Being the Leader of the "Opposition"

Sarutobi Sasuke took the tea, sipped it, and cleared his throat before saying, "You must have heard the rumors. The village truly needs a department like this to maintain daily order and security."

"I have heard the rumors," Uchiha Eisen looked at him, "but what does this have to do with us, the Uchiha Clan?"

Sarutobi Sasuke chuckled. "Of course it does! You say that as if the Uchiha aren't part of the village. Is there anything happening in the village that doesn't concern everyone?"

Listening to this high-sounding rhetoric, Uchiha Eisen felt a wave of disgust, but he couldn't exactly call the man out for talking nonsense. He nodded perfunctorily and said, "You're right, it is relevant."

Sarutobi Sasuke found his expression amusing and continued, "Here is the situation: this security system is vital, and we need capable people to take charge of its establishment.

Furthermore, it requires a large amount of manpower to function; otherwise, how could it maintain its effectiveness? Given the current state of the village... you understand, don't you?"

"Understand?" Uchiha Eisen raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean by that?"

"To build this system, we need to recruit enough ninjas, and they must be strong."

Sarutobi Sasuke smiled. "Otherwise, if there were a disturbance in the village, we couldn't just send ordinary people to stop it, could we? That would be throwing their lives away."

Uchiha Eisen nodded along, a faint smile appearing on his face. "That is a fair point."

"But that is where the difficulty lies," he shifted his tone. "You know about the recent events; the Senju Clan truly cannot spare enough manpower to take on this burden right now.

As for the other clans, their strength is lacking. And as for the civilian ninjas..." he shook his head, "not to mention their numbers, whether their strength is up to par is one thing, but even if it were, whether they would have the guts to arrest those with 'status' is another question entirely."

Sarutobi Sasuke didn't beat around the bush and took the lead. "That is why the Hokage Building has discussed it back and forth, and we all feel that this job is best suited for your Uchiha Clan."

Hearing this, Uchiha Eisen could barely hide the joy in his eyes, but he quickly suppressed it and asked, "Is that necessarily true?

The Hyuga Clan is also a prominent family; they aren't lacking in manpower, their status is high, and they don't have other heavy responsibilities. Why didn't the Hokage consider them?"

Sarutobi Sasuke knew perfectly well that Tobirama had never intended to let the Hyuga Clan get involved.

This security system was ostensibly for maintaining order, but behind the scenes... it was meant to give the restless Uchiha something serious to do, preventing them from gathering and plotting all day; it also had to preserve the reputation of the Senju and Uchiha building the village together,

to avoid any gossip about "discarding the ladder once the river is crossed"; furthermore, putting these people in the spotlight made them easier to monitor.

However, he couldn't say these thoughts out loud.

So, he smiled. "The Hyuga Clan was indeed on the list initially. But after much deliberation, we decided the Uchiha are more suitable.

Why? The people of the Hyuga Clan are notoriously slow to act, and they have too many rules; they are sluggish when it comes to getting things done.

What does security require? Speed, precision, and ruthlessness! It is all about efficiency. In this regard, you Uchiha are far superior to them."

Uchiha Eisen nodded in deep agreement. It wasn't that he looked down on the Hyuga, but when it came to decisive action, the Uchiha were indeed streets ahead. He accepted this reasoning.

"Indeed," his tone lightened, "the Hyuga Clan does have that flaw. Giving them this task would have been a bit thoughtless. The Hokage is truly far-sighted."

"Then that is settled," Sarutobi Sasuke laughed. "I came today to represent the Hokage and ask for the Uchiha Clan's opinion. Are you willing to take on this arduous task amidst your busy schedule?"

Uchiha Eisen had long been desperate for his clan to squeeze into the village's power circle; how could he refuse?

He immediately stated, "Since the Hokage has spoken, it is only right for us Uchiha, as part of the village, to contribute! Never mind a busy schedule—even if we were a thousand times busier, we would certainly follow instructions and handle this task beautifully!"

"Good!" Sarutobi Sasuke grinned, his smile radiant. "With your word, we can rest easy. I will go back and report to the Hokage so this system can be implemented as soon as possible."

"Thank you for making the trip; let me see you out." Uchiha Eisen's attitude was now as warm as if he were a different person; truly, happy events bring a refreshed spirit.

Sarutobi Sasuke waved his hand. "No need, I know the way. We will be seeing plenty of each other from now on; there will be many opportunities to interact."

"Haha, that is only natural! We are all family, we should visit more often!" Uchiha Eisen laughed heartily.

However, just as Sarutobi Sasuke was about to stand up, he paused, as if suddenly remembering something, and asked tentatively, "By the way, there is one more thing... I heard that you Uchiha have some opinions regarding the Ninja Academy..."

When Uchiha Eisen heard this, he wasn't surprised in the slightest. From the moment Sarutobi Sasuke proactively offered this "good deal," he knew there would likely be other conditions attached.

If Sarutobi Sasuke hadn't brought this up, Uchiha Eisen would have found it suspicious. He immediately shifted his tone and sighed, "Sigh, some of our clansmen are a bit slow to come around, but I am currently in the middle of guiding them!

We must look at the big picture and not just focus on our own little plot of land; we have to think about the entire village. Wouldn't you agree?"

Sarutobi Sasuke certainly wouldn't expose him, so he nodded in deep agreement. "Exactly, one must always look to the long term. You have great awareness, Eisen; you see things clearly."

"Rest assured," Uchiha Eisen said, seeing that the other party wasn't digging deeper, and quickly followed the lead, "I will handle the clan's affairs well. We will definitely support the Hokage's decision and contribute to the village!"

Sarutobi Sasuke then replied with a chuckle, "Very well, with your word, we certainly believe the Uchiha Clan can make the right judgment. However... we also hope you can make your stance known soon.

After all, once the 'Ninja Academy' matter is settled, the manpower at the Hokage Building can be freed up sooner to assist you in establishing the security system, right? Neither side can afford to be delayed."

"That is only natural!" Uchiha Eisen didn't hesitate, patting his chest in assurance. "Sarutobi, go back and tell the Hokage that we Uchiha will issue a statement today, firmly supporting the establishment of the Ninja Academy and staying in step with the village!"

With the matter settled, Sarutobi Sasuke finally stood up to take his leave. After a few polite exchanges, he left the Uchiha compound.

Watching the retreating figure, Uchiha Eisen narrowed his eyes and muttered under his breath, "Old fox..."

He turned around to face the clansmen waiting in the hall, his voice raised. "You heard what was said, right? This is no longer just about the 'Ninja Academy'; it concerns whether we Uchiha can hold power in Konoha.

Don't be fooled by Sarutobi Sasuke's 'we can't do this without you' act; if we really dared to throw a wrench in the works, they would turn around and hand this job to the Hyuga Clan in a heartbeat.

This is a transaction! So, forget about the school or whatever; the most important thing right now is to get the security system in our hands.

Go, issue a statement to the public now. Say that the Uchiha Clan cares for Konoha, firmly supports the Hokage's decision, and fully backs the construction of the Ninja Academy!"

He called Sarutobi Sasuke an old fox, but was he not one himself?

One has to admit that the prestige of the First Hokage, Senju Hashirama, in the village was indeed immense. Although he had done many unreliable things in private, he was, after all, the "God of Shinobi," and that title carried weight.

Coupled with his highly capable younger brother, Tobirama, they only needed to have Sarutobi Sasuke cast a bit of "bait" to stabilize the most difficult Uchiha.

Konoha was filled with clans, ranging from single-lineages like the Hatake and Gekko to prominent families like the Senju, Uchiha, and Hyuga, with many others in between.

Yet, less than a day after the Hokage Building's announcement, the Senju Clan, the Sarutobi Clan, and the Ino-Shika-Cho trio quickly expressed their support.

The Uchiha Clan, which had previously shown signs of opposition, also officially released a statement that same afternoon, expressing their firm support for the Hokage's decision.

This left the other small and medium-sized clans, who were still watching and waiting to pick a side, completely bewildered.

To pick a side, there must be two sides to choose from. The leader of the pro-support faction was undoubtedly the Senju Clan; once they spoke, the Sarutobi and Ino-Shika-Cho followed immediately, making the alignment clear.

Everyone else was waiting to see if any big player would step up to challenge the Senju and act as the leader of the "opposition."

The most promising candidate was naturally the Uchiha, who, despite being unpopular, possessed a deterrent force equal to the Senju.

Many clans were waiting for the Uchiha to state their position so they could follow suit—not necessarily to stand with the Uchiha, but simply out of self-interest.

As it turned out, the Uchiha Clan, in whom such "high hopes" were placed, turned around and stood right behind the Senju.

Everyone was stunned. Looking at the Hyuga Clan, the only other potential flag-bearer, they hadn't even given a clear answer, making them even less decisive than the Uchiha.

Consequently, the ninja clans of Konoha were now trapped in a difficult, frustrating dilemma: follow the Senju and feel like they were losing out, or don't follow and have no one to lead the opposition.

And with the current momentum, it seemed unstoppable. It was truly a trap!

In a barbecue restaurant in the village, Hibari watched the bustling pedestrians on the street and listened to the chatter of the diners around him, gaining a rough understanding of the current situation.

The situation in the village was now clear.

"Hahaha, this is interesting!" Hibari picked up a piece of grilled meat and stuffed it into his mouth, chewing until his lips were oily. "What kind of trick did the Second Hokage and the others use? I thought those stubborn Uchiha donkeys would raise hell, but they just... folded?"

Sarutobi Hiruzen poured himself a cup of wine, took a sip, and replied, "I don't know the specifics, but it's nothing more than some exchanges of interest."

"Interest? With the Uchiha?" Hibari put down his chopsticks, rubbed his chin, and looked thoughtful.

Establishing the Ninja Academy so early suggested that the village's future direction might change. Many policies that should have been introduced later might now emerge prematurely, just like this one.

Hibari pondered, feeling that this change had something to do with him. But he couldn't quite put his finger on it, so he could only watch for now. In any case, as a half-grown kid, he couldn't really have a say in the current situation.

"Sigh, being young is a disadvantage," Hibari sighed, turned to look at Sarutobi Hiruzen, and asked half-jokingly, "Hiruzen, do you think I have a chance to work in the Hokage Building early?"

"It's Uncle Hiruzen!" Sarutobi Hiruzen glared at him. "You brat, you're getting more and more disrespectful to me!"

Despite saying that, he wasn't truly angry and continued the previous topic. "Isn't it obvious? If you keep going at your current pace, you will eventually be the pillar of the third generation of your Senju Clan.

By then, entering the Hokage Building will be a matter of course, won't it?"