Torune was in a terrible mood right now.
Because Root's budget—just like that old bastard Danzo said—had really been slashed in half.
What the hell?
That wasn't right…
Root was supposed to be Danzo-sama's little sweetheart.
So how did it become the "stepchild" in the blink of an eye?
Torune decided to go to the Shimura estate and feel things out.
If you're cutting my Root funding, you owe me an explanation, don't you?
And then—
Torune got blocked at the door, looking completely dumbstruck.
The Shimura Second Elder gave an awkward smile and casually stopped the masked ANBU-like figure in front of him.
"Sorry.
"Our Clan Head won't be seeing anyone."
…What?
Torune was even more stunned.
He pointed at himself, eyes wide, practically stabbing the air.
"Old man—look carefully!
"It's me!
"Torune!
"Root's little sweetheart!
"Danzo-sama's most reliable little darling!"
"Oh."
The Second Elder calmly pushed away Torune's aggressive, looming face.
"I know it's you.
"But the Clan Head said—"
"'Not seeing you.'"
Torune's hand jerked. For a second, it felt like the sky had collapsed.
No.
What kind of move is this?
Danzo-sama, you're just… throwing away your own power base like that?
"Not exactly."
The Second Elder kept that perfunctory smile, like he was just going through the motions.
"You can stay the same as before."
"What does that mean?"
Torune didn't understand.
With a sigh, the Second Elder shoved him inside with a pale, unbothered sort of force—like Root showing up at the front gate was an embarrassment in itself.
"The Clan Head is Hokage-sama now. He needs a good reputation."
Got it?
"And what kind of reputation does Root have? You should know better than anyone."
So.
Root would keep working for the Clan Head, sure—but they had to stay out of sight.
How could a bunch of dirty things like that stain the Clan Head's name?
In an instant, Torune's head was buzzing.
So that's it.
Root really is the stepchild now?
So that's it.
Root isn't the "little sweetheart" anymore—Root's become the discarded "Mrs. Bull" instead?!
Heh…
Inside the estate, Danzo sipped tea at his leisure.
And he was thoroughly displeased with Torune's lack of tact.
What even is Root?
What position am I in now?
Back when I was an advisor, sure, Root was a capable little sweetheart.
But now that I'm Hokage… Root is nothing but baggage.
If we're being honest?
ANBU.
ANBU is Danzo's true white moonlight, his cinnabar mark in the heart.
So lately, Danzo had been fighting the old man—the Third Hokage—for control of ANBU's chain of command.
Other things could be thrown away.
ANBU had to be fought for.
Root could still be used, though.
Danzo was thinking that when the Hyuga clan crossed his mind.
Right…
I'm not exactly short on manpower anymore…
And in the next breath, he found Root even more distasteful.
Their reputation was too filthy, their strength didn't measure up to the Hyuga, and against ANBU they'd get pressed down a level.
In the eyes of the major clans, Root was nothing but a nauseating irritant.
With Danzo as Hokage, could he really do something that pushed all the major forces away?
He couldn't.
If he pushed, the Hyuga would pull—
and then how was he supposed to keep fighting the old man?
Meanwhile, Torune's face went bloodless as he grasped the truth.
No…
Root's been replaced!
On one side was ANBU—the white moonlight.
On the other was the Hyuga—the darling held tight against the heart.
It didn't take a genius to see it.
Danzo-sama would never give them up for Root.
Th-This…
What am I supposed to do?
Where is Root supposed to go from here?
The Second Elder smiled and offered him a "bright path."
Keep doing the same work as before.
You still serve the Clan Head, but your standing in this new order is much lower.
In other words—
Root used to be the Clan Head's one and only.
Now it wasn't quite "completely useless"…
…but it was getting close.
Well, damn…
Torune stumbled out of the Shimura estate, dazed and unsteady, like he still hadn't woken up from a dream.
At the same time—
in stark contrast to Root's funeral atmosphere, the Uchiha were blazing with activity.
Maybe "reputation" sounded like a small thing to the Uchiha.
Proud as they were, they didn't need to care what Konoha's civilians thought of them.
They even felt Itachi and Shisui were making a mountain out of a molehill.
But it was still, ultimately, a good thing.
Itachi scratched his head as he looked over the plan that man had personally drafted.
Wow…
This was pretty involved.
"The Uchiha of Konoha"?
"The civilians' Police Force"?
"Cold-faced, warm-hearted guardians"?
…Are the Uchiha really like that?
And yet that man wanted the Uchiha to build exactly that kind of reputation.
You could tell—
he truly saw the Uchiha as part of Konoha.
And honestly, this sort of reputation was exactly the relationship Itachi actually longed for between the Uchiha and Konoha.
Whether it was "true" didn't matter, because reputation was righteous law.
From now on, they'd just act according to it.
Sooner or later, the Uchiha would genuinely become that kind of people.
Anyway—
that was what he said.
Shisui couldn't quite make sense of it either.
But that didn't stop him from carrying it out seriously.
And then, for several days…
the Uchiha clan launched into a series of missions that left people baffled.
The entire Police Force mobilized.
Plainclothes, but with credentials—ready to whip them out at any time to prove who they were.
Before long, plenty of civilians noticed Konoha's public order had improved a lot.
Petty theft and small-time trouble used to happen all the time.
Now?
"Stop!! Under Clause One of the Police Force Ordinance—on-the-spot fines!
"Theft of property under five hundred ryo will be detained for no less than three days and no more than fifteen!"
Yashiro moved like lightning, nabbing a thief.
When he noticed the surprised looks around him, he immediately raised his voice and recited the freshly issued Police Force ordinance.
That one move—
made more than a few people who'd always hated the Uchiha look… complicated.
Because before, when the Uchiha enforced the law, did they ever care whether you understood?
They just arrested you.
And if you resisted, you got beaten.
So civilians who didn't know what was going on really did end up thinking the Uchiha were bullies throwing their weight around.
And the Uchiha—misunderstood or not—would just look down on people with that arrogant pride.
I can't be bothered to explain. You're not worth hearing it.
Now it was different.
Reciting the law while enforcing it.
It fit the Uchiha temperament. It fit their aesthetic.
It had that feeling of standing on the moral high ground and pointing down at people.
And honestly—reciting the ordinance while arresting someone felt amazing.
Like shouting a technique name while firing off a ninjutsu.
After doing it a few times, the eyes of the Uchiha clan members even seemed a little clearer.
Ha!
Reciting those clauses felt so damn good!
What?
Bullying civilians?
Sorry—Uchiha pride doesn't allow that.
When someone brought up the old stories, Yashiro immediately put on an expression of towering disdain.
(End of Chapter)
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