Chapter 54 : Trouble??

"Fugaku? The Uchiha clan leader used excessive force?"

Hiruzen Sarutobi never expected the complaint this time to be about Uchiha Fugaku. Originally, it was aimed at Uchiha Kinya's new police force team, but somehow it ended up involving Fugaku.

"Hmph, it seems Fugaku hasn't learned his lesson. Still using violent methods."

"He hit you?" Hiruzen frowned, looking at the injured young man's bandaged arm. His voice carried a note of hesitation. "Were there any other injuries?"

"Yes, there are two more victims outside on stretchers!" The man with the bandaged arm looked at Hiruzen and started to complain tearfully. "Lord Hokage, we were just talking to a friend's wife. That's no reason to be beaten like this, right? We're innocent!"

The man's emotional outburst was so intense that even Uchiha Shisui, standing behind, began to feel a little sympathetic.

"Are all the injured outside?" Hiruzen's tone held a trace of surprise. It seemed like they had done a thorough job, bringing all the victims with them.

"Yes, there are too many people, so they couldn't all fit in!" The young man with the injured arm nodded and continued, "Please, Lord Third, come and see for yourself and bring us justice!"

"Let's go take a look," Hiruzen nodded, waving his sleeve as he walked leisurely toward the exit, puffing smoke rings as he went.

When they reached the lower level, they saw a large crowd—nearly a hundred people. Two individuals on stretchers were pushed to the front, with more Uchiha police officers standing behind them, along with their clan leader, Fugaku.

At this moment, Fugaku and the others looked grim. He had brought over a dozen men to patrol a small area, staying vigilant and cautious around the civilians, but he hadn't expected this outcome—they had been surrounded.

If this kept happening, the Uchiha Police Force wouldn't be able to continue.

"Lord Hokage, you must stand up for us!"

"We were bullied by the Uchiha police! They used excessive force and left us crippled!"

"They used violent methods!"

"Ouch… I think my ribs are broken!"

"Lord Hokage, you must punish these people properly!"

The moment they saw Hiruzen Sarutobi, the injured men on the stretchers began to cry out, blaming the Uchiha police for everything, claiming it was all their fault.

Fugaku and the others were at a loss for words, unsure of what to say.

Hiruzen looked at the pitiful state of the injured, then turned to Fugaku. "Fugaku, your violent enforcement seems to have gone too far. How could you injure these civilians so badly?"

"Lord Hokage, we saw them harassing a woman while on patrol, so we stepped in to stop them!" Uchiha Fugaku explained, his face filled with frustration. He rarely patrolled the streets with the others, but this time, he decided to join on a whim.

Along the way, they encountered some people harassing a woman, so he led his men to intervene.

However, these arrogant individuals not only showed no fear but also continued to provoke the officers and insult the Uchiha clan. Fugaku couldn't stand it anymore and decided to take action to stop the hooligans.

Unfortunately, he may have been a bit too forceful, and now they were bringing a few civilians along with the troublemakers to the Hokage's office.

"Harassing a woman? Where is this woman?" Hiruzen Sarutobi took a puff of his pipe, his tone carrying doubt. "I want to question her myself!"

The crowd parted.

A plainly dressed woman entered, her eyes brimming with tears as she wiped them away.

"Did they harass you?" Hiruzen asked, looking directly at the woman. He spoke each word carefully, and everyone around perked up their ears, eager to understand the full story.

Fugaku placed his hopes on the woman. As long as she testified, there was still a chance to resolve things.

"I don't know!" the woman sobbed, shaking her head. She even cast a fearful glance at Fugaku, as if too terrified to continue.

Hiruzen took a deep breath. "Don't be afraid. Tell us what happened, and I will support you."

Only then did the woman nod and nervously continue. "My husband and I were walking along the road when the police force suddenly attacked him for no reason. Now he's severely injured and still lying on a stretcher!"

As she spoke, the woman gently placed her hand on the stretcher, lightly stroking the injured man's body.

The man on the stretcher let out a pitiful groan in response.

"No way, it's true! The Uchiha police force used excessive force!"

"They beat people for no reason!"

"They're violent!" 

"Lord Hokage, you must punish them!" 

"They need to be punished!"

The civilians, hearing the woman's accusation, looked at Fugaku and the others with disdain, full of disgust.

Their dissatisfaction with Fugaku was obvious.

"You—" Fugaku could barely contain himself after hearing the woman's words, nearly spitting up blood in anger.

Just a moment ago, this same woman had asked for their help in a secluded corner, and that's why they had intervened. He never expected her to slander them like this.

If she had been a member of the Uchiha clan, he would have dealt with her by now.

"Fugaku, are you going to take action again?" Sarutobi Hiruzen quietly reminded Fugaku, noticing his agitation.

"Lord Hokage, she called for our help, which is why we came to assist her, but now she's turned against us!" Fugaku quickly explained. However, at this moment, no matter how much he explained, it felt futile—no one believed him.

Listening to the whispers around them, the other Uchiha clan members felt disheartened. They genuinely wanted to save that woman, yet she had wronged them.

Their hearts felt cold—ice-cold.

"Fugaku, you were indeed a bit too rough. Now that the situation has occurred, let's handle it properly and avoid damaging the reputation of the Uchiha clan!" 

Seeing how the situation had escalated, Sarutobi Hiruzen tried to mediate, shifting the blame for the violent enforcement onto Fugaku and the others. 

He then pretended to be the good guy and continued, "Fugaku, treat their injuries, apologize, and compensate them a little!"

"Compensate?" Fugaku had grown numb to the word and replied directly, "How much?"

"Lord Hokage, we were wronged! We were attacked without reason, and we demand at least 100,000 ryo for each person!" The husband of the woman on the stretcher spoke weakly, but his voice was especially clear when it came to money.

100,000 ryo for each person?

Fugaku's brows twitched. Were they really asking for that much?

"You're asking for too much!" Sarutobi Hiruzen's expression suddenly turned cold as he scolded the man. He then stated firmly, "I will say a number—how about 50,000 ryo for each person?"

The injured individuals exchanged glances, their expressions brightening slightly, but they still pretended to be troubled as they replied, "Since Lord Hokage has spoken, we will follow your instructions!"

As the three agreed, everyone else turned their gaze toward Fugaku, seemingly waiting for his response.

Fugaku felt a bit helpless, but with so many eyes on him, he could only stiffly nod, "I will compensate according to Lord Hokage's suggestion!"

And so it was!

This month's salary for the Police Force was almost gone!

After resolving the matter, Fugaku took the three injured people to the hospital and returned to the guard station with his team, feeling heavy-hearted.

"Clan Leader, we can't keep going like this! Our salary for this month is already depleted!" One person stepped forward, speaking in a low voice filled with frustration.

Fugaku took a deep breath and replied helplessly, "The Uchiha clan is currently under scrutiny; we need to be more low-key. In the future, handle things with others present!"

Although he said this, he was thinking…

The Uchiha Police team from Kinya was unsure how much trouble they would face today, likely getting into even more mess.

He was waiting for those people to come for help.

As a few members returned to the Police Force, he suddenly spotted two familiar figures: Uchiha Shin.

At that moment, Uchiha Shin was escorting a bloodied man into the Police Force. From the looks of his injuries, it didn't seem light.

"Yamano Sandan?" Uchiha Fugaku recognized the injured man, raising an eyebrow. He continued, "Uchiha Shin, did you do this?"

This Yamano Sandan was much more troublesome than those other people.

Looks like the Uchiha Kinya's Merchant Association Police Force was in for some trouble. Heh.

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