With that thought, Qingming spoke in a slightly regretful tone, "No written order? Then I'm sorry, but I have other things to do. Excuse me."
After saying this, he started walking past the two, heading further ahead.
However, before he could take two steps, the two ANBU shinobi quickly flashed forward, blocking his path again.
Qingming halted his steps, his eyes locking onto the two figures. The faint smile that had lingered on his face moments ago quickly vanished.
"Oh? Is there something else?"
This time, his tone was notably less polite than before.
The two ANBU shinobi, sensing the shift in his demeanor, grew more cautious but maintained their stance. Skipping over the issue of the written order, they repeated their command: "Lord Third Hokage has personally ordered that upon your return to the village, you are to report immediately to the Hokage's Office. He has matters to discuss with you."
This time, they revealed the meeting place—Hokage's Office, a location that could be considered relatively safe.
Meeting there implied that there were indeed no immediate plans for a direct confrontation.
But...
So what?
Qingming had no interest in being interrogated like a criminal, even though he was, in fact, the one who had killed Danzo.
Ignoring the implied message in their words, Qingming coldly remarked, "So, you really don't have a written order from the Hokage, do you?"
The two shinobi stayed silent, neither confirming nor denying.
Seeing their lack of response, Qingming resumed walking forward.
This time, however, the two ANBU operatives stepped forward simultaneously, blocking his path with their bodies.
Qingming, without hesitation, activated his Sharingan.
In an instant, his pupils turned blood-red, and three jet-black tomoe swirled into view, emanating an overwhelming pressure that bore down on the two shinobi.
Despite their status as elites, the ANBU agents instinctively reacted by pulling back to create distance from Qingming.
Standing in defensive positions on either side of the street, they coordinated their stances to avoid falling prey to a shared genjutsu.
The tension in the air grew suffocating as the three shinobi's auras clashed, locking the street in an eerie silence.
Even the insects that had been chirping moments ago seemed to have been silenced, as if someone had pressed their throats shut.
As time ticked by, the two ANBU shinobi began to feel the strain. Though Qingming had yet to make a move, cold sweat began to form on their brows.
There's a saying that hearing someone's reputation isn't as impactful as meeting them in person.
Before, they had only heard of Qingming's feats and studied his dossier. But now, facing him directly, they fully understood the weight of his presence.
Their own skills, while not at the pinnacle of the jonin level, were still above average.
Yet even so, standing against Qingming, neither dared to make the first move.
Thankfully, they had anticipated complications when Qingming brought up the written order. Early on, they had discreetly sent out a distress signal for reinforcements.
All they needed to do was stall until the other ANBU arrived.
After all, this was within the village itself—surely even Qingming wouldn't dare go all out here... right?
As the two wrestled with their thoughts, the sound of hurried footsteps approached.
The noise grew louder, and before long, the street was surrounded by new arrivals.
At first, the two ANBU shinobi assumed it was their backup and felt a sense of relief.
To their surprise, the newcomers turned out to be members of the Konoha Police Force.
And as everyone knew, the Police Force was essentially the domain of the Uchiha clan. Its symbol, after all, was the Uchiha crest itself.
Seeing this group of Uchiha, the two ANBU agents felt a chill run down their spines.
In this situation, the Uchiha clearly had the numbers advantage. If they chose to side with Qingming and escort him away, the ANBU wouldn't be able to stop them.
As they debated their next move, several more shadows flashed into view.
The newly arrived figures wore identical black cloaks and masks, revealing them as the ANBU reinforcements.
The sight of these reinforcements brought a momentary sense of relief to the two beleaguered ANBU operatives.
But even now, the Uchiha held the numerical superiority.
In the silence that followed, it was a senior member of the Uchiha Police Force who broke the impasse.
Qingming had seen this man a few times before. He knew the man was of the same generation as the current Uchiha Clan Head, Fugaku Uchiha, but didn't know his name.
Additionally, the man served as a vice-captain of the Police Force.
Fugaku, as the captain, rarely involved himself in day-to-day matters. Most issues were handled by his vice-captains, of which this man was one.
The Uchiha vice-captain turned to Qingming and asked directly, "What exactly is going on here?"
Qingming didn't hesitate. He recounted how the ANBU had appeared suddenly, demanding he meet with the Hokage, but without presenting a written order.
Hearing this, the Uchiha officers exchanged strange glances.
Some of the younger members of the Uchiha clan even began wondering aloud whether a written order was actually required in such cases.
However, the senior Uchiha vice-captain immediately sensed that something was amiss. Qingming wouldn't be so adamant about this point without a reason.
Wait—
The vice-captain suddenly remembered a rumor from earlier that day:
It was said that Danzo Shimura, one of the village's senior advisors, had been killed—and the culprit was someone from Konoha itself.
Initially, he'd dismissed it as baseless gossip.
But now, seeing the tension between Qingming and the ANBU, he couldn't help but reconsider.
Could it be... true?
The vice-captain cast a long, meaningful glance at Qingming.
Without saying much, he decided it was imperative to bring Qingming back to the Uchiha compound for his own safety.
Fortunately, Qingming had already provided a valid excuse: the ANBU's procedural oversight.
The law was technically on their side.
However, they couldn't delay for long.
If the Hokage's Office issued a proper written order later, they'd lose any justification for defying it.
With this in mind, the vice-captain turned to the ANBU operatives and declared, "Since the situation is clear, let's disperse for now. When you have the Hokage's written order, you can come back to retrieve him."
Without giving the ANBU time to argue, he gestured to the other Uchiha officers, who quickly flanked Qingming and began escorting him away.
Seeing this, the two ANBU agents tried to step forward to block them.
But before they could act, several Uchiha jonin simultaneously activated their three-tomoe Sharingan.
The rest of the Uchiha officers followed suit, surrounding the ANBU operatives with an unmistakable aura of intimidation.
Being stared down by so many Sharingan users, even these battle-hardened ANBU shinobi felt a twinge of fear.
Ultimately, it was the ANBU leader who waved his hand, signaling his subordinates to stand down.
Thus, the standoff ended without a fight.
However, the commotion had already drawn attention from nearby residents.
It wouldn't be long before word of this incident spread throughout the village, prompting reactions from various factions.
For Qingming, though, such concerns were no longer his problem.
He followed the Uchiha vice-captain, heading straight for the home of the Uchiha Clan Head, Fugaku Uchiha.
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