Konoha Military Police Force Building
Commander's Office
Naraku sat at his desk, carefully examining a file.
Naraku had been in charge of the Police Force for half a year. Aside from some minor upheaval at the beginning caused by personnel transfers and salary adjustments, the force had quickly stabilized under his firm hand.
Each division now had its own responsibilities and duties, and they stayed out of one another's way. The authority of the Military Police Building and the Police Force commander had grown slightly stronger, and all three of the original squad leaders had been reassigned.
The Police Force now consisted solely of divisions—more than a dozen in total. No single division could form a sizable faction, so they had no choice but to follow the Police Force commander's lead.
Uchiha Nara had not only united the various factions within the Uchiha Clan, but had also established the Clan Affairs Hall, bringing all authority firmly into the clan head's hands. The Uchiha were now at one of the most centralized points in their history.
The Konoha Military Police Force had been established more than twenty years ago. By dismantling its three squads and creating more than a dozen divisions, Naraku had given it more than a dozen division chiefs, all led by the Police Force commander. Orders now flowed freely. The three squads had managed themselves for over twenty years, but Naraku had put an end to that, consolidating authority.
The Police Force reforms and the establishment of the Uchiha Clan Affairs Hall had raised Uchiha Nara to a position of considerable influence.
With Naraku leading them, the Uchiha Clan would never be wiped out. The only flaw at present was Naraku himself—his strength wasn't yet enough to guarantee absolute safety.
"Knock, knock."
"Come in."
Uchiha Yakumi strode into Naraku's office and spoke in a low voice.
"Lord Naraku, we've closed the line at the Yamato Izakaya."
Uchiha Yakumi, formerly the second squad leader, was now the commander's assistant and head of the Supervision Division, making him a prominent figure in the Police Force. His initial resentment over the squads being dismantled had, over the past six months, turned him into one of Naraku's staunchest supporters.
"Oh, good. Make sure you get all the spy intelligence from this month, then publicize our Police Force's achievements through the Propaganda Division and Konoha's bulletin boards."
"Yes, sir!"
Uchiha Yakumi answered respectfully.
Naraku glanced at Uchiha Yakumi and said earnestly,
"Remember, whenever we do something, we have to publicize it. The Propaganda Division was established to spread the word about this sort of work. The people of Konoha need to know that the Uchiha are protecting the village's peace."
"Yes, sir!"
Uchiha Yakumi answered respectfully once more. Naraku waved him away, and he left.
It was no wonder Uchiha Nara could be rather long-winded sometimes, repeating the same instructions again and again. These Uchiha elites were simply too old-fashioned, always going on about prestige, reputation, and the like.
They looked down on the villagers and the other shinobi clans. Naraku had to remind them over and over before they would faithfully carry out his orders.
If he left out even a couple of reminders, they dared to conveniently forget.
It was exhausting for Uchiha Nara. Fortunately, after half a year of focused management, the Village Administration and Public Order divisions had become a little better regarded, though the villagers of Konoha still despised them.
Moreover, the Village Administration and Public Order divisions wore Konoha uniforms without any Uchiha insignia, unlike the other divisions, which wore black vests and blue shirts. The two divisions still wore green vests and black combat uniforms, with their arm shields marked "Village Administration" or "Public Order." Their Konoha Headbands and Konoha emblems had to be worn on their foreheads, in the most conspicuous place.
The Special Police, Criminal Investigation Division, Supervision Division, Adjudication Division, and other support divisions generally wore black vests, blue shirts, and blue hats, with a shuriken-ringed Gunbai badge. They were set apart from the posts that tended to make people resent them.
Publicity about protecting Konoha's peace mostly focused on the Criminal Investigation Division cracking down on crime, catching spies, and apprehending shinobi who misused ninjutsu in the village. The Police Force's injuries, hardships, and other such incidents were exaggerated in the coverage.
Naraku was determined to turn the Uchiha's reputation around. The original Military Police Building, along with the second and third squads' buildings, had all been expanded. Using those three sites as a foundation, they had built many smaller police stations.
This made it easier for Police Force members to rest and stand watch, and for villagers to seek help.
Of course, the main point was to build more bulletin boards and spread them around. They put them up near every police station and posted notices every few days.
Over the past six months, the Police Force's Village Administration and Public Order divisions had become very civilized in their work, and their management of the village had grown more lenient.
But those two jobs would always offend people, no matter how they were done. They could hardly expect to earn a good reputation. Complaints had eased somewhat, but overall, public opinion still fluctuated.
The Criminal Investigation Division, Special Mobile Division, and Supervision Division, on the other hand, were highly praised by the people of Konoha. The Criminal Investigation Division caught criminals, the Special Police helped catch them, and the Supervision Division often rejected the Public Order Division's arrest requests. As a result, the villagers respected and praised them.
As for the Uchiha Clan, its reputation had also improved thanks to the Criminal Investigation, Supervision, and Special Police divisions, as well as the Propaganda Division's efforts.
"Knock, knock."
Naraku was in the commander's office, pondering as he flipped through files and handled Police Force business. Hearing the knock, he looked puzzled.
"Come in."
Uchiha Fugaku heard Naraku's voice and pushed the door open.
"Commander."
Fugaku now usually addressed Naraku by his title. As clan head and Police Force commander, Naraku held a position of great influence, and he now had some of the bearing of a man in power.
"Fugaku, have a seat."
Naraku usually called everyone by their names, adding "-kun" for a select few. Fugaku was his peer, and though he was Naraku's cousin, there was a difference in their positions.
Fugaku nodded. Though he was Naraku's cousin, he showed him respect in public without being overly formal in private. He simply nodded and sat down on the office sofa.
"Naraku, I was in charge of the Yamato Izakaya spy case at the time. Kimura Sasuke had ties to Anbu. Moving to arrest him may have been too hasty and could displease Anbu and Lord Hokage."
Uchiha Fugaku was steady in his actions and generous by nature, and the clan members held him in high regard.
He now also served as an assistant in the Advisory Institute of the Clan Affairs Hall and as Naraku's secretary in the Police Force. He was one of the Uchiha Clan's major figures.
Naraku currently had just one assistant and one secretary: Uchiha Yakumi and Uchiha Fugaku, respectively. Fugaku handled external affairs and was levelheaded; he wouldn't cause any trouble.
And even if something did happen, Naraku could use Fugaku to take the fall. Naraku did as he pleased and didn't give a damn about the Hokage Building.
"It's fine. They're small fry. We can just arrest them."
Naraku answered coolly. Konoha had a proper Intelligence Division. How could spies or informants be running an izakaya in Konoha? Even if they did open one, they'd do it in the shinobi villages of other great nations.
So Fugaku's concerns were entirely unnecessary. The claim that they had ties to Anbu clearly meant they were informants for Root. Only Danzo would plant spies in every great nation, Konoha included.
Uchiha Naraku was taking on Danzo.
Though the two weren't facing off in a real fight, the clash had already begun.
Naraku couldn't explain all this to Fugaku, so he usually responded with indifference.
Uchiha Fugaku frowned. His younger cousin's way of doing things genuinely unsettled him.
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