The So-Called Nature of Power!

Ye.

Inside the conference room.

Upon hearing Shikaku Nara's words.

Chiba nodded in satisfaction.

He then shifted his gaze to Fugaku Uchiha and Hyuga Hiashi.

"Fugaku, Hiashi."

The two immediately straightened up.

Their attitude was ten times more respectful than when facing the Daimyo.

"Starting today, the Konoha Police Force will be reorganized."

"The Uchiha and Hyuga Clans will each provide half their manpower and jointly take over the village's Public Security Defense."

"Additionally."

"The Border Patrol outside the village will also be coordinated by your two clans."

Boom!

It was as if something exploded inside Fugaku Uchiha's mind.

His blood rushed to his head in an instant.

How many years had the Uchiha Clan been suppressed?

They had always been trapped in the Police Department, serving as scapegoats.

Now, not only had they retained their authority, they had even gained military command over the Border Patrol!

Hyuga Hiashi was so excited that he clenched his fists.

Though the Hyuga Clan was a prestigious family, it held very little real power.

With just those words from Chiba.

The Hyuga Clan had been elevated directly into Konoha's true military core!

"We swear to serve Lord Chiba unto death!"

Fugaku Uchiha and Hyuga Hiashi roared almost in unison.

Both of their eyes had reddened faintly.

To be trusted so completely and entrusted with such great responsibility.

It was something they had not even dared to dream of for decades.

Chiba also assigned the Aburame Clan to handle intelligence handovers with the Anbu.

He distributed some of the remaining duties to those who were capable.

In just a few words.

Ye's enormous and complicated power structure was carved up and divided like a watermelon.

The atmosphere in the room instantly reached its peak.

The heads of the major clans were all flushed, breathing heavily.

Only Sarutobi Hiruzen and the two Advisors.

They stood frozen in place, as though every drop of blood had been drained from their bodies.

"Mad... You've truly gone mad!"

"You're splitting Konoha apart!"

"If you scatter all authority, what will you have left as Hokage?"

"They'll strip you of power!"

Sarutobi Hiruzen had completely panicked.

He had never expected Chiba to pull something like this.

This was completely against all convention!

Sarutobi Hiruzen roared furiously.

As though he wanted to use this method to conceal the terror in his heart.

"As the village's Kage."

"You must keep all power firmly in your own hands!"

"Otherwise, once these clans develop rebellious thoughts, the village will immediately descend into civil war!"

"Chiba, you simply don't understand how to control others!"

Sarutobi Hiruzen roared furiously.

He wanted to use this method to conceal the terror in his heart.

Meanwhile.

Faced with Sarutobi Hiruzen's accusations.

Chiba did not even change his posture.

Resting his cheek on one hand, he looked at Sarutobi Hiruzen with faint pity.

"Sarutobi Hiruzen."

"You've truly lived your whole life in vain."

A moment later.

Chiba finally spoke.

His voice was not loud, yet it drowned out all the noise.

And his words were vicious to the extreme, trampling Sarutobi Hiruzen's dignity into the mud.

"You..."

Hiruzen's eyes nearly popped out.

But Chiba gave him no chance to speak and cut him off directly.

"Hiruzen."

"Do you think being Hokage means sitting in an office every day, playing political games?"

"Do you think that as long as you control every department in the village, you're invincible?"

At this point.

Ye slowly rose to his feet.

This youth, only about six feet tall.

Now seemed to everyone present like a Deity standing between heaven and earth.

"Let me tell you!"

"What the core truth of this world is."

"The most important thing in this world has never been some bullshit authority."

"It is... absolute strength!"

"As long as I possess the power to destroy Konoha with ease."

"As long as I can blow apart anyone who dares defy me with one punch."

"Even if I throw all authority to them."

"Would they dare rebel?"

Gulp.

Shikaku Nara swallowed hard.

Cold sweat slid down his temples and straight into his collar.

They would not dare!

They absolutely would not dare!

That hundreds-of-meters-tall Wood Golem was still deeply imprinted in everyone's minds.

Was that a monster human strength could possibly contend against?

It was practically a moving natural disaster!

"If you haven't gone senile yet."

"Then you should think carefully."

"If you had even half the strength of the First Hokage."

"Would you need to rack your brains every day over all those balancing measures?"

"Would you need to compromise with other villages?"

"Would you tolerate Danzo carrying out those shady little schemes behind your back?"

Chiba walked up to Sarutobi Hiruzen.

He looked down at him and began mocking him outright.

Every word he spoke was like a red-hot blade, stabbing precisely into Sarutobi Hiruzen's chest.

"Why are you desperately clinging to power?"

"Because you're old."

"Because your strength has reached its limit, and you can no longer advance even a single step."

"You began to fear."

"You fear that younger, more talented successors will surpass you."

"Like White Fang, like Orochimaru, even... the Uchiha."

Upon hearing the names White Fang and Uchiha.

The hearts of many present suddenly tightened.

Those were Konoha's untouchable taboos, yet Chiba exposed every one of them without a care.

"You lost the courage to pursue greater strength."

"So you could only take another path."

"You began crazily gathering power."

"You tried to use authority to conceal the decline in your own strength."

"You brainwashed the young with the Will of Fire, sending them to die on the battlefield."

"While you hid in the absolutely safe rear, enjoying your so-called peace."

At this point.

Ye's tone grew colder and colder.

The temperature around them seemed to have dropped by several degrees.

"Hiruzen."

"You and Danzo are cut from the same cloth."

"The only difference is."

"That beast Danzo at least understands the importance of strength."

"He knows his talent is lacking."

"So he resorted to every possible means to conduct human experiments, seeking to seize the power of the Senju and Uchiha."

"And you?"

"You don't even have the guts to conduct experiments."

"You only know how to hide in the Hokage Office, smoking your pipe and watching others risk their lives."

"You use your so-called authority to satisfy that pitiful little vanity of yours."

"Hiruzen."

"You are a complete and utter failure!"

"..."

As Chiba's words fell.

It was as if all the air in the conference room had been sucked away.

The heads of every clan stared wide-eyed, yet none dared say a word.

Ye's words had been far too vicious.

He was completely denying Sarutobi Hiruzen's entire life!

"No..."

"That's not true..."

Hiruzen tried to argue.

But he could not find a single point to refute.

Because everything Chiba had said was true.

The bloodiest truth of all.

Authority had to rely on absolute strength.

Authority unsupported by strength was merely a castle in the air.

Just like now.

Ye did not even need to issue orders.

He only needed to display that overwhelming strength.

And the clans of the village would immediately come forward of their own accord to pledge loyalty.

"The Uchiha Clan will forever serve Lord Chiba!"

"If we break this oath, may heaven and earth destroy us!"

Fugaku Uchiha suddenly stepped forward.

He dropped heavily to one knee with a dull thud.

Was Chiba arrogant?

Extremely arrogant!

He simply did not take anyone seriously.

But it was precisely this arrogance, this undisguised bluntness.

That gave Fugaku Uchiha an unprecedented sense of security.

Compared to Sarutobi Hiruzen, that hypocrite who preached benevolence and righteousness while stabbing people in the back.

Someone like Chiba, who laid everything out in the open, was far more worthy of following.

Because he simply disdained playing schemes and intrigues.

Whatever he wanted, he reached out and took directly.

Dare to resist?

He would kill you outright.

Simple and brutal, yet exceedingly effective.

"Ino-Shika-Cho will never betray!"

"The Aburame Clan awaits your orders."

"The Hyuga Clan swears to follow Lord Chiba unto death!"

"..."