First Proposal

After following Fugaku around the Military Police Force for a brief tour, the two headed straight for the third floor.

Upon reaching the third floor and entering the director's office, Hane casually swept his gaze around. The entire office was quite tidy.

Aside from a bookshelf and several cabinets for documents, there were two desks, one large and one small. The larger one was presumably where his father worked, while a young man sat at the smaller desk.

Hane glanced over and found the youth working with his head lowered somewhat familiar. After searching his memories, Hane immediately realized who he was.

Wasn't he the youth who had taken the lead in leaving when Hane had invited Uchiha Retsuyō to a private gathering?

The youth happened to see Hane as well. His expression stiffened slightly before returning to normal. "Director, Young Clan Head!"

The youth rose and bowed.

Fugaku nodded, then took his seat. Hane, meanwhile, smiled at the youth, who appeared rather cold in response.

"Hane, go register with Zhengnan first."

"Yes, Father." Hane nodded slightly.

Uchiha Zhengnan did not say much. He simply led Hane straight to the Personnel Department.

Naturally, Hane had no intention of forcing warmth upon someone cold. It was not as though he had no people in the Military Police Force. It was just that Uchiha Retsuyō, the squad captain, had taken leave today to handle the task Hane had assigned him.

Before long, Hane followed Uchiha Zhengnan to the Personnel Department. The Personnel Department was quite enthusiastic, praising and flattering Hane one after another until he felt somewhat embarrassed.

Uchiha Zhengnan stood coldly at a distance, watching the scene. Since that day, his faint admiration for the Young Clan Head had faded considerably.

As a member of the Moderate Faction, he would never allow the next clan head to be a radical. The moment Hane said that there could only be one voice within the clan, Zhengnan had immediately felt a wave of disgust.

As Fugaku's deputy, he held absolute recognition for the director, which was why he had attended Hane's private gathering. But that did not mean he would follow Hane's ideas without cost.

Still, when it came to Hane, he could not help feeling that he had failed to live up to expectations.

Seeing Hane approach with an indifferent expression after finishing his registration, Uchiha Zhengnan's face turned cold. "Congratulations, Young Clan Head. You reached my position so easily by relying on your father."

Hane paused and looked at the youth with the somewhat chilly features. "You are unconvinced by me. Is it because of my strength, or something else?" Hane asked calmly.

"I naturally acknowledge the Young Clan Head's strength, but your mindset is far too narrow-minded," Uchiha Zhengnan answered without backing down.

"Heh. Those who often call others narrow-minded are usually somewhat narrow-minded themselves. I understand what you are thinking, but I do not wish to say much right now. Facts will prove everything. Before facts, all words become pale and powerless." With that, Hane walked past Uchiha Zhengnan with a faint smile.

Uchiha Zhengnan's face darkened. Watching Hane's departing back, a trace of indignation flashed through his eyes.

Was he saying that all I did was spout empty platitudes? Thinking this, Uchiha Zhengnan clenched his fist. "Hmph! Then I'll see what these facts of yours are!"

He hurried after him.

After returning to the director's office, none of them spoke further, and each began attending to his own work.

Still, the Military Police Force's work was undeniably dull and tedious. It was all trivial matters: one family's cats and dogs had gone missing and needed the Military Police Force to find them, or two people from another family were arguing and needed the Military Police Force to stop them.

Hane felt that it was a waste of time. After quickly dealing with the documents on his desk, he began meditating and training on his own, heedless of the other two people in the room.

However, this negligent attitude displeased Uchiha Zhengnan beside him. He had not expected this Young Clan Head to be not only arrogant, but also so slothful in his work.

Fugaku looked at Hane, who had closed his eyes, and frowned. "Hane, have you finished your work?"

Fugaku picked up the approved documents beside Hane and began reading them. On one document about finding a lost cat or dog, Hane had written in large letters: Issue a C-Class mission through the Konoha Mission Department.

Fugaku continued reading. Hane had directly passed simple matters on to the Mission Department, only authorizing Military Police Force personnel to act in cases where force was needed.

Moreover, his notes stated that all cases had to be handled strictly in accordance with Konoha's legal provisions, regardless of either party's attitude.

His training interrupted by his father, Hane opened his eyes with mild annoyance. He saw Fugaku holding his documents, his expression growing darker the more he read.

"Hane, why are you pushing the Military Police Force's work onto the Mission Department? You should know that when villagers come to us to handle matters, they do not pay. All the expenses have to be covered by the Military Police Force itself."

Hane gave the puzzled Fugaku an indifferent look. "Father, matters without criminal liability should not have been handled by the Military Police Force in the first place. The people of Konoha have noticed this, which is why they come to us with every little issue involving cats and dogs. How can that be acceptable?"

"This is purely a waste of the Military Police Force's manpower. In the future, we can directly refuse such matters. The Military Police Force is responsible for criminal cases, so we must maintain the proper attitude of public officials and handle everything strictly.

When facing disputes over interests, we should resolve them fairly and impartially according to Konoha's laws, rather than accompany Konoha's villagers in their unreasonable wrangling.

They cannot report everything as a case. The next time we encounter a false report unrelated to the case itself, the Military Police Force can arrest those people for wasting Konoha's police resources."

"Hane, wouldn't that be too forceful?" Fugaku asked uncertainly. After experiencing several incidents, he no longer dared casually dismiss Hane's ideas.

"Father, the Uchiha Clan has already reached the point where everyone detests us. Rather than take on these trivial matters and let ordinary villagers laugh at us,

we should create some distance and preserve the Uchiha Clan's mystery, establishing the distinctive character of our clan through the authority and fairness of the judiciary."

Uchiha Fugaku's eyes lit up as though he had thought of something, yet he could not quite grasp the reason behind it. He therefore continued looking at Hane calmly.

Hane understood what sort of person his nominal father was, so he did not keep him in suspense and continued, "As long as we are fair and impartial in cases involving disputes of interest, and uphold the authority of Konoha's laws,

then the villagers of Konoha who report cases in the future will naturally understand that they cannot call the police lightly. Once they file a case, they will have to go to court; once they go to court, the Uchiha will serve as judges. Tell me, would they not feel awe toward an Uchiha Military Police Force that could decide their lives and deaths with a single word?

Once they feel awe, they naturally will not dare point fingers at the Uchiha anymore. Instead of how things are now, where we take on everything and seem to mingle with the villagers.

Yet those who benefit may still call us servants or slaves behind our backs.

And the clan members sent out on duty are no better off. Uchiha ninja of all people have to help ordinary people plow fields, farm land, catch cats, and find dogs, lowering their own status. Doing such thankless work over and over is utterly meaningless to the Military Police Force."

Hearing Hane's explanation, even Uchiha Zhengnan silently stopped writing and looked at Hane.

At that moment, he felt that his earlier understanding might have been too one-sided. Constant conciliation was not necessarily a good thing.

Fugaku fell into deep thought. He gradually began to understand the principle behind it.

Create distance and preserve mystery, then use the public authority of the Uchiha Military Police Force to ensure the fairness of the law. This would immediately elevate the Uchiha's status and standing.

Instead of haggling over every fraction of profit for the clan's interests, they would transform into Konoha's defenders of the law and partners of fairness and justice.

Why had I never thought of this before? Fugaku could not help thinking.