Chidori from Kakashi

The clan meeting concluded.

Hayato, Shisui, and Seiichi strolled through the Uchiha compound, occasionally exchanging greetings with ordinary clansmen who were preparing to close their shops for the night.

"Hayato, there are some parts of your plan for tonight that I don't quite understand."

Seiichi spoke up suddenly.

Hayato stopped in his tracks and turned to look at Seiichi behind him.

"Why should the Police Force recruit members from the rest of Konoha?"

Seiichi's feelings toward Konoha had always been complicated; he couldn't say he hated it, but he certainly didn't love it.

Ever since he became a member of the Uchiha Police Force, the gazes he received from others had made him deeply uncomfortable.

Furthermore, the Police Force was a symbol of the Uchiha's superiority, yet Hayato was delegating this authority, which he found difficult to grasp.

Shisui also looked at Hayato; he understood a little, but not the full picture.

Hayato beckoned them to follow.

Once they arrived at his home, Hayato finally spoke: "We need a period of easing tensions with Konoha. Forget about the high-level officials for now, but other ninja clans and civilian ninjas are the ones we need to win over. It is also a way to signal our stance to Konoha."

Having said this, Hayato couldn't help but sigh.

Although Fugaku had made him the deputy clan head, he could tell that many people were still unconvinced.

Even Yashiro, who had backed down, only did so because of the intimidation of his Mangekyo. Many had abandoned the clan's powerful leader back when Uchiha Madara left, and the actions of the Second Hokage had only caused these people to gather again.

To speak to these clansmen, who were clearly somewhat paranoid, one first needed the qualifications they deemed necessary to be worth listening to.

And Hayato's Mangekyo provided exactly that.

For those who wouldn't listen, simply revealing the Mangekyo could resolve even the most difficult problems, but that was only temporary.

"Bringing in outsiders will create a sense of urgency within the Uchiha. Some people just lack the opportunity; as long as they have it, they can grow."

Hayato raised an eyebrow. "Who knows, the clansmen might even unite again because of this sense of urgency, even if it's just the beginning."

"External pressure?"

A look of realization dawned in Shisui's eyes.

"Exactly. The biggest problem within the clan is arrogance. Possessing the Sharingan makes the clansmen look down on everyone else. Even if I could suppress them with an overwhelmingly strong stance tonight, it would eventually lose its effect over time."

"But if outsiders are brought in and given the same resources as the Police Force—they don't even need to be that strong, just capable of surpassing some of our clansmen—then the clansmen will calm down and reflect. Even if it starts with arguments, in the end, they will always unite internally."

"The division of the family has already left the Uchiha far behind. Since the Second Great War, I'd like to ask: how many members of the Uchiha clan have appeared who are on par with the Sannin or the White Fang?"

Shisui and Seiichi both fell silent.

None. On the contrary, the Uchiha clan simply felt that Konoha was constantly targeting them, preventing them from becoming strong.

This division even led to the family being pushed to the outskirts of the village after the Night of the Nine-Tails.

This once again stirred up the dissatisfaction of the Uchiha clan, making the internal voices even more numerous and chaotic.

Coupled with the fact that Clan Head Fugaku had been unable to suppress them, it resulted in a single family having several conflicting voices, sometimes even holding the clan head hostage to their demands.

"So, this was your goal all along, Hayato." Shisui sighed.

He felt sorrow for the Uchiha. It was a tragedy that just as a clansman had finally grown up who could see things clearly and was willing to do something for the clan, he still had to prioritize solving internal problems before he could address anything else.

At this moment, for the Uchiha, changing slowly meant more trouble down the road.

An indescribable exhaustion made Shisui's heart feel heavy.

"It's fine. This is something we have to go through sooner or later." Hayato patted Shisui on the shoulder.

"This is exactly why I need your help. From now on, we need to integrate the power within the family so that, at the very least, we speak with one voice to the outside world."

"We understand!"

Shisui and Seiichi both wore serious expressions.

After seeing Shisui and Seiichi off, Hayato sat alone in his room, rubbing his temples.

To be honest, if it weren't for the system, he really wouldn't want to take over such a mess of an Uchiha clan.

First, he had to forcefully reveal his Mangekyo to calm the explosive members of the Police Force in the meeting room, and then he had to face villagers swayed by rumors and high-level officials harboring malicious intent.

It could be said that there were so many things happening today that even Hayato couldn't think through his steps in detail.

"Still too crude."

Hayato closed his eyes, carefully recalling everything he had done and said up to this point.

Everything had been too rushed, leaving him no time to consider whether his actions were feasible. He had used the Mangekyo to suppress them internally, while standing at the very forefront externally.

He estimated that Sarutobi Hiruzen had already officially set his sights on him.

Even though he had said those things to Fugaku, it didn't mean Sarutobi Hiruzen wouldn't be wary of the Uchiha clan.

For now, however, stability was required to prevent the Uchiha bomb from detonating.

"Too naive."

Hayato opened his panel and began to retrieve the day's bitter fruits, yielding a modest harvest.

Danzo's, the village's, and—hmm?

Hayato's gaze faltered; he was surprised to see Hatake Kakashi's name among them.

"What's going on?"

Hayato couldn't help but click directly onto the entry for Hatake Kakashi.

[Bitter Fruit Entry System]

Target Detected: Hatake Kakashi

Triggered Bitter Fruit Type: Regret Bitter Fruit

Content: Reminded of his father's incident by the Uchiha farce, and upon seeing the counterattack you orchestrated, he reflects on whether he failed to view the situation from his father's perspective back then.

Harvesting...

[Harvest Successful!]

[Hatake Kakashi's Regret Bitter Fruit]

[Extractable Entry: Chidori (Proficient)]

"Hatake Kakashi." Hayato rubbed his chin, pondering whether it was possible to win him over.

He had originally assumed Kakashi might not harbor such deep resentment toward Konoha, but seeing this caused Hayato's thoughts to wander.

"I'll find a time to have a chat with him."

Hayato didn't hesitate for long; regardless of the odds, it was worth making contact.

After all, if he could pull this man to his side, there might be some unexpected surprises in store.

Having made his decision, Hayato immediately claimed the Chidori. It was a technique that combined both chakra nature transformation and shape transformation; whether it was the later Raikiri or the various derivative techniques Sasuke would develop from it, it was an excellent ninjutsu.

He only hoped that the malice directed toward the Uchiha would surge even more intensely from here on out.

He was looking forward to it.