Marvel: Trading with Worlds

After deciding to resign, Mitokado Homura felt a surprising sense of relief.

"I know," Sarutobi Hiruzen said. "The villagers and the ninjas feel betrayed. We need to focus on stabilizing the situation. But Orochimaru... he worries me."

His voice trailed off as his thoughts wandered. He suddenly remembered that Ninja Weekly was not only distributed in Konoha but also in towns across the Land of Fire. 

That meant the people of the Land of Fire—and possibly even other shinobi villages—were now aware of his actions.

At the Konoha Weekly headquarters, the situation was escalating quickly. A squad of Anbu had surrounded the building, their mission clear.

"The Konoha Weekly is suspected of colluding with Sand Shinobi spies to disrupt the peace of Konoha. Everyone here will follow me to the interrogation unit," the Anbu captain said coldly to the staff of the newspaper.

Under the leadership of their president, the staff blocked the entrance, armed with "weapons." However, in the eyes of the Anbu ninjas, their weapons were laughable at best—old stool legs being the most "lethal" among them.

The president shouted loudly, "The Konoha Weekly has the right to report, as authorized by the Daimyo! Konoha's ninjas have no authority to interfere with our work!"

The Anbu captain's expression remained calm but stern. "When it involves collusion with spies, Anbu has full authority to intervene. If you resist, we will not hesitate to use force."

Unfortunately for the Anbu, a crowd had already gathered around the scene. With so many witnesses, they couldn't act as decisively as they'd prefer.

"Wait a moment," a voice suddenly called out, interrupting the escalating tension.

The Anbu turned toward the source of the voice, frowning when they saw who it was.

After Uchiha Aoki led several members of the security team over, he asked, "What happened here?"

"Arresting those suspected of colluding with Sand Shinobi spies. Anbu has taken control here," the Anbu squad leader replied.

Uchiha Aoki sneered before responding, "It is the police's responsibility to catch spies. If they are truly colluding with spies, then leave it to us."

The Anbu squad leader's tone turned firm. "This is an order from Hokage-sama."

"Then show us the order. As long as you present Master Hokage's command, the guard will stop interfering. Otherwise, Anbu should not be meddling in the guard's affairs."

Uchiha Aoki spoke with authority. Before the Uchiha clan went to the battlefield, Uchiha Fugaku had held a special clan meeting, telling the captain-level members of the guard squadron that they should support Orochimaru.

Although some of the more traditional clan members disagreed, most of them were swayed by Uchiha Fugaku's reasoning and the benefits their clan could gain from supporting Orochimaru.

 It was clear to most that Fugaku had no ambition to become Hokage—his main interest was securing power for the clan.

Uchiha Aoki was from the radical faction of the Uchiha clan. After hearing about the Konoha newspaper incident, he had been patrolling the area and rushed over at the first sign of trouble, eager to disrupt Anbu's actions.

"Without Hokage-sama's direct order, you Anbu are acting on your own. I'm starting to question your intentions. Even the newspaper office, which is authorized by the Daimyo, you dare to interfere with it. What are you Anbu planning to do, huh?"

Uchiha Aoki's voice was cold, and he subtly moved his hands. The remaining five members of the security team began to slowly spread out, surrounding the four Anbu squads and pushing back the surrounding villagers. The pressure was palpable.

"Your guards want to do something to Anbu? Are you planning to rebel?"

The Anbu squad leader responded, "You guards are acting suspicious. We're just following orders, and if you resist, don't blame us for using force to defend ourselves."

Uchiha Aoki didn't back down. "The security team is simply asking questions, as usual. If you resist, don't blame us for exercising the authority of the security team."

Although his actions were impulsive, Uchiha Aoki was not mindless. It was clear that someone had done something to undermine the Third Hokage—otherwise, how could such sensitive information have been made public?

Thus, any action that hindered Anbu's operation now could be beneficial to the Uchiha clan.

"Enough. Everyone stop," a voice suddenly cut through the tension.

Just when the tension was about to erupt, two ninjas suddenly appeared between the Anbu and the security team, using the Body Flicker Technique. 

Captain Anbu sighed in relief upon seeing who had arrived. They really had no confidence.

"I've already understood the situation. Everyone from the security team, let Anbu handle this. I was also present when Sarutobi sensei gave the order, so I can verify it," Jiraiya said, his voice calm but authoritative.

Uchiha Aoki frowned, reluctant to back down. "Master Jiraiya, but the Konoha newspaper is under the Daimyo's jurisdiction."

Jiraiya's tone turned more serious as he spoke again. "Even if it's under the Daimyo's jurisdiction, colluding with Sand Shinobi spies is treason. Let Anbu handle it."

As Jiraiya spoke, his expression and body language became more imposing, which put significant pressure on Uchiha Aoki. 

He realized that pressing the issue further would lead to no good results. Jiraiya, along with his apprentice Namikaze Minato, were both formidable ninjas. If conflict broke out, they would easily overwhelm him.

"Fine," Uchiha Aoki reluctantly agreed, though he was still hesitant. Before he could say more, a slightly hoarse voice interrupted from behind him.

"Hehe, Jiraiya, didn't you visit the Nara family today? When did you come to the Hokage building?"

…

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