Loyalty to the Military Police Force

After Kakashi left, Uchiha Toko picked up the Mission Scroll concerning the pursuit of Orochimaru.

On the Military Police Force's side, the Third clearly intended to let Uchiha Toko decide for himself who would participate in this mission. As for the Anbu, the other party carrying out the mission, aside from Kakashi, who would lead the team, they had dispatched a full three jonin.

Of those three jonin, one came from the Utatane Clan, another from the Inuzuka Clan, and the last was a Commoner Ninja with no clan background.

In addition, there were four Special Jonin, including the rising stars Gekko Hayate and Uzuki Yugao, who were renowned for their Konoha-Style Kenjutsu. Of the other two, one came from the Mitokado Family, while the other was a commoner with no background.

Furthermore, from a reconnaissance standpoint, two fairly capable branch family members had been recruited from the Hyuga Clan.

After considering it for a while, Uchiha Toko called loudly toward the door, "Sister Keiko, notify Inaho and Saito. They'll be going on a mission with me the day after tomorrow."

As the first members of the clan to openly follow Uchiha Toko, Uchiha Inaho and Uchiha Saito naturally deserved some support from him.

This operation was dangerous, after all. They would be facing a veteran powerhouse like Orochimaru. However, Uchiha Toko had no intention of fighting Orochimaru to the death this time.

Uchiha Toko formed hand seals with both hands. After a burst of smoke, a Ninja Hawk flew out and landed on his shoulder, gently rubbing its cheek against the side of his face. A peculiar red glow flickered in the Ninja Hawk's eyes.

Uchiha Toko formed a series of hand seals, inscribing a special jutsu formula into the Ninja Hawk's body before gently patting its head.

Screech~

With a piercing cry, the eagle on Uchiha Toko's shoulder spread its wings and soared into the sky, vanishing beyond the horizon in the blink of an eye.

The next day, after Uchiha Fugaku worked overtime for two straight nights, he finally assigned duties to the newly recruited Commoner Ninja. Starting tomorrow, these newcomers could officially begin work. To that end, Uchiha Fugaku held a modest induction ceremony and invited Uchiha Toko to attend as well.

The Military Police Force's large conference room was packed. The original 227 Uchiha Clan ninja of the Military Police Force and the 254 newly recruited Commoner Ninja were all present.

When Uchiha Toko and Uchiha Fugaku entered the conference room, they glanced over the situation inside. It was clear that these Commoner Ninja still viewed the Uchiha Clan through a certain filter. Though they had worked up the courage to join the Military Police Force, on such a formal occasion, they still chose to sit separately from the Uchiha Clan ninja. The row of seats in the very middle of the barely spacious enough venue had been left empty, becoming a clear dividing line between the two groups.

Seeing this, Uchiha Toko could not help but shake his head. The work of improving the Uchiha Clan's image still had a long way to go.

After the induction ceremony began, although Uchiha Fugaku was still the captain of the Military Police Force, he knew how seriously Uchiha Toko took this matter. He knew he could not steal Uchiha Toko's spotlight at such a time, so after briefly saying a few words at the start of the ceremony, he used unfinished work as an excuse and handed the venue over to Uchiha Toko.

Uchiha Toko stepped onto the stage. After sweeping his gaze over the crowd below, he slowly began to speak:

"First, on behalf of the Military Police Force's original 227 ninja, I welcome all of you newcomers to serve in the Military Police Force. I believe that with your addition, under the guidance of the Will of Fire, the village's Military Police Force will take on an entirely new look."

Uchiha Inaho below took the lead in applauding, and the applause in the room gradually grew more enthusiastic.

Once the applause slowly subsided, Uchiha Toko continued:

"I assume that since you chose to join the Military Police Force, you must have great confidence in it and in the Uchiha Clan. Since we will all be colleagues from now on, there is no need for everyone to be so distant, right?" Uchiha Toko wore a gentle smile as he glanced at Uchiha Inaho and Uchiha Saito below the stage.

But at that moment, the two of them seemed not to understand Uchiha Toko's intentions at all. They merely looked back at him onstage with their clear eyes.

At that, Uchiha Toko could only sigh inwardly. His clan's emotional intelligence really did have a bit of a problem.

Fortunately, Uchiha Shisui, who had been sitting in the corner all this time, was the first to stand up. He took the initiative to walk over to the newcomers on the other side and invited them to come sit together.

Seeing this, Uchiha Inaho and Uchiha Saito finally understood what Uchiha Toko's glance from the stage had meant, and the two of them began to act as well.

With their lead, some of the clan's younger members joined in too.

After a brief period of disorder, the clear divide in the conference room disappeared. The Military Police Force's original Uchiha ninja and the newly arrived Commoner Ninja were seated together.

Seeing this, Uchiha Toko lightly clapped his hands onstage, and enthusiastic applause once again filled the conference room.

"Then from now on, let us work together to make the village we all live in a better place!" After Uchiha Toko finished speaking, applause rang out once more.

"Next, let's discuss the compensation everyone is concerned about." Once the applause settled, Uchiha Toko spoke with a smile. "Captain Fugaku and I referred to the average income of the village's ninja and the village's cost of living, and have tentatively set everyone's salary at eighty thousand ryo per month. As for the old members who were already working in the Military Police Force, their salaries will also be increased by twenty percent based on what the clan originally provided."

As soon as Uchiha Toko finished speaking, the Commoner Ninja below immediately revealed looks of disbelief.

After all, they had previously been genin who basically lived off village missions. The average commission for a D-Rank Mission was a little over ten thousand ryo, but after the village's cut and the rule that the team leader took half while the rest was divided evenly, they could only get a little over one thousand ryo for completing a D-Rank Mission. At most, they could complete a little over twenty missions a month and earn twenty to thirty thousand ryo. Beyond daily expenses, they could save only a little money to exchange for ninjutsu.

The rumors they had heard said that the Military Police Force's salary would be paid at the level of D-Rank Missions. Originally, they had thought it would be about the same amount. What had truly attracted them here was the ninjutsu.

But they had never expected that the Military Police Force's D-Rank Mission salary level did not include the village's cut or the distribution rules!

As for the original Uchiha Clan members, their faces were also filled with delight. The Military Police Force's original wages had already been around this level, and now they were being raised by a full twenty percent!

Seeing the atmosphere below grow heated, Uchiha Toko smiled and added more fuel to the fire.

"Additionally, considering that the Military Police Force is fairly far from the village and commuting to work may be inconvenient for everyone, a monthly transportation allowance of six thousand ryo will be issued to all of you."

The Commoner Ninja below could no longer sit still. There was more?

"Furthermore, let me make a small use of my authority. In order to improve everyone's strength and allow you to better handle your future work, the ninjutsu that was originally planned to be issued after one month of employment will be distributed immediately after this meeting."

As Uchiha Toko's words fell, the atmosphere below began to grow somewhat uncontrollable.

At that moment, Uchiha Inaho abruptly stood and shouted, "Salute Vice-Captain Toko! Loy-al-ty!"

"Loy-al-ty!" Everyone present stood up and raised their right hands.

"For Konoha, loyalty!" Uchiha Toko raised his right hand as well and returned the salute.