"Report!" Uchiha Inaho suddenly knocked and entered.
"There's a large crowd of villagers gathering at the Police Force's entrance, demanding we release everyone," Inaho reported.
"What?" The hot-tempered Uchiha Tetsu, a hardliner, slammed the table. "How dare they! Do they think the Police Force is a joke?"
"Captain Tetsu, calm down," Seiryu said, then turned to Inaho. "What's the situation now?"
"Zaito has taken two squads to maintain order at the entrance," Inaho replied.
"Well done. Keep the villagers calm. I'll head over soon. Tell Zaito not to use force unless absolutely necessary."
Inaho left, and Seiryu addressed the other captains, "You all stay here and keep reviewing these records. Captain Fugaku and I will check the entrance."
"Yes!" all six captains replied.
Seiryu and Fugaku headed toward the Police Force's entrance.
Just before they arrived, Shisui hurried over and blocked their path.
"Captain, Deputy," Shisui saluted.
"Shisui, if you have nothing urgent, step aside. Can't you see this is an emergency?" Fugaku said, annoyed.
"Captain, Deputy, let me negotiate with the villagers," Shisui pleaded. "If the tension escalates, the whole situation could spiral out of control."
"That's not your place," Fugaku said sternly.
"It's fine, Captain Fugaku," Seiryu smiled. "Actually, Shisui is a good choice."
"Seiryu?" Fugaku was confused.
"Shisui has worked directly for the Hokage in the ANBU. If he steps in, he can represent the Hokage's intent to some extent. And I trust he can handle this without conflict," Seiryu said, patting Shisui's shoulder. "Shisui, I'll leave this to you."
"Don't worry, Seiryu, I'll handle it," Shisui replied gratefully, touched to still have Seiryu's trust at this moment.
With Shisui on the case, Seiryu and Fugaku returned to the office.
As soon as they got there, Fugaku asked urgently, "You really trust Shisui to handle this?"
After years dealing with rowdy villagers, Fugaku knew how hard they could be. Shisui, who went straight from the war to the ANBU, had no real Police Force experience.
"Elder Fugaku, I understand your concerns," Seiryu smiled. "But since Shisui is back with us, he needs to learn how to deal with villagers."
Seiryu pulled out a thick stack of files and placed them on the table, then looked at Fugaku.
"By the way, Elder Fugaku, everyone's worked hard keeping overtime today. Give everyone a two-month bonus. And for the civilian ninja, let each pick a suitable jutsu from our clan's jutsu vault."
"Two months? Isn't that a bit much?" Fugaku hesitated. Although Seiryu had brought in 1.5 billion last time, he couldn't just waste it.
"People follow us for food, but I want to fill their bellies to bursting!" Seiryu said. "And money—I got it once, I can always get more."
"Alright," Fugaku nodded.
…
"Police Force! Release them!" Nearly 2,000 villagers chanted outside the station.
Uchiha Zaito led about 60 officers, forming a human wall behind a police line, batons in hand.
The two sides faced off, tensions high.
After approval, Shisui rushed to the front lines.
"Everyone, please calm down and go home. Don't gather here," Shisui said sincerely to those holding banners at the front.
"You dare arrest people at will? We won't leave until you release them!"
"That's right! Release them! Release them!" the villagers shouted, determined not to back down.
"We're only bringing them in for investigation…" Shisui tried to explain, but rotten vegetables landed on his head.
"Don't listen to them! The people arrested are innocent! The Police Force is just protecting a murderer and bullying defenseless civilians!"
"Yeah! Down with the Police Force! Release everyone!"
The next moment, a flurry of rotten eggs and vegetables flew at Shisui. He could have easily dodged them, but stood there stunned. He didn't understand—weren't they just protecting the honor of heroes and upholding the Will of Fire?
Luckily, Zaito pulled Shisui back behind the police line, glaring at him. "What are you doing causing trouble?"
Despite the villagers' anger, they kept their basic sanity. No one dared cross the police line.
"Shuumei, go report to Deputy Seiryu what's happening out here," Zaito ordered.
…
Back in the temporary jail office, Seiryu listened to Sakurai Shuumei's report, his expression grim.
None of the six captains dared speak.
After a moment, Seiryu spoke darkly, "The Police Force is our elite unit, and Shisui is one of our top jonin. Yet these villagers aren't even afraid of ninja. These aren't ordinary villagers."
"They're rioters! We need to strike hard!" Seiryu clenched his fist and swung it down. "Everyone except necessary interrogators, assemble in the meeting room!"