After a long while.
As the Third Hokage, Sarutobi Hiruzen set the documents in his hand back on the desk.
He took a puff of his pipe to calm his surprise.
He exhaled,
then looked at the companions seated across from him, waiting for him to speak.
He asked in a grave voice:
"Koharu, Homura, and Danzo, what do you think?"
What could they think?
Sarutobi Hiruzen had only managed to secure his position as Hokage a few years ago.
It was a time when stability was paramount. Though they were deeply displeased with the Uchiha,
for the sake of keeping their administration stable,
they could compromise on anything.
After all,
at this point, the Uchiha Clan was strong in its own right, and held considerable power over the Police Force.
There were also plenty of smaller clans who followed them in the village.
They couldn't compare with the Forest of Senju faction,
but they were many times stronger than the likes of the Hyuga!
Danzo was no different. No matter how displeased he was with the Uchiha,
he didn't dare say a word. If his good friend couldn't keep his seat...
then Danzo wouldn't fare any better!
Utatane Koharu, who still had some of her looks, exchanged a glance with Mitokado Homura.
Having made up her mind, she slowly began to speak:
"The news about Kagami certainly pains us, but the Uchiha are now completely under Uchiha Genmei's control."
"From what we've seen of him since childhood, he does lack some of the Will of Fire, but he's still a reasonable person."
At this, she lowered her eyes,
then said seriously:
"Hiruzen, talk to him."
Sarutobi Hiruzen made up his mind
and summoned an Anbu member to issue an order:
"Go to the Police Force and invite Minister Genmei here for a talk."
"Yes, Lord Hokage!"
The Anbu member received the order and left.
A short while later,
Uchiha Genmei stood outside the Hokage Office
and politely knocked on the door.
After three knocks, a voice from within said, "Come in."
He pushed open the door and entered.
"Lord Hokage, and all the elders."
Uchiha Genmei greeted the Konoha High Command politely.
Then he asked in confusion:
"May I ask why you summoned me?"
He really was puzzled. The Police Force was the Uchiha's own domain; whoever became clan head became its chief.
The Konoha High Command had no say in who took over as chief.
His appointment letter had already been delivered here, so why had they called him over?
What did they want?
The three of them, Danzo included, remained silent.
This was the Hokage's meeting,
a conversation between him and the head of a powerful department in the village. They couldn't just interrupt in a setting like this.
Aside from Danzo, who had the secretive Root at his disposal,
they were merely Advisor Elders at present, not elders with real power.
Sarutobi Hiruzen wore a kind expression
and smiled faintly as he said:
"Minister Genmei, it's nothing special. I just wanted to ask what you think of the village."
At this, Uchiha Genmei understood.
Within the Uchiha Clan,
he had always maintained a neutral stance.
Now that he had taken over, he wouldn't change that.
As Hokage, Hiruzen knew he couldn't win Genmei over.
Was he trying to keep him in line?
Then don't blame me for asking for the moon!
Uchiha Genmei walked out of the Hokage Building,
feeling refreshed.
During his conversation with the Konoha High Command just now,
he had demanded that the village's
non-shinobi civilian organizations be disbanded, with the Police Force taking full charge of their operations.
And they had actually agreed.
Judging by their expressions, they thought his request was insignificant.
Then don't blame me for teaching you a lesson!
Sarutobi Hiruzen stood by the window
and watched the departing boy.
"That kid isn't a bad sort, just a little young."
Hearing the Third Hokage's words,
Danzo scoffed.
"That brat is an idiot! Those duties were already within the Police Force's jurisdiction."
"It was only because they didn't have enough people before that civilians started organizing themselves to manage things."
At that moment,
Mitokado Homura added:
"With things as they are now, the Police Force's shinobi will have almost no time to train."
"Uchiha shinobi have to patrol and deal with residents' petty issues on top of that. What a terrible move!"
Thinking there was nothing else to discuss,
Danzo got to his feet and headed for the door.
"I'll be going. The kid has power, but his vision is too limited. He's not worth mentioning!"
Bang!
Watching Danzo leave, the other two said nothing.
They sat back down, looking relaxed, and continued handling their official duties.
Two years passed in the blink of an eye.
Inside the Police Force chief's office, Uchiha Genmei
listened to Uchiha Yuta's financial report.
"Lord Genmei, the offerings collected from the villagers and entertainment venues this quarter total twelve hundred million ryo."
At his desk, Uchiha Genmei
set aside the documents he had been reviewing,
looked up with a smile, and said:
"Not bad. You and Haru can discuss how to allocate the funds later."
He took the financial report and looked at the sea of red figures.
His smile grew harder to contain.
He tapped his fingers on the desktop
and remarked sarcastically:
"I'll bet the village's top brass are absolutely furious right now."
Uchiha Yuta smiled too.
He agreed:
"Of course! They didn't take Lord Genmei's request seriously back then, so we Uchiha ended up making a fortune."
At this,
Uchiha Genmei waved a hand
and teased him:
"You all complained about the clan head's meddling back then, too, saying he'd just given you extra work."
Hearing the clan head tease him, Uchiha Yuta scratched his head, looking a little awkward.
"All right, go on. I still have documents to review."
"Yes, Chief!"
Only after watching his subordinate leave did Uchiha Genmei pick up the financial report.
His heart was bursting with joy.
He'd thought there was a loophole to exploit back then,
and now it was clear he'd been right!
Naruto was a manga based on Japan, and in the manga world,
the local customs and social conditions were much the same as Japan's.
As everyone knew, Japan's grassroots communities lacked effective administration, which led to the rise of organized crime.
It was the same here. The civilian organizations he'd proposed disbanding that day were just like that.
Here's where it got interesting:
The Military Police Force only collected half of what the gangs charged in protection money, so the villagers saw the Uchiha as living saints!
But that was only a small part of the revenue.
The bulk of this sizable income came from Konoha's entertainment venues!
There was nothing wrong with the Police Force taking a cut from casinos and brothels, right?
They didn't want to pay?
The Police Force would inspect them every day, and if they still refused, shut them down.
Even the people above couldn't object!
Only the Police Force had the authority to issue these public-order regulations!
Once they had the money, the Police Force expanded its ranks.
What other business could non-shinobi Uchiha civilians possibly run?
Did they want the positions the clan offered? A steady job for life?
They were all brought into the Police Force as Cooperative Members.
And so,
shinobi provided the muscle,
while non-shinobi handled patrols and assisted with supervision.
A monstrous department had emerged, one that combined a police force with a lawful, grassroots criminal network,
a union of government and underworld!
And damn, it was all perfectly reasonable—a great fit for the customs and people of the Shinobi World (Japan).
Putting aside his smug satisfaction,
he looked at the Aura he'd gained over the years by tirelessly sparring every day with those few Mangekyo wielders.
Aura: 314 strands
With four Mangekyo wielders, sparring once a day at 0.1 each, two years of accumulated Aura had brought him to this total.
Over these two years, he had continued to build up his strength.
As his body developed, his chakra was already no weaker than Uchiha Madara's.
He could keep up high-intensity combat for days and nights without a problem!
He should strengthen Amaterasu. Aside from using it once to dispose of a corpse, he hadn't made much use of it!
At the thought, the Blade of Wisdom trembled, and Aura flooded his mind.
A sudden rush of insight!
A short while later,
Before you continue