The Senju Clan Compound

After the First Squadron was restructured, Uchiha Naraku was stationed at the Military Police Force headquarters for a week.

During that week, no major incidents occurred in his jurisdiction. Most were trivial matters, and Naraku gradually let his taut nerves relax.

The First Squadron members all praised their easy workload. Their pay had been reduced, but so had the number of tasks, so it wasn't a bad trade.

When the Second Squadron, which handled public security, patrolled, its members no longer went after the merchants. Instead, they often helped Konoha's villagers catch thieves and punish drunkards who caused trouble, earning plenty of praise from the locals.

As for the Third Squadron, the Village Management Squadron, its members were all elderly or infirm and lacked the drive they'd had in their youth. On top of that, Uchiha Naraku had repeatedly stressed how they should handle things.

As a result, when dealing with merchants and illegal construction, they were always polite and tried to persuade people to comply. If they couldn't resolve an issue, they called in the public security squad.

Although the Public Security Squadron's mission was to help the villagers, it still took away anyone who refused to listen and locked them up to reflect on their actions.

The First and Fourth Squadrons, meanwhile, had noticeably less to do. Konoha didn't have many ninja committing crimes, nor were there many emergencies to deal with.

As the Shinobi World's largest village, Konoha was so powerful that the First and Fourth Squadron ninja spent most of their time training.

After years of peaceful living, they had gradually gotten used to training their chakra and practicing the ninjutsu they'd grown rusty at.

Military Police Force Headquarters, the captain's office.

Uchiha Sanzang sat at his desk, handling various Military Police Force documents.

"Why is Naraku so good at administration?"

Sanzang sighed. He'd seen the changes in the First Squadron with his own eyes.

Though he still acted cold toward his son at home, he couldn't help feeling a little proud of his precious boy.

He was strong and full of clever ideas. Perhaps Naraku was the Uchiha Clan's hope.

Night

Senju Clan Compound

The Senju Clan had withdrawn from public life, and the number of powerful ninja in its compound had inexplicably dwindled.

With many houses left empty, the Uzumaki Clan members were given places to live.

The Uzumaki Clan were refugees from Uzushio Village in the Land of Whirlpools. After their country was destroyed, they fled to Konoha, where the village took them in.

The Uzumaki Clan were distant relatives of the Senju Clan, and the First Hokage had signed a treaty of friendship with Uzushio Village.

The elderly and infirm members of the Senju Clan readily agreed to the Third Hokage's request and allowed the Uzumaki Clan to live in the Senju Clan Compound.

At the Uzumaki Clan leader's residence

Uzumaki Nao sat in the main seat, while Uchiha Naraku sat in the guest seat to his left.

"Lord Naraku, what brings you here so late at night?" Uzumaki Nao asked, taking a small sip of tea. He was a little surprised by Naraku's nighttime visit.

"Haha, you're teasing me, Nao. We're both leaders of clans with a thousand years of history. It's only natural for us to visit each other."

Uchiha Naraku laughed. Recently, he'd hit a bottleneck in his study of Fuinjutsu.

No matter what he tried, he couldn't perform the Five Elements Seal. He clearly hadn't grasped the technique, so he'd come by late at night to ask for advice.

"You jest, Lord Naraku. If you hadn't rescued the Uzumaki Clan, there wouldn't be an Uzumaki Clan anymore. We might have been reduced to dust long ago."

Uzumaki Nao was now the Uzumaki Clan leader, yet he was extremely courteous to Naraku. His red hair fell down his back, and in his early twenties, he was no longer the wretched sight he'd been three years ago.

Even so, he still respected Uchiha Naraku deeply—not only because Naraku led the Uchiha Clan, but also because he'd once saved his people.

"Nearly a hundred members of the Uzumaki Clan joined Konoha back then, didn't they? How come I never see your ninja around the village?"

Naraku was curious. The Uzumaki Clan specialized in Fuinjutsu, Barrier Ninjutsu, and other techniques. Quite a few Uzumaki had joined the Sealing Team, but surely they still had to take missions to make a living in Konoha.

You'd expect to see plenty of them around the village, yet they were almost nowhere to be found.

The Uzumaki Clan had suffered the destruction of their country, but they were still an ancient clan. Even a weakened camel was bigger than a horse.

With around a hundred members, they ranked fairly high in Konoha. Apart from the major clans such as the Uchiha, Hyuga, and Sarutobi, they were no smaller than the other ninja clans—and might even have ranked fourth.

As a ninja clan, they naturally couldn't compare to the Uchiha. The Uchiha had a large population and were a thorn in the side of the Hokage faction.

"Ah, quite a few of my clan members joined the Anbu. I don't know what classified missions they're carrying out. Some haven't sent word in three years, but we haven't received any death notices from the Anbu either. I'm truly worried about my people, but I can't very well ask Lord Hokage about it."

Uzumaki Nao sighed softly. Any ninja who joined Konoha had to answer the Hokage's call, whether for war or for an assigned mission.

Ninja who worked in Konoha's departments generally weren't sent away on missions unless the assignment was unusual. Many Uzumaki, for instance, had joined the Sealing Team and the Barrier Team.

Those two departments usually stayed in the village, guarding the barrier and the like. They were rarely called away, perhaps only once a year for a special mission.

But the Sealing Team and the Barrier Team weren't under the Uzumaki Clan's control. So the Uzumaki couldn't place their people in departments they controlled the way the Uchiha did, making it harder for the Hokage to force missions on them.

"The Anbu? No word for three years and no death notice? Were they recruited into Danzo's Root organization?" A thought crossed Naraku's mind, and he asked:

"Have you heard of Konoha's Anbu Root organization?" Naraku took a small sip of tea.

"I know about the Anbu. What's Root?" Uzumaki Nao asked, puzzled.

"Root is supposedly an Anbu training institution, but in truth, it's an organization hidden even deeper. Those in Root have no names or feelings. No past, no future. Their hearts hold nothing but missions... Everyone who joins Root has their emotions erased and is turned into a puppet."

"What!?" Uzumaki Nao was stunned.

"You mean my clan members were trained by Sarutobi Hiruzen to become emotionless puppets!?"

"You could put it that way." Naraku picked up his teacup, blew on it, and took a small sip.

Uzumaki Nao sprang to his feet. His face shifted through red, white, and then green.

The Uzumaki Clan had been part of Konoha for three years and had gained a clearer understanding of the village. They knew the difficult position the Uchiha were in.

Though they were deeply grateful to Uchiha Naraku for saving their clan and would never forget it, Uzumaki Nao didn't dare get too close to him in public.

Still, whenever Uchiha Naraku visited at night, Uzumaki Nao never turned him away. He always served him tea and treated him with care.

Uzumaki Nao sat back down and regained his composure.

"Lord Naraku, as far as I know, the Uchiha are under the Hokage's close watch. Are you trying to drive a wedge between me and the Hokage?"