In one of the Guard Departnt's holding rooms, four mbers 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 Departnt would dare to punish us and risk offending him."
Kazuharu, Hiroshi, and another clan mber, 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 Departnt won't care. After all, we're Sarutobi," Keisuke replied confidently.
---
In another holding room, three mbers of the Hatake family sat in silence.
"I lost my temper. I shouldn't have let them provoke 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 Departnt 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 ti, 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 Departnt 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. anwhile, the Sarutobi clan is at its peak. It wouldn't be surprising if the Guard Departnt 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. "Co with . Your sentences have been decided."
The three Hatake mbers followed him into a larger room. There, the four Sarutobi mbers were already waiting, looking smug and relaxed.
Keisuke exchanged a knowing glance with his companions, as if the outco was already decided in their favor. The sight made Yuuki's heart sink.
Uchiha Yaowei, one of the senior officers in the Guard Departnt, stood at the front of the room. His gaze swept over the seven n before he spoke.
"Sarutobi Keisuke, Sarutobi Kazuharu, Sarutobi Hiroshi, and Sarutobi Yoshi are charged with provoking a public disturbance. According to the Public Security Managent Ordinance, you will be detained for ten days."
The smug smiles vanished from the Sarutobi mbers' 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 Departnt was supposed to be too scared to punish anyone from the Sarutobi clan, not with the Third Hokage's influence.
"The punishnt is in accordance with the law. If you have any complaints, feel free to file them with the Guard Departnt 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 mbers away, while Yuuki and the other Hatake n were led out of the building.
---
Once outside, Hatake Yuuki paused to look back at the Guard Departnt's entrance. "Well, I didn't expect that."
"What do you an, Brother Yuuki?" Shinichi asked, looking back as well.
"I thought for sure we'd get punished," Yuuki admitted. "But the Guard Departnt handled everything fairly."
Shinichi nodded. "Yeah. I guess the rumors about the Guard Departnt 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 if soone was trying to discredit them."
Takashi nodded in agreent. "It makes sense. If the Guard Departnt 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 Departnt. Perhaps the Uchiha weren't as bad as the village made them out to be.
**(End of the Chapter)**
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