Naruto: Uchiha Rejects Konoha

"Unbelievable! Did he actually drag you over to file a complaint in person?"

Yutai scratched his head in confusion, his expression shifting as he considered the idea. After all, he didn't work in the police department himself—were villagers still clinging to him with complaints?

"Not at all. On the contrary, he was almost too enthusiastic towards me. I even wondered if I'd fallen into a genjutsu…" Osamu replied, slightly exasperated. Given Uchiha's history in Konoha, Yutai's reaction wasn't unreasonable.

After all, who would have believed that villagers, who had once treated the Uchiha so coldly, would now be asking when they'd return to the police department?

If not for the deeply ingrained memories of past treatment, Osamu might have suggested to the clan leader that they reconsider their position. But he knew that was impossible; the Uchiha hadn't suffered from losing the police department. And even if they had, they'd hold strong and endure it.

In recent times, Yagami has been busy every evening discussing ideologies and explaining to the clan why the Uchiha has been targeted within Konoha. So, even though they knew some villagers genuinely wanted Uchiha back in the police department, they couldn't oblige.

Being openly targeted by Konoha's leadership, the Uchiha would never put the village's interests above their clan.

Uchiha aren't fools. Konoha only values them when convenient, and they're expected to support it without question. Only someone incredibly naive would choose Konoha over their clan.

The Uchiha have a strong foundation and can easily sustain themselves. They're living comfortably now without needing to rely on Konoha.

Soon, more Uchiha began to notice changes in the villagers' attitudes, which uplifted those who had once felt ostracized. The resentment they'd long held was finally starting to ease, leaving many Uchiha with a brighter outlook.

However, that was as far as it would go. Uchiha had no desire to return to the police department, and they certainly wouldn't be going back.

Of course, there were a few who couldn't let go of the past entirely. Yagami rejected all their applications to return to the police department, using it as an opportunity to educate them on the clan's stance, and sent them on missions with the enforcer unit instead.

If they were restless at home, clearly, they needed to stay busy. A little temptation from the villagers, and they'd almost forgotten their place as Uchiha…

"The daily random items are always either pupil power or chakra capacity. Can't we get something decent for once?"

Thanks to the Uchiha family's position, they could reliably gather feedback points. The gains were small but steady, so Yagami hadn't missed a single daily item check, though the results had been disappointing.

Sure, for the Uchiha, both pupil power and chakra were useful, but the quantities were minimal—not nearly enough to bring about any real improvements.

Putting away the ideological materials he was drafting, Yagami prepared to head over to the police department for his routine check-in.

Although Yagami didn't care about the police department, he still maintained a presence there to avoid people claiming he held the captain's position without doing anything.

As soon as he stepped out of the clan area, Yagami sensed the surveillance and raised an eyebrow.

Was it Anbu or Root? Anbu wouldn't be so obvious, which meant Danzo must be getting impatient to be spying on him so openly!

Even with Danzo gone, Root's obsession with the Uchiha hadn't died down. They'd divided their roles with the village, yet Root remained far from straightforward…

Yagami had long been aware of Anbu's surveillance, so he generally preferred staying within the clan's territory instead of at the police department.

No matter how cautious the Third Hokage was with the Uchiha, he wouldn't blatantly monitor their clan grounds. At most, he would use jutsu to gather basic information during their monthly clan meetings.

After all, even though ninjas belonged to Konoha, they were a relatively independent group. As Hokage, he couldn't just invade their privacy!

Since Uchiha left the police department, Anbu's surveillance had decreased. Suppressing the Uchiha was only secondary for the Third Hokage, and now that they had relinquished their last bit of authority, as long as they behaved, he seemed content to keep the balance.

With this in mind, Yagami decided to be less polite. He turned and activated his Mangekyō Sharingan, locking eyes with the Root shinobi. The three Root operatives were instantly ensnared by his overwhelming ocular power.

As they had been intently watching him, none of them had anticipated that he'd suddenly turn and cast an illusion!

Mangekyō Sharingan's illusions were already formidable, and Yagami's prowess made them even stronger. It was no surprise these Root shinobi fell into it.

Without hesitation, he threw three shurikens, each one striking the brow of a Root member.

Although Root and Anbu performed similar tasks and operated with tacit approval, Root was fundamentally different.

Anbu was a unit established by every Hokage and officially registered within the village, but Root was entirely illegal, and its members were unregistered.

Root's continued existence depended on backdoor deals between the Third Hokage and Danzo. The village shinobi were forced to accept Root's presence and even cooperate whenever Danzo requisitioned personnel.

Since there was no official record of these individuals and no way to verify them publicly, Yagami saw no reason not to eliminate them.

Even if Danzo tried to make an issue of it, he'd be unable to provide any proof of their identities.

After all, if Danzo insisted these people were Root members, he'd have to present evidence. Without it, the Uchiha could simply claim they were enemy spies.

In short, while the village tacitly acknowledged Root's existence, it didn't officially recognize it.

Moreover, everyone who joined Root underwent Danzo's brainwashing, pledging loyalty only to him. If they were killed, so be it.

Given Danzo's stance toward the Uchiha, each Root member likely had Uchiha blood on their hands.

A distant Anbu operative monitoring the Uchiha clan swallowed nervously, having witnessed everything.

They knew Uchiha Yagami was a Jōnin and that Uchiha Jōnin were powerful, but they hadn't expected him to eliminate a Root team in a single glance.

After all, there wasn't much difference between Anbu and Root in terms of skill. This meant Yagami could eliminate them just as easily.

As the Anbu captain pondered how to report this to the Third Hokage, he suddenly noticed a pair of crimson Sharingan staring directly at him from afar, and he broke into a cold sweat.

"Three spies were lurking in Konoha to monitor the Uchiha clan. They've been eliminated. Is there anyone to clean up?"

Yagami called out casually, never taking his gaze off Anbu.

Feeling Yagami's mocking look, the Anbu captain realized the Uchiha intended to provoke the Hokage's trusted advisors…

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