Leading the Team Again
After teasing Sasuke with specially made toys for Shuichi handed him over to Itachi, a professional childcare provider. Mikoto Uchiha also went out to busy herself with housework, leaving only the two of them talking in the living room.
Shuichi spoke first, "Recently, Fugaku- senpai must have been busy with Police Force affairs. What do you think of the village's reforms this time?"
"While there's some discomfort caused by these changes, it's generally acceptable," Fugaku said in a deep voice. "Because our clan has been responsible for all security tasks for many years, it's inevitable that some clan members will be dissatisfied with this sudden change..."
However, the powers transferred were mainly for ordinary people, while matters involving ninjas were still handled by the Uchiha. Therefore, even those who opposed them dared not be too ostentatious, otherwise they would give the impression of being arrogant and domineering.
Shuichi said, "These matters are indeed somewhat complicated. The Third Lord also wants to prevent any estrangement between the Uchiha and the village, so we'd appreciate your help with the Security Department."
"You're too kind. It's simply my duty as the head of my clan."
Seeing that Fugaku had not yet expressed any dissatisfaction with the Konoha High Command, Shuichi continued, "The village originally planned to make adjustments to the Uchiha, but the Nine-Tails incident recently has inevitably caused many people to have doubts, so it has been temporarily delayed."
Shuichi's visit was not only to see Sasuke, but also to reassure the Uchiha clan on behalf of the Third Hokage Uchiha.
After all, the suspicion of controlling the Nine-Tails through the Sharingan has not been ruled out. The power exchange that should have been a deal has turned into a reduction in authority and surveillance, which will definitely make them unhappy.
However, during this turbulent period, in order to prevent further unforeseen circumstances, the feedback to the Uchiha must be temporarily suspended until the village ninjas lower their guard and hostility.
This is something that definitely needs to be done. There are many skilled Uchiha members right now, and with the reduction of the Security Department's authority, a large number of people have become idle. We can't just let them do nothing Tenten and still get paid.
Shuichi handed Fugaku a Scroll: "After a period of stability, the higher-ups will begin adjusting the nobility. This is the Third Lord's initial plan."
Fugaku took the document and opened it. First, he ordered the addition of a formally organized ninja squad. At the same time, he also ordered the recruitment of several more Uchiha ninjas for key departments such as the Barrier Team and the Intelligence Department.
In addition, some Uchiha who have cooperated with village ninjas will be selected from the Security Department and fully integrated into Konoha's mission commission system. As for whether they will be included in the Anbu, this issue can only be put on hold for the time being, and the higher-ups need time to observe the effects of the reform.
"Fugaku- senpai can start selecting people now." Shuichi gave the Third Hokage's promise, "Regarding the Sharingan, as agreed, it will be reclaimed by the Uchiha Clan from now on, no matter what. Exceptions like Kakashi's will not happen again."
"Phew... I'm fine on my end too." Fugaku breathed a sigh of relief. With this agreement in place, most of the clansmen would no longer object.
Seeing that he had achieved his goal, Shuichi decided not to bother Sasuke any further. He knew he would have plenty of time to play with Sasuke later. "The Lord Hokage will discuss the specific details with you when he has time."
"I apologize for disturbing you today. I'll take my leave now."
In the autumn of Konoha year 50, quite some time had passed since the Nine-Tails' Rampage. Although the power of Konoha Ninja remained formidable, there were always those who couldn't resist the urge to challenge them.
Kirigakure suffered a severe defeat at the end of the Third Shinobi War, with several valuable Konoha Ninja Blade still missing. Furthermore, due to its isolation from the outside world, the eastern coastline of the Land of Fire remained relatively peaceful.
Sunagakure not only suffers from a severe shortage of talent, but its own Tailed Beast have not yet been revived, so naturally it has no desire to challenge Konoha.
Shuichi thought life would be much easier, but the Anbu discovered that Iwagakure had started to make trouble for the Land of Grass again. As the village's main fighting force, he had no choice but to rush to the front line.
According to his guess, it must have been Minato's death that made the Land of Earth have such thoughts. The Yellow Flash had killed countless of their elite ninjas, and he was a huge burden on their hearts.
Now that the Fourth Hokage is gone, Konoha is keeping the Nine-Tails' Rampage a closely guarded secret. Other major powers don't know the extent of Konoha's losses, whether it's a major blow or something else, so they're considering taking action to test the waters.
Of course, the Third Great Ninja War depleted the resources accumulated by each village over many years, so a large-scale war is no longer possible. Iwagakure's actions mainly consist of sending small teams to cause trouble within the Land of Grass.
In the bamboo forest of the Land of Grass, a four-person Konoha Squad was walking unhurriedly forward. They were all dressed in the Kusagakure attire. Ishikawa Tatsuki was leading the way, followed by Kurenai and Asuma, while the somewhat mysterious Shuichi trailed at the very back of the group.
The area has a relatively open view, which shouldn't be ideal for an ambush, but Iwagakure ninjas are skilled at hiding in rocks for reconnaissance, so many locations are good choices.
"1, 2, 3... 6, there are 6 people in total. They'll probably find out soon." Shuichi continued to follow calmly.
Perhaps it was because his actions recently were too considerate that the Third Hokage believed he had found the right way to utilize Shuichi, and that he wanted him to continue leading Konoha's new generation to the battlefield. Was he perhaps trying to make it easier for him to "train "Asuma?
"I'm not a panacea..."
The group traveled a short distance further when Hong, whose perception was particularly sharp, quickly noticed something amiss. "Be careful, there might be enemies ahead. Let's search carefully."
From behind a crack in the rocks not far away, the gaze that had been fixed on the four Konoha members quickly returned. Iwagakure Jonin Takamura said softly, "The enemy has changed formation; it seems they've discovered us. Let's find an opportunity to attack together."
"Captain, do you have any more detailed information?" Two people were crouching behind him, and one of them asked.
"They're all wearing Kusagakure Forehead Protector, but I don't think so. To detect something's off at this distance, their strength is considerable," Takamura calmly analyzed. With his years of experience, it was easy for him to spot something amiss. "They could be Konoha Ninja in disguise, but I didn't expect the Land of Fire to react so quickly."
The two men around him looked serious. After receiving the order, they made several hand gestures in another direction, using coded signals to convey that the captain had obtained intelligence and the latest instructions.
The once tranquil bamboo forest seemed about to be disturbed. A gentle breeze blew by, and Ishikawa Tatsuki and the other two felt the ground begin to shake violently. "Watch out, it's an enemy attack!"
Before they could even get a foothold, a barrage of ninja tools rained down from both sides. The Konoha Squad scattered and jumped away, but not too far apart, so they could coordinate their attacks later.
The enemy attacked with full force, and several Kunai with Explosive Tag attached followed them from both sides.
Such an obvious attack was easily detected, and the three threw out their ninja tools to block it. Clanging sounds echoed throughout the arena, followed by continuous explosions, but no one was hit.
Takamura had been keeping a close eye on the battle. After the smoke cleared, he discovered that the three enemy soldiers had regrouped and showed no signs of injury. "How is this possible? Where are the Senbon needles hidden under the ninja tools? And where is their fourth person?"
He held several dark, ethereal Senbon in his hand, with droplets of water sliding off them. This was a highly toxic liquid; if it could pierce the skin, an opponent would quickly lose their fighting ability.