Early the next morning, Hibari's eyes fluttered open. He lay on the bed for a moment, enjoying the long-missed feeling of being home, before quickly getting up.
He had important business to attend to today. Yesterday, he had accepted a 'mission' from the Third Hokage to teach the Uchiha clan a good lesson.
After a quick wash, Hibari stood in front of his clothes rack, a sight he hadn't seen in a while. He grabbed the standard Anbu uniform and put it on.
He hung his bird mask at a slant on his head, sheathed his tachi, the Ame no Murakumo, at his waist, and fastened the large scroll to his lower back. He looked quite imposing.
He had already had dinner with his family last night and caught up with Mito and that little girl Tsunade, discussing all sorts of topics. So he didn't need to join them for breakfast today.
After grabbing a few pastries to fill his stomach, Hibari donned his shinobi tool pouch and his headband, then he put on his shoes and headed out the door.
At the same time, the entire Konohagakure woke up from its slumber, and various people began their day. The Hokage Residence also started its daily operations.
Yamanaka Harano, the head of the Intelligence Department, was in the long corridor of the Hokage Residence along with Nara Shikajin, the current head of the advisory council. The two were good friends and worked in the same building, so they usually met there every morning.
Harano Yamanaka looked at the refreshed Shikajin Nara and said with some surprise, "You're in a good mood today! What's up? Did you find a good way to deal with the Uchiha clan?"
Eizumi's recent power play was aimed directly at Shikajin's position as the head of the advisory council. If anyone was the primary victim, it was Shikajin, who had been looking grim for a while.
He had been racking his brain, trying to figure out how to counter Eizumi's power grab. But in the face of absolute power, Shikajin didn't have many good options.
Some methods might work, but he couldn't use them against people in the same village. After all, the Uchiha clan was used to acting overbearingly in Konoha, while the Nara clan, and the other two clans in their trio, had to be more cautious.
However, Shikajin seemed to be in an exceptionally good mood today, even humming a tune on his way. This puzzled Harano. What was going on? Did something good happen that he didn't know about? That shouldn't be possible; he was Konoha's eyes and ears, the head of the Intelligence Department!
Shikajin glanced at Harano. "Harano, you're not on top of things. You still don't know what happened yesterday?"
Harano was even more confused. "What happened yesterday? What happened?"
Shikajin's lips curled up slightly. "Yesterday, around noon, Hibari came back..."
Harano was stunned for a moment. "He did? I just found out. But his return isn't that surprising, is it? On the contrary, he's been traveling for three months, and with the wedding of the Hyūga clan's young master coming up in a few days, it's not surprising that Hibari would come back, considering their relationship. Why are you so happy about it?"
"Hehehe, Harano, why was I so worried before?" Shikajin asked with a chuckle.
"It was because of the Uchiha clan's trouble," Harano said without hesitation.
"Exactly. But it's not that the Hokage Residence can't deal with the Uchiha clan; it's that we've been missing a key person to represent us. Everyone before was unsuitable. But now, the right person has returned. Don't you think I have a reason to be happy?" Shikajin said with a laugh.
"The right person?" Harano murmured to himself.
He then raised an eyebrow. "Are you planning on sending Hibari to be the vanguard?"
"Vanguard? With Hibari's temper, do you think he'd go easy on the Uchiha clan? He'll probably settle everything in one go. I bet he's already on his way to the Uchiha compound. Just you wait. If we're lucky, this problem that has been plaguing the Hokage Residence for a long time will be solved today," Shikajin said, stroking his mustache with satisfaction.
"If that's the case, you'll owe Hibari a big favor..." Harano said with a chuckle.
Shikajin nodded, then shook his head. "On a personal level, that's true. But from a public standpoint, it's not the case. Hibari is the leader of the Anbu and a member of our Hokage Residence faction. This is a matter of official business..."
"That's true..." Harano nodded, then raised an eyebrow again. "You should be well aware of Eizumi's strength. Are you really that confident in Hibari?"
"Hahahaha! Eizumi is strong, but that kid's last name is Senju. He's the modern symbol of the Senju clan in the shinobi world. Don't underestimate him, okay? I have absolute confidence in Hibari!" Shikajin said with a laugh.
And it was true. The Senju clan had long since shifted from the battlefield to politics, and their influence in the shinobi world had begun to dwindle.
Even Hashirama was now focused on construction and was even preparing to become a city lord. Tobirama hardly left his house, and the little girl Tsunade hadn't grown up yet. As for Nawaki, he was just a kid.
With the First and Second Hokage both in retirement, Hibari was the face of the Senju clan in the shinobi world. Who would dare to underestimate him?
While Harano and Shikajin were discussing Hibari, Hibari himself had reached the eastern outskirts of Konohagakure, a rather secluded but well-maintained area.
It wasn't that the villagers disliked the Uchiha clan or ostracized them. On the contrary, the arrogant Uchiha clan seemed to have placed themselves in a special position and didn't mingle with the regular villagers.
That's why their compound was so secluded, unlike the Senju clan, which had chosen a location near the Hokage Residence so they could fully integrate into the village.
As Hibari walked through this area, he rarely saw any ordinary villagers. The only people on the streets were the Uchiha clan members with their fan emblems.
The Konoha Military Police Force was also connected to this area, and he would occasionally see Uchiha clan members escorting criminals in and out.
But these things were of no concern to Hibari. Today, he was here to cause a scene. As he got closer to the entrance of the Uchiha compound, Hibari adjusted his bird mask, taking on the demeanor of an Anbu on a mission.
As soon as Hibari stepped into the compound, a Uchiha clan shinobi blocked his path. "This is the Uchiha clan compound. No one is allowed to enter without permission. The clan head is not seeing any visitors today, so please turn back, Anbu-sama, and come again another day."
Hearing this, Hibari's lips curled up slightly under his mask. He didn't stop. Instead, he walked right up to the shinobi. "The Anbu is directly under the Hokage. There's no place in Konohagakure that we can't go. What's this? Do you really think the Uchiha clan is in charge of Konoha? Are you saying that you don't respect the Hokage and the Anbu?"
The Uchiha clan shinobi frowned slightly. "That's not it at all. The Uchiha clan has great respect for and supports the Hokage..."
"Then get out of my way! 'Not seeing any visitors'? Do you really think I'm here as a guest?" Hibari said with a chilling tone. He released a burst of killing intent, like a wild beast, which intimidated the Uchiha shinobi.
The Uchiha shinobi seemed to be stunned by Hibari's aura. Or perhaps, they were just so used to bullying people in Konohagakure that they had never encountered anything like this before. No one had ever dared to speak to them this way, and they were caught completely off guard.
Hibari didn't pay him any more mind and continued walking forward.
Just then, the Uchiha shinobi snapped back to reality. Seeing Hibari about to enter, he panicked. He gritted his teeth and reached out to grab Hibari.
It was a classic case of 'the one who strikes first has the advantage.' Hibari wasn't here as a guest today; he was here to cause trouble. So, of course, he wasn't going to hold back.
The moment the Uchiha shinobi reached out to grab him, Hibari didn't hesitate. He lifted his leg and kicked, not holding back any strength, and delivered a solid blow to the stomach of the Uchiha shinobi, who had no time to react.
With a dull thud, the man's face turned purple, and he spat out a mouthful of blood. He couldn't withstand the force of the blow and was sent flying backward, crashing into the welcoming pine tree at the entrance of the courtyard.
"Hmph, you asked for it!" Hibari snorted and continued to walk forward.
But before he had even walked two meters, three figures appeared in a triangular formation, surrounding him. Without a doubt, these three were Uchiha clan shinobi who had heard the commotion and rushed to the scene.
"A bird mask? The Anbu Commander, Senju Hibari? I apologize, but the Uchiha clan is not receiving guests today. You've been very offensive with your actions, but I must ask you to turn back. Please come back another time," a middle-aged Uchiha clan shinobi said in a low voice after recognizing Hibari's mask.
Eizumi wasn't an idiot. Many people knew about Hibari's return yesterday, and he, of course, knew as well. He quickly sensed that something was amiss. He didn't know why Hibari had returned at this specific time.
In his opinion, Hitenn's wedding and clan head ceremony weren't that big of a deal and had no major connection to Hibari. He just hadn't thought in that direction.
So he figured that since Hibari was the Anbu Commander, his sudden return at this time probably meant that the Third Hokage, Hiruzen, was pulling some strings behind the scenes. Therefore, to assess the situation, he had already given orders for the Uchiha clan not to receive any visitors for the next few days.
But he had thought too simply. He thought Hibari would be subtle and try to negotiate, but Hibari didn't have that kind of time to waste. He wasn't here to be a guest. Even if he was, he was an unwelcome one who had come to cause trouble! There was no way he could just be told to leave.
"I'm a patient man, so I'll say this again. Look at what I'm wearing. You should know that I'm not here as a guest. I'm here on a mission. Now, get out of my way, and after I see Eizumi, I'll decide how to deal with you guys. Otherwise, I'll take care of you first!" Hibari said arrogantly, pointing at the three with his chin.
"Hmph, you're arrogant. If the Anbu were here on a mission in the Uchiha clan compound, we should have been notified beforehand. I think you're up to something shady and might be impersonating Senju Hibari. As a member of the Konoha Military Police Force, I have the right and duty to arrest you for questioning!" the middle-aged Uchiha shinobi said in a low voice.
"Hahahaha! Such authority! I like it! That's what I'm talking about. You think I want to waste time talking to you here? If we can fight, let's not talk! The Anbu only reports to the Hokage; we don't need to explain anything to garbage like you!" Hibari said with a loud laugh.
As soon as he finished speaking, the middle-aged Uchiha shinobi motioned with his hand, and the three of them lunged at Hibari from three different angles, working together.
Hibari's lips curled up. The moment the three of them were in mid-air, a moment of perfect synchronicity before their feet touched the ground, Hibari stomped his foot, and his Monster Strength exploded. The ground within a five-meter radius instantly shattered.
The timing was perfect. It was the moment when the three of them had one foot off the ground and the other not yet landed. In the next instant, they all stumbled, and their formation broke.
Hibari didn't hesitate. A flash of lightning surrounded his body, and he activated his Lightning Release Armor. He raised his arm and delivered a powerful elbow strike to the chest of one of the men. "Elbow Bolt!"
The blow caused the man's face to turn purple, and he coughed up a mouthful of blood. He couldn't withstand the force and was sent flying backward.
Hibari had held back. After all, he was only here to put the Uchiha clan in their place and teach them a lesson. He didn't need to kill anyone. If he did, the Third Hokage, Hiruzen, wouldn't be able to clean up the mess for him.
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