Chapter 6: The Fourth Hokage's Style!
A heavy snowfall blanketed all of Konoha. After the first snow of winter, ninjas would have a relaxed period of rest, with special posts rotating shifts, welcoming the arrival of the New Year.
The frontline ninjas, led by Minato Namikaze and Orochimaru, had defeated the invading Hidden Mist Village and withdrawn to Konoha in batches.
More and more ninjas returned, and Konoha gradually became lively again. The festive atmosphere of the New Year washed away the gloom of war, and the number of drunks on the streets increased... Uchiha Fugaku's workload grew considerably; the Police Force handled dozens of drunken brawls in just a few days.
The family had just sat down at the dinner table. Uchiha Itachi picked out meat slices and meatballs from the hot pot, placing them on the small plate in front of the crow, complete with seasonings. Kitahara picked up a meatball, struggling to swallow it. Eating hot pot in winter was a happy occasion...
"Captain, in the tavern on South Street, some Jonin are fighting!"
The door was immediately pounded loudly. These ninjas from the Police Force... really... knew how to pick their timing!
Kitahara was startled by the sudden noise. The meatball fell back onto the small plate, splashing seasoning onto his feathers... Itachi quickly took out a tissue, wiping the stains off Kitahara, "...Were you scared?"
"...Caw!"
Annoyed!
Uchiha Fugaku got up to open the door, his expression somewhat unpleasant. It was supposed to be relaxing family time... Wife, kids, warm home, and you guys bring a Jonin fight for me to handle? At the very least, it should be Genin... forget it, Genin fights aren't worth getting involved in, but at least it should be the Third Hokage and Danzo fighting!
Slam!
He yanked the door open forcefully...
"You lot! What's going on?"
The messenger had good eyesight; he clearly saw the Captain's sour face and immediately got straight to the point: "There's a drunken ninja brawl on South Street, Kakashi Hatake is involved, but he refuses to admit fault or accept mediation!"
"Then let his fam..."
Uchiha Fugaku calmed down. He remembered Kakashi Hatake's only relative, the White Fang of Konoha, Sakumo Hatake, had long since committed suicide. So he had no relatives, and even... no more comrades.
After the final battle in the Hidden Mist, only one person could handle Kakashi's incident – Minato Namikaze.
"I've already sent someone to inform the Fourth Hokage simultaneously! But..." The police ninja's voice gradually lowered, "Within the clan... there seem to be other ideas..."
Kakashi, that Sharingan!
But Kakashi's teacher, Minato Namikaze... The village announcement stated that the Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, had resigned from his position, and Minato Namikaze would immediately assume the role of Fourth Hokage.
After the New Year arrived, the Hokage succession ceremony would be held.
This sounded very troublesome!
Fugaku didn't even bother changing clothes, rushing towards the Police Force headquarters. He was incredibly thankful that since most clan members refused to work during the holiday break, besides forcibly assigning tasks, his trusted subordinates were willing to step up and share the burden...
Fugaku left and didn't return. Uchiha Itachi felt a bit down, "Dad..."
"Caw!"
Kitahara heard Kakashi's name, flew onto Itachi's shoulder, and chirped excitedly, "Caw!"
Let's go see!
"Mom, I'm going to check on Dad!" Uchiha Itachi casually threw on a coat and chased after the direction Uchiha Fugaku had left. Mikoto remained seated at the table as the little boy zipped past her like the wind.
Uchiha Mikoto looked at the full plates on the table and helplessly turned down the flame, "...Come back quickly..."
The Konoha Military Police Force belonged exclusively to the Uchiha clan. Itachi was the clan head's son; he had unrestricted access here. Sometimes, when tired from wandering Konoha with Kitahara, Itachi would come to the Police Department and wait for Fugaku to get off work so they could go home together.
Itachi and Kitahara had just arrived when they heard constant shouting from the Police Department lobby...
"How could someone who even kills their own comrades possibly understand the pain we feel losing ours, sob sob sob..." The crying sounded pained, and judging by the voice, the person was a large, burly man.
Uchiha Fugaku was trying hard to mediate: "You're drunk... Kakashi Hatake is a Konoha ninja, and also your comrade... You should both apologize, everyone's from the same village..."
"I will never acknowledge someone like him!"
"No way!"
"Captain, let's just lock them both up first! Kakashi's crime is undeniable!"
"It's almost New Year... it's best to let them go home for the holiday... Hmm? How to Die? What book is this? Why did you pick up this book..."
"That's evidence of Kakashi attacking someone..."
"...It's just a brawl, don't treat it like a murder case!"
It seemed quite lively.
Aside from Kakashi's complicated identity, it was just an ordinary drunken brawl. The problem lay in the attitudes of both parties involved and the stance of the Police Force. Uchiha Fugaku's arrival at least resolved the internal disputes within the Police Force.
However, if Fugaku forcefully chose to release both individuals, it would damage the Police Force's authority... They could only wait for the families to reconcile... But on Kakashi's side...
"Eh? Itachi, why are you outside?"
The bright red hair was exceptionally eye-catching. Kushina, accompanied by a gentle, blond-haired man, stood before Itachi... The newly appointed Fourth Hokage... Minato Namikaze.
It was something that could clearly be resolved with a simple Hokage order, yet Minato Namikaze chose to appear in his capacity as Kakashi's teacher... Likely because he didn't want the villagers to perceive the Hokage as too domineering. Furthermore, the matter involved the Police Force; mishandling it could deepen the rift between the Uchiha clan and the village.
Kushina was willing to accompany him into Uchiha territory; their relationship was truly strong...
"Auntie Kushina, I... Fourth Hokage!"
Uchiha Itachi's eyes widened upon seeing Minato Namikaze beside Kushina.
Minato Namikaze smiled and knelt, greeting the little boy warmly and taking his hand, "Itachi? Are you Fugaku and Mikoto's eldest son? It's cold outside, let's go in together!"
So easily able to raise people's favorability... Whether father, mother, or son, this family is full of power-ups...
Kitahara immediately noticed Kakashi Hatake, curiously observing the changes in the white-haired boy's expression... or rather, the changes in his eyes above the mask. The stubborn gaze slowly softened, his spiky hair drooping as his head lowered.
"Fourth Hokage!"
"Lord Hokage!"
Minato Namikaze's arrival made everyone present considerably more restrained. He first approached Fugaku to converse, "Sorry, my student caused trouble for the Police Force, and disturbed your dinner time with your family."
"It's alright, it's my duty." Fugaku shook his head helplessly, looking towards Kakashi and the others, "I'll leave it to Lord Hokage."
After briefly understanding the cause of the incident – someone drunk had bad-mouthed Kakashi Hatake, implicitly and explicitly cursing the white-haired boy, interspersed with the Jonin mocking Minato for being unfit to be Hokage, which was likely the reason Kakashi attacked.
"I apologize, my abilities indeed haven't earned the recognition of everyone in the village yet. What you said is true." After Minato Namikaze's gentle apology, his tone instantly became stern. A gentle person getting angry startled everyone present, "But you shouldn't have mocked Kakashi! The battlefield changes rapidly; his actions were for the village, to allow more people in Konoha to survive! That includes us!"
Seemingly unaccustomed to such seriousness, Minato's voice lowered a few decibels, "Wrong words can hurt others more easily than fists..."
"I'm sorry, Lord Hokage... I..." Facing the direct reprimand from his superior, the Jonin's attitude shifted slightly. A moment later, he bowed to the white-haired boy, "I'm sorry, Kakashi Hatake!"
"Kakashi, it's because the Third Hokage resigned that I had no choice but to take the position of Hokage. That's a fact." Minato Namikaze, unsurprisingly, began lecturing on the spot. Hokages after the Second probably all practiced public speaking or something...
"A ninja must be able to endure what ordinary people cannot."
"A ninja must trust their own judgment, then do what is right. You did nothing wrong in the war, why care about others' attitudes? Don't punish yourself for the mistakes of the entire war."
"Sensei... But... that was Rin!" Tears welled up in Kakashi's eyes, streaming down his face, wetting his mask.
"Precisely because it was Rin, she made the right choice. If one day, I judge that my existence endangers Konoha, I would also choose to have you kill me." Minato Namikaze hugged his student, gently patting his back, "Rin definitely understood you... It's just, she underestimated the importance of her own life."
Rin indeed understood, but the other living problem child definitely wouldn't...
Kitahara looked at Kakashi crying like Pakkun and suppressed the urge to retort.
Once the white-haired boy's emotions stabilized, Minato Namikaze continued, "Well then, Kakashi, the ninjas in the village are also your comrades... Getting into a big fight with a comrade over verbal insults, shouldn't you apologize?"
"I'm sorry..." Kakashi, persuaded by his teacher, knelt down dejectedly to apologize.
Minato Namikaze scanned the crowd, his voice deep, "Both sides have admitted fault, which implies acceptance of mediation. As Hokage, I order their release to go home. Additionally, as Jonin, brawling within the village is a serious offense. Both of you go back and write a self-criticism report each, to be submitted to the Konoha Military Police Department after the New Year. Do you have any objections?"
"Yes, sir!"
"Understood!"
In the end, everyone present, whether the troublemakers or the Uchiha clan members of the Konoha Police Force, were thoroughly convinced by Minato Namikaze's handling of the situation.
The Hokage's authority wasn't diminished by his arrival; one couldn't help but admire this Hokage's way of handling things... The Uchiha Police Force's status was also respected; the two Jonin self-criticism reports meant the matter was still handled by the Police Force.
It was estimated that during the Fourth Hokage's tenure, quite a few Uchiha clan members would come to respect him...
"The Fourth Hokage... is really amazing..." Uchiha Itachi seemed to have undergone a spiritual cleansing. It was unclear whether he meant his methods were amazing or his words were amazing...
(End of this chapter)