Police Department Squad Leader

Uchiha Naka Shrine.

In the dim secret chamber, Uchiha Yoru knelt respectfully in the lower seat, facing Clan Leader Fugaku and Elder Setsuna.

After a long silence, Fugaku finally showed a calm expression, but he spoke while looking at Elder Setsuna.

"Elder Setsuna, Uchiha Yoru's contributions to the clan are obvious to all."

Hearing this, Uchiha Yoru, kneeling below, felt a stir in his heart. Here it comes! Finally. He had done so much, and the clan was finally going to acknowledge him. Otherwise, who would work if they were expected to labor without reward? Besides, any ruler knows the art of balancing favor and authority.

The elder beside him merely glanced flatly at Uchiha Yoru below and gave an almost imperceptible nod. "He has indeed done well, especially in becoming Lord Orochimaru's disciple."

At that, Elder Setsuna suddenly let out a hoarse chuckle, casting a meaningful look at Uchiha Yoru before shaking his head at Fugaku. "This old body grows weaker by the day. Someone will need to take over the reins in the future."

Fugaku responded with a steady, slight nod. "Uchiha Yoru has rendered great service this time. The Seventh Division of the Konoha Military Police Force happens to be short a captain."

The Military Police Force! That was a department with real power, essentially the Konoha police bureau. Each division oversaw a sector of the village.

Uchiha Fugaku was like the chief of police, while the division captains were like district chiefs.

Hearing this, Uchiha Yoru lowered his head even further, but his heart pounded. Before this, even with the title of Lord Orochimaru's disciple, he was still just an ordinary shinobi.

To put it simply, the commoners of the Shinobi World were ordinary folk, and shinobi were the public officials wielding power. But at the end of the day, they were still soldiers. A powerful Jōnin was just a so-called "king of soldiers"—famous, perhaps, but without real authority.

Take Hatake Kakashi, for example. As strong as he was, if the Konoha Six Departments decided to detain or investigate him while he was still living in Konoha, he would have no way to resist.

In the Shinobi World, departments with real power were scarce. The circle of power was just that small. No matter how strong a shinobi was, unless they reached Kage-level, they had to compromise under the weight of authority.

A division captain in the Military Police Force was already a step onto the ladder of true power. Of course, this was only within the Uchiha Clan's sphere of influence, given the delicate relationship between the Uchiha and Konoha.

After Fugaku spoke, there was a long silence. Elder Setsuna narrowed his eyes as if deep in thought.

Seeing this, Uchiha Yoru cursed the old foxes in his heart, but on his face, he put on a look of excitement mixed with apprehension.

"Lord Orochimaru may be sidelined, but he instructed me to ease relations between Konoha and the other clans as much as possible."

This sentence immediately made Fugaku and Elder Setsuna's eyes flash with sharp light. They both seemed to think of something at the same time.

"Lord Orochimaru said that the Uchiha are isolated now, and this is the perfect time to build bridges with the major clans. 'Rome wasn't built in a day.'"

Hearing this, Elder Setsuna couldn't help but laugh and clap his hands. "Good! Good! Truly worthy of Lord Orochimaru. 'Rome wasn't built in a day'—that couldn't be more true."

Uchiha Fugaku also smiled. Others might not understand the meaning, but those who dealt with power every day certainly did.

Although Lord Orochimaru had been sidelined, he wasn't giving up. He was having his faction start mingling and building relationships with the other clans in Konoha.

After all, the reason Lord Orochimaru was sidelined was clear: the Hokage Faction feared that the balance would be broken, threatening their interests.

And Lord Orochimaru had made his move. During this period of being sidelined, he could take the time to reconnect with the clans. As for future interests among the clans, there was plenty of time to negotiate and mediate. Eventually, a satisfactory outcome would be reached—either the strong stayed put while the weak gave up some benefits.

Of course, Lord Orochimaru wouldn't handle this personally. The Uchiha Clan, now fully aligned with him, became the tip of the spear.

But the Uchiha were more than happy to oblige. They were eager to use this opportunity to rebuild trust with the major clans of Konoha. It was practically a gift handed to them.

The Uchiha isolated? Now they represented Lord Orochimaru. After all, no one knew who the Fifth Hokage would be. If they offended someone who later became the Fifth, they'd suffer for it.

They might have tacitly accepted the Sarutobi Clan's actions, but that didn't mean they wanted to burn bridges with Lord Orochimaru.

"Fugaku, I think Shisui would be a good fit. He's been serving in the Military Police Force, hasn't he? Let him be Yoru's deputy. It'll help him get up to speed in his new role. And maybe the Seventh Division could use some reshuffling."

Elder Setsuna was all smiles, after all, Uchiha Yoru had brought breakthrough progress to the clan.

Fugaku also smiled and nodded. "Very well. From today, Uchiha Yoru is appointed Captain of the Seventh Division of the Military Police Force, reporting directly to Lord Orochimaru, independent of the rest of the force, responsible for patrolling the village's West Street."

A grand gift! Handing an entire division of the Military Police Force directly to Lord Orochimaru—that was a generous move. First, it showed everyone that they firmly stood with Lord Orochimaru. Second, it gave them a legitimate reason to act under his banner.

As for this being the Uchiha's Military Police Force? Politics needed a veneer of propriety before things turned ugly.

Hearing this, Uchiha Yoru nodded firmly at the two. "Thank you, Clan Leader, Elder, for your trust. For the Uchiha!"

The Military Police Force had nine divisions, each responsible for patrolling and maintaining order throughout Konoha, as well as a certain perimeter outside the village.

Patrolling the village outskirts was tedious work, but the divisions there had more members. Patrolling inside the village was relatively easier.

For a moment, Uchiha Yoru was filled with excitement. He had finally stepped into the center of power and begun to wield real authority. From now on, he would have a voice in the clan's councils.

Looking at the young Uchiha Yoru, Elder Setsuna couldn't help but show an approving gaze. They hadn't misjudged him. He had secured such great benefits for the clan—he was truly a meritorious figure of the Uchiha Clan.

But approval aside, the old fox Elder Setsuna couldn't resist offering a few words of guidance.

"Clan Leader, I recall that quite a few people were pulled from the Seventh Division and sent to the border. It seems the division is a bit understaffed."

With a meaningful glance at the clan leader, Elder Setsuna gave a casual smile. Fugaku paused at this, then, seeing the elder's smile, understood something. He nodded solemnly. "The Seventh Division is short on personnel, and it's responsible for West Street."

At this, both Uchiha Fugaku and Elder Setsuna looked at him with assessing expressions. Uchiha Yoru cursed inwardly. Damn bureaucracy. It exists everywhere.

If you have something to say, just say it plainly! If he hadn't picked up on this kind of thing while around Lord Orochimaru, he might not have understood at all.

"Clan Leader, Elder, rest assured. Lord Orochimaru brought back quite a few elites from the village. The Seventh Division will be restored to full strength as quickly as possible."

The two immediately smiled, silently praising the young man for being so perceptive despite his age. He understood things clearly.

The meaning was simple: the talk about the Seventh Division being short-staffed was just a pretext. They wanted to hand the Seventh Division over to Lord Orochimaru as a gift.

A police division made up of elites from both the Uchiha and Lord Orochimaru's forces—it was essentially a gesture of goodwill. Look how generous we Uchiha are. We're giving you real power outright.

The goal was clear. It was a mutual exchange of interests.

Thanks: Brother 'Dark Star Emperor' for the 1000-point tip, Brother 'Ka zh Ka' for the 200-point tip, and thanks to all brothers for your support.