First Suggestions

Following Fugaku on a brief tour of the Military Police Force, the two headed straight for the third floor.

Upon reaching the third floor and entering the department head's office, Yu cast a casual glance around; the room was remarkably tidy.

Aside from a bookshelf and some filing cabinets, there were two desks—one large and one small. The large one was presumably where his father worked, while a young man sat at the smaller one.

As Yu's gaze swept over him, he found the boy hunched over his work vaguely familiar. A moment of reflection in his mind was all it took for Yu to instantly realize who this was.

Was this not the very youth who had led the walkout during the private gathering he had arranged with Uchiha Lieyang?

The boy happened to look up and lock eyes with Yu. His expression stiffened slightly before returning to normal. "Department Head, Young Clan Head!"

The boy stood up and bowed.

Fugaku nodded and took his seat, while Yu offered the boy a smile, to which the youth responded with cold indifference.

"Yu, go and register with Zhengnan first."

"Understood, Father!" Yu nodded slightly.

Uchiha Zhengnan said nothing more, simply leading Yu directly toward the Personnel Department.

Yu, naturally, had no intention of fawning over someone who clearly disliked him. It wasn't as if he lacked allies in the Military Police Force; it was just that his captain, Uchiha Lieyang, was busy handling tasks Yu had assigned him and had taken the day off.

After a short walk, Yu arrived at the Personnel Department with Uchiha Zhengnan. The staff there were quite enthusiastic, showering Yu with praise and flattery, which actually left him feeling a bit embarrassed.

Uchiha Zhengnan stood coldly in the distance watching the scene. Ever since that day, the slight admiration he had once held for this Young Clan Head had faded significantly.

As a moderate, he could never accept a future clan head who was a radical. When Yu had declared that there should only be one voice within the clan, he had been filled with instant resentment.

As Fugaku's deputy, he held absolute respect for the Department Head, which was why he had attended Yu's private gathering, but that did not mean he would blindly follow Yu's ideology without question.

Nevertheless, he still harbored a sense of "iron not becoming steel" regarding Yu.

Watching Yu walk over with a calm expression after finishing his registration, Uchiha Zhengnan's face turned cold. "Congratulations, Young Clan Head. By relying on your father, you've easily attained my position."

Yu paused in his tracks and looked at the youth with the icy demeanor. "You hold a grudge against me! Is it because of my strength, or something else?" Yu asked calmly.

"I naturally acknowledge the Young Clan Head's strength, but your temperament is far too narrow-minded!" Uchiha Zhengnan replied without backing down.

"Heh, those who call others narrow-minded are often filled with a sense of narrowness themselves. I can understand your perspective, but I have no desire to argue right now, for facts will prove everything. In the face of facts, all words become pale and powerless." With that, Yu walked past Uchiha Zhengnan with a light chuckle.

Uchiha Zhengnan's face darkened. He watched Yu's retreating back, a flash of indignation in his eyes.

Is he saying that I only speak empty, grandiose words? Thinking this, Uchiha Zhengnan clenched his fists. "Hmph! I'll be waiting to see what these 'facts' of yours actually are!"

He then hurried to catch up.

Back in the department head's office, the group didn't engage in further conversation, each becoming busy with their own tasks.

It had to be said that the work of the Military Police Force was tedious and dull, consisting entirely of trivial matters. Either someone's cat or dog had gone missing and needed the force to find it, or two neighbors were bickering and needed the force to intervene.

Yu felt it was a complete waste of time. After quickly processing the documents on his desk, he ignored the presence of the other two and began to meditate.

However, this dismissive attitude displeased Uchiha Zhengnan, who hadn't expected the Young Clan Head to be not only arrogant but also lazy in his duties.

Fugaku looked at the meditating Yu, his brow furrowing. "Yu, have you finished your work?"

Fugaku picked up the documents Yu had processed and began to read. On a file regarding a missing pet, he saw that Yu had written in large letters: Refer to the Konoha Mission Department; issue a C-rank mission.

Fugaku continued reading. For simple matters, Yu had simply pushed them off to the Mission Department, only authorizing the Military Police Force to mobilize when force was actually required.

Furthermore, his notes on those cases were strict: everything must be handled according to Konoha's legal statutes, regardless of the parties' attitudes.

Yu, having his meditation interrupted by his father, opened his eyes with slight annoyance to see Fugaku holding his files, his face growing darker by the second.

"Yu, why are you pushing the Military Police Force's duties onto the Mission Department? You must realize that when villagers ask us to handle things, it's free of charge. All these expenses have to be covered by us."

Yu gave his confused father a calm look. "Father, matters like these, which involve no criminal liability, should not be handled by us in the first place. The villagers of Konoha have realized this, which is why they come to us for every stray cat or dog. How can this be allowed?"

"This is a pure waste of our manpower. In the future, we can simply refuse such requests. We are a department responsible for criminal litigation; we must adopt the professional attitude that befits our office and handle everything strictly."

"When facing disputes of interest, we must act fairly and impartially according to Konoha's laws, rather than humoring the villagers' unreasonable demands."

"They report everything to us. Next time we encounter such frivolous reports unrelated to actual cases, my department will arrest them for wasting Konoha's police resources."

"Yu, wouldn't that be too heavy-handed?" Fugaku asked uncertainly. After the events of the past few days, he no longer dared to easily dismiss Yu's ideas.

"Father, the Uchiha are currently loathed by everyone. Instead of taking on these trivialities and letting the common villagers make a joke of us, we should create distance. We must maintain the mystery of the Uchiha clan and establish a clan culture unique to us through judicial dignity and impartiality."

Uchiha Fugaku's eyes lit up, as if he had grasped something but couldn't quite put his finger on the reason, so he continued to watch Yu calmly.

Yu understood what kind of man his father was, so he didn't keep him in suspense. "As long as we are fair and impartial in cases involving disputes of interest, we ensure the majesty of Konoha's laws."

"Then, the villagers will eventually understand that the police shouldn't be called lightly. Once a report is filed, it means a lawsuit. And once a lawsuit begins, the Uchiha act as the judge. Tell me, won't they feel awe toward an Uchiha Military Police Force that can decide their fate with a single word?"

"With that awe, they won't dare to point fingers at the Uchiha anymore. It's better than the current situation, where we take everything and seem to be on good terms with the villagers, yet those who benefit from us still talk behind our backs, calling us servants or slaves."

"Our clansmen who go out on patrol don't have it much better. Dignified Uchiha ninja are actually helping commoners plow fields, farm, and catch cats and dogs—lowering their own status. Doing more of this work is meaningless for our department."

Hearing Yu's explanation, even Uchiha Zhengnan, who was sitting nearby, silently stopped his pen and looked at Yu.

In that moment, he wondered if his previous assessment had been too one-sided. Perhaps being soft-hearted wasn't always a good thing.

Fugaku fell into deep thought, slowly grasping the mystery behind it all.

By keeping a distance to maintain an air of mystery, then ensuring the impartiality of the law through the public authority of the Uchiha Military Police Force, the status and stature of the Uchiha would be elevated in an instant.

Shifting from haggling over the clan's petty interests, they would transform into the guardians of Konoha's laws and the comrades of fairness and justice.

Why didn't I think of this before! Fugaku couldn't help but think to himself.