Chapter 21

The Fourth Elder spoke again.

"Lady Chisato, I have no objections to the other major matters, and I agree with the Clan Academy plan."

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

Several people sat in a circle in the Uchiha Clan's council hall, their expressions far from pleasant.

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

"Just maintaining those classes will require an enormous investment of manpower and materials."

"Our clan may have a solid foundation, but we can't afford to keep spending like this. How about... cutting a few first?"

The man speaking wiped sweat from his brow.

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

He supported it with all his heart, but before actually doing it, shouldn't they first see how much money they had in their pockets?

"The expenses are indeed considerable."

The Second Elder took over and nodded, but then changed direction. "However, since Lady Chisato dared to do this, she must have already prepared a solution, right?"

"I'm guessing you already have a plan?"

The moment he finished speaking, everyone's gaze fell upon Uchiha Chisato.

This concerned every one of their benefits, as well as whether their strength could rise another level.

No one was foolish. They were all waiting to hear what came next.

"Of course I do."

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

"Once everything is ready, we'll sell it and exchange it for the funds we need."

She had already worked it all out.

The gold from Golden City was a massive prize, but that alone would not be enough.

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

Then she would have Xunjing use Sea King meat to improve a kind of super Military Rations Pill.

It would be called Nutrient Pills.

The effects would need to be toned down. Each pill would contain less Sea King meat, and as long as they were thirty percent better than the Military Rations Pills on the market, that would be enough.

That was sufficient.

Additionally, Xunjing could formulate a Conditioning Potion for the general public.

Something similar to the kind Dr. Kureha had prepared for her and Xunjing.

Hmm, even if its effectiveness was reduced by ninety percent, it would still be more than enough.

When it came down to it, she had plenty of valuable goods she could use to make money.

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

If she were not afraid of arousing suspicion, the gold from Golden City alone could support the Uchiha Clan for years.

Money still needed to come from a plausible source.

"So that's how it is."

After hearing this, the Fourth Elder and the others finally breathed a sigh of relief.

So this was the route she intended to take.

What was there left to hesitate over?

The group immediately made their decision and fully supported Uchiha Chisato's reform plan.

Before long, the Uchiha Clan began moving according to Chisato's arrangements.

For the Clan Academy, she temporarily assigned the Second Elder and Fourth Elder to make preparations.

As for the Police Force, she had the Third Elder make adjustments.

First, they would establish the Elite Police Force, then reorganize the entire Police Force structure.

The divisions of the Uchiha Police Force were reassigned.

The First Division would handle the trial and processing of major cases.

The Second Division would be responsible for guarding the Police Force prison.

The Third Division would take over ordinary civil disputes, and this department planned to recruit externally.

In just two days, the entire Police Force headquarters completed its restructuring.

A huge notice board was erected at the entrance.

It clearly listed the details of the reforms, as well as the recruitment requirements.

Even the salary and benefits were laid out plainly, making the positions look highly appealing.

There was no need to risk their lives on missions. They only had to patrol the village and deal with disputes and minor violations to earn a decent salary.

Compared to fighting to the death outside the village, this life was far more comfortable.

To make sure everyone learned of it, Uchiha Chisato specifically had the Third Elder post another copy on the notice board in front of the Hokage Building.

Before long, the civilian ninjas in the village and ninjas from several smaller clans noticed it.

The news spread swiftly as if it had grown wings.

For a time, the matter was being discussed everywhere.

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

"Who knows? Maybe they're short on manpower? I heard there have been far fewer Uchiha patrolling these past few days. A lot of disputes have gone unattended."

"Seriously?"

"Seriously. I don't know what happened, but I definitely heard about it."

"They were probably short on people a long time ago. Look how much the village has expanded over the years, and how much the population has grown. How could the Police Force manage with so few people?"

"Stop talking and hurry up to sign up! This is a great opportunity. If we get there late, all the spots will be gone! I'm leaving first!"

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

"Let's go together!"

"Wait, you're really going? That's Uchiha territory. Do you really think you'll have a good life there?"

"What the hell do you know? The Uchiha may act arrogant as hell most of the time, but anyone who has gone on missions with them knows they're cold on the outside and warm on the inside. They're skilled and dependable too. Stop talking and get moving!"

More and more people streamed toward the Police Force headquarters.

Members of branch families from some medium-sized clans and major clans also began considering it.

In fact, the Third Generation and the others had already noticed that something was off with the Police Force a few days earlier.

Now, the Uchiha had directly posted reform notices and recruitment announcements outside the Hokage Building. There was no way to pretend they did not know.

Inside the Hokage's office.

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

This move by the Uchiha left Hiruzen Sarutobi both pleased and troubled.

The Police Force's willingness to recruit outsiders was, in theory, a good thing. It showed that the Uchiha were finally willing to take a step toward integrating with the village. The Hokage's side could also use the opportunity to place people inside and uncover their internal movements.

But the problem was that the game the Second Hokage had arranged back then had now been disrupted.

A close look at the reform plan made it clear that someone among the Uchiha had seen through the trap set by the Second Hokage. They had cleanly removed the poisonous parts and swallowed only the benefits.

"Uchiha Chisato... The woman who suppressed the entire clan's internal turmoil by herself truly isn't someone to be underestimated."

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

He had long heard that her body had recovered and that her strength had returned to its peak. Although Uchiha Chisato had not deliberately publicized it, the Third Generation had many informants, so the news had still reached him.

In truth, even if she did not intentionally leak the information, there were inevitably a few nails the Third Generation had planted inside the Uchiha. These days, what family did not have a few hidden lines?

Uchiha Chisato and Xunjing had long prepared a response to this. They planned to use the characteristics of the Space-Time Gate to completely isolate crucial information from those nails. Before they were strong enough to flip the table, they would feed the Third Generation and the others some false information.

Once they had accumulated enough power, they would uproot those spies completely. By then, not only would the Uchiha be thoroughly cleansed, but even Konoha and the entire Ninja World would have to listen to them.

"Hiruzen! You're still smoking at a time like this!" Utatane Koharu stamped her foot anxiously. "The fire is already at our eyebrows! Hurry and stop the Uchiha! We can't let them break the rules our teacher established!"

Mitokado Homura echoed her. "If they truly pull off this reform, the Uchiha's reputation will improve. Won't that make them covet the Hokage's seat even more? That is not something we want to see."

The Third Generation sighed and shook his head. "The Police Department has always been Uchiha territory. Even with the title of Hokage, I cannot control how they handle their internal affairs."

He paused, then continued, "Can't you see it? This is an open scheme."

"Quite a few civilian ninjas and people from small and medium-sized clans have already gone to Police Force headquarters to sign up. The terms and benefits offered by the Police Force are extremely enticing to many ninjas."