Masaki Uchiha said with satisfaction, "Good. Keep these pieces of evidence safe. We'll bring them all out together after a while and make sure Danzo knows exactly why he's going to die!"
Uchiha Shun asked in confusion, "Clan leader, the evidence we have is enough to get Shimura Danzō killed ten times over. Why do we have to wait?"
Seeing that Uchiha Ichiro looked just as convinced, Masaki realized that Uchiha political education still needed serious improvement.
Masaki Uchiha rolled his eyes helplessly and had no choice but to explain to the two brothers why they had to do it this way.
"First, if an ordinary person were in possession of this evidence, they'd have been dead without a trace long ago. But Shimura Danzō isn't an ordinary person."
"He was Sarutobi Hiruzen's comrade-in-arms and served as Hokage Assistant for a long time. With someone like him, we have to hold something back and wait for the right moment unless we're certain we can finish him off."
"Second, even if we exposed all this evidence right now, Shimura Danzō still wouldn't die. He'd just go deeper into hiding, because Sarutobi Hiruzen is backing him."
"Minato Namikaze will spare Shimura Danzō out of consideration for Sarutobi Hiruzen, and go along with it."
"If there's no force or organization in the village capable of standing up to us, Minato Namikaze won't let the Uchiha Clan become the only power in the village. Do you understand?"
"There's another surprise waiting for Danzo in a while. We'll settle everything then and make sure he never gets back on his feet!"
"So don't rush. For now, just toy with Danzo."
Only then did the two brothers understand how many twists and turns there were to the matter. They couldn't help but admire Masaki Uchiha even more.
With a clan leader like him, the Uchiha had nothing to fear about their future.
After sending the two brothers back to continue their training, Masaki stopped by Uchiha Tetsuya's office to see how he was doing.
As soon as he opened the door, he saw that Uchiha Tetsuya and Uchiha Fugaku, the two Police Force deputy chiefs, had both created Shadow Clones to help handle the work.
Hearing someone come in, neither man nor their clones looked up as they said, "Just leave the documents on the desk."
"You two have been working hard."
Recognizing the clan leader's voice, the two men looked up. When they saw it really was him, they immediately stood and said, "We're sorry, clan leader. We were so busy handling things that we didn't realize you'd come."
"Hey, I'm the one who should apologize. I've dumped so much of the Police Force's work on you."
Seeing their bloodshot eyes, dark circles, and unkempt beards, he could tell just how busy they'd been lately.
Ever since the Police Force had been reformed, its personnel had quadrupled to six hundred. The addition of members from other clans had caused the regular workload to grow exponentially. The two men had practically been living in the office.
Masaki Uchiha had also dumped all the administrative work on them. Determined not to let their clan leader down, they'd worked themselves to the bone and ended up looking utterly exhausted.
The main issue was that the Police Force was responsible for far too much. The Metropolitan Police Department alone had more than enough incidents to keep them scrambling every day.
Previously, they'd handled disputes between villagers with heavy-handed tactics, simply to save time.
Now they had more people handling problems, but in response to Masaki Uchiha's call for officers to treat people with a smile, their work was actually less efficient than before. As a result, their workload had shot up.
Seeing how exhausted the two men were, Masaki felt sorry for them.
"Promote two more assistants. Hand off some of the less important tasks to them, and make sure you still find time to improve your own strength."
"There's a long road ahead. Don't wear yourselves out before you even get started."
Moved by how much the clan leader was looking out for them, the two men were touched.
Masaki Uchiha, meanwhile, felt relieved. If I had to handle this much work every day, I'd probably go crazy. I'd better come up with a new system soon.
But first, he wanted to ask how things had been going lately.
"How have the people from the shinobi clans and the civilian shinobi recommended by the Fourth Hokage been doing at work?"
Uchiha Tetsuya answered first. "Clan leader, they've all had a decent attitude toward their work. The civilian shinobi in particular have been very diligent and responsible, and they treat the villagers quite well."
"They've played a key role in improving the Police Force's reputation. Some villagers have even come to the Police Force to give us banners of appreciation lately." When he saw Uchiha Fugaku jump in with an answer, Uchiha Tetsuya glanced sideways at him.
Noticing the hint of competition between the two, Masaki Uchiha was pleased. Healthy competition could drive the whole department forward. That was exactly what he wanted.
"Good. Reward those who deserve it, and punish those who need it. This is a crucial time for turning around the Uchiha Clan's reputation. If any clan member makes a mistake, don't go easy on them."
Masaki Uchiha gave them a warning in advance, in case someone tried to plead for leniency after a clan member did something wrong.
"Oh, right. There's something else I wanted to tell you. In a while, I plan to appoint a deputy clan leader to help me handle administrative affairs."
At this, both men's eyes lit up, and even their breathing quickened.
"Get back to work. I'm heading out."
Looking at the several "little mountains" of paperwork on the desk, Masaki Uchiha figured that if he stayed any longer, he might end up joining their ranks. Better to make a quick escape.
Those who were capable took on more work. This was also a way to train them. He definitely wasn't just trying to slack off.
Yeah, that's exactly what I'm thinking.
Masaki Uchiha tried to convince himself as he walked away.
After the clan leader left, the two men exchanged a glance. It was as if sparks were flying between them.
"Hmph."
"Hmph."
They both snorted and sat down.
That deputy clan leader position is definitely mine.
They had exactly the same thought, and both began processing the paperwork even faster.
Before leaving, Masaki Uchiha had dangled a carrot in front of them, setting the two deputy chiefs to work harder and spurring the entire Police Force into a frenzy of competition.
The deputy clan leader position would surely go to the most capable. In other words, whoever handled the paperwork best and fastest would be the ultimate winner.
Thinking of that, the tips of their pens nearly blurred.
Half a month had passed in the blink of an eye. Thinking of the beauty waiting for him at home, Masaki Uchiha felt a surge of warmth in his heart.
He hadn't sent word to Mie because he wanted to surprise her.
Hearing the sound of someone chopping vegetables in the kitchen, Masaki Uchiha tiptoed quietly toward it.
With his current abilities, hiding his presence and movements so no one noticed him was effortless.
He came up behind Mie Uchiha and suddenly wrapped his arms around her, making her body jolt.
She was just about to fight back when she heard a familiar voice behind her. "Did you miss me?"
"You rascal! You came back without sending word, and had me worried." Mie Uchiha reached out and pinched Masaki Uchiha's arm.
"I just wanted to surprise you." Masaki Uchiha swept Mie into his arms.
Mie Uchiha bit her lip lightly and said shyly, "I... I have a surprise... to tell you about, too."