The rooftop battle erupted suddenly, yet it was inevitable. The police department officers wanted to enter the tea room and access the underground chamber via a hidden passage. However, Ogasawara Uemon and his subordinates were guarding the tea room, determined to let no one through. When compromise was impossible, conflict was bound to happen.
Unfortunately, the outcome of this clash was sealed from the very start.
"This is Konoha, after all."
Uchiha Obito sighed softly under the shadow of the gabled roof near the tea room, watching the battle unfold on the rooftop.
"You sound pretty certain that Ogasawara is going to lose."
It was Hama who spoke, their third encounter. Hama, no longer reacting as strongly, thought the man, possibly Uchiha Madara, might not be trustworthy but wasn't an enemy of Konoha or the Daimyo—for now, anyway.
As long as that condition held, Hama wouldn't clash with the masked man. Though, whether he was Madara or not, Hama admitted he wasn't confident about defeating this elusive figure. Instinct told him it wouldn't end well.
"What's this? Do you think that guy actually stands a chance?" Obito asked with interest.
"Ogasawara and Hiramiya are researching something, and they may not be done, but it's possible they've discovered something significant. Ogasawara feels dangerous. If I were sure I could eliminate him quietly, I'd have already dealt with the nuisance tarnishing the Daimyo's image."
"Well, true enough… but, Hama, you're underestimating the Sharingan."
Clashing with Konoha and its ninjas, even with the upper hand initially, was unsustainable unless one was of Senju Hashirama or Uchiha Madara's caliber. Moreover, Ogasawara's youthful opponents included Uchiha Itachi.
Itachi had once been a prospect Obito held in high regard, hoping to use his talent to weaken the Uchiha clan and prevent certain outcomes. However, Uchiha Zongxuan's sudden rise to power disrupted his plans, leaving Itachi firmly in Zongxuan's service. A mere Ogasawara Uemon, with all his tricks, was no match for the young Uchiha prodigy. The Sharingan's illusions were the bane of reckless fighters—though there were rare exceptions who could overcome it by focusing solely on their enemy's feet.
"How about a wager, Hama? I bet Ogasawara loses. If I win, we'll cooperate against Konoha. If I lose, I'll fulfill one request within my power."
Obito made his offer, to which Hama responded coldly.
"I see. Shame. I suppose we're not yet meant to work together."
"I already told you: I have zero interest in working with someone who hides behind a mask."
"Everyone has a right to privacy. I don't intend to share all my secrets. Still, I believe we'll join forces eventually. Reject me as much as you like now, but you'll come to see it's the only way to realize your aspirations."
Hama's wary gaze drilled into Obito as he listened.
"By the way, Hama, care to share how you intend to wrap up today's drama? I didn't expect you to call the police on Arasaka Rokuro instead of handling him yourself. What's your plan?"
"I don't owe you an explanation."
"…Alright, then. I'll enjoy watching."
Obito wasn't discouraged. Hama's actions would eventually reveal his intentions. For now, Hama only watched the rooftop battle silently.
Meanwhile, beneath the tea room, Uchiha Tora acted on Itachi's instructions. Though being led by someone over a decade his junior, he had no objections. At twenty-something, he was still only a special Jonin, while Itachi had been promoted to Jonin during the last war.
In the Uchiha clan, authority was tied to strength. Unless there was a significant age or rank difference, or orders from higher-ranking clan members, the strong naturally led the weaker.
Tora descended into a tunnel exposed by a broken floor. It was a rough passage, seemingly carved hastily with ninjutsu. As he reached the bottom, he entered the crude underground chamber, consistent with the quick and crude style above.
It wasn't surprising. Envoy Hiramiya had only been in Konoha for less than a month. Creating such a spacious chamber on short notice was an impressive feat, with no time for refinement. Along the stairs, Tora saw two lifeless bodies frothing at the mouth. At the bottom, he met two comrades and called out:
"Kabuto, Izumi, are you alright?"
"Ah, Captain, you're here! Is the enemy above taken care of?" Uchiha Izumi turned to Tora, a faint smile on her pale face. "We're fine. Kabuto-san took care of the enemies in no time."
Izumi animatedly gestured to emphasize Kabuto's skill, though her pallor hinted otherwise. Despite her cheerful voice, her appearance suggested she wasn't completely unscathed.
When Tora took in the chamber, his stomach turned. Piles of bodies lay scattered like garbage, bloodstains marred an eerie altar, and hooks stained with dried blood swung above. The air reeked of a nauseating, thick stench.
"Captain, there are a few survivors over here."
Kabuto approached the iron cage in the corner, finding that the six or seven people tied up inside were still alive.
"Izumi, you go—actually, never mind, I'll have my shadow clone do it."
Hearing that there were survivors, Toraji Uchiha snapped out of his anger and revulsion, immediately realizing he needed to send a signal for backup. This hidden room itself was ironclad evidence; there was no need for further investigation. They only had to guard the place and wait for reinforcements.
Initially, he thought of having Izumi go up to send the signal. However, he reconsidered, as Izumi was only a junior shinobi, and this situation would have undoubtedly caught the attention of powerful figures in the embassy. It was likely the embassy's skilled fighters were already on their way here.
Best to leave it to his shadow clone!
He quickly formed the hand signs, summoned a clone, and equipped it with a signal flare specially made by the Police Force, sending it up the stairs at a fast pace.
Once the shadow clone reached the surface, it found that, apart from the tearoom, which had collapsed due to the intense battle between Ogawara Yoemon, Kimimaro, and Itachi Uchiha, nothing else seemed to have changed. The three people from the Arasaka family were hiding even farther away, and there was no sign of embassy guards coming over.
The shadow clone muttered to itself. Nonetheless, no interference was a good thing, so it wasted no time, pulling out the signal flare and launching it into the sky. A brilliant firework exploded, forming a shuriken wrapped in a fan—clearly the symbol of the Police Force.
Even though it was still early morning, the massive signal was hard to miss. Many people saw it, from office workers just stepping outside to students heading to the Ninja Academy, elderly folks returning from morning exercise, and, of course, members of the Police Force patrolling the area.
Now, just seeing a Police Force distress signal flare wasn't usually a huge deal.
But for those who realized it was coming from the embassy's location, the situation immediately felt far more serious.
Word began to ripple outward in waves.
Police Force members patrolling nearby, following new department protocols, started converging on the distress signal's origin. The message quickly reached Police Force headquarters, but due to the early hour, Chief Sugihiko had yet to arrive for the day, and Vice Chief Arayama was also absent.
The responsibility fell on the highest-ranking officer currently in the Police Force, Uchiha Yasukui, the Deputy Director of Public Safety.
"The distress signal is from the embassy?"
"Yes, Deputy Director."
Though Yasukui was a woman, she was no frail reed but as sturdy as a pine tree in winter—undaunted by any challenge, she never shied away from difficulties. Confirming the distress signal's origin, she immediately stood up, issuing instructions as she headed out: "Send someone to inform the Chief and Vice Chief, and assemble five teams at the training ground to stand by."
"Yes, Deputy Director!"
The Police Force, still half-asleep, sprang into action.
Similarly, the Hokage's Office, the Anbu headquarters, and various clan compounds were all stirred by this unexpected event, as waves of scouts surged toward the embassy.
"...They actually made a move?" Fifth Hokage Torifu Akimichi, still at home having breakfast, had grown weary of the Hokage Office's unrelenting pace after last year's intense front-line battles and had taken to a more manageable schedule since the war's end.
However, only halfway through his breakfast, Shikaku Nara burst through the door, bringing news that made it impossible for him to continue eating in peace.
With a lingering glance at his half-finished meal, Torifu sighed.
"Shikaku, let me get ready, and we'll head to the Hokage Office together."
Shikaku replied respectfully, patiently waiting by the porch.
"Grandpa Jiraiya, that's the Police Force symbol, right?"
Naruto, just stepping outside after breakfast, saw the firework on his way to the Ninja Academy. He had recently moved to an apartment in Konoha with Jiraiya—after all, Jiraiya was one of the Legendary Sannin, and even though he wandered around most of the time, the village had still left a luxury apartment for him and made sure it was cleaned regularly. Fresh chapters posted on N0v3l.Fiɾe.net
Jiraiya yawned, giving a half-hearted reply.
He ruffled Naruto's carefully combed hair and said lazily, "Alright, off to school with you! Whatever's happening over there has nothing to do with little kids like you. Adults will handle it. Just focus on what you need to do."
"Yeah, yeah, I know."
Naruto brushed Jiraiya's hand away, fixing his hair again before heading to school, soon forgetting about the firework.
As Naruto's figure disappeared down the street, Jiraiya scratched his head, leaning on the railing to look toward the firework's direction. After a while, he turned back inside, closing the door with a click. Whatever was going on, as long as Konoha stayed stable, it wasn't his place to meddle. He had no desire to get involved in the village's power struggles.