For the past few days, Hiruzen Sarutobi, the Third Hokage, had been bedridden, nursing injuries that seemed to deepen with each memory of Uchiha Ryosuke's brutal kick. The strike hadn't just broken bones — it had cracked the last remnants of his pride. The disrespect... the humiliation... It gnawed at him more than the physical pain.
Worse still, he'd abandoned his duties — Hokage paperwork lay untouched on his desk. The training method he'd briefly considered, "getting stronger by being beaten," had proven both futile and idiotic. Instead of progress, it left him battered, older than ever, and embarrassingly useless.
Now, only one thing consumed his mind: How to deal with the Uchiha.
He had to uncover the secret behind Ryosuke's explosive rise in power. That intel was his only remaining trump card.
Just as he stewed in frustration, an Anbu agent burst into his quarters, kneeling with a message that made Hiruzen's face darken instantly.
"The Uchiha Police Force has been restructured. It's now officially renamed the Konoha Security Force — and five major clans have joined it."
Hiruzen's blood ran cold.
They restructured the police force… without even informing the Hokage?
His jaw clenched in disbelief. As the reigning Hokage, he hadn't even been consulted, let alone asked for approval. This was a blatant power move — and it worked.
The Hyuga clan, Ino-Shika-Cho trio, and the Inuzuka had all joined forces with the Uchiha. The five most politically influential clans now stood together under a single, militarized banner — and not just symbolically. The Konoha Security Force was now split into three regions:
One controlled by the Hyuga,
One retained by the Uchiha,
And one managed jointly by the Nara, Akimichi, Yamanaka, and Inuzuka.
On paper, it looked like decentralization. But Hiruzen knew better. These clans had essentially pledged allegiance to the Uchiha's vision. And if Fugaku or Ryosuke snapped their fingers, the others would fall in line.
What galled him most was the Hyuga's involvement.
Even Hiashi betrayed me?
The Hyuga, second only to the Uchiha in raw dojutsu power, had joined their historic rivals? And the Ino-Shika-Cho — once Hiruzen's loyal supporters — had defected without so much as a warning. It was a devastating political blow. His right arm, Danzo, was already dead. Now, his left — the loyal trio of clans — had willingly severed ties.
He was alone.
I'm not just losing power... I've lost it.
The village no longer looks to the Hokage. They look to Ryosuke.
The irony stung bitterly. This entire mess started when Tobirama assigned the Uchiha to lead the police force — a calculated move meant to isolate and politically box them in. Now, that very institution was their foothold for complete control.
It was working.
They're not just defending their position anymore... they're making a move for the Hokage seat.
The shift in Konoha's power structure was seismic. And it wasn't a coup — it was a reform. The villagers, tired of the Uchiha's harsh enforcements, welcomed the new "Konoha Security Force" like rain after a drought.
But Hiruzen saw through the façade.
If Ryosuke takes the Hokage title, the old era ends for good.
He had to stop it — or be swept away. But negotiation was off the table. These clans had already signed on. And Uchiha Fugaku wasn't stupid. He'd handed out real power — territorial control — making withdrawal near-impossible.
Desperate for leverage, Hiruzen made a decision.
There's only one person who can tip the scales — Tsunade.
Though they'd parted on bad terms, Tsunade was still his student. Her return could serve as a counterbalance. She had the Senju name, and a moral compass strong enough to oppose Ryosuke without turning Konoha into a battleground. And maybe... just maybe... she'd still side with her former sensei if the village were in crisis.
He also deeply regretted allowing Danzo's twisted experiments on the Senju clan. If the Senju were still around, this political chessboard would look very different.
For now, he dispatched two Anbu:
One to seek out Tsunade and Jiraiya, wherever they might be.
Another to check in on Yūgao Uzuki, the kunoichi currently tasked with monitoring Ryosuke — and ideally, uncovering the secret to his rapid growth.
Meanwhile…
Yūgao Uzuki stumbled into her home, her steps uncertain, her breath ragged.
That was too close.
Her mission had been simple in theory — get close to Ryosuke, learn his secrets. What no one told her was how unpredictable, how overwhelming he'd be. Today, she'd nearly lost everything.
She'd mentally prepared for his advances, even suspected he might try to manipulate her emotionally. But she didn't expect that.
He wanted a child.
He wanted to completely bind me to him...
Like a contract signed in flesh and blood.
She resisted. She wept, she begged. And — by some miracle — he stopped short of the final act. Still, the damage was done. Her skin bore his fingerprints, red welts like reminders of the moment she almost surrendered everything.
Though he allowed her to train afterward as if nothing happened, Yūgao was barely present. Her eyes were glazed over, her chakra flow erratic. She'd been pushed to her psychological edge.
Now, back home, she scrubbed herself under scalding water. No amount of cleansing could erase the feeling — or the power imbalance.
He's not just a man. He's something... more.
And I'm playing with fire.
She collapsed into bed, muscles aching, vision blurred.
But before sleep could claim her, a knock at the door jolted her upright.
"Yūgao Uzuki — the Third Hokage requests your presence."
"Understood. One moment — I'll change."
Despite every fiber of her being screaming for rest, she forced herself upright.
Hiruzen wants to see me? Now?
Maybe the mission wasn't over. Maybe the nightmare was just beginning.
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