With both feet resting on the summoned ninja dog, Husky, and his head pillowed on Nohara Rin’s knees, Renji was practically radiating the stench of capitalism.
After hearing Shisui’s report, he suddenly sat upright.
"No. Actually, it was only the clan leader’s actions some time ago that seemed unusual. Recently, everything has returned to normal, but..."
Shisui scratched his distinctive flat nose.
"If you’ve got something to say, spit it out."
Renji spoke impatiently.
"Recently, many Uchiha clan members of Chunin rank and above have been gathering at the Police Force quite frequently. Whenever Itachi and I try to enter, we’re stopped."
Shisui gritted his teeth, his expression darkening.
"I don’t know... what they’re discussing."
Could they really be planning to launch a coup just like in the original story?
A thought surfaced in Renji’s mind.
During this period in the original story, Konoha was at its weakest point in history. Aside from Hiruzen Sarutobi, there was not a single other Kage-level shinobi left in the village.
Under those circumstances, if the Uchiha launched a coup, Renji couldn’t say they had a hundred percent chance of success.
But a thirty percent chance was still possible.
If they could successfully release the Nine-Tails, perhaps that chance could even rise to fifty percent.
As for whether Fugaku Uchiha could gain recognition as Hokage after the coup succeeded, that would be a matter for later.
But right now, even if Renji himself were excluded, Konoha still had Tsunade, Sakumo Hatake, and several other Kage-level combatants.
As for Hiruzen Sarutobi, who had practically become a bystander, Renji did not even bother counting him.
Fugaku Uchiha might not be particularly strong, but he wasn’t an idiot either.
Where had he gotten the courage to launch a coup under these circumstances?
"Could that bastard Obito be manipulating things from behind the scenes?"
Renji wondered.
In the Uchiha clan massacre of the original story, that guy had played an important role.
And now that Itachi already knew his true identity, it wasn’t strange for Obito to shift his target from Uchiha Itachi to Fugaku Uchiha.
Rin, who was sitting beside him, was startled.
"Obito Uchiha?!"
Shisui’s expression immediately changed. Rarely did anger appear so clearly on his features as he shouted, "Him? Wasn’t framing the Uchiha by releasing the Nine-Tails enough? Now he wants to lead the entire Uchiha clan toward destruction? That bastard!"
"Anyway, that guy doesn’t care what happens to this world. His fellow clansmen probably mean nothing to him either."
Renji sneered. He rubbed his chin and muttered to himself, "But what does he want by getting involved in this? Does he want more Sharingan? But doesn’t he already have both Mangekyo Sharingan?"
At that point, Renji looked toward Rin, who was sitting beside him with her large eyes open.
After letting out a long sigh, he pinched her cheek.
"Sigh~ A beautiful woman really is a source of trouble~"
Smack!
Rin’s face flushed red as she slapped away his wandering hand.
Hmph!
Getting the benefits and still complaining about it!
Shisui couldn’t wait any longer.
"Lord Renji, you mean Obito has recently appeared in Konoha? In other words, there’s a chance we can capture him?"
"If we can catch him before the Uchiha launch their coup, that would naturally be the best possible outcome. But I don’t know whether that guy will appear again."
Renji rubbed the space between his eyebrows and spread his hands.
"From here on, we can only leave it to fate and see whether you can catch that guy’s tail. If you can’t..."
Renji’s gaze shifted slightly to the right.
The Zanpakuto, Ryujin Jakka, was quietly resting nearby.
"You know what I’ll do, right?"
Renji asked.
Shisui’s neck moved like a machine as he firmly nodded.
...
"Mr. Renji, I’ve recently had the feeling that I’m being watched."
During dinner, the adorable little Hinata Hyuga spoke to Renji in her soft, childish voice.
Being watched?
The moment they heard those three words, everyone around the table put down their bowls and chopsticks in unison.
"Besides you, there’s actually another pervert like that?"
Tsunade raised her eyebrows and gave Renji a teasing look.
Smack!
Renji gave Tsunade a light slap under the table.
That was to tell her not to get so cocky.
Hinata had already gained a preliminary mastery of Observation Haki, and her sensory abilities had reached the level of a Chunin.
If she said she was being watched, there was probably no mistake.
Renji recalled who in the original story had shown any interest in Hinata.
Could it be some stalker who had a secret crush on her?
But after going through the possibilities in his mind, he couldn’t think of anyone suspicious.
To be honest, Renji had always been somewhat doubtful about the aesthetic preferences of Naruto’s generation.
Sakura Haruno, who was rather ordinary-looking, somehow had Naruto, Rock Lee, and a whole group of devoted admirers chasing after her.
Meanwhile, Hinata had always been treated like a transparent person.
Of course, short-haired Hinata did lack that stunning quality.
That was why, ever since Hinata was three years old, Renji had made sure she grew her hair long.
Now, during the Shippuden era, her hair reached all the way to her waist.
A perfect little beauty.
Could it be someone from Kumogakure?
Those guys had coveted the Hyuga clan’s Byakugan for a long time.
But would they really have the guts to do something like this?
"I really can’t think of who it could be. Forget it. For the next few days, stay by my side. I’ll see if I can flush the person out."
Renji yawned.
Hinata obediently nodded.
Rin, sitting nearby, looked complicated.
Why did this feel so familiar?
Wasn’t this exactly like how she used to follow Renji around like a little shadow?
And then she had been...
The past was too painful to recall.
There was less than a week left before Namikaze Minato would officially succeed Tsunade as the Fifth Hokage.
During this period, the number of times the Uchiha Police Force arrested villagers for violating laws and regulations continued to increase.
Quite a few people were thrown into the Police Force because of excessive enforcement.
Even ordinary villagers could tell that many Uchiha members in the Police Force were extremely irritable.
"It was just a drunk argument. There was no need to beat him that badly, was there?"
"Something he said must have hit a nerve with the Uchiha."
"Was it because of that Nine-Tails incident eight years ago...?"
At dusk, outside a bustling izakaya in Konoha, an Uchiha Chunin from the Police Force had beaten a drunk man severely.
The reason was that while trying to break up the fight, the drunkard had shouted, "You traitors who controlled the Nine-Tails and destroyed the village!"
Those words had completely set off the nerves of the Uchiha police officers.