“You!!”
Hiruzen Sarutobi almost choked on his next breath, his hand pointing at Genya trembling.
“Who gave the Uchiha the right to publicly arrest people on the street and execute them privately without a trial!”
Hiruzen Sarutobi was indeed a crafty old fox; knowing that the man could not be saved, he could only find a way to throw mud at the Uchiha.
He had to achieve at least one of his two goals.
Genya’s tone grew slightly colder:
“Lord Third, please mind your words.
It is not ‘the Uchiha’, but the Police Force.”
“As for who gave the Police Force its authority, it was of course Lord Tobirama Senju, the Second Hokage.”
“Back when the Second Lord was still alive, he once affectionately said to the members of the Police Force: ‘Maintaining Konoha’s peace and order depends on you.'”
“That scene of vibrant vitality and everything competing for growth is still fresh in my mind.”
“As a successor of the Will of Fire, I must naturally carry out his policies and principles to the letter.”
Hiruzen Sarutobi was almost laughing out of sheer anger.
“The teacher never said such things.
On the contrary…”
Suddenly, Hiruzen Sarutobi’s voice came to a halt.
Genya, meanwhile, felt a bit disappointed; the old fox truly was an old fox.
Some things could be said but not done, and some things could be done but not said.
Although the Konoha higher-ups’ hostility and vigilance toward the Uchiha were practically common knowledge, it didn’t mean such things could be casually uttered by Hiruzen Sarutobi.
Once spoken, the entire Uchiha clan would know the schemes of the higher-ups.
By then, even an outstanding Uchiha like Shisui might not necessarily remain on the same side as him.
In the end, Shisui’s goal was not for Konoha, but for the Uchiha.
Shisui was not like Itachi; fundamentally, he still stood with the clan.
At this thought, Hiruzen Sarutobi broke out in a cold sweat.
His gaze toward Genya no longer held the previous contempt for the younger generation.
How terrifying.
He had almost fallen into a trap of self-justification just now.
Come to think of it, Genya seemed to have avoided falling into his verbal traps from the very beginning, clearly distinguishing between the Uchiha clan and the Police Force.
These two were not the same concept.
If the Uchiha clan were randomly arresting people on the street, they would be an arrogant, naturally evil clan.
But if it were the Police Force, at most they could be labeled with ‘violent law enforcement,’ and even that label might not necessarily stick.
The Police Force was inherently a department of force; the Anbu only had the power to investigate and summons the Police Force, but no power of enforcement.
“I won’t bicker with a junior like you.
Tell Uchiha Fugaku to come out!”
Realizing he might not be a match for Genya in a battle of words, Hiruzen Sarutobi decisively called for a change of players.
Although Genya was young, his methods were incredibly seasoned, and he was skilled at framing arguments—far more difficult to deal with than Fugaku, who only knew how to make endless compromises.
At this moment, Fugaku also walked over.
Having witnessed the entire process, he stood behind Genya with his hands behind his back, saying nothing.
Seeing Fugaku’s attitude, Hiruzen Sarutobi knew he was there to back Genya up.
Taking a deep breath, Hiruzen Sarutobi spoke slowly:
“What is it that you Uchiha want to do?”
He still didn’t directly say the word ‘rebellion,’ but Fugaku understood his meaning.
But unexpectedly, Fugaku—who usually just tried to muddle through and make concessions whenever this topic arose—was uncharacteristically firm this time.
Knowing that Konoha was actually afraid of an Uchiha rebellion, Fugaku had become quite bold in his speech with Hiruzen Sarutobi.
He remembered what Genya had once told him: at a time like this, just stare at the opponent without speaking and play the mystery card.
Fugaku’s former moniker was ‘Wicked Eye Fugaku.’ Although it was somewhat of an exaggeration, the killing intent honed on the battlefield was unmistakable.
Stared down by those Three-Tomoe Sharingan of Uchiha Fugaku, Hiruzen Sarutobi’s Adam’s apple bobbed.
Unlike Hiruzen Sarutobi, whose body was already in decline, Fugaku was at a ninja’s prime fighting age.
Moreover, his reputation had been truly forged through slaughter on the battlefield.
Hiruzen Sarutobi now felt a twinge of regret for rushing into the Uchiha clan’s territory alone without bringing the Anbu.
If Fugaku had a lapse in judgment, wouldn’t his old bones be finished right here?
“…Fugaku, calm down for a moment.
If there’s something to say, let’s sit down and talk it over properly.”
In the end, it was actually Hiruzen Sarutobi who first buckled under the pressure and made a concession.
Fugaku caught a glimpse of Genya out of the corner of his eye.
Genya’s expression hadn’t changed once, as if he had anticipated exactly how Hiruzen Sarutobi would react.
Fugaku had to admit now that Genya’s approach was extremely effective.
Appropriately showing one’s fangs really could make certain potential opponents learn how to speak civilly.
Setting everything else aside, seeing Hiruzen Sarutobi acting as if he were facing a formidable foe and being the first to compromise gave Fugaku a sense of secret satisfaction.
Seeing Hiruzen Sarutobi take a step back, Genya immediately pressed the advantage:
“Lord Second entrusted the critical department of the Konoha Police Force to the Uchiha because of his trust in our clan!”
“How has it been less than twenty years, and someone already dares to face-to-face question the fairness of the Konoha Police Force?”
“This isn’t just suppressing the Police Force; this is a blatant slap to the Second Lord’s face!”
Uchiha Genya invoked the Police Force one moment and the Second Hokage the next; Hiruzen Sarutobi couldn’t even manage a rebuttal.
Ninjas are part of a profession that places great importance on lineage; if he said something slightly off and Uchiha Genya twisted it into dissatisfaction with his teacher, what would become of the reputation he’d painstakingly cultivated for all these years?
Uchiha Genya’s verbal output continued.
He looked at Hiruzen Sarutobi meaningfully, a thin smile on his face as he said:
“Lord Third, everything the Police Force does is for the village!”
As soon as those words were uttered, not just Hiruzen Sarutobi, but even Fugaku couldn’t help but glance at Genya.
Brat, why do you sound so much like Danzo?
Hiruzen Sarutobi’s eyelid twitched.
He now had a sudden urge to go back and beat Danzo within an inch of his life.
Who told you to keep those words on the tip of your tongue all the time?
Even the evil Uchiha have learned this trick!
If the Uchiha clan, with their immense martial power, became as unscrupulous as Danzo…
Hiruzen Sarutobi realized he had subconsciously broken out in a cold sweat.
Seeing Hiruzen Sarutobi look so startled, the corners of Genya’s mouth rose as he continued:
“In any case, that spy has already confessed, and even the procedures have been completed.
I wonder what further advice you have, Lord Third?”
Hiruzen Sarutobi felt incredibly stifled right now.
He had actually been lectured by a junior to the point where he was at a loss for words.
It was true—the man was dead now, and saying anything more was useless.
However, he would remember the humiliation he suffered today.
He would definitely pay it back many times over in the future!