Stress Response

Konoha's Eighth Street.

Today, as soon as the Uchiha shops opened, they noticed that unfamiliar faces had replaced the patrols by the police force.

These new patrol members all had cold expressions, unlike the friendly demeanour of the Uchiha.

Informed shopkeepers soon discovered that these were former members of Root, who had previously patrolled First to Fourth Streets.

"We Uchiha were doing just fine, so why were we replaced?"

Various shop owners grumbled, and some went to the police headquarters to complain.

However, they found that Hiashi Hyuga was no longer there, replaced by an older Hyuga clan member.

This new officer was unfamiliar with the police work and was arrogantly dismissive, saying, "This is a routine adjustment in the police force."

He then waved them away, refusing to say more.

The shopkeeper left feeling furious at the Hyuga member's arrogance.

On his way back, he encountered Hyuga Yuto.

Hyuga Yuto had gained some recognition in the village after the incident with Jiraiya.

The shopkeeper grabbed Yuto and complained, "Why isn't Hiashi-sama in the complaint office anymore?"

"You should have seen that old man's attitude; he wouldn't even look at me."

Yuto quickly covered the shopkeeper's mouth, saying, "Keep it down. That's a member of the main family."

"Hmm..." The shopkeeper lowered his voice, "Why is the main Hyuga family handling police work?"

Yuto looked around cautiously, "This is beyond my control. Hiashi-sama has returned to the clan, and now the police force is managed by the main family."

"When will the Uchiha police be back?"

"You don't understand; those Root members are cold and unfriendly. They don't seem like good people."

Yuto spread his hands, "I can't do anything about it, and without Hiashi-sama, my hands are tied."

The shopkeeper left in frustration.

...

On Konoha's Eighth Street, many shopkeepers who tried to complain at the police headquarters returned disappointed but still opened their stores as usual.

Root members began their patrols; initially, the Uchiha shops didn't mind.

Over time, they noticed something wrong.

These Root members kept lingering around the Uchiha shops.

Not wanting to interact with these Root members, customers avoided the stores.

Uchiha shop owners tried negotiating, saying they didn't need so many patrols.

However, the root members ignored them, and any aggressive actions by the shop owners resulted in arrests.

Danzo stood in the shadows, coldly smiling.

He had once dismissed these small businesses, but he saw their importance after his investigators revealed the profits.

If he controlled these shops, his research funding would be secure, independent of the Third Hokage's control.

He needed to seize every Uchiha shop.

Today was just a test.

More strategies would follow.

There was plenty of time.

But he didn't know that the Uchiha had a contingency plan.

...

After receiving the message from Hiashi and the reports about the police force and Uchiha shops, Fugaku quickly took action.

Within hours, a Uchiha clan member entered every shop, exchanged agreed-upon signals with the owner, and left.

The Root members soon noticed problems in the shops—broken stoves, burst water pipes, malfunctioning ovens, and spoiled ingredients.

The shop owners apologised to their customers:

"Sorry, our equipment is broken, and we can't serve food today. We have to close."

Customers were disappointed:

"I waited an hour just for your spicy crawfish!"

"I came early just to line up. Which equipment is broken? I can fix it. Please don't close."

The shopkeeper offered compensation:

"Everyone in line will receive a coupon for three pounds of spicy crawfish. Please come back another day."

Three pounds of crawfish were worth several hundred ryo, so customers accepted the coupons despite their complaints and left.

One customer, who offered to fix the equipment, was pulled aside by the shopkeeper.

"Our equipment isn't really broken. We had to close."

The customer was puzzled, "Turning away business?"

The shopkeeper gestured toward the Root members outside and gave a meaningful look.

The customer, half-understanding, accepted the coupon and left.

All Uchiha shops closed under Root surveillance.

Disappointed villagers glanced at the Root members.

The Root members reported everything to Danzo.

Danzo, unfazed, waved it off:

"It's fine. They'll reopen eventually. Be patient."

...

This began a long standoff between the Uchiha shops and Root.

Danzo initially thought the Uchiha would reopen after a day or two, but the shops remained closed for seven days.

Only some potential customers were left disappointed.

This was all money lost.

Danzo grew restless, and the Hyuga leading family elder became anxious, too.

The elder had replaced Hiashi due to a deal with Danzo for an honorary elder position, and the Hyuga needed to show support.

However, the simple change led to the closure of all Uchiha shops.

Not only were resources unavailable, but other problems were arising.

These shops had boosted Eighth Street's economy, with the Hokage praising its prosperity.

Now, with all shops closed, foot traffic has visibly declined.

Even before the Uchiha clan complained, other Eighth Street shopkeepers flooded the Hokage's office with complaints.

Unable to handle the uproar, the Hyuga elder's presence only worsened the situation.

Initially, villagers had reported issues to the police, but after facing the elder's arrogance, they went directly to the Hokage.

...