The Next Captain of the Security Division

With his last worry gone, Fugaku left the office with mixed feelings.

What happened next was out of his hands. Xuanye would find a suitable reason for him to retire.

Hizashi and Longchuan exchanged a glance, but neither said anything. They quietly waited for Xuanye's decision.

Xuanye leaned back in his chair and tapped his fingers lightly on the desk, unable to make up his mind.

Hizashi stepped forward. "What's troubling you, Shogun?"

Xuanye shook his head. "Nothing's troubling me, exactly. I just haven't decided which of you should become the next Captain of the Security Division."

Apart from the Uchiha, the Hyuga had supported him from the start. In theory, Xuanye should have thought of them first when an opportunity like this came along.

Hizashi was also one of his most trusted men. By all rights, he should have had priority.

But if things went as expected, the Fourth Shinobi World War would soon begin. More than one major ninja village would fall.

Ninja clans didn't necessarily have to remain tied to their villages. The Hozuki Clan, Yuki Clan, and Kaguya Clan were proof of that.

He could beat them into submission first, then bring them into the fold.

And to draw more ninja clans over during the war, Xuanye needed to put an outsider in a prominent position. It would show how highly he valued those who joined him.

Longchuan was well suited to that role. He was a high-ranking member of a clan that had come from elsewhere, had earned great merit by killing the Fourth Mizukage, and had even helped arrange the Hozuki, Yuki, and Kaguya clans' move to Konoha behind the scenes.

Seeing a man who had pledged his allegiance rise so high in Konoha would show outsiders that Uchiha Genya was willing to appoint