, Uchiha Tetsu, Uchiha Setsuna, and Uchiha Jin all turned to look at Renji in disbelief.
Was it really as he had said? By doing this, the Hokage would summon them so quickly?
After the clan meeting, the Uchiha clan had begun following the plan Renji had laid out—slacking off and avoiding responsibilities.
The Uchiha police force started handling matters carelessly, directing villagers to take their issues to the village administration. Meanwhile, the Uchiha either lounged in their offices drinking tea or were conveniently "on missions" and unavailable.
In just one morning, the village was thrown into chaos.
Previously, villagers would bring even the smallest issues to the Uchiha police force. If the Uchiha didn't handle it well, it was their fault.
But now, the Uchiha simply refused to deal with it. They drank tea, went "missing," and told villagers to take their problems to the village administration.
The villagers, accustomed to being catered to, were suddenly at a loss.
Everyone knew that in recent years, if you had a problem, you went to the Uchiha. You could even vent your frustrations, and they would tolerate it.
This was one of the few opportunities for villagers to vent at ninja, and they weren't about to let it go.
But now, the Uchiha had stopped playing along. The police force, aside from a few elderly members sipping tea and reading newspapers, had all left on "urgent missions."
And they claimed to have logged the complaints, promising to handle them as soon as they returned. But with no one around, the villagers had no choice but to gather at the Hokage's office.
Some wanted their problems solved, while others came to complain about the Uchiha.
"Wait a moment. We'll be there shortly."
Renji nodded, a faint smile playing on his lips.
It seemed his plan had worked. The goal was to annoy both Konoha and the villagers.
They weren't your parents—why should they care so much?
Complain all you want; if I take it seriously, I lose!
What if they complained to Konoha?
The Uchiha police force's salaries were paid by the clan itself. Renji had no intention of improving relations with Hiruzen, so he let it slide.
As for the villagers feeling let down?
The Uchiha weren't refusing to handle matters—they were just dealing with some urgent issues. Once those were resolved, they'd get right back to it. Besides, hadn't they left a few retired elders to log the complaints?
"Let's go, you three."
"Right."
The three elders exchanged glances, then followed Renji.
This might have been Renji's first time in such a situation, but the three elders had been through it before.
"Clan Leader Renji, this is our first meeting since you became clan leader, isn't it?"
Hiruzen greeted the newcomers with a smile, while Danzō, Koharu, and Homura remained expressionless.
They had already discussed their approach before the meeting.
"Yes, it is. What brings you to summon me, Lord Hokage? Let's get straight to the point."
Renji didn't waste time with pleasantries.
His directness surprised Hiruzen, but he quickly recovered, taking a puff of his pipe and smiling amiably.
"I just wanted to meet the new Uchiha clan leader. It's quite sudden, after all."
Tch.
What a sly old fox.
Renji cursed inwardly, then replied, "It was the clan's decision. I was just as surprised."
Hiruzen was implying that the village hadn't been informed about the Uchiha's change in leadership. Shouldn't such a major event have been communicated?
Renji, in turn, shot back, making it clear that this was an internal clan matter.
Hiruzen had expected Renji to falter, but now realized he had underestimated him.
"True. Fugaku had been doing well all these years. It's quite sudden for him to step down. Is he resting in the clan these days?"
Hiruzen continued as if he hadn't understood Renji's implication.
"Fugaku has been resting lately. He mentioned feeling exhausted, wanting to do things but being treated as if he weren't even human. So he decided to step down. As for those in the clan who didn't treat him with respect, I've dealt with them. It seems to be working out well."
Damn!
This kid's good!
Beside him, Uchiha Setsuna stared at Renji in shock, clearly stunned by Renji's ability to spin tales without hesitation.
He had thought that Renji, facing such a situation for the first time, might feel some nervousness.
But he hadn't expected Renji to handle it so effortlessly.
Renji was talking about internal Uchiha matters, but wasn't he subtly referring to Konoha?
He spoke of the Uchiha clan's dissatisfaction with Fugaku, but it was really about the conflict between Konoha and the Uchiha.
And when Renji mentioned that his "simple handling" had worked well, he was referring to the recent Uchiha police force's deliberate negligence, which had indeed caused quite a stir.
"This brat must be eliminated..."
Danzō glanced at Hiruzen but said nothing, silently marking Renji for death in his mind.
In his view, Renji had to die this time!
Otherwise, based on what he had shown so far, he would be a hundred times more troublesome than Fugaku.
"But isn't constant confrontation a bad approach? Don't you want to ease the tensions within the clan?"
Hiruzen asked.
"Easing tensions won't help. Some people just want to see the clan suffer."
Renji replied.
Frowning, Hiruzen looked at Renji and sighed, "Clan Leader Renji, I feel there might be some misunderstanding here!"
This kid's not easy to fool.
Hiruzen felt that the situation was truly difficult to handle.
"Such as?"
A glint of amusement flashed in Renji's eyes as he handed the conversation back to Hiruzen. He wanted to see how Hiruzen would respond.
"The issue with the Uchiha police force—I don't think it should be handled this way. It will only worsen the villagers' perception of the Uchiha. I've already stabilized things for you, but if this continues, I won't be able to keep convincing the villagers."
Hiruzen felt a flicker of displeasure and frustration. If this had been Fugaku, he would have expressed gratitude.
But from Renji's expression, he saw none of that. Instead, it felt like Renji was looking at him with mockery.
This made Hiruzen doubt himself.
"The Uchiha clan has some internal matters to handle, so we can't deal with other issues for now. We'll have to trouble you, Lord Hokage, to handle them for the time being!"
"You bastard! Do you even know what the Uchiha police force is for? Do you know how many things are being delayed? All consequences will fall on the Uchiha! Do you know how many people covet the authority of the police force?"
Seeing that Hiruzen's "good cop" act wasn't working, Danzō decided it was time for him to play the "bad cop."
"I never said we wouldn't handle it. We just need to deal with our internal matters first. Besides... the police force's salaries aren't paid by Konoha, are they? If you're dissatisfied with the police force, the Uchiha can hand it over to another clan. Since Elder Danzō seems so eager, why don't we give it to the Shimura clan?"
As soon as Renji finished speaking, Uchiha Setsuna couldn't help but burst into laughter.
"What are you laughing at?"
Danzō glared at Setsuna, his face dark.
"Sorry, I just thought of something funny!"
Setsuna, who had been professionally trained, usually wouldn't laugh—unless he couldn't help it.
He hadn't expected Renji to be so ruthless.
Seeing Danzō's frustrated expression, he felt a wave of satisfaction and became even more determined to support Renji.
"Renji, the village has always wanted to improve relations with the Uchiha clan. Besides, the police force is a responsibility you took on. Are you just going to abandon it now? Isn't that a bit irresponsible?"
Hiruzen quickly tried to reason with Renji. Everyone knew the police force was a way to control the Uchiha.
If they really gave it up, it wouldn't be a prize.
Seeing Hiruzen trying to mediate, Renji's eyes flashed with cold amusement. More moral blackmail, huh?
"If you all think the Uchiha clan isn't up to the task, why keep forcing it on us? Isn't it because these tasks are thankless and you dumped them on the Uchiha?
"Lord Hokage, why don't we just speak openly? Why keep up the pretense?"
This...
Hiruzen was momentarily stunned. He hadn't expected Renji to speak so bluntly.
"Lord Hokage, you know very well who's escalating the tensions. Isn't this your usual tactic? Right... Advisor Danzō?"
"?"
Wait!
Why drag me into this when you're targeting Hiruzen?
Danzō's expression darkened, and he said coldly, "Why shift the Uchiha's internal problems onto others? Your clan's arrogance and lack of restraint in the village naturally lead to rejection. Besides, during the Nine-Tails attack, the Nine-Tails was controlled by the Sharingan. And let's not forget, the First Hokage died not long after fighting your ancestor, Madara Uchiha!"
This was a tactic they had used repeatedly.
No matter how much Fugaku had tried to explain, the fact remained that the Nine-Tails' eyes had clearly shown the Sharingan.
There was no way around that.
"If we're blaming the Uchiha for the First Hokage's death, why not go further back? During the Warring States period, your clan killed many of our people. Let's add that to the tally. If we're going to settle accounts, why not bring the Hyūga clan into it? Let's count how many ninja each side killed during the wars."
Pfft...
"Sorry, sorry! I'll hold it in!"
Setsuna waved his hands, trying to suppress his laughter.
Damn!
This kid's words could really infuriate people. Even when he had no ground to stand on, he'd still fight for an inch.
Just moments ago, Setsuna hadn't known how to respond, but Renji had pulled out the "history card." You like to reminisce? Let's reminisce even further.
"And what about the Nine-Tails attack?"
"Witnesses reported seeing a mysterious masked man that day. I strongly suspect that man was either one of Danzō's subordinates or a collaborator. After all, obtaining information about the Fourth Hokage's wife giving birth—something the Uchiha couldn't access—would be easy for you, Danzō, as the Hokage's advisor.
"Moreover, not a single Root operative appeared during the Nine-Tails attack. I strongly suspect this was all orchestrated by you!"
Damn it!!!
Danzō was cursing inwardly.
Everyone around was stunned into silence by Renji's arguments. Weren't the Uchiha supposed to be brutes who only knew how to fight?
Since when did they become so sharp-tongued?
(End of Chapter)
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