Naruto: The Uchiha Patriarch Chapter 125 125: Taken Down

After finishing her bath, Tsunade felt a slight sensation that wasn't quite right.

"Is this... milk?"

Staring at the white liquid on her fingers, Tsunade was completely dazed. She wasn't a mother, so how could she possibly be lactating?

"Could it be the Papaya Nutritional Juice?"

She looked at the empty bottle she had set aside and understood the cause. "That brat Raizen... he deliberately didn't tell about the lactogenic effect. Is he trying to make a fool out of ?"

"Infuriating little guy."

If Raizen had heard her, he would have likely retorted: Whether I'm "little" or not, you're welco to co over and see for yourself.

Shadows in the Rain

In the Hidden Rain Village, atop the highest tower.

Konan, standing behind Nagato, suddenly felt a wave of nausea wash over her.

"What's wrong, Konan? Are you unwell?" Nagato sensed her distress and imdiately asked with concern.

Konan took a steadying breath. "It's nothing. I might just be having a reaction to the yogurt I've been eating. I'm not used to it yet."

"I don't rember you liking yogurt that much," Nagato noted. "Why the sudden craving?"

"I don't know. I just... felt like I needed to drink it."

"Perhaps you should see a doctor. I wouldn't want you to have a stomach ailnt."

"It's a small matter, no need," Konan insisted.

Nagato sighed softly. "You need to be careful. You're the only partner I have left. I don't want anything to happen to you."

"Instead of worrying about , you should focus on your own health," Konan countered. "Supplying chakra to the Six Paths of Pain for so long is taking a toll on your body."

Nagato gave a faint, tired smile. "It's fine. My body can handle it. I have plenty of chakra to spare."

"Nagato, stop pretending. I know your condition. If this continues, you won't have many years left. Why don't we stop? We rule the Hidden Rain; that is enough. Collecting the Tailed Beasts will only accelerate your decline. The Gedo Statue will eventually drain you dry."

"With the chakra provided by the other Akatsuki mbers, the burden on is minimal. Don't worry, Konan. We will create a world of peace without pain."

"Nagato... a peaceful world shouldn't be built on the pain of others. Our actions now have strayed far from the original intent Yahiko had when he founded the Akatsuki. His goal was to help those in pain, not to manufacture it across the world."

Nagato fell into a long silence.

"Konan, the plan has begun. I cannot stop. And I am not wrong. Only when people truly feel pain will they understand the damage the Great Nations caused to small countries like ours. I will make them feel what we felt."

"Don't try to persuade further. My mind is set. Itachi and Jūzō failed to capture the Nine-Tails; instruct them to gather intel on the other beasts. In three years, we will launch the full-scale capture operation. I will handle the Nine-Tails personally."

Watching Nagato's fanaticism, Konan felt a pang of disappointnt. But as his lifelong companion, she bowed and left to arrange the Akatsuki's affairs.

The Feast and the "Security Guard"

Back at the Uchiha estate, the banquet hadn't ended just because Tsunade left. Raizen's family consisted of over a hundred children and nearly fifty won (including the household staff). Every al felt like a major event. Fortunately, Raizen was a gold mine; otherwise, these two hundred mouths would have eaten him into poverty.

After the al, the wives took their children back to their respective wings for baths and sleep. Most had at least two children, so as many as four. It took a lot of effort to look after them all.

Raizen had drunk quite a bit of wine, his face flushed. While everyone else was busy, Anko Mitarashi was lounging nearby, lazily cracking lon seeds.

"Boss, why are you staring at with those lecherous eyes?" Anko teased, noticing his red face. "Be careful, or I'll drag you into the woods and have my way with you!!!"

Anko's bold personality never wavered. Raizen gave her a dry look. Of all his won, Anko was the only one who had actually "ambushed" him first.

"Eat less, or you'll turn into a fat pig and lose your looks," Raizen retorted before turning to leave.

"You're the fat pig!" Anko rolled her eyes. "Hey! I said we're going to the woods! Why are you leaving!?"

Raizen ignored her and headed toward the wing where Rin Nohara was staying.

"Raizen-kun? What brings you here?" Rin was surprised to see him. With so many won in the house, she didn't expect him to visit her so soon after her first night.

"Just ca to chat," Raizen said, leading her to the sofa and taking her hand.

"What shall we chat about?" Rin asked softly.

Raizen stroked her porcelain-smooth hand and smiled. "We can talk about anything. Rin... you are so beautiful."

At the complint, Rin's face flushed a delicate pink, making her look even more enchanting. "Raizen-kun is very handso, too," she whispered.

"A handso man and a beautiful woman... it's a perfect match. Rin, we were made for each other."

Rin's face grew deeper red, like a ripe apple, sweet and inviting. Raizen felt his heart skip a beat.

"Rin... be my woman tonight."

Rin's blush traveled all the way down to her neck. "Mhm... please be gentle, Raizen-kun."

Rin's body was like a work of art, a masterpiece he had sculpted himself. That night, he was incredibly tender, savoring every mont with her. He spent several consecutive nights in her room until Kurenai and the others began to look at him with such palpable jealousy that he finally had to return to the main rotation.

The New Order

During this ti, Tsunade officially succeeded as the Fifth Hokage. Her lineage as the First Hokage's granddaughter greatly boosted morale among the villagers, giving them confidence in the future.

Everything returned to normal. Raizen began his new "job."

As the Captain of the Konoha Military Police Force, he led his squad—Sakumo Hatake (001), Might Dai (002), and Hizashi Hyuga (003)—on a grand patrol through the main streets.

Because the village had just erged from war, so local thugs thought the leadership was too weak to manage the lower levels. They were out in force, bullying civilians and petty thieving. Raizen caught them red-handed, rounding them up and sending them straight to prison.

Through this, he began to win over the common folk. After catching a thief, Raizen addressed the crowd:

"Citizens, rest easy! What the ANBU cannot do, the Military Police Force will do. What the ANBU cannot manage, the Military Police Force will manage. No criminal shall escape the eyes of the Uchiha's law!"

"Great! With the Uchiha back in charge of the police, we can finally feel safe again!"

"Exactly! When the Uchiha ran the force before, the village was always secure."

"The Uchiha are back... we can finally sleep soundly tonight."

Praise for the Uchiha rippled through the crowd. Raizen nodded in satisfaction. Good acting. I'll give those plants a bonus when I get ho. He was using the force specifically to rebuild the clan's public image and shift the narrative.

The Elders' Discontent

In the Hokage's office, Koharu and Homura stood before Tsunade.

"Tsunade," Koharu began, "you must investigate the three mbers Raizen recruited for the Police Force."

"Why? Is there a problem?" Tsunade asked. She had only been back a few days and wasn't fully briefed on the new force's roster.

"Those three are highly suspicious," Homura added. "They appeared out of nowhere, using code nas 001, 002, and 003. Their identities are a complete mystery. For the safety of the village, we must know who they are."

"Why not just ask Raizen?" Tsunade countered.

"We sent people to ask," Koharu spat. "He refused, citing 'information security.' He told us to mind our own business and that he would manage his own force. He has no respect for the council!"

"The ANBU roster is top secret, and you don't tell Raizen who's on it. Why should he tell you his list?" Tsunade asked pointedly.

The two elders were stunned into silence.

"As I understand it," Tsunade continued, "the Military Police Force is an independent entity led by the Uchiha. The selection of personnel is their prerogative. We have no authority to interfere."

After a long pause, Koharu narrowed her eyes. "Tsunade, you've been away for years. You don't know the dark history here. Do you know why the Uchiha were massacred?"

Tsunade looked intrigued. "Is there more to it than Itachi going rogue?"

"The Uchiha were planning a coup d'état," Homura revealed. "They had to be eliminated for the stability of the village."

"What? A coup?" Tsunade was shocked.

"Exactly," Koharu said. "The Uchiha are unstable. We cannot trust them. We must know exactly who is in that force to ensure there are no loopholes."

"Wait..." Tsunade's eyes widened. "If they were wiped out to prevent a coup... that ans the village sanctioned the massacre?"

"It was a necessary evil," Homura replied. "Danzō handled the logistics."

"And as far as I know," Tsunade said, her voice dropping, "the only ones left were Raizen, who was away on business, and the child Sasuke. No one else was spared, right?"

"Correct," Koharu nodded.

SLAM! Tsunade's palm struck the desk, shattering the wood into splinters. "How could you do it!?" she roared. "The children... what did they know? They couldn't even spell 'coup,' let alone understand it! Why did you kill them all? Don't tell Sasuke was the only child in the entire district!"

"To pull up weeds, you must remove the roots," Koharu said coldly. "Those children would have grown into a threat to the village."

"Tsunade," Homura added, "the village cos first. Sotis being ruthless is required for the greater good. You are the Hokage now; do not be led by sentint."

Tsunade gritted her teeth in fury. "Do Raizen and Sasuke know the truth?"

"Our investigation suggests they do not," Koharu answered.

Tsunade took a deep breath. "When you killed those children, did you once think about the fact that the Uchiha founded this village? Their ancestors gave your small clans a place to live, and you repaid them by slaughtering their descendants. Doesn't it make you sick?"

"For the safety of the village, even the founders' descendants are expendable," Koharu stated.

"A 'necessary evil,' indeed," Tsunade hissed. "You'd better pray Raizen and Sasuke never find out."

Homura scoffed. "Even if they did, what can two brats do against the village?"

"If Hiruzen hadn't stopped us, we would have finished off those two 'remnants' long ago. It would have saved us all this trouble!!"

"Listen well," Tsunade commanded, her voice dropping to a dangerous growl. "I am the Hokage now. I forbid any further action against Raizen and the Uchiha. If you touch them, don't bla for being 'ruthless' toward you."

The elders' faces turned ashen with rage. They had brought Tsunade back thinking she would be an easy tool to manage, but she was already defying them.

"Tsunade, you are repeating Hiruzen's mistake," Koharu warned. "You are raising a tiger that will eventually devour the village."

"Leave. Now," Tsunade pointed to the door.

As they walked out, Homura muttered, "You'll regret this, Tsunade."

Tsunade watched them go and whispered to the empty room, "I don't know if I'll regret it... but I know you will."

Thinking of the sheer amount of wealth Raizen possessed, she knew that if he ever discovered the truth, he wouldn't even need a sword—he could simply buy enough power to crush the conspirators into the dust.

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