Chapter Eight: I'll Teach You to Apologize
"Impossible! I'd rather die than apologize to the Uchiha!"
Hearing Shimura Danzō roar, Sarutobi Hiruzen felt helpless. Just as he'd expected.
He had just been about to persuade Danzo when Masaki Uchiha spoke up, sounding almost pleased.
"In that case, allow me to teach Elder Danzo how to apologize."
Masaki Uchiha rose from his chair. With a slight shift of his feet, he flashed in front of Shimura Danzō.
He reached out a large hand, grabbed Danzō by the face, and slammed him hard into the floor.
"Stop!" X3
Everyone immediately sprang to their feet to stop him, only to find they couldn't keep up with Masaki Uchiha's speed. They were powerless to intervene.
"Bam!"
When the dust cleared, Uchiha was crouched on the floor, his hand still clamped tightly over Shimura Danzō's face.
Poor Elder Danzo hadn't even had time to react before Masaki Uchiha had taken him down in a single move.
Watching the scene, Shikaku Nara thought to himself, Looks like the Uchiha are about to fight back.
Masaki Uchiha slowly stood and fixed his gaze on Shimura Danzō. "Oh dear, Elder Danzo. Sorry, I was too rough. I apologize."
Unfortunately, Shimura Danzō had already been gravely injured and knocked unconscious, so he couldn't hear those words. Otherwise, they might have made him spit blood in anger.
If Danzō's chest hadn't still been rising and falling, Sarutobi Hiruzen would have already made a move.
"Masaki Uchiha, why did you attack Elder Danzo?" Sarutobi Hiruzen asked, his expression dark. His body was tense, ready to act at any moment.
Utatane Koharu and Mitokado Homura had also come to their senses. They hurried over to Shimura Danzō to check his injuries.
Thankfully, he was only unconscious. They breathed a sigh of relief.
"Someone, take Elder Danzo to Konoha Hospital."
The Anbu outside had already heard the commotion and rushed in. Seeing what had happened in the office, they wisely said nothing. They brought in a stretcher and carried Shimura Danzō away.
"Masaki Uchiha openly attacked an elder of the village, and you still claim you're not trying to rebel?!" Utatane Koharu shouted angrily.
"Are the Third Hokage and the elders hard of hearing? Didn't I just say I'd teach Elder Danzo how to apologize?"
Masaki Uchiha was in an excellent mood. He'd put up with Danzo for so long, unable to find an excuse to act. He hadn't expected Danzo to hand him one today.
"Since Elder Danzo doesn't know how to apologize, then as the victim of his false accusation, I need to demonstrate it for him."
Masaki Uchiha wore a smug, slightly brazen expression, as if taunting them: "Go ahead. Try to hit me."
The Konoha F3 were even more incensed.
"You...!" Utatane Koharu's chest heaved with anger. She wished she could take him on right then and there.
Mitokado Homura put a hand on her shoulder and shook his head, gesturing for her to look toward Sarutobi Hiruzen.
Sarutobi Hiruzen's face was now hidden behind a cloud of smoke, making his expression impossible to see. But judging by how much smoke there was, anyone could tell he was deeply unsettled.
He slowly exhaled. "Then the false-accusation dispute between Elder Danzo and Masaki Uchiha is closed. From now on, neither of you may use this incident as grounds to attack the other."
"You have no objections, do you, Masaki Uchiha?"
Hearing the emphasis in Sarutobi Hiruzen's every word, Masaki Uchiha felt contempt. He spread his hands and shrugged.
"Of course not."
"Fourth Hokage, you can handle the rest. I'm going to the hospital to check on Danzo."
"Koharu, Homura, let's go."
Minato Namikaze, who had watched the whole thing in silence, simply nodded and watched them leave.
Third Hokage, why are you targeting the Uchiha? We're all shinobi of the same village. Why make things so difficult?
He thought about how he still hadn't fully taken control of the Hokage's authority. His orders struggled to make it past the Hokage Office, and whenever he tried to do something, the Third Hokage and the elders kept getting in his way.
Ah...
He sighed inwardly. Forget it. I should talk with Masaki.
He turned to Masaki Uchiha, his expression earnest. "Masaki, let's have a proper talk now. Please, have a seat."
"I've wanted to find a chance to talk with you for a long time, Fourth Hokage. Unfortunately, I never found the right opportunity."
Hearing the implication in Masaki Uchiha's words, Minato Namikaze gave an awkward smile and rubbed the back of his head.
"That's my fault. There's so much Hokage paperwork to deal with. Lately, I haven't even had time to train at the practice grounds. I never realized being Hokage would be this hard."
"Masaki, I want to ask you something. You're the Uchiha Clan Head now. What have you arranged for the former clan head, Fugaku?"
"Don't worry, Fourth Hokage. I know he's a good friend of yours. Uchiha Fugaku will be the deputy head of Konoha's Police Force. I can't exactly let him sit around at home."
Minato Namikaze felt relieved. "Thank you, Masaki."
"Don't mention it, Fourth Hokage. Now that the unnecessary people are gone, I can brief you on the upcoming reforms to the Police Force."
"To better serve Konoha, the Police Force will undergo the following reforms."
"We plan to increase its current staff of 150 to 1,200."
"We'll establish a Legal Department, Judicial Bureau, Procuratorate, Metropolitan Police Department, Tax Department, Logistics Bureau, Press Department, Special Operations Brigade, and Science and Technology Bureau."
"Each bureau will have a director and a deputy director. The Special Operations Brigade will report directly to the head of the Police Force."
"In addition, we'll appoint two more deputy heads of the Police Force to oversee the other bureau-level departments."
"The deputy head positions will be held by Uchiha Fugaku and Uchiha Tetsuya."
"I'll serve as head of the Police Force. What do you think, Fourth Hokage?"
Minato Namikaze was stunned. Increase the Police Force to 1,200? What were the Uchiha planning? They were expanding their power so brazenly—didn't they think the Third Hokage and the others would explode with anger?
Could the other shinobi clans really sit still while they recruited so many people? Konoha was bound to be thrown into turmoil! And had he even considered how Minato would feel?
He hadn't realized the Uchiha Clan could call up so many shinobi. Was this the strength of Konoha's foremost shinobi clan?
As the thought crossed his mind, a cold bead of sweat slowly trickled down his forehead.
"W-well... Masaki, that's far too many people. I couldn't get this proposal past the Third Hokage, let alone approve it myself. Adding 1,200 people would mean a huge amount in stipends and supplies, and Konoha can't afford to support that many Police Force members right now."
"How about this? I'll authorize an increase to 300. Konoha can afford that. What do you think?"
Masaki Uchiha didn't answer. Instead, he said casually, "I hear being Hokage has been difficult for you, Fourth Hokage. You only have a small portion of the Anbu under your control, and you can't get a hand into the other departments either."
"Looks like the Third Hokage and the other elders are old in years, but still reluctant to give up power."
"In that case, the Uchiha are willing to help Konoha grow stronger and do our part for you, Fourth Hokage."
As soon as he heard this, Minato Namikaze knew they'd reached the real point. He immediately replied in earnest.
"What kind of help can the Uchiha Clan offer Konoha? Of course, don't bring up increasing the Police Force to 1,200."