Representing Orochimaru

Konoha West Street, Konoha Military Police Force Branch Office.

Inside the spacious, brightly lit office, Uchiha Yoru looked through the clear glass at the broad police compound, and a flicker of desire for power rose within him.

The Konoha Military Police Force had nine divisions. The divisions responsible for the village each had an establishment of two hundred personnel, meaning Uchiha Yoru could recruit two hundred subordinates under his command.

"Brother Yoru."

As the division's vice-captain, Shisui had clearly been in low spirits lately. His experiences during this period had dealt him far too great a blow.

He had returned to Konoha full of passion, expecting Orochimaru to ascend as the Fifth Hokage, only to be disappointed. On top of that, he had been helping handle Root's affairs and had come into contact with almost nothing but the darkness within the village, which had hit him even harder.

Seeing Shisui sitting there in such a dispirited state, Uchiha Yoru, seated in the squad leader's chair, could not help showing a look of frustration at his failure to live up to expectations.

"Shisui, look at what you've become. You've been beaten down like this over such a small matter? You carry Uchiha pride."

As he said this, Uchiha Yoru put on a resolute expression and nodded solemnly. "Shisui, you must believe in the Will of Fire and believe in Lord Third. Once Orochimaru becomes the Fifth Hokage, everything will get better."

After being comforted, Uchiha Shisui forced out a strained smile. Looking at the guiding light in his life, he could not help but sigh inwardly. As expected of Brother Yoru. Always so composed, always so confident.

"Brother Yoru, congratulations on becoming a Jōnin and taking over the Konoha Military Police Force's Seventh Division."

That was right! Once Uchiha Yoru had been appointed Seventh Division Captain, the Uchiha had also submitted an application to the village. After all, they could not possibly leave a division captain as a Chūnin, could they?

As for his contributions, he had constantly assisted Orochimaru in handling political affairs on the front line. Once politicians polished up those achievements, they were more than enough. An ordinary ninja, however, should not even dream of it.

Seeing Shisui's strained, insincere smile, Uchiha Yoru shook his head and sighed. "Shisui, we bear heavy responsibilities. There are only a little over thirty members in the branch office right now. We need to fill the Seventh Division's ranks as quickly as possible."

"Yes!"

The two of them were now technically superior and subordinate. Although Shisui was stronger, he admired Uchiha Yoru even more. Thus, he had no complaints whatsoever about becoming vice-captain of the Seventh Division and instead felt greatly relieved.

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

Ninjas were extremely efficient beings. After all, they had been trained as weapons from the very beginning.

Moreover, the Konoha Military Police Force was not made up entirely of Uchiha. There were civilian ninjas as well, since this was, after all, a department.

Although the Konoha Military Police Force was practically the Uchiha's private armed force, if it recruited only members of its own clan, setting aside whether it would have enough people, that point alone would have isolated the Uchiha long ago.

The Uchiha had truly become isolated by Konoha's various clans after the Nine-Tails' Rampage. Before that, the Uchiha had always been at the heart of the village.

The Konoha Military Police Force also needed to remain in the public eye, so that those in power—the Hokage, for example—would know its movements. Likewise, the Uchiha needed civilian ninjas as cannon fodder, or rather, as tools in their hands.

The Uchiha merely controlled all the real power within the Konoha Military Police Force. At the same time, the clan's ninjas needed to interact with the village. Half of them formed ninja squads with outsiders to carry out missions, and the other Noble Houses did the same.

Seeing Shisui like this, Uchiha Yoru narrowed his eyes and slowly said, "Shisui, this time, remember to prioritize transferring Teacher Orochimaru's followers here. From now on, the Seventh Military Police Division will no longer represent only the Uchiha. It will also represent Teacher Orochimaru."

As he spoke, Uchiha Yoru took out the list beside him and focused on the list of the Hyuga Clan.

"One of the two vice-captain positions in the Seventh Military Police Division is still vacant. I think the Hyuga Family would be just right. Remember to ask what the Hyuga Family thinks."

"Also remember the Inuzuka, Aburame, and the other clans in the village. No matter what decisions the major clans make, there is one point: this time, we represent Teacher Orochimaru, not the Uchiha. So you must understand just how important the Seventh Military Police Division is."

Shisui raised his head and saw Uchiha Yoru rubbing the space between his brows wearily, exhaustion written all over his face. The sight filled him with even more guilt. It seemed that all the clan's burdens rested upon Brother Yoru's shoulders.

"Brother Yoru, if we do this, the Seventh Division will probably become a sieve full of holes."

Although Uchiha Shisui was immensely strong, his political acumen was clearly lacking by more than a little. Yoru had already made things so clear, yet Shisui still did not understand.

Seeing the worry on Shisui's face, he gave a bitter smile, rubbed the space between his brows, and shook his head with a sigh before explaining.

"Shisui, your strength makes you worthy of being called the Uchiha's greatest genius, but politically, you're still far too immature. You are the clan's future, so you need to study politics much more carefully."

"The Seventh Division of the Konoha Military Police Force has already been offered by the clan to Teacher Orochimaru. Therefore, the Seventh Division no longer answers to the Konoha Military Police Force, nor does it answer to the Uchiha. It answers to Teacher Orochimaru! The future Fifth Hokage!"

As he said this, Uchiha Yoru gave him a look that asked if he understood. Shisui, however, clearly only half understood.

"Brother Yoru, I understand what you mean. This counts as the clan making its position known."

Clearly, Shisui had only understood the surface meaning. The Seventh Military Police Division was indeed the Uchiha's pledge of allegiance, but once it reached Orochimaru's hands, it would become something different. It would no longer be a simple private armed force, but a small political faction representing Orochimaru, the Hokage with the greatest chance of becoming the Fifth Generation.

At this point, Uchiha Yoru shook his head. He finally understood why Shisui had been driven to leap from a waterfall in the original story. With that personality and that political mind...

"The Seventh Military Police Division represents Teacher Orochimaru. If the major clans within the village are willing to send ninjas to join it, that will represent their support for Teacher Orochimaru's faction."

Uchiha Yoru laid it all out plainly. Half of this matter had been initiated by him, while the Uchiha were also happy to see it happen.

The Seventh Division had been given by the Uchiha, and recruiting people from the major clans was not about seeking elites. It was about seeking an attitude—an opportunity for Orochimaru to see the attitudes of Konoha's major clans.

It was difficult to say who the position of Fifth Hokage would ultimately go to, but Orochimaru truly had the best chance. Otherwise, in the original story, the village would not have failed to select a Hokage for two or three years after the Nine-Tails' Rampage, eventually driving Orochimaru to defect.

Even without saying it, one could imagine that aside from the thoughts of certain higher-ups, the biggest reason Orochimaru had been unable to take the Hokage's seat was Danzo and the Third.

As long as Danzo still wanted to become Hokage, he could not possibly agree to the emergence of such a young Hokage beyond his control.

As for the Third's reluctance, it was likely because, in his mind, Orochimaru had already gone down an evil path.

The Sarutobi Clan behind him, along with several other clans, merely went with the flow because they did not want their interests harmed.

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