At the very center of the Hidden Leaf Village, inside the Hokage Tower, Ichiro stepped into the Third Hokage's office.
It wasn't that Ichiro had come looking for Hiruzen Sarutobi—rather, Hiruzen had sent someone to summon him.
"Ah, Ichiro, you're here."
Seeing him enter, Hiruzen greeted him with a kind smile. In the eyes of many children, Hiruzen was the benevolent and grandfatherly Hokage.
But Ichiro knew very well what kind of man Hiruzen truly was. If this old fox had called him over, it definitely wasn't for anything good.
"The Police Force has been pretty busy. What can I do for you, Lord Hokage?"
"Yes, maintaining public order in the village is hard work. I appreciate everything the Police Force does."
"It's all in service to the village. 'Where the leaves dance, the fire burns'—I'm a proud inheritor of the Will of Fire."
Ichiro said it with a straight face, not a hint of shame.
Hiruzen chuckled. "Ichiro, you seem to understand the Will of Fire quite well."
"Wherever leaves dance, the fire will burn. The shadow of the fire will illuminate the village and help new leaves grow. That's our spirit in the Leaf."
"Young people are the hope for the future. Ichiro, I believe you'll become a true pillar of the village."
Hiruzen wore an expression of warm approval, as if proud to see another inheritor of the Will of Fire.
"Your Uchiha clan has had quite a few incidents lately."
"Yes, it's been unfortunate. A traitor emerged from within the clan—he dared to assassinate our elders. It's truly shameful. Luckily, the criminal has already been dealt with."
Ichiro's face showed indignation as he brought up the supposed killer.
"Damn Uchiha Daita… The Second and Third Elders served the clan faithfully for years, and that ungrateful scum killed them. I wanted to tear him apart and feed him to the dogs."
"So it really was Uchiha Daita? The Uchiha's matters are the village's concerns too. I'd hate to see an innocent man wrongly accused," Hiruzen said, feigning concern.
"It was definitely him. He committed suicide out of guilt—how could there be any mistake?"
"Though… I do suspect Daita had accomplices. Perhaps someone even ordered him to do it. But, sadly, that's just speculation. I have no proof."
Hiruzen felt disappointed staring at Ichiro, who had left no loopholes at all.
He had immediately suspected Ichiro when he heard the news of the elders' deaths. But everything had wrapped up far too quickly.
Before he could even get involved, the case was closed. Daita had already "committed suicide out of guilt."
Whether it was a real suicide or a forced one—that remained unclear, though the latter seemed far more likely.
"Lord Hokage, I do have something I'd like to report."
"Go ahead, Ichiro." Hiruzen snapped out of his thoughts, still wearing that kindly expression.
"Lately, the Police Force has been facing a budget shortfall. I wonder if the Hokage's office might be able to allocate some extra funds? We're so broke we can't even afford meals."
"If we don't have money, my men won't work, and as captain, there's nothing I can do."
"If the Police Force won't work, who will ensure the safety of the village? That thought alone keeps me up at night."
Ichiro began playing the poor card.
Seriously, if Hiruzen wanted to probe him, he'd have to pay a price.
And besides, what Ichiro said wasn't false—the Police Force had always received pitiful funding. When Fugaku was captain, the Uchiha clan supplemented it themselves. But now that Ichiro was in charge? He wasn't going to chip in a single coin.
Who did they think Uchiha Ichiro was?
Even a bird flying past his gate had to leave two feathers as toll. He wasn't about to lose money on the job.
"Well… sigh. The village finances have been tight lately. Tell you what—give me a bit of time. I'll do my best to secure you some funds."
Hiruzen pretended to look troubled at the request.
"If the village is really that strapped, I won't make things harder for you, Lord Hokage. I'll try to keep my men in line for now."
Playing the diplomatic game, huh? Ichiro wasn't falling for it.
Konoha's finances tight? What a joke. Everyone knew the Hidden Leaf was the wealthiest village. Why else did the other nations always gang up on it?
The Land of Fire was the richest nation, and the Hidden Leaf its jewel. That's why other shinobi nations repeatedly launched wars—out of greed.
"Do you have any other questions, Lord Hokage? If not, I'll take my leave. The Police Force can't run without its captain."
"Alright."
Hiruzen nodded, watching Ichiro go.
"Fugaku is no match for Ichiro."
Once Ichiro had left, Hiruzen couldn't help but shake his head. After that brief exchange, he knew: Ichiro was a cunning little fox.
Fugaku didn't stand a chance.
"I'll have to give him a hand."
Rather than let the Uchiha fall under Ichiro's control, it would be better if they remained under Fugaku's.
Ichiro was too dangerous. He'd assassinated two elders and used the chaos to dismantle Fugaku's support base.
Ruthless, cunning, and unrestrained—if he ever became the Uchiha clan head, he would be a major destabilizing factor.
He dared to kill his own clan elders. Who's to say he wouldn't one day come for the Hokage?
So young, yet already had quasi-Kage level strength. It was entirely possible he could awaken the Mangekyō Sharingan.
The thought alone made Hiruzen uneasy. If he knew Ichiro had already reached Kage level and unlocked his Mangekyō Sharingan, he'd be even more wary.
Meanwhile, Ichiro left the Hokage Tower, unaware that Hiruzen had now decided to support Fugaku.
But even if he knew, Ichiro wouldn't care.
Hiruzen couldn't openly interfere in Uchiha clan matters. The rest of the clan would never allow it.
And besides, Ichiro wasn't afraid of Hiruzen. Even if they openly clashed, he wasn't scared. His Kage-level strength gave him all the confidence he needed.
And that wasn't all he had—he also possessed the Mangekyō Sharingan and the Shikai of Ryūjin Jakka.
At this stage, unless Madara Uchiha himself came back from the grave, Ichiro wasn't afraid of anyone in a one-on-one fight.