Yet just after Ryuji Hyuga's figure disappeared at the end of the street, something changed. Under the influence of an unseen power, the villagers who had been all smiles suddenly cooled, and the resentment they had suppressed rose again like settled silt. The woman who had smiled most eagerly while stuffing fruit into Ryuji Hyuga's hands glanced at the four from the Uchiha Clan who were about to leave.
Her tone shifted, sounding deliberately casual but loud enough for them to hear. "Sigh, now that is a real hero who risked his life for the village. Hurt so badly, yet still so gentle and humble, not arrogant at all." Someone nearby followed up, glancing toward the four in the distance and raising their voice with a laugh. "Exactly. With those achievements and that bearing. Not like certain cowards."
"They only hide in the back, throwing their weight around and bullying their own people. In truth, they probably do not even have the courage to go to the battlefield." By the end, guided by that invisible malice, his contempt was no longer concealed. "Shh, keep it down," someone said with a fake smile, loud enough for everyone to hear. "If certain people hear you, they'll come looking for trouble again."
Laughter mixed with low chatter spread through the crowd like poisoned needles, sharply stabbing toward the four from the Uchiha who had stopped once more. Inabi Uchiha felt blood rush to his head, his ears ringing as his vision blurred and twisted. Any earlier bitterness or reluctant admiration toward Ryuji Hyuga was instantly swallowed by overwhelming rage and humiliation.
"What did you say?!" Inabi Uchiha spun around, his voice hoarse with fury, a red light flaring in his eyes as his right hand slammed onto his sword hilt. He appeared in front of the speaker almost instantly, startling several villagers into stepping back, their eyes filling with alert hostility.
At the same time, on a tree in the distance, Tenzo watched the conflict and frowned slightly. "Kakashi Hatake, should we step in?" he asked. There was no response.
Tenzo turned his head and saw Kakashi Hatake clutching his chest, his face deathly pale. "Kakashi Hatake, you…" Tenzo froze and pointed at his face. "I…" Kakashi Hatake raised a hand without thinking and touched his own face, feeling dampness under his fingers.
It felt as if something had been cut away, as if something important had been lost. What exactly was happening?
"Don't…"
Yashiro Uchiha shouted by instinct, but the moment he spoke, it was already too late.
After Inabi Uchiha charged out first, Tekka Uchiha and Yakumi Uchiha followed, their eyes red as anger forced their Sharingan open in an instant. Cowards? Their Uchiha Clan was being mocked as cowards who dared not go to the battlefield and only bullied people at home. This was no longer questioning the law enforcement of the Konoha Police Force, but a direct denial and insult to the honor of Uchiha Clan.
It was even trampling on their value and dignity.
"What are you saying?" Yakumi Uchiha, who cared most about the name of Uchiha, spoke coldly. "Say what you just said again if you dare."
Three pairs of crimson eyes looked chilling in the dusk, and the killing intent they released seemed to freeze the air. The villagers who had been whispering in mockery froze under those blood-red eyes, their faces draining pale in an instant.
At the far end of the alley, Ryuji Hyuga appeared, his face hidden in shadow. He spoke softly, as if thinking aloud, saying that the current "cognitive domination" was still not strong enough, and that fear could only produce this level of contempt. Feeling the resistance feedback from Greed, he smiled faintly and said he would try to pluck other strings besides contempt.
As he spoke, the hand on the hilt at his waist moved, his index finger lifting and then gently dropping. A soft sound followed, and with that motion, invisible ripples spread outward. This time, what he stirred was anger and disgust.
In the distance, the villagers whose contempt had been suppressed by fear suddenly felt a surge of resentment born from disgust and rage. A woman mocked loudly, asking whether they had said anything wrong. She even pointed fearlessly at the three men of Uchiha and their crimson Sharingan, her sharp voice tearing through the quiet evening.
"Isn't your Sharingan just used like this, to show off against your own people?" she shouted. "Look at the Hyuga Clan's Lord Ryuji, that's someone who really risks his life for the village. Hundreds or thousands of Kumogakure Ninja killed without hesitation, that's real ability."
"Your Uchiha Sharingan only stares at us to find trouble. You dare bully civilians here, but why don't you go to the battlefield and fight Kumogakure?"
Her shouts were like sparks dropped into hot oil, and the entire street was stirred. Windows opened and door curtains were lifted, as countless curious and dissatisfied eyes turned toward the scene. Voices rose one after another, complaining and muttering about Uchiha and past grievances.
Many of the residents on this street were shopkeepers who dealt often with the rigid and strict Konoha Police Force. Small flaws, harsh standards, and an inflexible attitude had built up resentment over time. Under the influence of those invisible ripples, their buried anger toward Uchiha Clan finally found an outlet.
The noise of complaints grew louder and louder, merging into a hostile wave of sound. From whispers it became open accusations, surging like a tide that swallowed the four members of Uchiha at the alley entrance. They could clearly feel the tangible malice, each curse striking like a heavy hammer against their already strained nerves.
Humiliation, anger, and unwillingness boiled inside them. They wanted to explain, but no sound came out, and their bodies trembled under extreme rage as the last thread of reason snapped.
"Shut up! What do you people even know?!" Inabi Uchiha finally roared hoarsely, the three tomoe in his eyes beginning to spin.
ANBU again, always those damn ANBU. Ryuji Hyuga again, always that damn Hyuga Clan. They had worked carefully in the Konoha Police Force, and even when they asked to go to the battlefield, Konoha Leadership rejected them on the grounds that Konoha could not be without the Konoha Police Force.
And in the end, what did they get? Being kept away from the battlefield was already the deepest pain of the clan, and now it was used as mockery. With that thought, Inabi Uchiha's eyes turned so red they seemed ready to bleed, and he suddenly looked at the woman who had started it all.
"It's you," he shouted, calling her a spy sent to stir trouble in Konoha. He stepped forward and reached for her shoulder, declaring that resistance would be treated as obstructing official duties.
The woman's mocking expression froze, and she screamed in terror. But just as Inabi Uchiha grabbed her shoulder, a figure suddenly appeared and seized his arm, veins bulging with force. It was Yashiro Uchiha.
"Inabi, enough!" Yashiro Uchiha said sharply.
His stern face was equally dark, his facial muscles twitching from restraint, and blood churned in his own cold Sharingan. He held himself back with all his strength. Compared to the younger and more impulsive three, he was more composed and knew this could not continue.
This was no longer a normal conflict, and in front of an agitated crowd at such a sensitive time, it would only make things worse. Even if he did not think Inabi Uchiha was wrong, letting this grow would bring no benefit to Zetsu or to them. Unfortunately, it was already too late.
At the far end of the alley, Ryuji Hyuga watched the chaos, half his face hidden in shadow as a malicious smile appeared. His fingers lifted again on the sword, and the eye on the guard opened once more, carrying the same ill intent.
"Bastards, what are you trying to do?" someone shouted. "Let her go!" others cried, accusing them of forcibly taking someone away and questioning who gave them such authority.
Seeing the woman being seized by the fierce-looking Inabi Uchiha, the villagers' pent-up anger exploded at once. The collective will ignited by rage gathered into a destructive flood, making them forget the fear and deterrence of three pairs of Sharingan. They even forgot the difference between Ninja and civilians, seeing only a fellow civilian about to be taken away by the evil Uchiha Clan.
Anger born from long resentment swept away all reason.
"Stop them!"
"What spies? You are slandering us!"
"Uchiha Clan bullies people with power and acts without restraint! Fight them!"
The crowd that had only been watching and accusing completely lost control and turned into a violent surge that rushed forward. Stones, wooden sticks, and even vegetable leaves and eggs were picked up from the ground. Anything within reach became a weapon in the hands of angry villagers and was thrown at the four people trapped in the middle.
Countless arms reached toward the woman who was being restrained, trying to pull her back into the crowd. Just as many hands grabbed at the four from Uchiha. They tugged at their clothes and shoved their bodies, with fists and feet flying and spit spraying everywhere.