Benefits the Uchiha Deserved

Uchiha Kyu had no intention of wasting all his time on clan affairs.

But those affairs still needed handling, so there was no one better suited for the job than Fugaku Uchiha, who excelled at smoothing things over.

He was making the best use of him, at least. It would keep Fugaku Uchiha's last bit of ability from going to waste.

Most clan affairs were nothing more than trivial matters of daily life. A clan was one big family, and the clan head served as the bond connecting its members.

As for the remaining small portion of issues, they were simply about how to develop the clan. Uchiha Kyu did not even need to think about that, because he had a reference point.

When Konoha was first established, the Sarutobi Clan had only a little over two hundred shinobi.

Among the shinobi clans during 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 the Second Hokage, Senju Tobirama, had certain motives back then that he accepted Hiruzen Sarutobi as his disciple and elevated the Sarutobi Clan's status.

According to intelligence from an informant within the Sarutobi Clan, the clan now had an extremely impressive number of shinobi—no fewer than a thousand.

Hiruzen Sarutobi had been in office for decades, after all. With resources quietly funneled toward them, 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 a massive influx of resources, but also the brutal tempering of war.

That would inevitably eliminate some clan members, but short-term pain was necessary.

For most Uchiha clan members, even leaving the village was a distant dream.

Those who were too weak would easily be treated as breeding stock if they went out.

Those who awakened the Sharingan would 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 commotion he caused last night, Hiruzen Sarutobi's personality guaranteed that he would concede some benefits to him.

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 nominally a Konoha department, all appointments and dismissals of its personnel 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 taken over as clan head from Fugaku Uchiha, the position of Police Department captain naturally transferred to him as well.

Fugaku Uchiha had even gone door to door overnight to persuade his trusted subordinates, afraid that they might do something he could never undo.

The Konoha Police Department possessed terrifying authority, but as the Uchiha gradually weakened, that authority had been quietly reduced by default.

One of its most important powers was maintaining Konoha's public order and combating crime.

This authority included registering people entering and leaving the village, investigating cases, making arrests, and more. Its scope was enormous.

Unfortunately.

By now, that authority was completely empty words, having been entirely replaced by the Anbu.

The moment Uchiha Kyu left the Uchiha Compound, more than twenty Konoha Anbu surrounded him from every direction, blades drawn.

"Clan Head."

The two Uchiha Elite Jonin guarding the entrance to the compound hurried out and shielded Uchiha Kyu behind them.

"Guard the compound properly. They're nothing but the Hokage's lapdogs. They can't do anything to me."

A dangerous glint flashed in Uchiha Kyu's eyes. These people were not even enough to fill the gaps between his teeth.

Had they grown too accustomed to looking down on the Uchiha, or were they simply looking down on Uchiha Kyu too much?

"Yes, Clan Head."

The two Uchiha Elite Jonin could only obey and retreat to the entrance of the compound.

The Three-Tomoe Sharingan in their eyes remained fixed on the Anbu at all times. The moment fighting broke out, they would immediately send out a signal for reinforcements.

"Move, or die."

Uchiha Kyu ordered the Anbu to step aside, as though he were their master.

The Anbu surrounding Uchiha Kyu did not dare attack without orders.

"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 harsh sunlight. His tone gradually turned cold.

Boom!!!

One minute later, the Konoha Anbu lay sprawled across the ground, with bright red lines appearing across their necks.

The ground was covered in kunai engraved with Flying Thunder God Marks.

And the culprit, Uchiha Kyu, had already appeared inside the Hokage Office.

The tense, hostile atmosphere had not eased since Uchiha Kyu appeared.

"You actually managed to come out? What were those Anbu good for?"

Danzo viciously slammed his cane against the floor, staring at him with a ruthless gaze.

The moment Danzo mentioned the Anbu, Hiruzen Sarutobi felt an inexplicable sense of foreboding rise in his heart.

What Anbu? Why did he not know about this?

"You mean those watchdogs? I thought you deliberately sent them over as dog meat for me."

Uchiha Kyu sat fearlessly on a nearby sofa, treating the place like his own home.

"Danzo, who gave you permission to mobilize the Anbu?"

The thought of inexplicably losing more Anbu personnel put Hiruzen Sarutobi in an even worse mood.

"Root's forces suffered excessive losses. I had no choice but to resort to this. The Uchiha must be contained within the Uchiha Compound. We cannot allow them 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 the side like a lackey, not daring to interrupt. Being Hokage was not even as good as being a dog.

Uchiha Kyu watched with inward amusement.

In truth, he rather admired Minato Namikaze, but their positions meant they were destined never to become friends.

"Now, we should have a proper talk, Sarutobi."

Uchiha Kyu could not be bothered watching the two good friends bicker any longer and directly cut them off.

"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 large amount of cultivation resources and funds owed to the Uchiha Clan. Pay them all at once."

"The three streets near the Uchiha Compound belong to the Uchiha from now on."

"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 performed outstanding feats, yet not only were those achievements never publicly praised, there was not even any tangible reward."

"Heh!!!"

"Third Hokage, the Uchiha Clan is truly disappointed."

Uchiha Kyu opened his mouth like a lion, throwing out every demand at once without caring whether the other side would agree.

Hiruzen Sarutobi directly ignored the last sentence. After pondering for a while, he spoke.

"I cannot agree to everything you have asked for. Konoha is still recovering at this stage, and we cannot provide all of it."

"Fourth Hokage, you are the Fourth Hokage now. How should this be resolved? You tell us."

Uchiha Kyu's smile did not fade as he shifted the topic toward Minato Namikaze.

"When Fugaku Uchiha supported you in becoming the Fourth Hokage, he put in no small amount of effort."