Asuma, at that moment, couldn't believe his ultimate move had been dodged. He had been just a hair's breadth away from blasting the man to smithereens. Although the buildings on both sides of the street had been hit by his ninjutsu, he had no time to worry about such things now. He had only one thought in his mind: kill him.
He began kneading his chakra again, preparing to release the technique once more. It was the only move he had that could harm his opponent; in terms of taijutsu, he was completely outmatched.
Ryōsuke, however, clearly noticed Asuma's actions. 'He's trying to use that jutsu again.' He couldn't let him do as he pleased. He immediately activated the Demonic Illusion: Shackling Stakes Technique.
An invisible wave of power shot directly toward Asuma. Asuma's eyes were furiously locked on Uchiha Ryōsuke, carefully watching his every move so his next ninjutsu would hit its mark and not be dodged.
But suddenly, his body froze. He was pulled into a red world, four large iron stakes pinning his body, rendering him immobile.
He finally began to curse. "Bastard! To think I fell for his genjutsu!"
But no matter how much he cursed in the illusory world, Uchiha Ryōsuke had no intention of entering it.
Such a large commotion naturally attracted the members of the Uchiha Military Police Force. The one leading the team was Uchiha Inabi. He saw the disastrous state of the street: the buildings on both sides were destroyed, and there were many injured people among the rubble.
Two people stood in the center of the street: one was Uchiha Ryōsuke, and the other appeared to be the Third Hokage's son. He hurried over to Ryōsuke. "Ryōsuke, what happened here?"
Ryōsuke explained the situation directly. "Sarutobi Asuma attacked me and used a large-scale destructive ninjutsu."
Hearing this, Inabi was enraged. 'He dared to attack a member of our Uchiha clan? The nerve! And he caused so much destruction to the street. He clearly has no respect for the Uchiha.'
But when he thought about arresting the man, he hesitated. This was the Third Hokage's son. If he arrested him, wouldn't that mean the conflict between the Uchiha clan and the Hokage would directly intensify?
He couldn't help but ask Ryōsuke, "Ryōsuke, what should we do now?"
Ryōsuke was now the backbone of their hardline faction.
Ryōsuke said irritably, "Arrest him, of course. Throw him directly into prison. Haven't you seen the reactions of the people around us? And the injured on the ground?"
Immediately, a nearby homeowner, still nursing his wounds, chimed in. "Please, throw this man in prison!"
"That's right! The ninjutsu he used not only injured me, but it also destroyed my house!"
"He's committed such a major crime! Is your Military Police Force not going to arrest him just because he's the Third Hokage's son?"
Hearing these pleas and complaints, Inabi shot them a glare. "Who said we weren't going to arrest him?"
Since Ryōsuke had given the order and the villagers shared the sentiment, then of course they would arrest him. Besides, even if he was the Hokage's son, he had committed a major crime this time. Maintaining public order in the village was the Uchiha clan's responsibility.
Under Inabi's command, the other police members who had arrived immediately took out ropes and bound Sarutobi Asuma, who was still trapped in the genjutsu.
Inabi then gave Ryōsuke a nod and prepared to head to the Military Police headquarters. Asuma had committed the crime, and his job was only to arrest him. The subsequent trial would be handled by the Military Police Captain, Uchiha Fugaku.
Just then, a voice called out from a distance. "Stop right there."
The Uchiha police members halted and looked toward the newcomer. The person was wearing a Konoha combat uniform, with white hair and a mask. It was clearly a member of the village's Anbu, under the direct command of the Third Hokage.
The man was Kakashi. He had heard the explosion and told the others to continue monitoring Naruto while he rushed over to see what had happened. He never expected the perpetrator to be Asuma. From the lingering ash in the air, he knew it was most likely Asuma's doing. But he was, after all, the Third Hokage's son and a classmate from his childhood. Being arrested would be a great humiliation.
He looked at the crowd and then approached Ryōsuke. "Ryōsuke, can you hand this matter over to the Anbu for us to handle?"
Uchiha Ryōsuke shot him a look and said calmly, "Hand him over to the Anbu? What kind of punishment would that be? He not only blew up an entire street, he also tried to kill me. Do you think I'm going to let him go?"
Hearing this, Kakashi's eyes widened behind his mask. 'No way. My old classmate couldn't be that irrational, could he? Although he was famous for being reckless back in the academy...'
"Could there be some misunderstanding?"
Ryōsuke didn't bother explaining himself. "Go ask the people around you. You'll know the truth."
Kakashi looked at the bystanders who had gathered. A passerby immediately spoke up. "What this Uchiha said is true! Asuma attacked with killing intent from the very beginning. He was clearly trying to take a life. And after he was defeated, he still used such a large-scale ninjutsu. You can't let him off easy this time!"
Fortunately, he hadn't been hurt by the ninjutsu, but he had been thoroughly terrified.
Hearing this, Kakashi's expression darkened. This was going to be difficult. Attacking a fellow village ninja and destroying a street, injuring so many people in the process... both were serious crimes.
But as an Anbu under the Hokage, if he wanted to maintain his standing with the Third, he had to push the issue. He said seriously, "Please, hand him over to us. I believe Lord Hokage will give you and these victims a satisfactory explanation."
Hearing this, a flicker of anger rose in Ryōsuke's heart. His crimson Sharingan glowed, its visual power pressing down. "It seems the Hokage's Anbu doesn't know its place. Have you all forgotten that maintaining the village's public order is the responsibility of the Uchiha clan? Not even the Third Hokage can interfere in our affairs."
Kakashi looked into those Sharingan, which emanated an astonishing visual power, and felt immense pressure. 'Is he planning to attack me?' He pulled down his left eye patch, revealing a red, three-tomoe Sharingan of his own to counter the pressure. It helped a little.
Although what Ryōsuke said was reasonable—even the Third Hokage couldn't interfere—that was the Uchiha clan of the past. After the Nine-Tails Rampage, the Uchiha no longer held such absolute power.