In one of the Guard Department's holding rooms, four members of the Sarutobi clan sat, detained after a brawl.
"Keisuke-nii, are we going to be punished?" Sarutobi Kazuharu asked anxiously, pacing around the small room.
Sarutobi Keisuke, the eldest of the group and just over twenty, leaned back casually, looking completely unconcerned.
"Don't worry, nothing's going to happen," he said confidently.
"But we were the ones who started it," Sarutobi Hiroshi added nervously.
"So what?" Keisuke shrugged, a smirk playing on his lips. "The Third Hokage, Sarutobi Hiruzen, is part of our clan. No one in the Guard Department would dare to punish us and risk offending him."
Kazuharu, Hiroshi, and another clan member, Sarutobi Yoshi, exchanged relieved looks. Keisuke's words made sense. With the Third Hokage at the helm of Konoha, who in the village would dare punish anyone from the Sarutobi clan?
"It won't be long before we're out of here. And once we are, we'll make sure those Hatake bastards are the ones getting punished," Keisuke added with a smug grin.
"Can we really get them punished? We started the fight," Yoshi asked, uncertain.
"The Guard Department won't care. After all, we're Sarutobi," Keisuke replied confidently.
---
In another holding room, three members of the Hatake family sat in silence.
"I lost my temper. I shouldn't have let them provoke me like that," Hatake Yuuki muttered, guilt in his voice.
"It wasn't your fault, Brother Yuuki. They insulted White Fang. How could we just let that go?" Hatake Shinichi said, trying to console him.
"They went too far. Slandering Uncle Sakumo like that... they deserved what they got," Hatake Takashi added, clenching his fists in anger.
Shinichi nodded. "We didn't start it, and they threw the first punch. The Guard Department will see that and let us off."
"We should be out soon," Takashi agreed.
Yuuki shook his head, sighing. "You're too optimistic. Normally, we'd be in the clear, but this time, we're up against the Sarutobi clan. The Third Hokage is one of them."
The room fell silent. Shinichi and Takashi looked at Yuuki, their expressions darkening.
"You think the Guard Department will side with them?" Shinichi asked.
"I'd bet on it," Yuuki replied grimly. "The Hatake family's influence has waned since Uncle Sakumo's death. Meanwhile, the Sarutobi clan is at its peak. It wouldn't be surprising if the Guard Department favors them."
Shinichi and Takashi shared a worried look. It wasn't right, but Yuuki's concerns were hard to dismiss.
---
The door to their room opened, and a guard wearing the Uchiha crest on his armband stepped in. "Come with me. Your sentences have been decided."
The three Hatake members followed him into a larger room. There, the four Sarutobi members were already waiting, looking smug and relaxed.
Keisuke exchanged a knowing glance with his companions, as if the outcome was already decided in their favor. The sight made Yuuki's heart sink.
Uchiha Yaowei, one of the senior officers in the Guard Department, stood at the front of the room. His gaze swept over the seven men before he spoke.
"Sarutobi Keisuke, Sarutobi Kazuharu, Sarutobi Hiroshi, and Sarutobi Yoshi are charged with provoking a public disturbance. According to the Public Security Management Ordinance, you will be detained for ten days."
The smug smiles vanished from the Sarutobi members' faces.
"Hatake Yuuki, Hatake Shinichi, and Hatake Takashi are found to have acted in self-defense. You are released without charge."
Keisuke's face flushed red with anger. "What? How dare you?!" he spat, glaring at Yaowei.
He hadn't expected this at all. The Guard Department was supposed to be too scared to punish anyone from the Sarutobi clan, not with the Third Hokage's influence.
"The punishment is in accordance with the law. If you have any complaints, feel free to file them with the Guard Department after serving your sentence," Yaowei said calmly, his gaze steady.
Keisuke's hands balled into fists. "We'll report this to the Third Hokage! You'll regret this!"
"Take them away," Yaowei ordered, ignoring Keisuke's outburst.
Guards moved forward to escort the four Sarutobi members away, while Yuuki and the other Hatake men were led out of the building.
---
Once outside, Hatake Yuuki paused to look back at the Guard Department's entrance. "Well, I didn't expect that."
"What do you mean, Brother Yuuki?" Shinichi asked, looking back as well.
"I thought for sure we'd get punished," Yuuki admitted. "But the Guard Department handled everything fairly."
Shinichi nodded. "Yeah. I guess the rumors about the Guard Department being corrupt are exaggerated."
"Maybe those rumors were spread deliberately," Yuuki mused. "After all, the Uchiha clan is under a lot of pressure from other factions in the village. It wouldn't surprise me if someone was trying to discredit them."
Takashi nodded in agreement. "It makes sense. If the Guard Department continues to act like this, they might be more trustworthy than people think."
As the three of them walked away, Yuuki couldn't help but feel a new sense of respect for the Guard Department. Perhaps the Uchiha weren't as bad as the village made them out to be.
**(End of the Chapter)**