Not far away, many civilians were watching from a distance. However, after hearing Sarutobi Hiruzen's words, their expressions turned grim.
Their only hope had been shattered.
Sarutobi Hiruzen had not spoken for them at all, which meant that in the future, under the control of Sarutobi Eisuke, civilians like them would have no right to speak up or appeal.
Even if the Sarutobi Police Force made a mistake, it would be deemed as no mistake at all.
Now, all they could think about was leaving the area controlled by the Sarutobi Police Force.
"How great would it be if the Uchiha clan was still in charge of Konoha's order?" Someone sighed, now realizing how good the Uchiha Police Force had been.
Although the Uchiha Police Force used violent methods of enforcement, their actions were always justified.
But the Sarutobi Police Force was lawless, acting without reason, and they had nowhere to speak out. They were even falsely accused of being troublemakers.
People like them, who feared retaliation, could only watch from afar.
On a rooftop, Kakashi had heard about the unrest at the Hokage building and came to offer support. However, he didn't expect to see this scene.
"Hokage-sama, is this your solution?" Kakashi asked, disappointment flashing in his eyes as he listened to the Third Hokage, Sarutobi Hiruzen, speak with righteous authority about his decision.
It was clear that the Sarutobi Police Force was at fault, having seriously injured so many civilians.
Yet, such a serious matter was so easily dismissed by the Third Hokage, who instead painted the Sarutobi Police Force as the victims of unjust accusations.
One could only imagine how many people would believe his words once the matter spread.
After all, many people blindly trusted the Third Hokage, believing anything that came from his mouth to be the truth.
If this had been the Uchiha clan's doing, the Hokage would have scolded them, even allowing the civilians to attack the Uchiha, further tarnishing their reputation.
Thinking about this, Kakashi couldn't bear to watch any longer. He turned and walked away.
"Tch~ Our Hokage is so biased. If the Uchiha Police Force had done this, our entire Police Force would be bombarded with rotten eggs!" Uchiha Kasumi listened to the Third Hokage's decision, feeling disappointed, and scoffed.
"Shh, Kasumi, don't let Hokage-sama hear you!" Someone beside her whispered, urging caution.
The Third Hokage was still in power, and if he found out and caused more trouble for the Uchiha, it would only make things worse.
What was ridiculous, though, was how the Hokage still claimed that everything he did was for the people.
"Now that everything is settled, everyone can go home!" Sarutobi Hiruzen noticed that the crowd wasn't leaving yet, so he turned to Sarutobi Eisuke and said, "Take the injured to the hospital for proper treatment!"
As he spoke to Eisuke, Sarutobi Hiruzen gave him a subtle look, signaling him to take care of the problem.
Sarutobi Eisuke understood, nodding quickly. "Don't worry, Lord Hokage, I'll make sure the injured are taken care of!"
He made this promise with confidence, but no one noticed the coldness in his eyes.
Sarutobi Hiruzen nodded and said no more. He turned and started walking upstairs. Uchiha Shisui prepared to follow, as today he was on duty beside the Hokage.
"Shisui, you should rest today," Sarutobi Hiruzen said when he noticed Shisui trying to follow. "After I'm done reprimanding Eisuke, I want to visit Naruto. You don't need to come with me."
Since Naruto had contact with Genya a few months ago, Sarutobi Hiruzen had increased his attention on Naruto, but the funding remained tight. He only went to see Naruto to strengthen their bond.
"Understood!" Shisui's expression darkened as he responded.
It seemed the Third Hokage still didn't fully trust the Uchiha clan. Whenever he visited Naruto, he would never allow Shisui to follow.
However, during the Nine-Tails incident, Shisui had asked the clan leader, and it was clear that no Uchiha clan members were involved.
Moreover, to control the Nine-Tails, one would need at least a Mangekyō Sharingan.
In the Uchiha clan, aside from the clan leader, who had awakened the Mangekyō Sharingan, the only other person who had recently awakened the Sharingan was Shisui himself.
When the Nine-Tails caused chaos, the Uchiha were trapped in their clan compound.
Helplessly, Shisui could only disperse with the crowd.
Genya, seeing that nothing would come of it, also left, disappointed.
"Uchiha Genya!" But as soon as he left, Shisui appeared in front of him, his face showing a strange and conflicted expression.
"You need something?" Genya raised an eyebrow, curious about why the Uchiha genius was approaching him.
"Genya, do you think the change in the villagers' attitude toward our Uchiha clan is because of Lord Hokage?" Shisui asked, looking at Genya. His recent experiences had made him rethink his feelings about Sarutobi Hiruzen.
Shisui had seen Sarutobi Hiruzen handle matters regarding the Uchiha Police Force before, and back then, there was never an opportunity for the Uchiha Police to explain themselves.
Moreover, this time, Sarutobi Hiruzen's handling of things had been even worse.
"Heh... You didn't do what I asked you to, did you?" Genya responded, noticing Shisui's hesitation. He had asked Shisui to inquire about why the villagers' attitudes toward the Uchiha clan had changed, but Shisui hadn't done so. He had just returned from a mission and didn't have time for such small matters.
The reason Shisui was now asking Genya about it was because he had sensed that something wasn't right.
"Looks like you didn't do what I asked. Well, go and ask around. Once you get the answers you need, you'll know what to do. Come find me once you have everything figured out!" Genya didn't waste any more words with Uchiha Shisui and turned to head towards the merchant guild.
It was better to focus on training than to keep talking with Uchiha Shisui, who was being a bit stubborn.
---
At the Hokage's office...
After the crowd had dispersed, Sarutobi Eisuke walked toward the office.
"You acted too rashly today. You almost got caught!" Sarutobi Hiruzen took a long puff from his pipe and spoke slowly, causing the office to fall into silence. "The situation for the Sarutobi Police Force Division was almost ruined because of you!"
"But you're still here, aren't you?" Sarutobi Eisuke smiled faintly and looked at Sarutobi Hiruzen. "As long as you're around, the Sarutobi Police Force Division won't fall, and the Sarutobi clan won't decline."
"Haha." Sarutobi Hiruzen chuckled for the first time, but after the laugh, his expression turned cold and sharp. "No matter what method you use, I don't want to hear any more complaints about the Sarutobi Police Force Division!"
He had been planning this for a long time; there couldn't be any mistakes.
Sarutobi Eisuke nodded, a cold glint flashing in his eyes. "Don't worry. Everything is under control. This will never happen again."
---
Uchiha Shisui wandered aimlessly down the street, his mind swirling with thoughts of the Third Hokage's recent actions toward the Uchiha clan.
Suddenly!
He saw a group of people starting to move houses. And there were quite a few of them.
****
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