The Matter of Spies

Konoha Military Police Force Building.

Office of the Captain-General.

Nara sat before his desk, a dossier in hand, examining it with meticulous care.

Nara had been at the helm of the Military Police Force for half a year now. Aside from some minor turbulence during the initial personnel reassignments and salary adjustments, the force had stabilized rapidly under his iron-fisted suppression.

Today, each department held its own specific jurisdiction and duties, operating in their own lanes without interference. The authority of the Military Police Building and the Captain-General had been slightly bolstered, and the original three squad captains had all been replaced.

The Military Police Force now consisted solely of over a dozen individual departments; since no single department could form a significant faction, they were forced to answer directly to the Captain-General.

Uchiha Nara had not only unified the various factions within the Uchiha clan by establishing the Clan Affairs Hall, centralizing power entirely in the hands of the clan head, but had also brought the Uchiha to one of the most centralized periods of power in their history.

As for the Konoha Military Police Force, which had existed for over twenty years, Nara had dismantled the three-squad structure and replaced it with over a dozen departments. With over a dozen department heads reporting directly to the Captain-General, the chain of command was now unobstructed. The era of the three squads operating as independent fiefdoms for two decades had been brought to an end by Nara, with power trending toward total centralization.

The reform of the Military Police Force, coupled with the establishment of the Uchiha Clan Affairs Hall, had placed Uchiha Nara in a position of immense power and influence.

With Nara leading the Uchiha, the clan would never be annihilated. The only flaw at this moment was Nara himself; his strength had not yet reached the point of being foolproof.

Knock, knock.

"Come in."

Uchiha Yakumi strode into Nara's office, his voice deep.

"Lord Nara, the net at Yamato Izakaya has been closed."

Formerly the captain of the Second Squad, Uchiha Yakumi was now the Assistant to the Captain-General and concurrently served as the head of the Supervision Division—a major figure within the Military Police Force. His initial dissatisfaction with the dismantling of the squads had, over the past six months, transformed into unwavering loyalty to Nara.

"Oh, good. Remember to extract all the intelligence on the spies from this month, then have the Propaganda Division publicize our force's achievements on every bulletin board in Konoha."

"Yes!"

Uchiha Yakumi responded respectfully.

Nara glanced at Yakumi and said earnestly:

"Remember, once work is done, it must be publicized. The very purpose of the Propaganda Division is to broadcast such matters. We must let the villagers of Konoha know that we, the Uchiha, are guarding the peace of Konoha."

"Yes!"

Uchiha Yakumi responded with another respectful nod. Nara waved his hand, and Yakumi withdrew.

It was no wonder Uchiha Nara sometimes felt long-winded, repeating his instructions; the elites of the Uchiha were simply too archaic in their thinking, always harping on about "prestige" and "reputation."

They held the villagers and other ninja clans in extreme contempt, requiring Nara to issue repeated orders before they would actually implement his directives.

If he didn't nag them, they would simply choose to forget.

It was truly exhausting for Uchiha Nara. Fortunately, after six months of dedicated governance, the Village Management and Public Security departments—while still despised by the villagers—had seen a slight improvement in their reputation.

Furthermore, the Village Management and Public Security departments wore standard Konoha uniforms without any Uchiha insignia, unlike the other departments that wore black vests and blue shirts. The two departments still wore green vests and black combat gear, with the arm shields marked "Village Management" and "Public Security." The Konoha forehead protector and the Konoha symbol had to be worn on the forehead, in the most conspicuous place.

Meanwhile, the Special Mobile, Criminal Investigation, Supervision, and Adjudication divisions, along with other support staff, generally wore black vests, blue shirts, and blue caps, featuring the shuriken-and-fan police badge, distinguishing them from the more contentious roles.

The propaganda regarding guarding Konoha's peace mostly focused on the Criminal Investigation Division's efforts to crack down on crime, capture spies, and apprehend ninja who abused ninjutsu within the village. They exaggerated the injuries sustained by the force and the hardships they endured.

Nara was determined to turn the Uchiha's reputation around. The original Military Police Building and the buildings for the former Second and Third Squads had all been expanded, serving as foundations for the construction of many smaller police stations.

This allowed members of the force to rest and stand watch more effectively, while providing the villagers with better access to assistance.

Of course, the most important thing was to build more bulletin boards and spread them out. Bulletin boards were erected around every police station, plastered with propaganda posters every few days.

Over the past six months, even though the Village Management and Public Security work had become very civilized and the management within the village had become more lenient, these two roles were destined to offend people no matter what; one shouldn't expect a good reputation from them. While the situation had improved, their overall reputation remained volatile.

Conversely, the Criminal Investigation Division, the Special Mobile Division, and the Supervision Division were highly praised and lauded by the villagers. The Criminal Investigation Division caught criminals, the Special Mobile Division assisted in those arrests, and the Supervision Division frequently rejected unreasonable arrest requests from Public Security, earning them the respect and praise of the villagers.

As for the Uchiha clan, their reputation had risen in tandem with the Criminal Investigation, Supervision, and Special Mobile divisions, bolstered by the efforts of the Propaganda Division.

Knock, knock.

Nara was in his office, lost in thought while sifting through dossiers and laboring over the force's work, when he heard a knock, feeling a bit puzzled.

"Come in."

Hearing Nara's voice, Uchiha Fugaku pushed the door open and entered.

"Captain-General."

Fugaku now generally addressed Nara by his title. As both the Uchiha clan head and the Captain-General of the Military Police, Nara held a high position and possessed the dignity of a superior.

"Fugaku-kun, please sit."

Nara now addressed everyone by their given names, with only a few receiving the honorific "kun." Fugaku was a peer, and although he was a cousin, their status was distinct.

Fugaku nodded. As Nara's cousin, while he appeared respectful on the surface, he was not overly formal in practice, nodding as he sat on the office sofa.

"Nara, the Yamato Izakaya spy case was originally under my charge. Kimura Sasuke had ties to the Anbu; arresting him so hastily might cause dissatisfaction from the Anbu and the Hokage."

Uchiha Fugaku was a steady man, kind-hearted and deeply beloved by the clan members.

He currently served as an advisor in the Advisory Institute of the Clan Affairs Hall and as Nara's secretary within the Military Police Force. He was considered a major figure in the Uchiha clan.

Nara currently had only one assistant and one secretary: Uchiha Yakumi and Uchiha Fugaku, respectively. Fugaku handled external affairs; he was steady and unlikely to cause trouble.

Even if something did go wrong, it was easy for Nara to use Fugaku as a scapegoat. Nara's own style was to do as he pleased, completely ignoring the Hokage Building.

"It matters not. They were mere small fry; catching them is of no consequence."

Nara replied indifferently. Konoha possessed legitimate intelligence divisions, spies, and informants; no one would truly work as an izakaya owner within the village. Even if they were to take such a role, they would do so in the ninja villages of other great nations.

Therefore, Fugaku's concerns were entirely superfluous. The so-called contact with the Anbu was clearly the work of Root informants; only Danzo would plant eyes and ears across every great nation, Konoha included.

Uchiha Nara was specifically targeting Danzo.

Although the two had yet to engage in a direct clash of blades, the confrontation had already begun.

Nara found it difficult to explain these matters to Fugaku, so he typically responded with cold detachment.

Uchiha Fugaku frowned. He felt genuinely apprehensive regarding his cousin's style of conduct.