I am the new Hokage of Konoha.

Before he transmigrated, he had always fantasized about becoming a member of the Akatsuki organization.

For no other reason than to wear that incredibly cool Akatsuki uniform.

Of course, it's also cool to be an enemy of the entire ninja world.

However, reality is quite different.

Who told me to transmigrate into the body of someone who was about to become the Fourth Hokage?

At this point, who would be foolish enough to abandon the position of leader of the most powerful force in the ninja world, the dignified village of Konoha, and instead become a rogue ninja to join the Akatsuki organization, where they would only be one of their subordinates?

Yun Ting wasn't out of his mind; naturally, he completely tied his own interests to Konoha Village.

As for my childhood dream, perhaps I'll fulfill it someday by defeating members of the Akatsuki and collecting their uniforms.

Shaking his head, Yun Ting said to the slug clone not far away, "Sorry, slug, I just made a mess of your place."

"It's alright," the live slug said gently. "They'll be able to regrow soon. On the contrary, Wet Bone Forest hasn't been this lively in a long time. I thoroughly enjoyed watching the fight just now."

"Alright then." Yun Ting nodded with a smile.

Then, after bidding farewell to the live slug, he left the Wet Bone Forest.

……

Because of an extra battle, Yun Ting returned to the Hokage's office a little later than expected, which forced him to speed up the processing of the documents that had piled up during that time.

However, these small costs are nothing.

After personally sparring with Tsunade, Yun Ting gained a clearer understanding of his own strength.

If we include Wood Release, his strength should be above that of the current Sannin.

Therefore, Yun Ting was even more confident when facing the key objective of his carefully prepared plan.

In that case, let's get started.

Yun Ting glanced at the personal file on the table.

In his personal photo in the upper right corner, a man with pale skin, golden vertical pupils, and an extremely gloomy temperament is looking ahead.

It was Orochimaru, one of the legendary Sannin of Konoha, who was on par with Tsunade!

"Someone come here!"

"Cover Orochimaru's file," Yun Ting called out.

Soon, Sarutobi's assistant, sporting a full beard, pushed open the door and entered, asking, "Fourth Hokage, what are your orders?"

Yun Ting glanced calmly at his assistant and said, "Go and ask the captain of the security team to come to my office."

Sarutobi's assistant's expression changed slightly upon hearing this.

The so-called captain of the security force refers to Uchiha Fugaku.

It's important to know that the Uchiha clan, due to the position of Hokage and the relationship between the Senju and Uchiha clans, has a lot of old and new grudges against him, so their attitude towards him isn't very good right now, and they've had little contact with each other lately.

So when he heard Yun Ting summon Uchiha Fugaku, Sarutobi's assistant was quite surprised.

Surprised as they were, as subordinates, they simply had to follow orders.

"Yes!" Sarutobi's assistant quickly agreed and turned to do it.

Of course, he didn't forget to pass on this news to Hiruzen Sarutobi along the way.

Yun Ting could guess what his assistant was doing without even seeing it.

He didn't care about it.

Anyway, it doesn't matter if I find out.

And it won't be long before, once everything settles down, we can replace the other party.

I'll definitely have a new female secretary with long legs and black stockings by my side then.

This is the kind of configuration a real leader should have.

A full beard is such an eyesore!

......

Soon, Fugaku Uchiha, who worked in the Konoha Police Department, received the news.

My first thought was naturally one of confusion.

After all, he had no connection with the current Fourth Hokage. Even if there were any important matters in the village, it wouldn't be up to him, someone who seemed to hold a high position but was actually excluded from the Konoha power structure, to discuss them.

However, since it was the Hokage's summons from the village's highest leader, Fugaku Uchiha didn't dare to refuse. He put down his work and headed towards the Hokage Building.

"Yondaime-sama."

After seeking permission, Fugaku Uchiha pushed open the door and entered, calmly addressing the young man sitting on the highest throne of Konoha.

Yun Ting nodded and, without further ado, got straight to the point: "Captain Fugaku, I've invited you here today because I have a few cases I'd like to ask you about."

"case?"

Fugaku Uchiha was very surprised.

On his way here, he had also pondered why Yun Ting had summoned him.

One of them thought the latter wanted to give the Uchiha clan a warning, since the atmosphere within the clan hadn't been very good lately, and they often complained about the village.

He even considered that the new Hokage might try to recruit him instead. After all, he knew that the new Hokage currently held the title but lacked real power, while the Uchiha clan was a strong asset. Combining the two would be a good option.

As for the conflicts between them, they can be temporarily set aside when faced with real interests.

For this reason, Fugaku Uchiha weighed the matter in his mind for a long time.

But to his utter surprise, Yun Ting had summoned him because of a case.

The Konoha Police Force is responsible for protecting the village's safety and handling all kinds of matters, big and small, that occur within the village, naturally accumulating a considerable number of cases.

As the person in charge, it's perfectly normal for the Fourth Hokage to consult him when he has cases to investigate.

So, is this really official business?

Seeing Yun Ting's serious yet unremarkable expression, Uchiha Fugaku was speechless.

"It is indeed a case."

Yun Ting didn't care about Fugaku Uchiha's reaction. Even if he had to deal with the Uchiha clan's affairs, it would be later, not now.

Therefore, he went straight to the point and said, "I have reviewed the case files of the garrison and found that there have been six missing persons cases in the village in the past few months. One of them was committed by human traffickers, and the other was a murder that was secretly buried. The garrison quickly solved and arrested the perpetrators in both of these cases, which was very good. However, although the other four cases have been solved according to the files, the descriptions are simplistic and have many loopholes upon closer examination. Captain Fugaku, you can take a look for yourself."

At this moment, Fugaku Uchiha had already adjusted his state. Upon hearing this, he took the file and looked at the four cases that Yun Ting had specifically pointed out.

He quickly frowned.

Chapter Twenty-Two: Legitimacy

As the captain of the Konoha Police Force, Fugaku Uchiha, with his extensive experience in handling numerous cases, could naturally see that there were problems with both the investigation process and the results of these four disappearances, suggesting that there was likely something fishy going on.

“I happened to meet the people who reported the four missing persons cases a few days ago after get off work. After some questioning, I learned that they were also very dissatisfied with the result. Not only were the people neither alive nor dead found, they couldn’t even find out the details of the case. In the end, they could only receive the cold notification that the person was dead, the body could not be found, and the murderer had already surrendered.”

Yun Ting tapped his index finger lightly on the table, watching Uchiha Fugaku's expression subtly change.

"There are some things that Captain Fugaku and I both know, and I won't pursue the matter internally within the security force. Captain Fugaku, you can handle it yourself. However! Starting today, I'm handing these four missing persons cases back over to you, Captain Fugaku. I hope the security force will take them seriously and ultimately bring a satisfactory outcome to the families of the missing persons."

Seeing that Yun Ting did not pursue the responsibility of the security team, Uchiha Fugaku breathed a sigh of relief and immediately assured him, "I assure the Fourth Hokage that the security team will do its utmost to handle the four missing persons cases and solve them as quickly as possible."

"Okay, I'll wait." Yun Ting nodded and gestured for him to leave.

Outside the Hokage Building.

Fugaku Uchiha walked out of the door with a gloomy expression.

Although Yun Ting said he would not pursue the matter, these four cases of forgery were still like a slap in the face to the police force, or more precisely, to the Uchiha clan.

People from the Uchiha clan are all proud.

This pride is reflected in the garrison, manifested in strict and ruthless law enforcement.

The villagers may say they are indifferent and heartless, but they have never said that they are corrupt, lawless, or deceitful.

But today is undoubtedly an exception, especially in front of the Hokage.

Fugaku Uchiha made a decision: when he returned, he would not only expose and severely punish the corrupt officials within the security force, but also mobilize the entire clan to solve the four cases and find the real culprit as quickly as possible.

No matter what great status the latter may have, in order to maintain the dignity and prestige of the Uchiha clan, even the Heavenly King himself must be captured!

......

"The show is about to begin!"

Inside the Hokage's office, Yun Ting gazed at the scenery outside the window and sighed.

Judging from his methods, the culprit behind the four disappearances in Konoha Village is most likely Orochimaru, one of the Legendary Sannin of Konoha.

After failing to become the Fourth Hokage, the latter devoted almost all his energy to the path of forbidden research, a path of no return.

In the original story, Orochimaru's defection occurred after the Nine-Tails' attack. It was because villagers and even ninjas kept disappearing in the village that they discovered he was conducting forbidden human experiments that Konoha had explicitly prohibited. That's why Hiruzen Sarutobi personally took action to capture him.

Unfortunately, the latter softened his heart and let Orochimaru go.

Yun Ting's current actions, however, are aimed at bringing this event forward.

In his plan, the real target was not Orochimaru, but Hiruzen Sarutobi.

Imagine, the Third Hokage's own disciple not only betrayed him, but the Third Hokage also had the opportunity to capture him, yet he was too soft-hearted and let such a great scourge who knew everything about Konoha escape. If this were to be exposed, what a blow it would be to his prestige.

At that time, as the Fourth Hokage, he personally captured Orochimaru, and even the Wood Release, which was highly symbolic of Konoha, was no longer hidden and was revealed.

One can imagine how shocked the people of Konoha Village must have been.

With the two Hokage's prestige shifting, wouldn't it be the easiest way for Yun Ting to regain control of Konoha?

Good steel should be used on the blade.

Yun Ting concealed his Wood Release technique for a long time, precisely to achieve a stunning effect at the most crucial moment.

And Orochimaru was very cooperative with him in all of this.

Although the other party is no longer as brazen as they were in the future when they were arresting people, they have clearly taken that step now.

It may have just begun, but the very thoughtful Yun Ting has been paying close attention to the situation of missing persons in the village.