Taking Office as Captain of the Security Division

Xuanye had not finished speaking:

"I've looked into the state of the clan's ninjas over the past decade or so. Leaving aside our top-tier strength, even without counting the war, the Uchiha's mid- and lower-tier forces have been steadily declining over the years."

"If not for our ancestral assets keeping us afloat, the Uchiha might even suffer a severe gap in strength due to a major decline in our overall power."

"Then by your reasoning, the Security Division is actually a burden?" Fugaku could not help asking.

"Yes." Xuanye changed tack. "And no."

It had to be said that Senju Tobirama had made a brilliant move by placing the Security Division under Uchiha management.

The Security Division's duties confined the Uchiha to patrolling within Konoha, handling low-value jobs like catching cats and walking dogs.

When the Ninja World went to war, the Uchiha could be sent out as expendable cannon fodder to fill the ranks, fully exploiting their formidable combat strength while wearing down their viable forces.

Yet there was no pay during the Ninja World wars. At most, the families received a little compensation.

They could not make money in peacetime, and in real wars, they could only risk their lives as expendable troops.

Moreover, the Security Division's work offended people by nature. One could well imagine the Uchiha's standing in the village.

In truth, a violent institution like the Security Division should theoretically never be monopolized by a single clan, as that could create an extremely dangerous situation.

Yet Senju Tobirama had done exactly that.

The purpose of this move was to keep the Uchiha in a state of decline over the long term.

They would not starve to death, but neither could they grow stronger. Naturally, they would pose no threat to Konoha.

It was merely that several of his disciples had misunderstood his intentions, driving the entire Uchiha toward rebellion with all their might.

The Uchiha were restrained enough as it was. If an Elder from the hawkish faction had taken power, just watch whether those Red Eyes, oppressed for so long, would have rebelled!

The reason Xuanye said yes and no was that, given the Security Division's scope of authority, extracting benefits from it was simply far too easy.

They would not even need to embezzle or accept bribes. With the Uchiha's law enforcement powers alone, piles of perfectly legitimate funds could flow into their accounts.

With Xuanye around, Konoha's troublesome commoners would soon understand what it meant for the Security Division's authority to be limitless.

Seeing Xuanye speaking in riddles again, Fugaku suppressed the urge to smack him and said:

"Speak properly. What do you mean, 'yes and no'?"

"Because the Security Division's boundaries of authority are extremely vague. It can be summed up in one sentence."

"What sentence?" Fugaku's curiosity had been thoroughly stirred.

"Act first, report later—specially authorized by the Second Hokage."

The moment those words came out, it was as if someone had opened a door to inspiration for Fugaku. He stood there, completely stunned.

Although he did not fully understand it, after giving it careful thought, he felt that Xuanye's words made tremendous sense—and sounded incredibly bold!

Xuanye said quietly, "The Security Division is the Security Division, and the Uchiha are the Uchiha."

"Since the Security Division was established under the Second Hokage's direction, no matter what happens, the blame can theoretically be pinned on him."

"What, are they going to dig up the dead Second Hokage and make him speak?"

There was indeed a technique capable of doing that, but Orochimaru most likely had not perfected it yet.

Even if it truly had been perfected and Senju Tobirama were dug up, Xuanye still had ways to attack Sarutobi Hiruzen from the moral high ground.

You even dug up your teacher's grave—are you still human!?

In short, as long as I have no morals, no one else can stand on the moral high ground and point fingers at me.

After pausing for a moment, Xuanye continued, "We do not need to make the villagers accept the Uchiha. We only need to make them hate the Security Division even more."

Fugaku carefully considered Xuanye's words. After a moment, he said, "You want... to separate the Uchiha from the Security Division."

Xuanye nodded. "But not now. I have a plan, though it will take time to carry out. Since the Security Division is such a hated department, it would be best to drag a few more clans in to share the blame."

"The Inuzuka Clan would be a good choice. If we run into people causing trouble again, we can just let the dogs bite them. Afterward, we can brush it off by claiming the Ninja Dogs have not developed intelligence yet, or simply say they are newly recruited Ninja Dogs. Let's see if they dare try it again next time."

Fugaku fell silent.

Setting aside whether Xuanye's final remark about recruiting the Inuzuka Clan was a joke, he had understood the meaning behind Xuanye's words.

"You want authority over the Security Division?"

Fugaku was not someone who craved power.

If it could free the Uchiha from their current predicament, he was not unwilling to relinquish the position of Captain of the Security Division.

Xuanye nodded.

Honestly, Fugaku had controlled Konoha's sole internal police organization and still managed to run the Uchiha into a state where everyone in Konoha despised them. That was truly something else.

Xuanye would absolutely never allow troublesome Konoha commoners to emerge under his watch.

"Fine. I can delegate the Security Division's authority entirely to you, but the formal appointment will likely have to wait until the Jonin Conference."

Fugaku still did not know what Xuanye intended to do. If he had guessed Xuanye's plan, he certainly would not have handed over the Security Division's authority so easily.

Although the Captain of the Security Division had always been an Uchiha clansman, they still had to go through the proper procedures. It could not be decided with a single word from him.

Xuanye shook his head. "They will not agree. Their reasons will be nothing more than the usual few."

"But that does not matter. All I need is real authority. Whether they formally appoint me is irrelevant."

"The Security Division was entrusted entirely to the Uchiha by the Second Hokage. It is not up to his few disciples to interfere."

Xuanye and Fugaku exchanged a glance, both revealing knowing smiles.

When Sarutobi Hiruzen returned to the Hokage Office, he lost his temper for once.

Seeing Sarutobi Hiruzen enter and immediately smash his cup onto the floor, Namikaze Minato could not help rolling his eyes.

"What happened, Third Hokage? Why are you so angry?"

Sarutobi Hiruzen had just been about to speak when his face began burning with embarrassment.

Namikaze Minato was his disciple's disciple. How could he act so impotently furious in front of a junior?

Not to mention spreading around how he had humiliated himself at the Security Division.

But people always feared exactly what came their way.

The doors of the Hokage Office were kicked open once more, and Shimura Danzō strode in with an utterly arrogant gait.

At the sight of this lord making an appearance, Namikaze Minato felt deeply helpless. He could only bury himself in the pile of documents and pretend to be busy.

It was not that he feared Shimura Danzō. It was simply that Danzō would not listen no matter what he said, so there was no point in speaking.

Honestly, this Hokage position was far too stifling. Having Sarutobi Hiruzen above him was one thing, but even Shimura Danzō, the Hokage Assistant, sometimes ignored him.

He could not even command the Hokage Assistant. What kind of lousy Hokage was that?