[Note: Read up to Chapter - 71 on P atreon at: p-atreon.com/Knockturn_Alley]
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At the entrance of the Konoha Police Force headquarters, Hyuga Hiashi stood calmly, flanked by members of the Hyuga clan.
"Where is Uchiha Kanzou? Tell him to come out," Hiashi demanded.
One of the Policemen — a Jōnin, Uchiha Satoru — sneered without a hint of courtesy.
"Who do you think you are? Just any stray cat or dog thinks they can meet our captain?"
As two of Konoha's great dōjutsu clans, the Uchiha and Hyuga had always harboured a silent disdain for one another. The Uchiha looked down on the Hyuga, and the Hyuga returned the sentiment.
"You're asking for it..." Hyuga Hizashi, standing behind his brother, instantly activated his Byakugan — veins bulging at the temples — and assumed the Gentle Fist stance.
Satoru activated his Sharingan and reached out for the Kunai in his Shinobi Bag, ready to counter. He wasn't the least bit afraid of Hizashi.
"Satoru, stand down," came the commanding voice of Uchiha Souta, the Chief of Staff of the Police Force.
With his Three Tomoe Sharingan activated, he locked onto Hizashi, "If you dare think of making a move on the Konoha Police Force, well, you'd better be prepared for the consequences. Hyuga-dono…"
"Hizashi," Hiashi called out flatly, stopping his younger brother in his tracks before turning to the Chief of Staff, "Uchiha Souta, where is your captain? Tell him to come out."
"You can speak to me if you've got something to say. There's no need to trouble Kanzou-sama. He doesn't have time to deal with trivial matters like this."
A flash of disdain appeared in Souta's eyes as he looked at Hiashi. He clearly held the Hyuga clan in contempt.
The newly appointed patriarch, Hyuga Hiashi, was only at the level of an Elite Jōnin — and even then, it was debatable whether he could defeat Souta in a real fight.
'With that level of strength, you think you're qualified to have a dialogue with Kanzou-sama?' he thought mockingly.
"The Hyuga clan members have been arrested, and your people have sealed off our storefronts," Hiashi said coldly. "Don't you Uchiha owe us an explanation?"
"Explanation?" Souta scoffed. "And who are you to demand an explanation from us?"
Souta's tone was firm, his posture unyielding. He wasn't the least bit intimidated by Hiashi.
"If you lay a hand on me," he added to himself, "I'll have you arrested on charges of assaulting a member of the Konoha Police Force."
Don't think that just because Hiashi is the Patriarch of the Hyuga clan, he's untouchable. Even if he is the patriarch, Souta wouldn't hesitate to arrest him.
"You're looking down on the Hyuga clan?" Hiashi said, his eyes flashing dangerously.
"Duh, I am looking down on you! Was that even a question?" nodded Souta, not denying at all. "If you want to fight, go ahead and try because I will continue to look down on the Hyuga clan," Souta replied coldly.
A powerful wave of chakra erupted from Souta. Sensing this, the rest of the Konoha Police Force members revealed their killing intent.
The Hyuga clan? They didn't have what it took to oppose the Uchiha.
To be fair, the Hyuga Kekkei Genkai wasn't weak—but who among them had truly mastered the Byakugan?
In the hands of the Hyuga clan, the Byakugan was mostly used for long-distance scouting, X-ray Vision (A technique Jiraiya, as well as other perverts of the wider world, really envies the Hyuga Clan for), and near 360-degree vision.
Aside from these, it was still capable of a lot of things, but it was clearly underutilized.
"Uchiha Souta… this is the last time I'm asking politely. Release my clansmen—if not, then…" said Hiashi, forcing himself to remain composed.
"If not, then what? Hmph. I'm actually curious to see what you'll do," snorted Souta, completely unfazed.
"Hiashi-sama, there's no need to waste words with them," said Hizashi coldly. He could already sense that the Uchihas had no intention of listening.
The other members of the Hyuga branch family shared the same sentiment as Hizashi.
"Hahaha! So your brother and the rest of the branch family think they can defeat us? Well, that's interesting… Tell me, Hyuga Hiashi, do you think so too?" Souta laughed mockingly. His gaze shifted to Hizashi, whose forehead was wrapped in a white cloth, and he sneered, "By the way, Hyuga Hizashi—how does it feel? Born in the same family, just a few seconds apart, and yet you're a member of the branch family. Must sting, doesn't it? I almost pity you."
"You…!" Hizashi's body trembled as rage surged through him. Souta had just touched his reverse scale.
"Hizashi, calm yourself," Hiashi scolded sternly.
"That's right, Hizashi… stay down and calm yourself—like the dog you are. A dog of the main family, with no control over your own life or death!" mocked Souta.
The other Uchihas from the Police Force nearby chuckled in amusement.
Hiashi could sense the situation spiraling out of control. Hizashi was on the verge of losing his composure—and if that happened, a conflict between the Hyuga and Uchiha clans would be inevitable. That was the last thing Hiashi wanted to see.
Taking a deep breath, he fixed a cold gaze on Souta and warned, "Uchiha Souta… you're going too far."
"Really? But I'm only telling the truth. Isn't that right, Hizashi? Aren't you the dog of the main family?" Souta mocked again, his tone dripping with contempt.
"Haaah… haaah…" Hizashi's breathing grew heavier as he clenched his fists. It was one thing to harbor resentment in silence—but being mocked openly for it was another matter entirely. Containing his anger now felt impossible.
"What's wrong? Do you want to fight?" Souta taunted, smirking. "Oh, but the real question is—who do you want to fight? Your brother? Or us? It's probably us, right? After all… a dog could never raise its fangs against its master."
That question made Hizashi tremble.
"That's enough!" Hiashi shouted, his voice sharp and commanding as he tried to silence Souta. Dropping his usual measured tone, he demanded directly, "Uchiha Souta… are you going to release my clansmen or not?"
"Nope. They'll be staying in their cells," Souta replied with a casual shake of his head.
"Is that so?" Hiashi murmured, exhaling slowly before saying, "Fine then…" He turned to his clansmen and ordered calmly, "Let's go."
"Hiashi-sama, what do you mean?" one of the branch family members asked. Though Souta's words had angered them all, their discipline as members of the branch family compelled them to seek Hiashi's direction with respect.
"We'll speak with Hokage-sama," Hiashi replied coolly.
In fact, given how much he, his brother, and the Hyuga Clan had been insulted by Souta, Hiashi truly wanted to fight and put the Uchihas in their place—but the Police Force compound was their territory, and they had the numerical advantage. For now, he decided it was wiser to return to the clan, gather reinforcements, and inform the Hokage of the Uchiha Clan's brazen actions.
He refused to believe the Hokage would turn a blind eye to such behavior.
"Hahaha! And what makes you think you can just come and go as you please?" Souta sneered, overhearing Hiashi's words to his clansmen.
At his signal, several Uchiha officers who had been watching with amused expressions suddenly moved, surrounding the Hyuga clansmen from all sides.
"Uchiha Souta… what do you think you're doing?" Hiashi demanded.
"Do I need to explain?" Souta replied lightly, then nodded to the policemen.
Reading Souta's intent, Hiashi clenched his jaw. "Fine. If that's what you want—" Losing his composure at last, he barked to his clansmen, "Attack them!"
Souta only sneered. "I doubt you'll last. Come at us all at once if you must."
At his signal, all the Uchiha officers from the Konoha Police Force sprang into action, and a chaotic clash between the Uchiha and Hyuga clans erupted.
The Hyuga clan's Gentle Fist was indeed formidable—but they were up against the Uchiha, who could watch each of their movement with more precision than Hyuga themselves.
Even Shin joined the fray.
Among the Hyuga, only Hiashi had reached Elite Jōnin level. His younger brother, Hizashi, was strong, but still a step below that rank because of was a member of the branch family that wasn't taught several secret Jutsu of the Clan.
The imbalance was already beginning to show.
In the end, the Hyuga clansmen were completely overwhelmed, and the Uchiha Policemen emerged victorious with only a few injuries.
"What should we do with them?" Shin turned to Souta.
"Arrest them, of course," Souta replied coldly. "They dared to cause a disturbance—handling that is exactly what we, the police, are here for."
"Should we inform Kanzou-sama?" Shin asked.
"No need. Kanzou-sama has important matters to attend to today. Let's not disturb him. We can't afford to embarrass him with something as trivial as this."
They were well aware that this was likely only the beginning. The Hyuga clan was just the first wave—others from different clans might follow.
Not everyone, after all, was as sensible as the Ino–Shika–Chō alliance.
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At a Tea shop in the Uchiha Compound
"What did you just say? You want me to stay by Uchiha Kanzou's side?" Mikoto looked utterly shocked.
Out of nowhere, Fugaku had called her to meet... And they were now sitting opposite each other at a tea shop, the owner of which was an elderly Uchiha woman and her granddaughter, named Uchiha Kaede, helping her run the shop as the waitress.
Currently, apart from Fugaku and Mikoto, there was no one present inside… making it a perfect opportunity for discussion.
Mikoto had not expected to be called by Fugaku for a tea… but she had accepted the invitation because she intended to use this opportunity to inform him that she wanted to break off their engagement, something she had already made up her mind about… but before she could do that, Fugaku spoke unexpected words that completely stunned her.
Although she had mentally prepared to end things, the engagement hadn't been formally dissolved yet since her grandfather hadn't had the opportunity to talk to him and was still trying to figure out what to do about it.
So, technically, she was still Uchiha Fugaku's fiancée.
And now… he was the one ending things… no… not only was he ending things, but actually handing her over to Uchiha Kanzou!
She had never seen anyone so willingly allow themselves to be humiliated.
With a cold expression, Fugaku said, "From now on, you belong to that bastard. You don't get a say in this; you have to agree."
Gone was the considerate tone he once used with Mikoto.
His demeanour now was cold and indifferent towards her.
Mikoto remained silent, staring at him with the same coldness in her eyes… her contempt for Fugaku was only growing by the minute.
Seeing Mikoto remain silent and look at him with contempt, Fugaku's temper flared.
"What, trying to act like a virtuous woman now? Do you think I don't know what you and that bastard Kanzou have been up to behind my back? At this point, isn't it only fitting that you become his woman? After all… You aren't even ashamed of handing over your th-things to him!"
He felt nothing but disgust for her… for the kind of woman who is secretly a pervert and would hand over her panties to a man as a trophy!
In his eyes, Mikoto's outwardly dignified and reserved nature is just a façade… in truth, she is a loose woman and a closet pervert.
His sarcastic tone made Mikoto feel both guilty and wronged.
He spoke as if she had willingly thrown herself at Kanzou, when in truth, she was the victim. If Kanzou hadn't threatened her by using her only remaining family, she would've chosen death over betrayal or submission.
At the same time, her contempt for Fugaku only grew because it was his incompetence that she was threatened with, and was stolen, having to submit to another man.
Looking at the man who not only didn't confront her or Kanzou about it until now, but actually came to her with the suggestion that she offer herself to him, Mikoto felt that he was truly a cuckold.
"Fine by me… even if you hadn't broken it off, I would've. I had only agreed to meet you with that in mind. I, too, want to end our engagement. From now on, there will be nothing between us," Mikoto said calmly.
"Whatever," Fugaku scoffed as he stood up and walked away… but not before giving her a last glance filled with disdain as if she were the most vile woman.
He was the one destined to become the next Uchiha patriarch. How could he possibly marry a woman who had already lost her purity, especially one who was about to be handed over to Kanzou?
If he didn't break off the engagement now, it would mean publicly admitting he'd been cuckolded.
But by ending it himself, even if Mikoto became Kanzou's woman, he could pretend it had nothing to do with him.
It was a form of spiritual self-consolation, his way of preserving pride in defeat.
As she watched Fugaku leave, Mikoto bit her lip, struggling to hold back her tears. But she couldn't, not anymore. They slipped free, spilling onto her skirt one by one.
'I hate you… I hate you… I hate you…' The words repeated endlessly in her mind as her body trembled.
Just then, a voice spoke softly behind her.
"Here…"
A white handkerchief was held out in front of her.
As she tried to wipe away her tears, she looked up and saw who was offering the handkerchief. It was Uchiha Kaede, the granddaughter of the tea shop's owner.
Kaede held the cloth out to her gently and said, "Please use this to wipe your tears, Mikoto-sama…"
"Kaede-chan… un…" Mikoto felt a flush of embarrassment at being seen crying, especially by someone so young, and one who was now offering comfort instead. Still, she accepted the handkerchief, dabbed at her eyes, and murmured softly, "I'm sorry…"
Kaede smiled and sat down across from Mikoto, resting her cheeks in her hands as she studied her intently.
Mikoto grew self-conscious under the unblinking gaze. "W-what is it?" she asked softly.
"Mikoto-sama… you're really very beautiful," Kaede said earnestly. "I can't help but feel a little envious."
"There's nothing to envy, Kaede-chan," Mikoto replied with a modest smile. She then reached out and gently caressed the young girl's face, saying, "You're very cute yourself, and I'm sure you'll grow up to be even more beautiful than I am."
Her words were sincere; Kaede truly was adorable. Though she might have exaggerated when she said that Kaede would grow up to be even more beautiful than her.
'Would I be beautiful enough for Kanzou-sama to take interest in me?' Kaede wondered, uncertainty flickering through her thoughts. She didn't voice it, only smiled sweetly in response before asking, "So… Mikoto-sama… now that your engagement has ended, what will you do?"
"You… really heard everything, didn't you?" Mikoto questioned.
Kaede nodded without hiding. "Yes…"
Mikoto could only sigh, but she didn't care that much. It was bound to come out eventually. What unsettled her wasn't the truth itself, but the implication that she would be seen as a loose woman.
"You must think I'm a loose woman too, right? That I went after Kanzou-sama despite being engaged with —with another man…" Mikoto asked quietly. She couldn't help it, after all, Fugaku had said as much, and she hadn't defended herself. It wouldn't have been strange for others to see her that way.
But Kaede shook her head firmly. "No. I know many things about Kanzou-sama. Because of that, I know you're not that kind of woman. It must have been him who coerced you."
Mikoto's eyes widened, her body trembling as shock washed over her. How could Kaede understand something like that so clearly? A sudden, frightening thought crossed her mind, and she asked in a hushed voice, "K-Kaede-chan… were you… were you also…?"
"Um… no, please don't misunderstand, Mikoto-sama," Kaede replied quickly, her cheeks faintly tinted pink. "I'm still pure, you know."
"I… I see…" Hearing that, Mikoto let out a quiet sigh of relief. After all, Kaede was only eleven or twelve years old. If Kanzou had done something like that to her… Mikoto didn't even want to imagine it. The thought alone was horrifying.
Knowing that wasn't the case eased her somewhat, but another doubt quickly surfaced on her face. "T-then how come…?"
"That… isn't important right now," Kaede replied, deliberately vague. "You'll probably understand in the future. Maybe Kanzou-sama himself will tell you someday."
Her answer only made Mikoto frown, "What do you mean someday?"
She grew increasingly suspicious, uneasy with the feeling that Kaede wasn't just an ordinary civilian girl. There was something more to her, some connection to Kanzou that Mikoto couldn't discern immediately.
Sensing that, Kaede quickly shifted the topic back. "Anyway… about what I asked earlier," she said, looking at Mikoto directly. "What are you going to do now?" Then, without hesitation, she asked the question that made Mikoto's breath catch: "Do you really intend to offer yourself to Kanzou-sama?"
"Uh… well… that…" Mikoto blushed. She did have such intentions, but admitting them out loud, even indirectly, made her falter.
Kaede, however, seemed to read her hesitation effortlessly. "From your expression… it looks like you're serious," she said, then, without missing a beat, pulled a small diary from her pocket and pushed it toward Mikoto. "If that's the case… keep this. It'll… um… help you."
"A diary? How will this help me?" Mikoto frowned as she picked up the diary and flipped through a few pages. Her eyes widened at once, and she snapped it shut before looking up at Kaede. "H-How do you even have something like this?"
"They're… um… observations," Kaede replied, her cheeks flushing as she tried to explain something she clearly shouldn't have.
"Observations?" Mikoto pressed, flustered and embarrassed by what she had already seen. "What kind of observations would make you keep something like this…?"
Then another thought slipped out before she could stop herself. "Kaede-chan… do you—do you stalk Kanzou-sama? You know… that's not a good thing…"
"It's not like that…!" Kaede replied quickly, her voice flustering as well. "I-I don't stalk Kanzou-sama. A-and… and you'll understand everything later…"
She stood up as she spoke, already turning away. "A-anyway… you should go now. I've already helped you enough…"
With that, she hurried off, leaving Mikoto staring down at the diary in her hands, flustered and embarrassed.
But she didn't throw the diary away. Instead, she slipped it carefully into her pocket and carried it with her as she left the tea shop.
Of course, she wasn't heading home just yet. Instead, she turned toward the shopping district, intending to pick up a few things before returning, 'I… I need to prepare myself.'
Kaede quietly watched as Mikoto headed toward the shopping district and murmured to herself, "Mikoto-sama… you've always been kind to me. That's why I gave you that diary. Good luck, and make good use of it…"
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At the same time, news of the annulment of Fugaku and Mikoto's engagement spread throughout the Uchiha Compound.
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Drop power Powerstonessssssssss!
[Note: Read up to Chapter - 71 on P atreon at: p-atreon.com/Knockturn_Alley]