Chapter 103

"In summary..."

"Our Police Force understands everyone's urgency and guarantees we will resolve this for Itachi as soon as possible."

"As for the inconvenience caused to everyone, the Police Force is willing to apologize."

"Everyone, bow!"

Uchiha Tekka felt somewhat dry-mouthed.

Having barely finished the words Jin had taught him, he immediately began bowing to all the villagers.

The other Uchiha, of course, were unwilling to do so.

But there was no choice!

Since their own leader had bowed, what else could they do?

So, let's do it.

Meanwhile, on the other side.

The Hidden Leaf villagers, who had been noisy and chaotic just moments ago, now couldn't help but exchange glances.

They looked utterly bewildered!

The Uchiha apologized?

That is truly a rare occurrence!

What should we do now?

Although the matter was not finally resolved, leaving them feeling unwilling to accept it, the fact that the domineering Uchiha had apologized made them truly feel too embarrassed to continue pressing the issue.

Yes.

This is called contrast.

What does it mean to put down the butcher's knife and become a Buddha on the spot? Why does a sinner's repentance feel more profound when it comes from the most vicious person?

The reason lies here.

The more negatively the Uchiha were portrayed in daily propaganda, the more powerful the impact became when the Uchiha finally lowered their heads to apologize.

Finally.

All the villagers left grumbling, leaving nothing but a mess at the entrance of the Police Department.

"Alright, everyone disperse."

Uchiha Tekka let out a sigh of relief.

He couldn't help but wipe the sweat from his forehead, feeling that using his words was harder than fighting on the battlefield.

After casually waving his hand to dismiss the others,

he went to the Uchiha Compound and found Uchiha Jin once again.

The door to Jin's small courtyard was currently open.

After Tekka entered the courtyard, he saw Itachi practicing, and Jin lying on a chair sunbathing with a lazy, relaxed expression.

"My lord, the operation went smoothly."

"Those villagers who came to cause trouble have, as per your instructions, all returned home by now."

"However, although we persuaded them to leave, I can still feel that they are not actually satisfied."

Uchiha Tekka spoke while bowing.

Hearing Tekka's voice, Jin lazily opened his eyes.

After first inviting him to sit and exchanging a few pleasantries, he smiled and said,

"That is to be expected; after all, they suffered losses."

"No need to worry about them. Just follow our rhythm."

"When the villagers block the door again next time, we can then explain the Uchiha's difficulties."

"Of course, during this period, keep a close watch on the Hokage's side. Report immediately if there is even the slightest clue."

"Now, let's see how the Hokage responds!"

Uchiha Jin wore a smile on his face.

Regarding the situation with the villagers, he actually did not care.

What truly concerned him was still Hiruzen Sarutobi's side.

He did not believe the other party would remain completely still, merely watching him cause chaos.

But, the question was.

How would Hiruzen Sarutobi make his move?

Regarding this point, he was indeed very curious.

If the previous thief incident was Hiruzen Sarutobi testing Uchiha Jin,

then, this time,

it was Uchiha Jin testing Hiruzen Sarutobi.

Yes.

Do not be fooled by the scale of the uproar; at its core, it was still a test.

This was very normal.

Even if Uchiha Jin succeeded in the end, aside from embarrassing Hiruzen Sarutobi and slightly damaging his reputation,

what else could happen?

Nothing!

Given Hiruzen Sarutobi's authority in the Hidden Leaf Village, he could simply adopt the spirit of "bowing and apologizing," offer sincere apologies to everyone, and even allocate some funds to the Police Force.

And then? Nothing!

This matter would end right there.

Uchiha Jin's reasons for doing this were, first, to retaliate against Hiruzen Sarutobi's test, but more importantly, to gauge how experienced Hiruzen Sarutobi truly was in political maneuvering.

After all, the original story did not specify this.

All they knew was that this man was considered a master of political maneuvering in the ninja world.

But applying that title to his past life, in a world where everyone was an old fox, it was hard to say what level he truly represented.

So.

Since they had already become enemies, he naturally needed to thoroughly understand this man's political capabilities.

This test would reveal how he handled it.

By then, Uchiha Jin would basically have a clear idea.

Meanwhile, on the other side.

The Hokage Building.

Sitting behind his office desk, Hiruzen Sarutobi watched the chaotic crowd outside the window and lit his pipe again, puffing away.

His brows were tightly furrowed.

His eyes darted back and forth as his mind raced.

At this moment, he was indeed very troubled.

The village could not continue in chaos; he had to find a solution quickly.

But, what to do?

Even Hiruzen Sarutobi, at this very moment, had no good solution for the time being.

Yes.

The Hidden Leaf Village had been chaotic before, but never with ninja clans causing trouble, which was the exact opposite of the current situation.

More importantly,

since the village was currently in the midst of war, most of the Hidden Leaf's experts, and even a large portion of the Anbu Black Ops, had been dispatched.

He simply had no personnel to handle these minor village issues.

The only solution he could think of was to seek help from the major ninja clans, asking them to provide personnel to replace the Uchiha.

But there were two problems that remained unsolved.

First,

the other ninja clans lacked experience dealing with the grassroots level; even if they were handed over the duties in such a rush,

without a period of exploration, they might not be able to manage it well.

Second,

although the Uchiha's disturbance this time was significant, it was still within the rules of the game, so the other ninja clans might not intervene.

This was a struggle between the Uchiha and the Hidden Leaf's high command; the Uchiha had not provoked them.

If they intervened, they would completely offend the Uchiha.

The ninja clans were not stupid.

Doing something that offered not a single bit of benefit but instead left them covered in trouble,

they would not do!

Finally,

even if he could persuade the ninja clans, or if absolutely necessary, let the Sarutobi clan take over,

the biggest question remained: should he allocate funds?

And if he chose to allocate funds, the Uchiha could still cause trouble.

Good heavens!

When the Uchiha controlled the Police Force, the village cried poverty at every turn, claiming they had absolutely no funds whatsoever.

Why was the village so chaotic before? Why did the Uchiha have no personnel to handle things?

To put it plainly, no funds!

Now that it's another ninja clan, suddenly there's funding.

Itachi're burning newspapers at a grave here, trying to fool ghosts, aren't Itachi?

When the time comes.

If this Hokage has no reasonable explanation, the Uchiha will still ruin his reputation.

What to do?

Just then, an Anbu Black Ops member walked in.

"My lord Hokage!"

"This is a letter from Jiraiya, please read it!"

Hearing this, Hiruzen Sarutobi froze.

Then a faint smile appeared on the corner of his mouth.

Perfect!

He hurriedly took the letter, dismissed the Anbu, and immediately opened it.

But, the next second.

Upon actually seeing the words on the letter, his face instantly drooped.

The letter was filled with text, but the meaning was very simple.

Give money! Neighbor.