People of the Old Era

Night was as dark as ink, and the Konoha Police Force headquarters was brightly lit.

This was the heart of Konoha's security and a symbol of Uchiha power.

In the past, this was forbidden territory that ordinary Ninja and villagers were unwilling to set foot in.

Tonight, the air was filled with a chilling aura.

Third Division Office.

This was a department directly controlled by the radical elder Uchiha Setsuna. It usually acted the most arrogantly and domineeringly. Uchiha Ryo from the daytime belonged to this division.

"Bang!"

The heavy solid wood door was suddenly pushed open.

More than a dozen Uchiha security team members who were smoking, chatting idly, and even complaining that Fugaku was "bending his elbow outwards" looked up in astonishment.

Standing at the door was not one of their clansmen, but a young man with dazzling blond hair and a gentle smile on his face.

Namikaze Minato.

"Good evening, everyone."

Minato held a transfer order that had just been stamped with the captain's seal. His clear voice seemed particularly abrupt in the quiet office:

"By order of Captain Uchiha Fugaku, and in view of the Third Division's repeated violations of regulations during recent law enforcement, which have led to serious conflicts between the police and the public, it has now been decided to suspend all members of the Third Division for rectification."

"Please hand over your swords, Headband, and Police Force armbands, and go home to await orders immediately."

Dead silence lasted for two seconds.

Then, a burst of mocking laughter erupted.

"Huh? Did I hear that right?"

A burly Uchiha Chunin stood up, his face filled with deep contempt. "A civilian brat, wanting us to disarm with a piece of scrap paper? Has Fugaku gone mad?"

"Don't think that just because you have some fame on the battlefield, you can run wild here. This is the Police Force! Get out!"

Another person directly pulled out a Kunai, his eyes spinning with a Three Tomoe Sharingan, exuding a murderous aura.

Minato looked at these elites who didn't even bother to glance at him. The smile on his face didn't change at all, but a hint of helplessness and sharpness appeared in his blue eyes.

"It seems, Che was right."

Minato sighed and gently placed the transfer order on the table next to him. "Sometimes, reason doesn't work."

"Courting death!"

The Chunin was furious, and the Kunai in his hand pierced straight towards Minato's face, accompanied by the sound of Wind.

However, at the moment he attacked.

"Swish!"

The golden figure disappeared.

Not a ninjutsu, just a Body Flicker Technique that was fast to the extreme.

The next second, the Chunin only felt a numbness in his wrist, and the Kunai in his hand had changed hands. Immediately afterwards, a sharp pain came from his abdomen, and his whole body arched like a shrimp, flying backwards and smashing heavily into the filing cabinet behind him.

"What?!"

The faces of the other dozen or so Uchiha clansmen changed drastically, and they all activated their Sharingan to try to lock onto the enemy's position.

But in the narrow office, that golden flash was simply an unsolvable ghost.

"Too slow."

"Over here."

"That seal isn't finished yet."

Accompanied by muffled blows and the sound of heavy objects falling to the ground, in less than thirty seconds.

When the last team member who tried to form a seal and release Fire Style was knocked unconscious by Minato with a chop to the back of his neck, the entire office returned to silence.

Namikaze Minato stood in the center of the room, his blond hair fluttering slightly, his breathing steady, and even his clothes were not messed up.

He bent down, picked up the scattered Police Force armbands on the ground, and neatly stacked them on the table.

"I said, please cooperate with the rectification."

At the same time, deep within the Uchiha compound, in the elder's residence.

Uchiha Setsuna was sitting in the tea room, listening to his subordinates' reports. His wrinkled old face was terrifyingly gloomy.

"Fugaku... how dare he?!"

The teacup in Setsuna's hand was crushed into pieces, and the scalding tea flowed down his fingers, but he didn't notice it at all. "He's declaring war on the clan. For those lowly civilians, he's actually attacking his own people?"

"Elder, something bad has happened!"

A confidant stumbled in. "The Third Division... is completely wiped out! That Namikaze Minato took down everyone by himself! Now the control of the Police Force has been taken over by Fugaku's people!"

"They've rebelled! They've rebelled!"

Setsuna abruptly stood up, grabbing the Cane beside him, "Gather the men! I'm going to call a clan meeting! I'm going to impeach that traitorous bastard!"

"No need for that trouble, Elder Setsuna."

A frigid voice came from the courtyard.

The paper door of the tea room slid open.

Uchiha Fugaku, dressed in a black formal suit, stood alone in the moonlight.

Nishikawa Tetsu did not follow; Fugaku had to personally resolve this kind of internal clan "housekeeping" matter in order to establish his authority.

"Fugaku!"

Setsuna looked at the young clan head walking in, his eyes burning with anger, "You dare to come see me? Do you know what you're doing? You're destroying the foundation of the Uchiha!"

"I'm saving the Uchiha."

Fugaku walked into the tea room and casually threw a stack of documents onto the tatami in front of Setsuna.

It was evidence that Nishikawa Tetsu had compiled overnight, regarding the Third Division's violent law enforcement, bribery, and infiltration by Danzo in recent years.

"Take a look, this is the foundation you speak of."

Fugaku's voice was as cold as ice, "Being used as a tool by Root, being unable to see through obvious provocations, jumping into the trap like a fool. If I hadn't dealt with it quickly today, the villagers would be denouncing the Police Force tomorrow, and the higher-ups would use this as an excuse to cut us down."

"So what!"

Setsuna didn't even look at the documents, slamming his Cane heavily on the ground, "The Uchiha don't need to watch anyone's face! As long as we have power..."

"Power?"

Fugaku suddenly smiled.

"Are you referring to these eyes?"

Before the words faded, Fugaku suddenly raised his head.

His originally black pupils instantly transformed, the Three Tomoe spinning wildly, eventually connecting to form that bizarre and terrifying blade-like pattern.

Mangekyo Sharingan!

"BOOM!"

A substantial, chilling Chakra instantly filled the entire tea room.

Elder Setsuna only felt a darkness before his eyes, as if an invisible giant hand had grabbed his throat.

His cloudy Three Tomoe, under the suppression of the Mangekyo, instinctively trembled, wanting to close.

This was suppression from the depths of his bloodline.

"This... this is..."

Setsuna's pupils shook violently, his body uncontrollably collapsing into the chair; it was the "Eye of the Asura" mentioned in Hanzō's announcement.

Seeing it with his own eyes was even more despairing than the rumors.

He seemed to have seen Madara Uchiha from back then.

"The times have changed, Elder Setsuna."

Fugaku slowly retracted his Dojutsu, his eyes returning to black, but the suffocating residual power still lingered in the air.

He looked down at this once arrogant and radical leader.

"Madara Uchiha's era is over. The current Uchiha doesn't need mindless mad dogs. It needs people who can see the situation clearly."

"From today on, you are 'unwell' and need to rest."

Fugaku turned and walked out, leaving Setsuna with a resolute back.

"You don't need to worry about the Police Force's affairs anymore."

Inside the tea room, Uchiha Setsuna sat blankly in place, cold sweat soaking his back.

He looked at that back, and in a daze, he seemed to see the figure that once made the entire Ninja World tremble.

But he knew that the path Fugaku was taking was completely different from Madara's.

"Now that's... a bit like a clan head... I really am old!"

The next morning.

The notice board at the entrance of the Konoha Police Force was once again surrounded by people.

But this time, it was no longer a crowd of protesters, but surprised onlookers.

A large notice in black ink on red paper was posted in the most conspicuous position.

[Notice Regarding Disciplinary Rectification and Personnel Appointments in the Police Force]

[Upon investigation, the original Third Division was found to have engaged in serious disciplinary violations during law enforcement... They are hereby dismissed from their positions.]

[Namikaze Minato is appointed as Special Operations Advisor to the Police Force, responsible for supervising law enforcement standards.]

[The Police Force will establish a complaint reception office effective immediately, welcoming villagers to supervise...]

"Heavens, they actually dealt with it? And a clean sweep at that?"

"That Namikaze Minato? Is that the blond guy? He actually joined the Police Force?"

"People who aren't Uchiha can join the Police Force?"

"Looks like the Uchiha are serious this time."

Among the crowd, Nishikawa Tetsu listened to the surrounding discussions, the corners of his mouth slightly raised.

He held a freshly printed copy of Konoha Weekly in his hand, the headline being the sensational article he wrote last night.

The accompanying photo was a candid shot: Fugaku, in the rainy night, with his back to the camera, watching the clansmen being escorted away, his back appearing incomparably lonely and firm, when in reality Fugaku was so tired he couldn't straighten his back.

"Tetsu!"

Not far away, Nara Shikahisa walked over yawning, holding a document stamped with the Hokage's seal in his hand.

"Your efficiency is too high. My old man just submitted the proposal, and you guys have already finished arresting people."

Shikaku handed the document to Nishikawa Tetsu, "Here, Hokage-sama's approval. In principle, he agrees to the Police Force's reform pilot program and has assigned our Nara Clan to assist in formulating new rules."

Nishikawa Tetsu took the document and glanced at the bright red "Approved" on it.

"Thanks, Shikaku."

"Don't thank me, thank Danzo." Shikaku gave the Hokage Building a meaningful look, "I heard quite a few things were smashed in Root's base last night."

A flash of light passed through Nishikawa Tetsu's eyes.

"This is just the beginning."

"Next, it's time to let those who can actually do the work enter the field."

He looked at Namikaze Minato, who was not far away, lecturing several newly hired Uchiha recruits.

The golden sunlight shone on Minato, creating a wonderful sense of harmony with the Uchiha's deep blue uniform.

Konoha's Police Force was finally no longer a stagnant pool of water.