The drunk man lingered at the entrance of the restaurant for a moment. Suddenly, a loud explosion erupted from the commercial street, with smoke, dust, and flames engulfing the restaurant in an instant.
A Root ninja, concealed nearby, released a hand seal and vanished silently into the shadows as if he had never been there.
Chaos erupted in the commercial street. The flames spread quickly through the wooden structures, and conventional firefighting methods proved useless. Finally, a passing ninja extinguished the fire with a Water Style technique.
Although there were no fatalities, injuries were unavoidable, and more than half of the restaurant collapsed, rendering it unusable for the foreseeable future.
The drunken man, jolted sober by the explosion, saw the destruction and quickly slipped away in the ensuing confusion.
Staring at the ruined restaurant, the owner cursed bitterly:
"That damn police department, always patrolling aimlessly when nothing's wrong, but now that something's happened, they're nowhere to be found! I'm going to file a complaint!"
······
It wasn't just this restaurant; Konoha seemed plagued by disturbances all day, with incidents cropping up all over the village.
The police department's blatant neglect, combined with Danzo's Root operatives' machinations, turned usually stable Konoha into a scene of unrest.
As a result, more and more villagers lined up outside the police department, and the complaint room was packed. Yet, those emerging from the room had strange expressions on their faces.
Not long after, the restaurant owner stormed into the complaint room, spotting the unruffled Fifth Elder inside, and shouted:
"I'm here to report the police department for negligence!"
He slapped the complaint form down on the Fifth Elder's desk with a loud thud.
"Negligence? In what way? What happened?"
The Fifth Elder glanced at the complaint form, responding calmly. With most of the police force suspended, there wasn't much he could do.
By now, he understood Yagami's intentions behind this arrangement, so he felt no urgency.
"There was a security incident in the commercial street. It's been a while, but no one came to handle it."
"The commercial street… let's see who's assigned there… Uchiha Asahi, Uchiha Osamu, and Uchiha Taichi. Ah, my apologies—all three teams have been suspended, so there's no one patrolling the commercial street today."
The Fifth Elder pretended to check documents and explained.
"What? Suspended! Why?"
The restaurant owner was stunned. A police department suspension?
"You'd know better than anyone! Three days ago, you complained about Shota's team for violent law enforcement. Four days ago, you lodged a complaint against Osamu's team for taking your employee without cause. Six days ago, you complained about Taichi's attitude."
The Fifth Elder pulled out three complaint forms and placed them on the desk. The owner immediately recognized them, falling silent in embarrassment.
"Well… I think they're actually pretty good. Can these complaints be withdrawn?"
"That's not possible! In the past, Captain Fugaku handled clan affairs and never dealt with complaints this way. Now, however, the new captain has issued new regulations. For the sake of the relationship between the police department and the villagers, these rules must be enforced. Since they were complained about, they'll remain suspended for reflection."
The Fifth Elder adopted a serious tone. Initially, he had doubts about Yagami's role as the new captain, but after witnessing today's results, he felt that maybe this approach wasn't so bad after all.
Hearing this, the restaurant owner felt a pang of regret. When the police department was around, he found it bothersome. Now that they were absent, he found it even more troubling—especially with his restaurant blown up…
"So, when will they return? Will the commercial street remain unpatrolled?"
"Don't worry. We'll arrange something soon."
······
Meanwhile, the chaos instigated by Root continued, and the turmoil in Konoha persisted, yet the police department was nowhere to be seen. Those who went to the police department to complain were greeted with unsettling news: due to their complaints, patrol teams in their areas had been suspended.
In contrast, in the Uchiha clan's industrial area, three patrol teams ensured no disturbances occurred. Even if neighbouring merchants requested help, the Uchiha patrols showed no intention of stepping in, leaving the villagers with no recourse.
The new rules of the police department were well known by now: each team would only handle incidents within its designated area to avoid complaints of interference.
With no satisfactory response from the police department, the villagers resorted to going to the Hokage building to address the Third Hokage directly.
"So, on Uchiha Yagami's first day as captain, he actually suspended all officers in the police department who received complaints?"
Looking over the thick stack of complaints, Third Hokage rubbed his temples and asked.
"Yes, Lord Hokage. All suspended Uchiha officers have returned to the clan compound, and the village is now dealing with various security issues that remain unresolved."
The Anbu member replied respectfully. He, too, found it perplexing; previously, village security had been stable under the Uchiha's watch. How had it deteriorated so quickly in their absence?
"Summon the clan heads of the major shinobi families. Uchiha need not be informed..."
······
"Hahaha! Have you heard? There's been chaos all over the village today!"
At the Uchiha training ground, many suspended Uchiha members gathered.
"What happened to make you so cheerful?"
Many were still unaware of the ongoing events, as they were instructed to stay out of duty and reflect.
After hearing the news from their fellow clansmen, they couldn't help but laugh.
"How ironic. Those business owners who constantly complain about us now come running to us when trouble strikes. What a joke."
"It's pointless for them to complain now! The few remaining officers in the police department aren't assigned to their areas."
"Serves them right. They used to accuse us of excessive force, and now, without Uchiha to help, they're regretting it."
"Honestly, Yagami may be young, but he's certainly clever. We get a break while the village scrambles."
"Heh, this is only the beginning! Yagami's strategy is just unfolding. The village is going to have a lot more to handle soon..."
······
These two actions had already boosted Yagami's prestige within the clan. Forcing the Hokage to yield satisfied the clan's longstanding resentment, but now, the handling of the police department seemed to indulge the clan's sense of pride.
Look at this! Without us, Uchiha, Konoha can't even maintain law and order. When problems arise, they still have to come crawling back to us, but too bad—now we don't care.
Meanwhile, after meeting with Third Hokage and Fugaku, Yagami returned to his quarters to explore his new abilities further.
"Complete Mangekyō? It seems there's no specific awakened ability."
Deactivating his Mangekyō Sharingan, Yagami murmured thoughtfully.
Perhaps it was because he had previously been granted a three-tomoe Sharingan. Now, with two three-tomoe Sharingan and Mangekyō powers combined, he could immediately summon Susanoo's full form.
He also realized that Susanoo's activation wasn't necessarily linked to having two Mangekyō, only to the support of sufficient ocular power.
Susanoo was an ability embedded deeply in Uchiha blood, with the Mangekyō's pupil power serving as the key to unlocking it.
Thinking back to Madara's era, he could appreciate the achievement of summoning Susanoo without the need for eyes.