Chapter 57: The Reaction of the Anbu

After taking three baton strikes to the midsection, the villagers who had given shelter to the fleeing rioters instantly regretted the decision they had made mere minutes ago.

"Officer! Stop hitting me! Stop hitting me! I have nothing to do with this!"

"You have nothing to do with this? Then why are these rioters hiding in your home?" The Military Police Force member struck him squarely across the waist with his baton without a second thought. "I say you are their accomplice! Take him away!"

When the chaos erupted, Naruto was at Ichiraku purchasing a bowl of ramen, intending to pick up an extra portion to take home for Kakashi. But the moment he stepped out the door holding the takeout box, he was greeted by the spectacle of a no-holds-barred street brawl.

"What... what on earth is happening here?" The bizarre scene left Naruto completely dumbfounded.

Although he recognized the unfortunate soul being beaten into the ground with a flurry of rapid-fire blows as a frequent offender who often hurled insults at him, his innate kindness still made him want to step forward and put in a good word for the man.

Before he could even open his mouth, however, his collar was suddenly hoisted into the air.

He spun around to find an Uchiha squad captain staring down at him with crimson, spinning Sharingan eyes.

"Where did this brat come from? Didn't you hear that the village is under a state of emergency?"

Uchiha Dōen’s action immediately alarmed the ANBU operatives assigned to protect Naruto, causing them to materialize instantly.

Yet before these newly emerged ANBU could utter a word, Dōen tossed Naruto directly into their arms. "You've arrived just in time. Escort this kid back home immediately, and don't let him wander around outside!"

"Understood." The masked ANBU nodded, accepting Naruto from Dōen's grasp. After all, the boy was the Nine-Tails' jinchūriki; when Dōen had reached out just now, they had nearly jumped out of their skins.

While the village's impromptu extreme fighting tournament was in full swing, Uchiha Dōhwan, Uchiha Fugaku, and the head of the Sixth Division, Aburame Shikai—who had been ordered to remain stationed at the Police Force headquarters—were leisurely brewing tea inside Fugaku’s office.

"Dōhwan, aren't you going to go outside and take a look?" Fugaku asked with a hint of puzzlement. Moments after issuing his orders, Dōhwan had dragged him straight in here for tea.

"I can't go out just yet," Dōhwan said with a faint smile. "Otherwise, the Third Hokage might truly lose his composure."

"Come, come, have some tea, have some tea!" Dōhwan poured a cup for each of them.

"I've often heard tales of Clan Head Dōhwan’s exquisite tea ceremony skills in the Police Force, but I never expected I'd have the opportunity to taste it myself today." Aburame Shikai smiled as he accepted the teacup handed to him by Dōhwan.

Meanwhile, the chaos spreading across the streets had already been reported to Sarutobi Hiruzen inside the Hokage’s office.

"Hiruzen, you've seen it for yourself!" Utatane Koharu, who had rushed to the Hokage's office to lodge a complaint, could barely contain herself upon hearing the ANBU's report. She stepped forward and demanded, "The Uchiha clan is actually raising their hands against the villagers! This is a blatant act of treason! Hiruzen, we can no longer hesitate!"

Listening to his old comrade's ceaseless nagging, Hiruzen felt a rising wave of irritation. He wearily waved a hand to dismiss her, then turned his gaze to the new head of the ANBU. "Where is Uchiha Dōhwan right now?"

"Lord Hokage, Uchiha Dōhwan is still at the Police Force headquarters. He has not made a move."

"Is that so?" Hiruzen nodded. "That's a relief."

Hiruzen let out a long breath. It seemed Dōhwan had no intention of staging an immediate coup d'état; otherwise, at a time when nearly the entire Police Force had been mobilized, the Uchiha clan's most formidable warrior would not have remained entirely inactive.

"Kō-Two, go invite Clan Head Uchiha Dōhwan to the Hokage Building," Hiruzen sighed, addressing the new ANBU captain who had taken over after Kakashi's retirement.

"Understood." Kō-Two gave a brief nod and vanished to carry out the order.

"Hiruzen, we truly cannot hesitate any longer! Isn't the Uchiha clan's rebellion obvious by now?" Mitokado Homura chimed in.

Hiruzen ignored the pair entirely, silently packing his tobacco into his pipe and striking a match.

"Hiruzen, you will live to regret this!" Homura stamped his foot in frustration, yet Hiruzen couldn't even be bothered to retort with a reminder of who the actual Hokage was.

It was one thing for these two old coots to habitually spout nonsense from the sidelines, but they had actually dared to orchestrate such a massive scheme behind his back without a word. Even Danzō, when engaging in comparable machinations, would at least use his influence to brief him beforehand. Yet these two had acted completely in the dark, driving Hiruzen to the brink of wanting to draw his blade and slaughter the fools the moment he heard the malicious rumors regarding Kakashi spreading through the village.

Hiruzen's original plan had been to entrust Naruto's upbringing to Kakashi, thereby securing Kakashi's absolute loyalty to the village. But what difference was there between these two idiots' clumsy maneuvering and forcibly shoving Kakashi straight into the arms of the Uchiha clan?

What left Hiruzen even more speechless was that not only had the two done the deed, but they had handled it with such crude incompetence. Now that the Police Force was seizing the opportunity to retaliate, he, as the Hokage, legally lacked even the moral standing to step in and halt them.

After all, through several previous encounters, Hiruzen understood all too well that Uchiha Dōhwan was entirely unlike any of the previous Uchiha clan heads—he was not a simpleton who could be easily hoodwinked.

After a long silence, Hiruzen finally exhaled a weary sigh and issued his command. "Deploy the ANBU. Go out and restore a semblance of order, then instruct the heads of the Yamanaka, Nara, and Akimichi clans to bring the Jonin squad to provide support."

"Understood." Another ANBU operative inside the office acknowledged the command and departed.

Before long, the relay runner reached the ANBU base, mustered all remaining personnel stationed within, and led them out onto the streets.

They had barely dispersed after reaching the main avenue when they witnessed a Police Force member hot on the heels of three fleeing rioters, brandishing his baton with vigor.

"What is the meaning of this?" An ANBU ninja stepped forward, raising a hand to mildly interrupt the Uchiha officer's chiropractic "adjustment session."

Seeing their chance, the terrified civilians scrambled desperately behind the ANBU operative's back.

"The Police Force is carrying out official duties to root out the rioters who manufactured rumors in the village, slandered Konoha's hero Hatake Kakashi, and violently resisted arrest," the intercepted officer declared. Despite being mere genin rank, he showed not a shred of fear before the ANBU operative—whose strength was at least special jonin level—and bluntly challenged him, "Do you ANBU intend to harbor these criminals?"

"So that's how it is. My mistake." Upon hearing this, the ANBU operative nodded, stepped aside, and said, "Just remember not to take any lives."

Then, to the utter disbelief of the pursued villagers, the ANBU officer vaulted over a nearby wall and vanished from sight.

Similar scenes played out across the entire village. Upon arriving at the scene and learning the Police Force's objective after a few brief inquiries, the vast majority of ANBU operatives simply chose to turn a blind eye, at most offering a mild reminder to the Police Force not to cross the line into manslaughter.