After a whole night of deliberation, Sarutobi Hiruzen finally made a decision that went against his predecessors' wishes to placate Uchiha Mai for the time being.
He would separate the Void Division, which Uchiha Mai directly commanded, from the Anbu, raising its authority and rank to the same level as the Anbu.
It would still answer directly to the Hokage, still enjoy all manner of privileges that let it throw its weight around Konoha, and still be free to call upon Konoha's intelligence operatives stationed elsewhere.
Its organization would simply expand from one squad to four, matching the Anbu's previous size.
A New Anbu—this was practically the Ming dynasty's Eastern Depot and Western Depot.
For one thing, this would barely suffice as a reward for Uchiha Mai's contributions. For another, it would avoid stripping Master Minato of his position, giving Minato and Orochimaru troubling ideas, and dampening their enthusiasm.
The only drawback was that it would further unleash the ferocious beast known as the Uchiha, which had been suppressed for decades since the Second's time.
The Anbu had severely encroached on the Security Department's authority, and resentment had long simmered among the Uchiha. Uchiha Mai's Fifth Squad had only eased some of that resentment, nowhere near enough to put it to rest.
Now that the Void Division was becoming independent of the Anbu, it would inevitably recruit large numbers of Uchiha Clan experts. The mere Security Department was nowhere near sufficient to reflect the Uchiha's strength.
By all appearances, the newly established Void Division would wield far more power than Root had even at its peak after Shippuden. After all, Uchiha Mai was stronger than Danzo, and his followers were stronger than the worthless riffraff under Danzo.
But Sarutobi Hiruzen could only compromise, and he was very good at compromising.