Chapter 52: Making an Arrest

Uchiha Douhuan noticed Nara Shikaku's subtle movements and instantly saw through his cautious little thoughts. With a faint smile, he asked, "Advisor Nara, do you think what I'm saying is correct?"

Named by Uchiha Douhuan, Nara Shikaku understood that he could no longer remain a bystander. Biting the bullet, he replied, "What Clan Head Douhuan says certainly makes sense."

What else could he say? Could he possibly deny the Will of Fire right in front of the Third Hokage?

Sarutobi Hiruzen remained silent until he finished his pipe. Uchiha Douhuan’s constant invocation of the Will of Fire had boxed in Hiruzen, the very person who usually had those words permanently on his lips. After all, the Will of Fire was his foundational pillar and something he had to maintain at all costs. If even the Will of Fire could not be upheld, his tenure as the Third Hokage would truly be drawing to a close.

If he had been alone, he could have maneuvered around the situation. However, under the deterrent shadow of Kotoamatsukami, someone else had to be present during every face-to-face conversation with Uchiha Douhuan.

After a long while, Sarutobi Hiruzen lowered his pipe and made a compromise. "Let's do as the document states. However, Douhuan, do exercise some restraint during enforcement. After all, they are villagers of the same village."

"Understood," Uchiha Douhuan nodded. "Regarding that, the Military Police Force will strictly bind itself and adhere to the principle of amicable enforcement."

...

That very afternoon, the Military Police Force posted notices regarding the new legislation in every prominent corner of the village.

This naturally sparked a great deal of debate. A portion of the villagers reined themselves in slightly, but the majority paid it no mind.

After all, the last time the Military Police Force formally promulgated legal provisions was during the Second Hokage's era when the force was first established, and those rules concerned trivial matters. Coupled with the fact that the reputation of the Military Police Force within the village had been steadily declining in recent years, most villagers simply ignored the newly published laws. Instead, they even wove the Military Police Force into the fabric of their gossip and rumors.

"Has even the Military Police Force started acting as a mouthpiece for that murderer who hangs out with the demon fox brat?"

"Hmph, what is there to fear? We still have Lord Hokage backing us up. I don't believe they'd actually dare to arrest anyone."

...

Days passed, and Kakashi finally came to understand what his father's situation had been like back then. Every time he went out, he was subjected to the strange, ostracizing gazes of the villagers. Some of the bolder troublemakers even dared to come right up to the entrance of the Hatake family's ancestral home to throw garbage and scrawl graffiti, exactly as they had done years ago.

As for Naruto, who lived with him, he grew as furious about all this as Kakashi once had. Every time he encountered villagers speaking ill of Kakashi, he wanted nothing more than to rush up and argue with them, only to be met with the villagers' looks of absolute aversion, as if encountering a venomous scorpion.

At that moment, Kakashi finally understood why his father had chosen not to react to any of it back then. Only now did he realize that once rumors reached a certain scale, any defense appeared pale and impotent.

However, this seemingly resigned attitude naturally made the hot-tempered Naruto extremely anxious.

Unlike the White Fang incident of the past, however, the Military Police Force took action on the third day after promulgating the legislation.

That very morning, Uchiha Douhuan personally summoned all members of the Military Police Force for a meeting.

"Recently, a great deal of malicious gossip concerning former ANBU Captain Hatake Kakashi has surfaced in the village. I presume all of you are aware of this," Uchiha Douhuan said with a solemn expression from the podium. "Hatake Kakashi is a hero of our village, having rendered monumental service at the Battle of Kannabi Bridge during the Third Great Ninja War, which decided the outcome between our village and Iwagakure. Yet now, he is subjected to defamatory attacks, and the contents of these rumors are absolute nonsense!"

"Furthermore, after we issued the relevant regulations, these rumors not only failed to disappear, but instead intensified!" Uchiha Douhuan slammed his hand heavily onto the podium. "I now suspect that this matter is no longer a simple rumor! Rather, foreign hostile forces are inciting the villagers within our village in an attempt to smear the great Will of Fire of Konohagakure! In the face of such circumstances, can we, who were entrusted with high hopes by the Second Hokage, afford to sit back and do nothing?"

"No!" the crowd below roared with righteous indignation. Over the past few days, whenever squad members went out on patrol, certain troublemakers would whisper about how the Military Police Force was colluding with a murderer, filling everyone with suppressed fury.

"Ever since our Military Police Force was established at the behest of the Second Hokage, we have always been steadfast supporters of the Will of Fire! Today, I, Uchiha Douhuan, swear here under the emblem of Konohagakure on behalf of the Military Police Force! We will thoroughly investigate this matter to the end, and make those who attempt to subvert the Will of Fire through conspiracy pay the price!"

"Everyone, attention!"

With a loud shout from Uchiha Douhuan, every single member of the Military Police Force in the conference room instantly stood up and assumed the position of attention.

"Salute the village emblem!"

"Loyalty! Devotion!" all members of the Military Police Force raised their hands in a salute and shouted in unison.

"Devotion!" Uchiha Douhuan returned the salute before continuing, "Starting today, everyone will temporarily set aside their current tasks and go out to thoroughly investigate this matter. Every single person involved must face the legal punishment they rightfully deserve."

Soon, nearly six hundred members of the Military Police Force mobilized entirely. Even Uchiha Fugaku, the chief captain who had recently limited himself to managing the force's ledger, was drawn into the operation, personally leading an enforcement squad out into the streets.

The villagers had yet to realize what was actually happening and were treating the sharing of such gossip as their usual post-meal pastime.

However, the moment they began discussing topics related to the demon fox brat and the murderer, members of the Military Police Force would seemingly descend from the skies to arrest them and drag them back to the station.

In just a single morning, the Military Police Force apprehended over two thousand people. Although the vast majority of them were released after a verbal reprimand and a fine, once they disclosed who had told them the rumors, a few dozen individuals whose offenses were deemed severe were immediately thrown into the military police prison.

It was only then that the villagers of Konohagakure realized the Military Police Force was playing for keeps this time.

Soon, members of the Military Police Force also discovered that all the clues they had gathered pointed directly to the commercial districts owned by the Mitokado and Utatane clans—the very source of these rumors.