The reason for Hiruzen's anger was the ridiculousness of the information in the report. Attacking fellow civilians, peeping at bathhouses, kicking doors at night, and throwing gravestones of dead families – all the most underhanded acts were pinned on Shinnosuke. It was a blatant false accusation, no matter how you looked at it.
But Shiroha wanted this. In the past, he wouldn't have dared to anger Hiruzen so easily. But now, things were different. He had awakened the Mangekyō Sharingan, boosting his strength and confidence. He wanted to provoke Hiruzen, to draw out his anger, for it was the key to his own growth.
"Why not? This is admitted by Shinnosuke himself," Shiroha said, his voice calm and confident. "All the people in the police force can testify."
As his voice fell, Ookami and other clansmen chimed in, fueling the flames of Hiruzen's anger.
"Shiroha-sama is right. This is what Sarutobi Shinnosuke admitted personally," Ookami stated, his voice dripping with feigned shock. "I never thought that the son of the Hokage would do such a thing."
"Yes! How did the Hokage teach his son?"
"I also heard that the Hokage himself likes to peep."
"It's over. Did the Hokage also see it when he was taking a bath before?"
The Uchihas murmured amongst themselves, their words like daggers to Hiruzen's heart.
[Ding! feel Sarutobi Hiruzen's anger, +600 negative energy, genjutsu +26]
[Ding! feel Sarutobi Hiruzen's anger, +700 negative energy, ninjutsu +27]
"Well done," Shiroha whispered to Ookami, a satisfied smile on his face, as he watched Hiruzen's face contort with rage.
"Enough! What on earth are you Uchiha going to do!" Hiruzen roared, his voice booming over the hushed whispers of the Uchihas, silencing their discussion.
Hiruzen feared that the Uchiha would continue their discussion, pushing more outrageous accusations onto him.
"What are we doing? We Uchiha are the police force of Konoha!" Shiroha boomed, his voice echoing across the rooftop. "Our duty is to protect the safety of Konoha and the Will of Fire. Sarutobi Shinnosuke betrayed Konoha and must be punished. I want to ask Hokage-sama, why are you against us Uchihas? Are you planning to betray Konoha?!"
He looked down at Hiruzen, his voice laced with accusation, and drew his sword, pointing it directly at the him. Ookami and the other Uchihas followed suit, drawing their swords in unison and activating their Sharingans. Pairs of scarlet Sharingans stared at Hiruzen and the Anbu behind him, a silent threat.
"Hokage-sama, be careful," one of the Anbu whispered, his voice tight with tension.
Facing so many Sharingan, the ANBU felt a wave of pressure. The tension was palpable, a spark ready to ignite into a full-blown war.
"Put down your weapons," Hiruzen commanded, taking a deep breath to quell his anger. "What are you doing? Don't forget, we're in Konoha." He ordered the ANBU to lower their weapons.
Despite his rage, Hiruzen knew this was not the time for a war. Konoha needed the Uchiha. Losing them would be a devastating blow to the village.
"Uchiha Shiroha, you Uchiha clan did a very good job," Hiruzen praised, his voice smooth, a practiced mask of calm over his simmering anger. He was a master of playing the peacemaker, even when his heart was far from peaceful.
"This is all for Konoha, for the Will of Fire," Shiroha replied modestly, his eyes never leaving Hiruzen's.
Hiruzen couldn't help but twitch his mouth at Shiroha's blatant lie, but he kept his expression neutral.
'For the village, for the Will of Fire,' he thought, a flicker of irritation crossing his mind. 'Isn't that my usual line? He's taken my words away! How can I say it now!'
"While Sarutobi Shinnosuke is indeed suspected of betraying the village," Hiruzen stated, his voice carefully neutral, "I hope Captain Shiroha can hand him over to the Anbu. The Anbu have the most professional interrogation methods and can extract more useful information."
No matter what, Shinnosuke was his son. He had to save him. If Shiroha handed his son over to the Anbu, everything would be easier. The Anbu were all his own people.
"Hokage-sama is right," Shiroha replied, his eyes gleaming with a hidden agenda. "It is indeed the best choice to hand over the traitor to the Anbu. However, our Uchiha clan is short of funds. Hokage-sama, what do we do?"
He looked at Hiruzen expectantly, his words carefully crafted.
Shinnosuke had become useless to him, his negative energy drained through the beatings. But Shiroha had a plan. He would use Shinnosuke as leverage, blackmailing Hiruzen.
"Uh..." Hiruzen cursed inwardly, his frustration mounting. What did handing Shinnosuke over to the Anbu have to do with the Uchihas lack of funds? This was blatant blackmail!
He wanted to lash out at Shiroha, but he knew he couldn't. He was the Hokage, he had to endure what others couldn't. There would be plenty of opportunities to deal with the Uchiha clan in the future. For now, he had to save his son.
"The Uchiha are part of Konoha," Hiruzen remarked, his voice carefully neutral, "and Konoha would never abandon its own. I don't know how much funds the Uchiha needs, but I assure you, we will do what we can to help."
"Well... Let's start with 100 million ryō," Shiroha spoke after a moment's consideration.
"How much? One hundred million?!" Hiruzen exclaimed, his shock evident. He had expected a large sum, but Shiroha's appetite was far greater than he anticipated.
One hundred million ryō was a staggering amount. An S-rank mission usually paid a few million at most, unless it was an exceptionally dangerous mission, in which case the reward would increase. But one hundred million?
That was an outrageous request.
"What's wrong Hokage-sama?" Shiroha asked, a smirk playing on his lips. He leaned back, his gaze fixed on Hiruzen's reluctant expression. "This is all for Konoha, for the Will of Fire after all," he added, invoking the sacred phrase once again, a knowing glint in his eyes.
"You..." Hiruzen's anger flared again. Was the Will of Fire something to be used so casually? This was an insult to the very concept he had created. Shiroha was trampling on his own Will of Fire.
[Ding! Feeling the anger of Sarutobi Hiruzen, +100 negative energy, Taijutsu +10]
[Ding! Feeling the anger of Sarutobi Hiruzen, +200 negative energy, Chakra +12]
[Ding! Feeling the anger of Sarutobi Hiruzen, +300 negative energy, Genjutsu +13]