Night fell over Konoha.
Inside a small izakaya, a clearly drunk man was shoved out onto the street by the bar staff.
Another drunken bald man stormed out behind him, shouting angrily, "That's what you get for causing trouble!"
The man who'd been thrown down staggered back to his feet. "What are you doing?! If it weren't for you back then..."
Before he could finish, the bald man grabbed him by the collar. "It's your fault!"
"No! It was yours!"
They shoved each other aggressively, neither willing to back down.
The izakaya owner stepped outside to try breaking up the fight. "Please, stop this now."
Two officers from the Uchiha Clan's police force rushed over. "Hey! What's going on here?!"
The two Uchiha ninja pulled the drunken men apart. "Settle down!"
"Get lost, Police Force!"
"Run away like you did during the Nine-Tails incident!"
The expressions on the two Uchiha ninja instantly darkened. "What did you say?!"
Without hesitation, they forcefully slammed both men onto the ground and bound their hands behind their backs with rope.
"Let me go!"
Despite their drunken struggles, there was no escaping as the two were forcibly taken away by the Uchiha officers.
A crowd gathered, muttering amongst themselves.
"Another couple of drunks going at it again."
"Couldn't they have just mediated?"
"They sure were rough about it."
Chinya watched the whole thing go down with a hint of amusement.
He'd just come out to grab some more booze after finishing his stash—and ended up witnessing this little scuffle.
Looking at the villagers around him who wore obvious looks of disdain toward those two Uchiha, Chinya curled his lips upward slightly.
The time was finally closing in.
In a good mood, Chinya returned home.
A few days later.
Inside the meeting room of the Hokage Tower in Konoha.
Hiruzen Sarutobi, Danzo, Koharu Utatane, and Homura Mitokado sat in discussion.
Koharu Utatane spoke with a serious expression, "More complaints are coming in about the police force being too strict. Distrust toward the force grows day by day."
Danzo coldly replied, "Now that the Uchiha no longer hold law enforcement powers over ninja, all they can do is flex their muscle against ordinary villagers."
Hiruzen shook his head, "No. I believe this is resistance—an aftermath of the Nine-Tails incident."
Koharu speculated, "Perhaps it started because nobody in the Uchiha household suffered during the incident. That became the root of the suspicion."
Hiruzen continued, "And ordering the Uchiha to stay away from the Nine-Tails only heightened their awareness that Konoha mistrusted them, creating a rift between them."
Danzo, using his left eye to gaze at Hiruzen, said, "The isolation policy regarding the Uchiha has been a fundamental strategy since The Second. Why bring this up now? And wasn't all of this agreed upon by you?"
Hiruzen's voice turned stern, "The Second never intended isolation—his aim was to maintain balance among the clans. I have never intended to truly push the Uchiha Clan into a desperate situation either. Doing so will only create resentment within them."
Danzo snorted coldly, "You were the one who ordered me to act that way in the first place, yet now you claim you don't intend to push them into desperation. Hiruzen, what exactly are you aiming for?"
Koharu Utatane and Homura Mitokado also stared at Hiruzen Sarutobi with puzzled expressions.
Everyone knew that Hiruzen must have been aware of Danzo's ruthless treatment of the Uchiha Clan. His silence meant he approved.
They thought Hiruzen wanted the Uchiha crushed so badly in Konoha that they'd never bounce back.
But now, he claimed he hadn't intended to back the Uchiha into a corner, leaving them confused about his true intentions.
Hiruzen's eyes darkened as he spoke, "The Uchiha Ninja Clan has always been far too unstable. The likes of Madara Uchiha in the past, and now Chinya—both are beyond our control.
Moreover, the Sharingan possessed by the Uchiha can only be awakened or advanced through intense negative emotions, making them prone to extremist thinking.
We're already at our wits' end dealing with Chinya alone; imagine if another like him emerged? If Chinya has me stumped, the thought of another one is unthinkable.
It is true that I have always regarded the Uchiha as Konoha's allies. However, as allies, I expect them to act accordingly—like the Hyuga Clan."
Frowning slightly, Homura asked, "Like the Hyuga... Are you referring to their [Caged Bird] seal, Hiruzen?"
Hiruzen remained silent, but the others understood him well enough.
The moment he fell silent, Homura knew he'd hit the nail on the head.
Confused, Koharu questioned further, "If the Uchiha could be bound by a cursed seal similar to the [Caged Bird], it would indeed prevent future troubles. Still, Hiruzen, did you ever bring this up with Fugaku Uchiha?"
Hiruzen puffed on his pipe before replying, "I hinted around the topic, but Fugaku deliberately diverted the conversation elsewhere. He clearly rejected my suggestion."
Danzo sneered, "The Uchiha have always been arrogant and rebellious. Why would they willingly accept a collar around their necks?"
Hiruzen said solemnly, "Regardless, we still need the Uchiha for Konoha. We must keep them as allies. Thus, we must find a way for them to acknowledge reality without breeding resentment."
Danzo found Hiruzen's thinking overly optimistic. After all these suppressive measures, how could he expect the Uchiha not to grow resentful? It was impossible.
So Danzo remarked mockingly, "If that can truly be achieved..."
...
Four months later.
Uzumaki Sōnagi was now six years old, reaching the age for Ninja Academy enrollment.
Chinya and Kushina Uzumaki each held one of Sōnagi's hands as they walked him to the academy.
No one dared come near Chinya. Even after keeping a low profile in Konoha for years, his fearsome reputation still cast a long shadow.
All of this was made possible by Danzo and Hiruzen Sarutobi. They wanted Chinya to become a complete outsider in Konoha, but didn't want him to discover their involvement. Thus, they periodically spread stories about how ruthless Chinya had been during the war, keeping the villagers fearful of Chinya and too scared to approach him.
To these villagers, Chinya was someone capable of killing over the smallest provocation.
Because of this, even Kushina Uzumaki and Uzumaki Sōnagi had no one daring to get close to them.
Chinya knew all this already, but he didn't care. After all, it was a place he'd eventually leave, so the rumors spread by Danzo and Hiruzen meant nothing to him.
Kushina didn't care either. Right now, she was totally fed up with Konoha, and fully understood that they would soon leave Konoha behind.
However, what worried Kushina was Uzumaki Sōnagi. No one was willing to befriend him. Even if they did become friends, they'd leave Konoha soon and might even become enemies. She worried Uzumaki Sōnagi might get hurt.
Then again, Kushina's worries proved unnecessary, because Uzumaki Sōnagi had the same kind of personality as Chinya. If you look down on me? I look down on you even harder.
Therefore, whether or not he had friends was utterly irrelevant to Uzumaki Sōnagi. After all, he already had Neji Hyuga, both his older brother and his friend. Friendship wasn't about numbers — just having one or two was enough.
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