Chapter 21

The Fourth Elder spoke up again.

"Lady Jiri, I have no objections to the other major decisions, and I agree with the plan for the Clan Academy."

"But aren't we offering too many classes? And aren't the benefits a little too generous?"

Inside the Uchiha Clan's council hall, several people sat in a circle, none of them looking particularly happy.

"These preschool classes, after-school tutoring sessions, Genin and Chunin enhancement classes, plus the Jonin exchange classes-how many resources will all of that burn through?"

"Just keeping those classes running will take enormous amounts of manpower and supplies."

"Our clan may have deep reserves, but even we can't afford to spend like this. How about... cutting a few for now?"

The elder who spoke wiped away his sweat.

He could tell that Lady Jiri was determined to give the entire clan's strength a tremendous boost.

He wholeheartedly supported her, but before they actually went through with it, shouldn't they check how much money they had?

"The expenses certainly won't be small."

The Second Elder picked up the conversation and nodded, then changed tack. "Still, since Lady Jiri is willing to do this, surely she's already planned how to cover it?"

"I assume you already have a solution?"

As soon as he finished speaking, everyone's eyes turned to Uchiha Chisato.

This concerned every one of their benefits, as well as whether they could push their strength any higher.

None of them were fools. They all waited to hear more.

"Of course."

Uchiha Chisato didn't keep them waiting. She nodded decisively. "You don't need to worry about the money. I'm already preparing a shipment of rare, high-value goods."

"Once everything is ready, we'll sell it to raise the funds we need."

She had already worked it all out.

The gold in Golden City was a juicy prize, but that alone wasn't enough.

She also planned to bring over a batch of Sky Island shells to resell.

Then she would have Xunjing use Sea King meat to develop an improved kind of super Military Rations Pill.

They would call them Nutrient Pills.

Their effects would have to be toned down, with less Sea King meat in each pill. They only needed to be thirty percent better than the Military Rations Pills already on the market.

That would be enough.

She could also have Xunjing formulate a Conditioning Potion for the general public.

Something similar to the one Dr. Kureha had made for her and Xunjing.

Yes, even with its potency cut by ninety percent, it would be more than enough.

When it came down to it, she had plenty more valuable things she could sell.

But Uchiha Chisato felt that these few items alone would be enough to solve their funding problems.

If she hadn't been worried about arousing suspicion, the gold from Golden City alone could have supported the Uchiha Clan for several years.

Their money still needed a plausible source.

"So that's how it is."

After hearing her explanation, the Fourth Elder and the others finally breathed sighs of relief.

So that was the route she planned to take.

What was there left to hesitate about?

They decided on the spot to give Uchiha Chisato's reforms their full support.

Before long, the Uchiha Clan began putting Jiri's arrangements into motion.

For now, she left preparations for the Clan Academy to the Second and Fourth Elders.

The Third Elder was tasked with reorganizing the Police Force.

First, they would establish the Elite Police Force, then straighten out the structure of the entire Police Force.

The duties of the Uchiha Police Force's divisions were reassigned.

The First Division specialized in investigating and handling major cases.

The Second Division was responsible for guarding the Police Force's prison.

The Third Division took over ordinary civil disputes, and this department would recruit from outside the clan.

Within two days, the entire Police Force headquarters had completed its reorganization.

A huge noticeboard went up at the main entrance.

It clearly listed the reforms and the recruitment requirements.

Even the wages and benefits were spelled out in detail, and they looked very appealing.

There was no need to risk their lives on missions. They could earn a decent salary just by patrolling the village and dealing with disputes and minor offenses.

Compared with fighting for their lives outside the village, this was a far more comfortable way to live.

To make sure everyone heard about it, Uchiha Chisato specifically had the Third Elder post a copy on the noticeboard in front of the Hokage Building as well.

Before long, the village's civilian ninja and ninja from some of the smaller families noticed it.

The news spread as though it had wings.

Soon, everyone was talking about it.

"The Police Force is being reformed? And they're recruiting outsiders? Is this some kind of joke? Haven't those Uchiha always treated the Police Force as their own turf and refused to let anyone else near it?"

"Who knows? Maybe they're short-handed? I heard there have been a lot fewer Uchiha on patrol these past few days. Plenty of disputes have gone completely unattended."

"Seriously?"

"Seriously. I don't know what happened, but that's what I heard."

"They've probably been short-handed for ages. Think how much the village has expanded and how much the population has grown over the years. How could the Police Force keep up with so few people?"

"Enough talking. Hurry up and apply! This is a great opportunity. If you're late, all the spots will be gone! I'm heading over!"

"Wait for me! I'm going too!"

"Let's all go!"

"Hold on, you're really going? That's Uchiha turf. Do you really think you'll have a good time there?"

"You don't know a damn thing! Sure, those Uchiha usually act like they're better than everyone else, but anyone who's been on a mission with them knows they're cold on the outside and warm on the inside. They're skilled and dependable, too. Quit talking and move!"

More and more people flocked toward Police Force headquarters.

Members of some medium-sized families and branch families of the major ninja clans began considering it as well.

In fact, Third Generation and the others had noticed something unusual about the Police Force several days earlier.

Now the Uchiha had posted their reform announcement and recruitment notice right outside the Hokage Building. They couldn't pretend not to know even if they wanted to.

Inside the Hokage's office.

Hiruzen Sarutobi, Utatane Koharu, and Mitokado Homura sat together.

The Uchiha's move left Hiruzen Sarutobi both pleased and worried.

In principle, the Police Force's willingness to recruit outsiders was a good thing. It meant the Uchiha were finally willing to engage with the village, and the Hokage could use this opportunity to plant people among them and learn what was happening inside.

The problem was that this disrupted the game the Second Hokage had set in motion all those years ago.

A close look at the reform plan made it clear that someone among the Uchiha had seen through the Second Hokage's trap. They had stripped away every poisoned part and swallowed only the benefits.

"Uchiha Chisato... the woman who single-handedly quelled the entire clan's internal strife. She really is no pushover."

Third Generation took a puff from his pipe, his brows tightly knitted.

He had already heard that she had recovered her health and regained her peak strength. Although Uchiha Chisato hadn't deliberately publicized it, Third Generation had plenty of informants, and the news had still reached him.

In fact, even if she didn't spread the word herself, there were bound to be a few agents Third Generation had planted within the Uchiha. These days, who didn't have a few covert informants?

Uchiha Chisato and Xunjing already had a countermeasure for that. They planned to use the Space-Time Gate's properties to keep critical information completely out of those agents' reach. Until they were strong enough to overturn the whole arrangement, they would feed Third Generation and the others false information.

Once they had amassed enough strength, they would root out all those traitors. Then, not only would the Uchiha be thoroughly purged, but Konoha and the entire Ninja World would have to answer to them.

"Hiruzen! You're still sitting here smoking!" Utatane Koharu stamped her feet in agitation. "We're in a crisis! Hurry up and stop the Uchiha! We can't let them ruin the rules our teacher laid down!"

Mitokado Homura agreed. "If they really pull off these reforms and improve their reputation, won't the Uchiha covet the Hokage's seat even more? That's not something we want to see."

Third Generation sighed and shook his head. "The Police Department is Uchiha territory to begin with. Even with my title as Hokage, I can't dictate how they handle their internal affairs."

He paused, then continued, "Don't you see? This is an open gambit."

"Quite a few civilian ninja and people from small and medium-sized families have already gone to Police Force headquarters to apply. The conditions and benefits they're offering are very attractive to many ninja."