Naruto: The Flame That Reshapes Fate

As the two spoke, they had already passed several streets and arrived in front of the Hokage Building—its outer walls painted red. Though considered a landmark of the Hidden Leaf Village, in reality, it had little architectural value. Looking up at it from the front, Rēn thought it resembled nothing more than a giant upside-down plastic bucket.

No aesthetic appeal whatsoever.

No authority or solemnity befitting a central administrative building either.

"This taste in design…"

Rēn shook his head. Thinking about their own Police Force headquarters, which wasn't exactly attractive either, he suddenly had the urge to rebuild it. No need to rush, though. Like establishing the Department of Justice (Legal Affairs Division), it could be done gradually. What mattered most now was making sure the village understood that the Uchiha were not a passive lump of clay to be kneaded at will.

He stepped up the stairs and headed through the wide-open main doors.

As they entered the first-floor lobby, someone immediately approached them.

It was Kakashi.

"Commander Uchiha, please follow me."

Wearing a fox mask with unmistakable messy white hair, Kakashi led the way. "The Hokage is waiting in the conference room."

"The conference room? So the Hokage's not alone?"

"Clan heads—Hyūga, Aburame, Nara… quite a few are present. I won't list them all. You'll see soon enough."

The rest of the walk was silent.

When the doors of the conference room opened, they did so without making a sound—clearly someone made sure the hinges were oiled regularly.

The gap between the doors widened quickly. Voices surged out like a released floodgate. A haze of secondhand smoke drifted lightly against Rēn's body. It didn't hinder his Sharingan in the slightest.

The Sharingan, after all, was once known as the Eye of Insight.

Rēn's eyes moved slightly, and in an instant, he took in the entire layout of the large meeting room. All the village's major figures were seated within. The sheer lineup resembled lions preparing to take down a single rabbit.

And to them, he was that rabbit.

As expected, the moment he stepped in, the intimidation began.

"Uchiha Rēn, what exactly is your clan planning?"

Today, Elder Mitokado didn't bother hiding his anger. His usual unreadable face was gone, replaced by fury that might as well have been scribbled across his forehead. Slamming the table hard, he roared, "Appointing a Police Force Commander without approval—do you Uchiha even see yourselves as part of this village anymore? Are you preparing to break away?!"

The accusation of betrayal was thrown out directly.

Some of the clan heads and department heads sitting around the table showed subtle shifts in expression. Even though they had agreed beforehand to suppress the Uchiha and couldn't allow such a dangerous clan to be led by a mere fifteen-year-old boy…

Yes. In their view, letting someone so young lead a clan was absurd. Clan leadership wasn't just about combat prowess—this wasn't the Warring States era anymore. Even back then, overly militant clan leaders often dragged their entire clan into prolonged warfare, not into a brighter future.

Now the Uchiha were showing signs of that same path again. It made the others uneasy, and so they had agreed to apply pressure together.

However—

Elder Mitokado was clearly overdoing it.

No one actually wanted a war with the Uchiha. Even if the Uchiha were wiped out, the resulting cost would be devastating for the village. No one wanted that outcome.

"Calm down, Homura."

The Third Hokage intervened at the right moment, stopping his friend from escalating further.

"If punishment is needed, there must first be an opportunity to explain. Uchiha Rēn, explain what happened between your clan and the Police Force last night. I want a clear answer. I know that the Police Force was entrusted to your clan by the Second, but even so, the role of Commander is not something that can be reassigned at will."

"Tch."

The click of Rēn's tongue echoed clearly through the conference room, cutting the Third off mid-sentence.

The lines on the old man's face tensed slightly. He stared at the lower half of Rēn's face, and his once-calm voice turned cold. "Is that your answer, Uchiha Rēn?"

"What if it is?"

Rēn's expression hardened, voice icy.

He stood just three steps inside the door, head held high, sharp-eyed and cold, like a drawn blade gleaming with chill light. The clan heads and department heads seated around the table could almost feel that blade slicing through them. One particularly large elder, nearly crushing his chair with his weight, furrowed his brow.

For some reason, this scene felt oddly familiar.

Like he had seen it somewhere before.

"The Uchiha's autonomy over the Police Force was granted by the Second Hokage. I've personally reviewed the documents stored in the Police Force's archives, all signed by the Second's own hand. Nowhere in them does it say that leadership changes require anyone's approval."

Rēn's cold gaze swept over the four key figures at the table. His voice carried mocking intent.

"Or are you saying… you intend to abolish the rules the Second Hokage left behind?"

"Times have changed. Your clan's recklessness cannot be ignored. Don't think you can silence me by waving the name of our teacher around. He taught us that no rule is eternal. Even stone is worn down by wind and water—so how could people or institutions remain unchanged?"

The Third sat calmly, completely unfazed by Rēn's words.

"If the Uchiha no longer respect the Police Force's position, then as Hokage, I won't stand by. The Police Force may be your autonomous body, but it is still Konoha's Police Force. Even if our teacher were here, he would understand my decision."

"Then what exactly do you want from me?"

"Don't worry, I'm not looking to destroy the system of clan autonomy. But your clan's recent behavior has gone too far. I've already sent someone to summon Clan Head Fugaku. Once he arrives…"

"Uchiha Fugaku is no longer the clan head."

Rēn cut him off sharply once again. His red eyes swept over the room. Aside from the Hyūga, no one dared meet his gaze.

"To be honest, I expected something like this would happen. But if we're waiting for Fugaku, then fine. I'd really like to see exactly what you people want to turn the Uchiha into."

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