Uchiha Kyu had no intention of wasting all his time on clan affairs.
But those affairs still had to be handled, so there was no one better suited for the job than Fugaku Uchiha, who excelled at smoothing things over.
He was putting Fugaku Uchiha to good use, at least, instead of burying the last bit of ability Fugaku Uchiha possessed.
Most clan affairs were merely trivial matters of daily life. A clan was one big family, and the clan head was the bond connecting its members.
As for the remaining small portion of problems, they came down to how to develop the clan. Uchiha Kyu did not even need to think about that, because he had an example to follow.
When Konoha Village was first established, the Sarutobi Clan had only a little over two hundred shinobi.
Among the shinobi clans in Konoha's early days, the Sarutobi Clan's number of shinobi and overall strength had not even ranked in the top ten.
It was only because of certain objectives Senju Tobirama had at the time that he accepted Hiruzen Sarutobi as a disciple, elevating the Sarutobi Clan's status.
According to intelligence from the Sarutobi Clan's mole, the clan now had an astonishing number of shinobi—no fewer than a thousand.
Hiruzen Sarutobi had been in office for decades. With resources secretly funneled their way, the Sarutobi Clan had naturally grown stronger by the day.
If the Uchiha Clan wanted to reclaim its former glory and become even stronger, it would need not only massive resource support, but also the brutal tempering of war.
That would inevitably weed out some clan members, but short-term pain was necessary.
For most Uchiha clan members, even leaving the village was a luxury.
Those who were too weak could easily be treated as breeding stock if they went out.
Those who awakened the Sharingan could easily have their eyes dug out if they went out.
With his Mangekyō Sharingan and overwhelming strength, he had already forcibly twisted the Uchiha Clan into a single rope.
After the fuss he had made last night, given Hiruzen Sarutobi's personality, he would surely compromise on some benefits.
Even though he had killed so many people and offended so many shinobi clans, the Third Hokage would still have to placate those clans for Konoha's stability.
And today, he intended to reclaim the authority of the Police Department.
Although the Police Department was a Konoha department, all appointments and dismissals of personnel related to it were decided solely by the captain of the Police Department.
As for the position of Police Department captain, not even the Hokage had the authority to decide it. It had always been held by the Uchiha clan head.
The Police Department was more like an extension of the Uchiha Clan's power. Only Uchiha clan members who had awakened the Sharingan could join it.
Now that he had succeeded Fugaku Uchiha as clan head, the position of Police Department captain naturally transferred to him as well.
Fugaku Uchiha had even gone to personally persuade his trusted subordinates overnight, afraid they might do something that he could never undo.
The Konoha Police Department possessed terrifying authority, but as the Uchiha's strength gradually declined, that authority had been tacitly reduced as well.
One of its most important powers was maintaining Konoha's public security and combating crime.
That authority included registering people entering and leaving, investigating cases, making arrests, and more. Its scope was enormous.
Unfortunately.
By now, that authority was nothing more than empty words, having been completely replaced by the Anbu.
The moment Uchiha Kyu left the compound, more than twenty Konoha Anbu surrounded him from every direction, drawing their blades.
"Clan Head."
The two Uchiha Elite Jonin responsible for guarding the compound gate hurried out and shielded Uchiha Kyu behind them.
"Guard the compound properly. They are merely the Hokage's lapdogs. They cannot do anything to me."
A dangerous glint flashed through Uchiha Kyu's eyes. These people were not even enough to fill the gaps between his teeth.
Had they gotten used to underestimating the Uchiha, or were they simply underestimating Uchiha Kyu himself?
"Yes, Clan Head."
The two Uchiha Elite Jonin could only obey and retreat to the compound entrance.
The Three-Tomoe Sharingan in their eyes remained fixed on the Anbu. The moment a fight broke out, they would immediately send a signal for reinforcements.
"Move, or die."
Uchiha Kyu ordered the Anbu to step aside, as though he were their master.
Without orders, the Anbu surrounding Uchiha Kyu did not dare launch an attack rashly.
"You refuse a toast only to drink a forfeit."
"The Uchiha Clan is one of Konoha's founders, yet we are being watched in our own home."
"What a dark day."
Uchiha Kyu looked up at the sky, raising a hand to block the blazing sunlight. His tone gradually turned cold.
Boom!!!
Within a minute, the Konoha Anbu were sprawled across the ground in all directions, thin lines of bright red blood appearing across their necks.
The ground was littered with kunai engraved with Flying Thunder God Marks.
And Uchiha Kyu, the one responsible, had already appeared inside the Hokage Office.
The tense, sword-drawn atmosphere did not fade after Uchiha Kyu appeared.
"You actually managed to come out? What were those Anbu even doing?"
Danzo slammed his cane against the floor, glaring at him viciously.
The moment Hiruzen Sarutobi heard Danzo mention the Anbu, an inexplicable sense of foreboding arose in his heart.
What Anbu? Why did he not know about this?
"Those watchdogs? I thought you had deliberately sent them to me as dog meat."
Uchiha Kyu sat fearlessly on a nearby sofa, treating the place as his own home.
"Danzo, who allowed you to mobilize the Anbu?"
The thought of inexplicably losing another portion of Anbu strength made Hiruzen Sarutobi's mood even worse.
"Root's forces suffered excessive losses, so I had no choice but to do this. The Uchiha must be contained within the Uchiha Compound. They cannot be allowed to come out and endanger Konoha."
"Besides, as the Hokage's assistant, I do not need permission to mobilize the Anbu."
Danzo was stubborn by nature, and his words were just as unyielding.
Minato Namikaze stood to one side like a lackey, not daring to interrupt. Being Hokage was worse than being a dog.
Uchiha Kyu watched with inward amusement.
In truth, he admired Minato Namikaze, but their opposing positions meant they could never become friends.
"Now, we should have a proper talk, Sarutobi."
Uchiha Kyu could not be bothered to watch the two old friends bicker any longer, so he directly interrupted them.
"What do you want?"
Hiruzen Sarutobi stared at Uchiha Kyu with a dark expression.
"I want one hundred guard positions on the Guyan Defense Line."
"I want one hundred guard positions on the Mo'an Defense Line."
"I want one hundred guard positions on the Egawa Coastal Defense Line."
"For all these years, Konoha has withheld a vast amount of cultivation resources and funds owed to the Uchiha Clan. Compensate all of it in one payment."
"The three streets near the Uchiha Compound will belong to the Uchiha."
"During the Third Shinobi War, when Konoha was attacked from both front and rear and faced a crisis of life and death, countless Uchiha shinobi died on the Egawa Coastal Defense Line. The heroes who returned had outstanding military achievements. Forget public commendation—we did not even receive a shred of tangible compensation."
"Heh heh heh!!!"
"Third Hokage, the Uchiha Clan is truly disheartened."
Uchiha Kyu opened his mouth like a lion, listing everything in one breath without caring whether the other side would agree.
Hiruzen Sarutobi directly ignored that final remark. After pondering for a long while, he spoke.
"I cannot agree to all of that. Konoha is still in a period of recovery and cannot provide everything at this stage."
"Fourth Hokage, you are the Fourth Hokage now. Tell us how this should be resolved."
Uchiha Kyu's smile did not fade as he turned the matter toward Minato Namikaze.
"Fugaku Uchiha put in no small amount of effort supporting you as the Fourth Hokage back then."
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