Controlling the Military Police Force

"I want to be the Clan Head, and I will never let go of the Military Police Force!

I am not doing this to scramble for power. Looking at the current trajectory of the Uchiha, I can already foresee our eventual destruction!

This isn't for me, nor for you, and certainly not for my uncle or Fugaku—it is for the entire Uchiha!"

Uchiha Nara, who had maintained a calm demeanor, suddenly erupted with a roar.

Hearing this, Sanzang felt the weight of Nara's resolve. The strongest ninja the Uchiha had ever known had just retired moments ago.

The strongest ninja of the Uchiha now stood right before Sanzang's eyes.

Uchiha Sanzang closed his eyes and took a deep breath.

"Very well, I understand your determination."

The next day, in the conference room of the Konoha Military Police Force, Uchiha Sanzang sat at the head of the table.

Below him, the division commanders, deputy commanders, squad leaders, and jonin of the Konoha Military Police Force knelt on the mats in the hall, attending the meeting convened by the captain of the force.

"You are all the elite of the Konoha Military Police Force, and as your leader, I am honored. Today, I am announcing an important piece of news: from this moment on, our Clan Head, Uchiha Nara, will serve as the commander of the First Division.

The former commander of the First Division, Uchiha Jiro, is promoted to my assistant to help manage the affairs of the entire force."

As soon as Uchiha Sanzang finished speaking, an uproar broke out.

With Uchiha Sanzang appointing Uchiha Nara as the commander of the First Division, every member of the force realized the significance of this move; it was clearly a prelude to a transfer of power within the Konoha Military Police Force.

The First Division of the Konoha Military Police Force was staffed entirely by Uchiha ninjas, whereas the Second and Third Divisions included some civilian ninjas and members of smaller clans.

However, the First Division was where the Uchiha drew their salary from Konoha to nurture their own elites.

Controlling the First Division was essentially equivalent to controlling the entire force. As for the opinions of the Second and Third Divisions, they were not worth considering.

Uchiha Jiro pondered the implications of this reassignment, his brow furrowing slightly.

"Jiro, do you have any objections to this transfer?" Uchiha Sanzang asked aloud.

"I will strictly follow your orders!" Jiro snapped back to reality and hurriedly replied.

Uchiha Sanzang had controlled the police force for nearly twenty years, and his authority as leader was deeply ingrained in everyone's hearts.

Uchiha Nara cast a furtive glance at Uchiha Fugaku, only to see him frowning deeply, a hint of indignation in his expression.

When Konoha was first established, the Uchiha clan had been a unified front, fighting for power and influence within the village.

It had taken great effort to wrest the authority of the Konoha Military Police Force from the hands of the Second Hokage, and it had always been managed by the two major factions within the clan.

Uchiha Okura and Sanzang, both masters of ninjutsu, had seized all the power within the Uchiha. The original agreement was simple: one would manage the clan's internal affairs, while the other would oversee the Konoha Military Police Force.

The Great Elder had already surrendered his share of the clan's power, and it was clear that Sanzang was now reneging on their deal.

Although the other division and squad leaders had questions about the appointment, Nara was the Clan Head, managing the myriad affairs of the Uchiha ninjas.

They had no objections to the Clan Head taking control, but this move pushed Uchiha Nara's power and prestige to its peak.

With the Uchiha and the police force now merged into one, Uchiha Nara's influence across all of Konoha appeared formidable.

"Captain, I fear this does not align with tradition. There has never been a precedent for the Clan Head to concurrently serve as the captain of the Konoha Military Police Force."

Uchiha Fugaku questioned softly. He realized that by merging the leadership of the police force and the Uchiha, the resulting concentration of power would surely make Konoha deeply wary.

However, in the original story, Nara did not exist, and Fugaku eventually reached this point himself—only realizing the problem when the situation was already beyond repair.

Now that someone else had snatched the fruit of his labor, Fugaku was able to clearly identify the issue.

Nara knew it was his turn to speak.

"It is merely taking charge of the First Division of the police force; what does tradition have to do with it? Ever since the previous Clan Head left Konoha, hasn't the Uchiha gone over thirty years without electing a new one?

Furthermore, where in our traditions were there ever ninja wars on the scale of the First and Second Great Ninja Wars? Affairs always evolve; to blindly cling to tradition is to eventually be discarded by history.

Just like the Senju Clan."

Uchiha Nara said indifferently, his face expressionless.

Even though Nara was determined to seize control of the police force after learning of the deal between Uchiha Okura and Sanzang, he couldn't help but feel a slight flush of embarrassment when facing Fugaku.

Fortunately, having lived two lives, Nara possessed enough composure that his face betrayed nothing.

Upon hearing Nara's words, Fugaku pondered for a moment, feeling that there was some logic to them.

Yet, it was also somewhat absurd. The Senju Clan had retreated into the shadows, and it was precisely because that retreat didn't align with tradition that they had gradually faded away.

Meanwhile, clans like the Uchiha and the Hyuga, which followed tradition, were still thriving.

However, Uchiha Fugaku did not argue back, intending to ask privately after the meeting. Questioning a leader's decision repeatedly during a meeting was not the behavior of a subordinate.

Uchiha Fugaku was indeed an excellent ninja who loved peace, respected his superiors, and cared for his clansmen. These were his virtues, but at the same time...

It was precisely because of these excellent qualities that, in the original story, after Fugaku took power, his compromises with the Hokage and others were fully displayed, leading the Uchiha into the abyss.

"The work of the other divisions remains as usual. If anyone needs to report on their duties, you may do so now," Uchiha Sanzang said softly.

Beyond announcing the important appointment, the police force meeting began to cover reports and orders.

Nara listened for a while; most of it concerned spies, or dangerous ninjas experimenting with forbidden techniques, or threats to the safety of the residents.

They were bogged down by trivialities like lost cats, missing dogs, and arresting street vendors.

These members of the Konoha Military Police Force had indeed contributed much to the safety of Konoha Village.

However, due to other minor incidents, a lack of approachability, and their haughty arrogance, the villagers often harbored fear toward them.

It was hard to imagine that the same Konoha Military Police Force members who carried out dangerous missions, such as arresting ninjas with criminal tendencies, were also doubling as village administrators, policing small-time merchants and hawkers.

The former involved high-risk tasks like capturing dangerous, mentally unstable ninjas and spies; all the officers could be said to be making silent sacrifices, their missions unknown to the villagers.

All the villagers knew was that yesterday, so-and-so from next door had been hauled away by the Uchiha Military Police Force for setting up a stall.

Naraku listened for a while and shook his head, yet he remained at his post, patiently observing the work of the police force members without leaving.

At the same time, a thought sprouted in his mind.

The title "Uchiha Military Police Force" won't do; it must be changed to "Konoha Military Police Force."

These Uchiha clansmen took pride in controlling a Konoha department, branding the force the Uchiha Military Police Force and feeling immensely arrogant about it.

All of this had to change; this was a Konoha department, and if the villagers were dissatisfied, that dissatisfaction should be directed at Konoha.

If the department was branded with the Uchiha name, people would only resent the Uchiha, never associating it with Konoha itself.