Naruto: I am Uchiha Fugaku

After leaving, Uchiha Fugaku returned to the Konoha Military Police Force.

He gathered his men, prepared ninja tools and rations, and after dragging his feet for a full half hour, finally set out with over a dozen members of the Military Police Force to pursue Orochimaru.

Once outside the village, they activated their Sharingan and lazily scoured the perimeter of Konoha, searching for any traces Orochimaru might have left behind.

"Captain, we've found something!"

One of the Military Police Force members suddenly called out.

"Hmm?"

Uchiha Fugaku walked over. Under the powerful perception of the Sharingan, a series of previously invisible footprints became visible.

"Single individual, fresh footprints—no more than three hours old. Captain, these must be Orochimaru's tracks!"

The member reported to Uchiha Fugaku.

"Then let's follow these footprints," Fugaku said expressionlessly, neither confirming nor denying the claim.

And so, the group began tracking the footprints—though their pace was far from swift.

This was deliberate.

All of them were well aware of the Third Hokage's malicious intent in ordering the Military Police Force to pursue Orochimaru.

Knowing this, they naturally had no intention of letting the Third Hokage have his way.

Thus, they chose to slack off.

An hour later...

"Stop. Rest."

Uchiha Fugaku raised his hand, signaling for the group to halt and take a break.

They stopped—some drinking from their canteens, others sitting against tree trunks to rest, and a few even chewing on grass stems to pass the time.

Their demeanor was utterly lackadaisical, as if they were on a leisurely outing.

Not far from them, three figures observed their movements through the dense foliage.

These figures wore masks and the standard attire of Konoha's Anbu—clearly members of the elite covert force.

"Captain, they're moving too slowly. They've only been at it for an hour and are already taking a break. They're clearly slacking off," one Anbu whispered.

"Mhm."

An older-sounding Anbu nodded slightly, his face beneath the mask tightening into a frown.

From the moment Uchiha Fugaku had reluctantly accepted the mission to pursue Orochimaru, the Third Hokage had suspected the Military Police Force might slack off.

To prevent this, he had dispatched this squad to monitor Fugaku and his men.

Now, the Third Hokage's suspicions had been confirmed—they were indeed dragging their feet.

"Move out."

The older Anbu gave the order and stepped out from their hiding spot, heading toward where Fugaku's group was resting.

The other two Anbu quickly followed, keeping pace as they approached.

"Who goes there?"

One of the Uchiha clansmen stood up, his gaze sharpening as he spotted the newcomers. Upon recognizing them as Anbu, his brow furrowed slightly.

"Couldn't hold back anymore?"

Uchiha Fugaku's eyes settled on the three approaching figures. Their arrival didn't surprise him in the slightest—his sensory abilities had long since exposed their surveillance.

"Clan Head Fugaku."

The older Anbu stopped about ten meters away and addressed him with a respectful nod.

Uchiha Fugaku glanced casually at the Anbu ninja and asked,

"What is it?"

"We three have been ordered by the Hokage to oversee the Security Division's execution of this mission."

"Based on our observations, we suspect the Security Division has been negligent in their duties..."

The older Anbu ninja spoke in a cold, indifferent tone. Concealed behind his mask, his true identity remained unknown to Fugaku and the others. He showed no fear of offending the Uchiha clan, nor any concern for potential retaliation.

"To think they'd send people... to supervise us?!"

Over a dozen Uchiha clansmen darkened their expressions, casting hostile glares at the three Anbu operatives. They stepped forward, subtly encircling them, their stance threatening violence at the slightest provocation.

A tense atmosphere thickened, like a bowstring drawn taut, ready to snap at any moment.

"We are acting under the Hokage's direct orders. Do you truly intend to attack us?"

"If you dare, the Hokage will not let this go unpunished!"

The older Anbu ninja tensed, feeling the weight of the pressure. The other two masked operatives broke into cold sweats beneath their masks, gripped by overwhelming unease.

Fugaku stared icily at the trio, his gaze like freezing rays, as if to turn them to ice. After a long pause, a sudden smile curled his lips—one tinged with bloodlust.

"Thank you for the reminder. We'll take note."

With that, he turned to the other Uchiha clansmen.

"Let's move. Continue the mission!"

At his command, the clansmen shot the three Anbu ninja one last venomous glare, suppressing their fury before pressing onward. With a leap, they sprang onto thick tree branches and vanished swiftly into the distance.

"Hah... hah..."

The three Anbu operatives exhaled deeply, as if they had narrowly escaped death.

Logically, as Anbu ninja, the Uchiha should never have dared to lay a hand on them. Yet the atmosphere earlier had made them feel as though the clansmen might strike at any moment.

Especially Fugaku's gaze—it had chilled them to the bone, freezing them in place.

Ahead, Fugaku and the others tracked Orochimaru's trail.

One clansman, Uchiha Tomomi, approached Fugaku and whispered,

"Captain, are we really going to pursue Orochimaru as those three said?"

"Of course not. We won't let the Third Hokage have his way."

Fugaku smirked.

"But if we don't, those three will surely interfere again—reporting our 'negligence' to the Hokage."

Tomomi frowned.

"Then let's ensure they meet with an 'accident' and can't follow us."

A cold glint flashed in Fugaku's eyes, heavy with implication.

As he spoke, he used a tree to block the Anbu's line of sight. In an instant, he created a spore clone and tossed it a ninja tool pouch. The clone caught it and immediately sank into the earth using the Ephemeral Technique, vanishing without a trace.

"Captain, you—"

Fugaku made no effort to hide his actions from Tomomi, who gasped in surprise.

Before she could speak, Uchiha Fugaku subtly shook his head, signaling her to remain silent.

Uchiha Asami immediately understood and quickly closed her mouth.

Half an hour later, a grassy plain appeared before Uchiha Fugaku and the others.

It was a relatively flat field covered in short, tender grass, lush and green.

"Something's ahead!"

As they neared the grassland, a Uchiha clansman on guard duty warned.

Heeding his warning, the group activated their Sharingan, and their expressions shifted slightly.

Under the vision of the Sharingan, the once-green grassland was now littered with explosive tags.

These tags had been concealed by an illusionary barrier, rendering them invisible—until now.

The Sharingan's ability to see through illusions made them visible.

"Detour around the grassland and keep moving!"

Uchiha Fugaku whispered the order, and the other Uchiha clansmen instantly grasped his intent.

They skirted the grassland and continued forward.

Uchiha Asami, however, turned her gaze toward Uchiha Fugaku.

She had already realized the purpose behind the shadow clone he had created earlier.