Chapter 28: Police Department

This place was the intersection of internal and external affairs, with many people coming and going. In the short time it took to finish a bowl of soup, Sima Yi saw more than ten people enter and exit the small shop.

However, the woman let out a soft sigh, "There isn't much money to be made; it's just enough to get by."

After that, she said no more and handed the change to Sima Yi.

Seeing this, Sima Yi didn't ask further and left the shop.

"Would you two like to buy some apples? This is the last batch of the year, brought over from the capital. Even Hokage-sama praised them!"

"Apples? There are still such well-preserved apples in this season?"

As soon as they left the shop, the two were stopped by a fruit vendor at a stall. The vendor was wrapped in a headscarf and looked quite festive.

"Isn't that right? To bring these apples over, we had to hire quite a few ninjas to help us. You two should buy some to try!"

Sima Yi picked up an apple. Although the vendor claimed it was well-preserved, the apple was already slightly dehydrated.

However, he didn't refuse and instead asked, "How much?"

"Not much, just a hundred ryo!"

"A bowl of lamb soup is only eighty ryo, so a pound of apples at a hundred ryo isn't much."

"A pound? No, no, no, sir, you've misunderstood! It's a hundred ryo for one!"

Sima Yi looked at the wilted apple in his hand, then glanced back at the cheerful vendor. After a moment of silence, he decided to buy ten.

Creak~

Kai carried the items and bit into an apple, making a face of disdain as he said, "This thing is dry and not tasty at all."

"Save some for Shisui; he's still growing, so eating some fruit would be good for him."

"Shisui, that's true. Ever since the clan sent him to the Hokage, he's either been on missions or on his way to them. I bet he hasn't had a hot meal in a long time," Kai shook his head and sighed. The number of missions Shisui completed in a year was more than he had in twenty years; he was truly working himself to the bone.

Boom~

At that moment, a loud crash suddenly echoed from about ten meters away.

The unexpected noise immediately drew everyone's attention, and people leaned forward to see what was happening.

"Let's go take a look," Sima Yi said, equally curious, and walked along with the crowd.

"Hey, uncle, take it easy! Be careful, there are so many people!"

The two made their way to the center of the street and, upon focusing, saw two young ninjas draped in the Uchiha clan emblem surrounded by a crowd. They were wearing Police Department uniforms, and their expressions were quite grim.

In the center of the commotion lay a stout middle-aged man, moaning in pain while grabbing the coins scattered around him.

Aside from the coins, there were also a lot of leather garments and an overturned stall on the ground.

"Another Uchiha, what's wrong with them?"

"It's so annoying; these Uchihas are bullying people again."

"Damn it, why are these people still in Konoha? Hokage-sama should kick them out."

"Aren't they just doing what they're supposed to do?"

The noisy discussions around him made Kai's expression change. He frowned and was about to step forward, but Sima Yi stopped him.

Sima Yi remained calm, pulling Kai to the side as they quietly watched the scene unfold.

"What's going on?"

As more and more people gathered, the Police Department from other streets quickly arrived.

Leading them was a person wearing a black tactical uniform, with green Jonin armor on the outside and the Uchiha clan emblem embroidered on both shoulders. He had distinctive short brown hair.

This person was none other than Uchiha Yashiro, the Squad Captain of the Police Department's second division!

Sima Yi narrowed his eyes slightly; he had seen this person just yesterday, right behind the Great Elder.

As the Uchiha Jonin arrived, the crowd parted to make way.

"Squad Captain!"

"Squad Captain!"

The two surrounded individuals let out a sigh of relief and immediately stepped forward to say, "Squad Captain, we received reports that someone was occupying the road to set up a stall here. When we arrived, we wanted him to leave immediately, but he refused to budge no matter what, so we had to…"

"I didn't! You're making false accusations! I was just passing by and taking a rest here, and you came over and overturned my stall. How can you Ninja bully an ordinary person like me?"

Before the Police Department member could finish speaking, the wealthy-looking man lying on the ground, still groaning in pain, suddenly shouted. Afterward, he began to wail again.

"I just wanted to sell some clothes to earn a little money to buy some good food for my child who returned from the Front Line. Why do you have to cut off my means of living?"

His cries, mixed with anguish, moved the crowd, especially those whose family members had just returned from the Front Line, who felt a deep connection to his plight.

"He's just trying to sell something. Even if you don't like him, there's no need to overturn his stall!"

"Exactly, the Uchiha always enforce the law with such violence."

"Get them out of Konoha!"

The young boy was furious at these words, pointing at the wealthy man, his whole body trembling, and his Sharingan involuntarily activating.

Another boy beside him clenched his fists tightly, saying, "You were the ones who reported this! We came to manage the situation, how is this our fault!"

His breath quickened, and he began to draw on his Chakra in secret.

The crimson gaze sent chills down the spines of the crowd.

Uchiha Yashiro scanned the crowd, his eyes landing on a nearby eave before he withdrew his gaze and shouted, "Stop!"

The boy's breath hitched, and he let out a cold snort, turning his head away as he panted.

"Since someone reported it, we will take you back for an investigation."

Uchiha Yashiro's expression was indifferent, and he did not bother to argue. With a wave of his hand, two members of the Police Department stepped forward to lift the wealthy man.

"Wait, what are you doing? I didn't occupy the road! You Uchiha are trying to force a confession! I want to see Hokage-sama! I want to see Hokage-sama!"

The wealthy man's expression changed dramatically as he began to shout, struggling incessantly. The onlookers were filled with anger, shouting insults, trying to reason, or threatening him, yet no one dared to cross the line.

As the crowd became increasingly agitated, a sound suddenly came from the eave of a nearby building. A masked Ninja quietly crouched there.

"Hokage-sama is already aware of this matter. Since it is just a small misunderstanding, I ask that Squad Captain Yashiro release him and not gather here to disturb the villagers."

After saying this, he performed the Body Flicker Technique and vanished, leaving the crowd staring at one another in confusion.

"Indeed, Hokage-sama knows about it so quickly."

"Thank goodness Hokage-sama is here; otherwise, someone would have been wronged by the Uchiha again."

"Those evil Uchiha, why hasn't Hokage-sama driven them away yet?"

Faced with the crowd's discussions, the young Uchiha were filled with anger, while Uchiha Yashiro remained calm, his emotions steady throughout.

"Since Hokage-sama has spoken, then let him go. Help set up his stall and disband the team."

Having been in the Police Department for decades, he had seen this kind of situation far too many times—enough for him to ignore the words that once made him furious.

Soon, the crowd began to disperse. Kai's expression was quite grim; he didn't expect that after so many years, the Police Department's situation was still so difficult.

As for Sima Yi?

He simply smiled, watching everything with great interest.

---- 

Support me on patreon for More advanced chapters up to 50 so far patreon.com/DemonWriter