Represents Orochimaru

Konoha West Street, Konoha Military Police Force Branch Office.

Inside the spacious, bright office, Uchiha Yoruro gazed at the large station through the clear glass, a flicker of desire for power showing in his eyes.

The Military Police Force had nine divisions. The division responsible for the village had a quota of two hundred members, meaning Uchiha Yoruro could recruit two hundred subordinates under his command.

"Brother Yoru."

Shisui, serving as the vice-captain of the division, had clearly been in low spirits lately. The experiences of this period had been a tremendous shock to him.

He had returned to Konoha with burning passion, hoping to see Orochimaru ascend as the Fifth Hokage, only to be disappointed. Furthermore, his ongoing involvement in handling matters related to Root had exposed him almost exclusively to the darkness within the village, dealing him a severe blow.

At that moment, Uchiha Yoruro, seated in the division captain's chair, looked at Shisui's dejected appearance and couldn't help but show an expression of frustration at his lack of promise.

"Shisui, look at what you've become. You're letting something this small crush you? You carry the pride of the Uchiha."

Saying this, Uchiha Yoruro put on a resolute expression and nodded solemnly. "Shisui, you must believe in the Will of Fire, believe in the Third Hokage. Once Orochimaru becomes the Fifth Hokage, everything will be fine."

After this reassurance, Uchiha Shisui forced a strained smile onto his face. Looking at the man he considered his guiding light in life, he couldn't help but feel admiration. As expected of Brother Yoru, always so composed, always so confident.

"Brother Yoru, congratulations on becoming a Jōnin and taking command of the Seventh Division of the Military Police Force."

Indeed! With Uchiha Yoruro appointed as the captain of the Seventh Division, the Uchiha clan had also submitted a request to the village. After all, they couldn't have a division captain still be a Chūnin, could they?

As for contributions, his work on the front lines assisting Orochimaru with administrative affairs was enough to gloss over with political maneuvering. For an ordinary ninja, such a promotion would be unthinkable.

Seeing Shisui's insincere, forced smile, Uchiha Yoruro shook his head and sighed. "Shisui, we have a long road ahead. Right now, the division only has a little over thirty members. We need to fill the Seventh Division's roster as quickly as possible."

"Yes, sir!"

Their relationship had now become one of superior and subordinate. Although Shisui was stronger in combat, he admired Uchiha Yoruro even more. Thus, he had no complaints about becoming the vice-captain of the Seventh Division; instead, he felt a sense of relief.

"Brother Yoru, recruitment has already begun. The screening should be completed within three days at most."

A ninja is an extremely efficient existence, after all, they are trained from the start to be weapons.

Moreover, the Military Police Force wasn't composed solely of Uchiha members; there were also civilian ninjas, as it was a village department.

Although the Military Police Force had almost become the Uchiha's private armed force, if they only accepted members from their own clan, not only would they lack enough personnel, but the Uchiha would have been isolated long ago.

The real time the Uchiha were ostracized by the other clans of Konoha was likely after the Nine-Tails' Rampage. Before that, the Uchiha had always been at the center of the village.

Furthermore, the Military Police Force needed to be in the public eye, for instance, letting the ruling Hokage know of its movements. For the Uchiha, they also needed civilian ninjas as cannon fodder, or rather, as tools in their hands.

The Uchiha simply held all the real power within the Military Police Force. At the same time, clan ninjas needed to interact with the village; half of them would form ninja squads with others to carry out missions. The same was true for the other major clans.

Seeing Shisui like this, Uchiha Yoruro narrowed his eyes and spoke slowly. "Shisui, this time, make sure to prioritize transferring Teacher Orochimaru's followers here. From now on, the Seventh Division no longer represents just the Uchiha, but also Teacher Orochimaru."

Saying this, Uchiha Yoruro took out a list from beside him, specifically pulling out the one for the Hyuga Clan.

"The Seventh Division still needs one more vice-captain. I think someone from the Hyuga Clan would be suitable. Remember to go ask the Hyuga Clan about it."

"And remember, also approach the Inuzuka, Aburame, and other clans in the village. No matter what decisions the major clans make, one thing is clear: this time, we represent Teacher Orochimaru, not the Uchiha. So you must understand the importance of the Seventh Division."

Shisui looked up and saw Uchiha Yoruro wearily rubbing his brow, exhaustion etched across his face. This sight filled him with even more guilt, as if the weight of the clan's responsibilities had fallen entirely on Brother Yoru's shoulders.

"Brother Yoru, if we do this, the Seventh Division will become a sieve, leaking information everywhere."

Although Uchiha Shisui was incredibly powerful, his Political Mind was clearly lacking by a significant margin. Yoruro had spelled it out so plainly, yet Shisui still didn't grasp it.

Looking up at Shisui's worried expression, Yoruro gave a bitter smile, rubbed his brow, sighed, and began to explain.

"Shisui, your strength is worthy of being the Uchiha's number one genius, but in politics, you're still too green. You're the future of the clan, so you need to study this area more carefully."

"The Seventh Division is a gift the clan has offered to Teacher Orochimaru. Therefore, the Seventh Division no longer answers to the Military Police Force, nor to the Uchiha, but to Teacher Orochimaru! The future Fifth Hokage!"

At this point, Uchiha Yoruro wore an expression that said, 'Do you understand now?' Shisui, however, only seemed to half-comprehend.

"Brother Yoru, I understand what you're saying. This is the clan's gesture."

Clearly, Shisui only grasped the surface meaning. The Seventh Division was indeed the Uchiha's pledge of allegiance, but once it was in Orochimaru's hands, it became something different. It was no longer just a simple private armed force; it represented a small political faction centered around Orochimaru, the man most likely to become the Fifth Hokage.

Uchiha Yoruro shook his head. He finally understood why, in the original timeline, Shisui had been driven to jump off a cliff and take his own life. With this personality and Political Mind...

"The Seventh Division represents Teacher Orochimaru. If the major clans in the village are willing to send ninjas to join, it means they are aligning with Teacher Orochimaru's faction."

At this point, Uchiha Yoruro laid it all out plainly. Half of this was his own initiative, and the Uchiha clan was happy to see it happen.

The Seventh Division was a gift from the Uchiha. Recruiting members from the various clans wasn't about getting elites; it was about gauging their attitude. It was a way for Orochimaru to see where each clan in the village stood.

Who would ultimately become the Fifth Hokage was hard to say, but Orochimaru had the best chance. Otherwise, in the original timeline, the position wouldn't have remained vacant for two or three years after the Nine-Tails' Rampage, ultimately leading to Orochimaru's defection.

It wasn't hard to imagine. The reason Orochimaru couldn't become Hokage, aside from the thoughts of certain higher-ups, was largely due to Danzo and the Third Hokage.

As long as Danzo still wanted to become Hokage, he would never agree to such a young, uncontrollable Hokage emerging.

As for the Third Hokage's reluctance, it was likely because, in his mind, Orochimaru had already strayed down a dark path.

As for the Sarutobi Clan and other families behind them, they were simply going along with the flow, not wanting their own interests to be harmed.