The Happy Fourth Elder

Konoha's Third Street, a bustling commercial avenue, had bars, restaurants, hot springs, and gambling houses. Crowded areas like this often saw disputes, especially on commercial streets like this one, usually patrolled by a squad of Uchiha Police Force members. But today, they were nowhere to be seen.

At that moment, a drunk man was thrown out of a bar, reeking of alcohol.

The bar owner stepped out. "Are you Causing trouble after drinking and trying to skip out on the bill?"

The drunk hiccuped. "What's the big deal? It's just one tab."

"Refusing to pay, huh? Beat him up!" The owner summoned two attendants to start hitting the drunk.

After a while, the drunk's face was swollen and bruised. A crowd gathered to watch. Usually, the Police Force would quickly arrive at the scene of a fight, but today, there was no sign of them, and the crowd enjoyed the spectacle.

After some time, the drunk struggled to his feet, fuming as villagers pointed and murmured about him. He cursed and walked away.

About ten minutes later, the drunk returned, holding a jug, likely filled with more alcohol. But he seemed dazed and moved mechanically. Instead of drinking, he stuffed the jug's mouth with cloth, lit it, and threw it at the bar's entrance.

With a loud bang, flames spread quickly from the ignited liquor, initially small. A masked, white-clad Root member secretly performed a jutsu from the shadows.

Wind Release: Great Breakthrough!

He carefully controlled the chakra, blowing a gust of wind over the flames, causing the fire to spread rapidly across the wooden structure. Chaos erupted.

After some time, a passing chunin used a Water Release jutsu to extinguish the fire. The bar's entrance was charred black, and the signboard was destroyed. Though no one was hurt, the bar would have to close for several days.

The drunk, suddenly snapping out of his daze, didn't understand what had happened but slipped away in the chaos.

The bar owner cursed loudly. "Damn Police Force, always patrolling when there's nothing wrong. Now that there's trouble, they're nowhere to be found. I'm going to file a complaint!"

...

The bar owner rushed to the Konoha Police Force headquarters, only to find many others to file complaints. However, they left quickly, looking puzzled.

When it was finally his turn, the bar owner pushed open the door to see Uchiha Hinata sitting at his desk leisurely.

"Elder Hinata! I want to file a complaint!"

Uchiha Hinata placed a complaint form in front of him. "What are you complaining about?"

The bar owner explained, "I'm complaining that no Police Force members were there to handle a security issue at my place."

"Oh? Which place and what's your business?"

"I'm on Third Street, the Clear Water Bar."

Hinata sifted through a stack of complaint forms. "Found it."

He pulled out a complaint form. "Your area's security is handled by the Ninth Police Squad, led by Uchiha Yoshu, Daiba, and Riku. They've been suspended, so no one is currently patrolling your area."

"What?! Why were they suspended?" The bar owner was stunned. Are Uchiha members getting suspended?

"You should know. A week ago, there was a disturbance at your bar. You had some troublemakers beaten up. The Ninth Police Squad arrested everyone involved, and you filed a complaint about excessive force. Remember?"

The bar owner suddenly recalled the incident. He had complained after his attendants were arrested for beating up troublemakers.

"Uh, I think they were actually pretty good. Can I retract my complaint?"

Fourth, Elder Hinata waved his hand. "That's not possible. Our Deputy Clan Leader has implemented new clan regulations."

"All Uchiha clan members must maintain good relations with villagers. If our members make mistakes, they must be suspended and reflect on their actions."

The bar owner felt bitter. The Police Force had been so responsive before. Why had he been so foolish?

"When will the new Police Force be assigned?"

Hinata reassured him. "Don't worry. We'll reassign personnel and ensure the Police Force's deployment soon."

...

Leaving the Police Force headquarters, the bar owner felt something was off. Complaints usually left him feeling relieved, but today, it felt like punching a cushion that had needles hidden inside. He left feeling dejected.

...

After handling complaints all day, Fourth Elder Hinata felt refreshed. He vaguely understood the Deputy Clan Leader's intentions. Usually, dealing with complaints exhausted him, but today, seeing those aggressive complainers leave dejected was satisfying.

Hinata couldn't help but laugh.

...

What is Uchiha up to?

Obito, wearing his mask, appeared in the Uchiha clan compound. He had witnessed last night's events but couldn't understand Fugaku's motives. Was it all for an ordinary clan member's Sharingan?

They had retrieved the Sharingan, but many Police Force members were suspended. Was Fugaku trying to curry favour with the Third Hokage? Had he sided with the doves?

The compound was now more populated than usual. Next time, he would need to be more cautious.

It's time to send the Hidden Mist to investigate.

Seeing no helpful information, space distorted, and Obito left.

...

Hidden Mist Village

After being scared off by Uchiha Shisui last time, Ao was ridiculed. Now, the Elder's orders demanded he investigate Konoha again and, if possible, capture the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki.

Most of Konoha's Uchiha Police Force members had been replaced. Shisui had been attacked by Danzo and had his Sharingan stolen. Although Danzo returned it, Shisui and the village were likely at odds now.

These events in Konoha had quickly reached the Hidden Mist Village despite the vast distance. Information travelled swiftly because the current Elder had risen to power due to his exceptional intelligence-gathering abilities.

The people of Hidden Mist believed the Elder commanded a secret unit dedicated to gathering information about the ninja world, which earned him great respect.

Ao saw this as a great opportunity and quickly assembled his team to set out.