As the two men talked, they had already crossed several streets and arrived in front of the Hokage Building. Its red-painted exterior made it a landmark of Konoha, though in truth, it had little to distinguish it. Standing before the building and looking up, Sōken thought it looked like a giant plastic bucket turned upside down.
It had none of the beauty of architectural art!
Nor did it have the dignity and solemnity of an administrative building.
"This aesthetic sense..."
Sōken shook his head. Thinking of the Police Force building, which was no more attractive, he suddenly considered rebuilding it. But there was no need to rush. Like establishing the Legal Affairs Department, that could be done gradually. The most important thing right now was to let the village know that the Uchiha weren't a good-natured lump of dough for anyone to knead as they pleased.
He stepped onto the stairs and headed toward the wide-open main entrance.
As they entered the first-floor lobby, someone immediately came to meet them.
It was Kakashi again!
"Uchiha Director, please come with me." Wearing a fox mask and sporting a conspicuous mop of white hair, Kakashi walked ahead to lead the way. "The Hokage is waiting for you in the conference room!"
"The conference room? So there are quite a few people there besides the Hokage?"
"The Hyuga Clan Head, Aburame Clan Head, Nara Clan Head... There are quite a few. I won't list them all. You'll see when we get there."
There was no further conversation along the way.
When the conference room door opened, not a sound could be heard from it. The staff must have remembered to give the hinges a drink of throat-soothing lubricant every day.
The gap widened rapidly. Voices surged out through the open door like a tide released from its dam, along with wisps of transparent gray smoke that drifted lightly against him. But even this secondhand smoke couldn't block the Sharingan's keen perception.
The Sharingan had once been known by another name: the "Eye of Insight."
Sōken shifted his eyes, taking in the entire vast conference room. The village's most influential figures were all gathered there, an imposing lineup like lions preparing to go all out to hunt a rabbit.
And I'm probably the rabbit they've got their eyes on!
Sōken found himself thinking.
Sure enough,
the lions' intimidation began the very second he walked through the door!
"Uchiha Sōken, what exactly is your clan trying to do?" Elder Mitokado had, for once, abandoned his usual inscrutable poker face. His anger was practically written across it. As he watched Sōken stroll into the conference room, he slammed a hand on the table and roared, his voice rising several decibels.
"Privately handing out the position of Police Force Director—does your clan even care about the village? Are you planning to betray the village and set up on your own?"
He had slapped Sōken with the grave accusation of intending to betray the village.
The expressions of the clan heads and department directors seated around the conference table shifted slightly. They had already agreed, before Uchiha Sōken arrived, to suppress the Uchiha. They couldn't allow this dangerous clan to be led by a mere fifteen-year-old boy.
That was right. In the clan heads' eyes, a fifteen-year-old taking charge of a clan was a joke. A clan head couldn't get by on strength alone. This wasn't the Warring States period, and even back then, a clan head who was too strong could sometimes drag his entire clan into the abyss of war.
The Uchiha seemed to be showing signs of that again, making them uneasy. That was why they had agreed to put pressure on the Uchiha together.
However,
Elder Mitokado seemed to be overdoing it a little.
They had no desire to actually go to war with the Uchiha. Even if they could wipe out the clan, they would likely suffer heavy losses themselves... and they didn't want to see that happen.
"Homura, calm down."
The Third stepped in at just the right moment to stop his old friend from continuing his tirade.
"Even if we're going to punish them, we should first give them a chance to explain. Uchiha Sōken, explain what happened between your clan and the Police Force last night. I need an explanation from you. I know my teacher entrusted the Police Force to the Uchiha, but the Uchiha are still part of Konoha. The position of Police Force Director isn't one you can hand out just as you please..."
"Tsk!"
The unmistakable click of his tongue echoed through the conference room, cutting off the Third's words.
The wrinkles on the elderly man's face shifted slightly. He fixed his gaze on the lower half of Sōken's face, his previously mild voice turning completely cold. "Uchiha Sōken, is that your explanation?"
"So what if it is?"
Sōken's expression hardened as he replied coldly.
He stood three paces from the doorway, head held high and eyes stern, like a drawn blade gleaming with icy light. The clan heads and department directors seated around the table all felt a phantom pain as sharp as a blow to the skin and flesh. The fat old man, whose weight alone nearly crushed his chair, frowned slightly.
For some reason,
this scene felt strangely familiar.
As if he had seen it somewhere before?
"The Second granted the Uchiha autonomy over the Police Force. I checked the document he personally signed, which is kept in the Police Force archives. It says nothing about needing anyone's approval to change the Police Force Director." Sōken's cold gaze swept over the four powerful figures as he mocked them.
"Or is this about abolishing the rules the Second left behind?"
"Times change. Your clan has behaved recklessly, and you expect me to simply stand by? Don't try to use my teacher's name to pressure me. He taught us that nothing in this world stays the same forever. Even stone can be worn away by wind and water, let alone people and institutions."
The Third remained seated, unmoved, and paid no heed to Sōken's mockery. "If the Uchiha don't take the Police Force seriously, then as Hokage, I certainly won't stand idly by. The Police Force is the Uchiha's autonomous department, but it's also Konoha's Police Force. Even my teacher would understand my actions if he knew about this."
"So? What kind of explanation do you want from me?"
"Don't worry. I don't intend to break the rules of clan autonomy. It's just that your clan went too far this time. I've already sent someone to fetch Clan Head Fugaku. Once Clan Head Fugaku arrives..."
"Fugaku Uchiha is no longer the clan head."
Sōken interrupted the Third again without the slightest courtesy. His crimson eyes swept over everyone present. No one except the Hyuga dared meet his gaze. "To be honest, I was prepared for things to come to this... But if we have to wait for Fugaku Uchiha, then let's wait! I'd like to see exactly what you people want to turn the Uchiha into!!!"
Before you continue