After a stretch of seemingly peaceful days—
On this particular day, Uchiha Aoki and Uchiha Yamakaze were out on their routine patrol.
"It's so dull without the Captain around…"
Aoki couldn't help lamenting.
Yamakaze rolled his eyes at him. "Aren't you the one who always complained that the Captain was too extreme? That he never took the bigger picture into account and was always causing trouble for the Uchiha clan and the Police Force?"
Aoki broke out in a cold sweat, hurriedly covering Yamakaze's mouth.
"Shhh! Don't talk nonsense. If the Captain hears that, I'm done for! Besides, I wasn't the only one who complained. You did too, remember?"
Yamakaze pried his hand away and huffed. "That was me being naive. Now I completely understand the Captain. It's clear his methods are the right ones."
Aoki nodded as well. "Ugh. I wonder when the Captain will come back… Hokage-sama, though…"
They both fell silent at that point, exchanging a knowing look.
Just then—
A commotion broke out ahead, as though some kind of skirmish had erupted. The two glanced at each other.
"Let's go!"
Although both were still young, they'd been working under Chiyu for a long time; they had decent eyes and made quick decisions.
The scene they came upon was shocking: Five or six Konoha shinobi—none of whom Aoki or Yamakaze recognized—were viciously beating a female ninja. They struck with unrelenting blows, fists raining down like a storm, battering her relentlessly. Her shrieks echoed in gut-wrenching agony.
Moreover, although these five or six men wore Konoha forehead protectors, Aoki and Yamakaze had no idea who they were.
"Stop!"
Unable to hold back, Aoki yelled and rushed forward to halt the atrocity. Yamakaze, though worried, had no choice but to follow his lead with a sigh.
"Who are you people?!"
"What do you think you're doing?!"
One of the group glanced up coldly. "Police Force, is it? This is none of your business! Mind your own affairs. Now scram!"
With that, he resumed beating the woman without hesitation.
"H-Help… me…" the female ninja pleaded, her voice raw with misery.
Aoki's blood boiled. He let out a furious roar, sending a volley of shuriken flying at the attackers.
Thud! Thud! Thud!
Shocked, the group dodged back, giving Aoki the opening to dash forward and shield the woman.
"Are you all right?"
"N-no… not really. Th-thank you…"
When Aoki caught a good look at her injuries—her face bloodied and swollen, blood streaming from her nose, mouth, and ears—rage seethed inside him.
"You bastards… who are—"
But he hadn't even finished speaking when—
"Aoki, watch out!"
Yamakaze hurtled in, trying desperately to block in front of Aoki. It was already too late.
A blade flashed coldly, a lethal glint!
"Aaaah!"
Two shrieks cut through the air. Yamakaze's arm was slashed off with a single swing—and that still didn't halt the blade's piercing momentum as it stabbed brutally into Aoki's back.
Splurt!
A stabbing agony tore through him, and Aoki coughed up mouthfuls of blood. He struggled to turn his head and saw that same "battered" female ninja now grinning like some demonic creature, her face smeared with blood.
"Much obliged… you gullible fool," she sneered.
With that, she darted away at lightning speed.
The "Konoha shinobi" cursed angrily, calling after Aoki and Yamakaze, "Damn you, Police Force! That woman was a spy from the Bloody Mist! You helped her slip away from us in the Anbu— What, are you plotting treason?!"
Aoki and Yamakaze's faces turned as white as paper. Despite the searing pain, understanding struck them in a wave. They'd been set up. Everything had been a trap, waiting for them to blunder right in.
Those so-called Anbu then put on a show of chasing after the "spy." No one spared the wounded duo so much as a glance.
"Hey! Aoki! Aoki! Are you okay?"
"Hang on, I'll get you to the hospital…"
Aoki managed a bitter laugh. "Yamakaze… your arm…"
"Damn it, it's just an arm! Your injuries—"
Aoki shook his head. "I was so stupid. I rushed in like an idiot and fell right into such an obvious trap… Sorry, I dragged you into this…"
"Don't talk nonsense!"
Aoki's tears spilled out. "I… I really regret not learning anything from Captain Chiyu after all this time. It's humiliating…"
Yamakaze roared in frustration. Ignoring his left arm's gushing blood, he scooped Aoki up with his one remaining arm and raced toward Konoha's hospital.
"Shut up and hang in there! It's just a little farther!"
Aoki gave a faint smile. With each jolt of Yamakaze's stride, more blood sprayed from Aoki's mouth, painting the ground red behind them…
…
Not long afterward—
Sarutobi Shinnosuke arrived at the Police Force headquarters with a squad of Anbu, demanding accountability.
"Patriarch Fugaku."
Uchiha Fugaku had already heard the story of Aoki and Yamakaze and was seething with anger. But now he had to face Shinnosuke's false charges on top of everything else. He clenched his fists, knuckles popping.
"What do you want?"
He forced down his rage, forcing each word through gritted teeth.
Shinnosuke gave a cold, satisfied smirk.
"Your Police Force interfered with an Anbu operation and nearly let a spy from Kirigakure slip away! You owe us an explanation!"
Fugaku's eyes blazed, as though about to spew fire. "And what explanation do you want?"
Shinnosuke let out a derisive snort. "I hear those two were part of Uchiha Chiyu's unit. Since that jōnin captain of theirs has already been suspended for his extreme actions, and now his subordinates are just as reckless, nearly causing a catastrophe, it proves that his entire squad is rotten from top to bottom.
"It must be disbanded—immediately!"
All the Uchiha officers present turned pale with rage. It was obviously a direct attack on Chiyu.
"In addition," Shinnosuke continued, "every one of Chiyu's subordinates must submit to an Anbu interrogation. Not a single one is exempt!"
At last, Fugaku exploded. "Sarutobi Shinnosuke, you're going too far!"
"Too far?"
Behind the eerie Anbu mask, Shinnosuke's eyes gleamed like a vulture's—cold, cruel, and bloodthirsty.
"It's your Police Force that meddled in an Anbu mission! You nearly let a dangerous Kirigakure spy get away—who's to say Uchiha Chiyu and his men aren't Kirigakure's agents themselves?! If you shield them, Patriarch Fugaku, it only proves you're complicit!"
Fugaku's body trembled with fury. "You—!"
The police force officers around him were similarly enraged, their chakra flaring, instantly surrounding Shinnosuke and the Anbu.
Shinnosuke stared back, eyes flickering with killing intent.
"What now, Patriarch Fugaku? Are you Uchiha truly planning to rebel?!"