Putting things in order

Kazemori Masaki could only visit the Senju Clan in his occasional moments of free time. Most of his time was still taken up by his Anbu duties. Especially after he submitted that proposal, whatever Tobirama thought of it, he had at least begun stepping up reconnaissance of other countries and organizing the forces within the ninja village.

This time, Kazemori Masaki received a new assignment. Tobirama told him that their squad would head to the Northern Border Army to gather intelligence. If anything happened at the border, they were to notify the Shinobi Village immediately so it could respond in time.

Although the Shinobi Village had already become an important military force in the nation, that did not mean the Samurai Legion had left the stage of history. Individual Samurai could not compare to ninja in combat, but their numbers alone still posed a considerable threat. Across the vast territory of the Land of Fire, the Shinobi Village could not possibly scatter its personnel to keep every border secure, so the Samurai Legion still guarded the borders.

Kazemori Masaki could imagine the cold reception they would receive upon arriving at the Northern Border Army. After all, Samurai had little affection for ninja. But that did not matter; they only needed to carry out their mission.

Next, Tobirama would also reorganize their squad, transferring Kagami Uchiha out and replacing him with Torifu Akimichi, who would accompany them to the Northern Border Army.

This assignment surprised Kazemori Masaki somewhat. Kagami Uchiha would not be going with them after all. Though he did not know why, Tobirama presumably had his reasons, so Kazemori Masaki said nothing.

"What a shame. I won't be able to go with you," Kagami Uchiha said when he visited Kazemori Masaki's home after receiving the official notice.

"Since it's an order, there's nothing we can do. Still, if Lord Tobirama arranged it this way, he must have another task for you, right?" Kazemori Masaki said.

"He does, actually." Kagami Uchiha's expression darkened slightly before he let out a soft breath. "Lord Tobirama told me that, with war possibly approaching, the Uchiha Clan will be responsible for the security of Konoha Ninja Village. That's why he wants me to put the clan's internal affairs in order."

The Uchiha Clan controlled the Security Force, so maintaining security was already their duty. But Tobirama's words carried a heavier meaning once war broke out. Given Konoha Shinobi Village's current situation, with civilian ninja yet to emerge, its combat forces would inevitably consist mainly of clan elites, and the Senju Clan would undoubtedly lead them. Once the main forces left, protecting Konoha Shinobi Village from attack would have to fall primarily to the Uchiha Clan, whose reputation rivaled that of the Senju Clan.

With no other choice, Tobirama could only rely on the powerful Uchiha Clan. However, he could not ignore the question of their loyalty. Once the main forces departed, no one else would remain capable of keeping them in check.

Ensuring that the Uchiha Clan would not betray the village was therefore essential. This was the task he had given Kagami Uchiha: to put the clan's internal affairs in order as thoroughly as possible and guard against anyone harboring ill intentions.

With the incident involving Madara Uchiha still fresh, distrust was only natural. Kazemori Masaki understood the necessity of this assignment and said with a smile, "I don't think you need to be too nervous. Surely the Uchiha Clan doesn't actually want to betray the village. I believe most of them think the same way you do. Even if some people really do harbor ill intentions, they should only be a minority. You just need to have the others keep an eye on them."

Kagami Uchiha nodded. "I've always believed the clan should understand what it ought to do. It's just that there are still some dissenting voices. After what happened with Lord Madara, the village let bygones be bygones and entrusted us with the important responsibility of the Konoha Military Police Force. That was already an act of kindness, yet some people still think the village should give the clan even more power."

At this point, even Kagami Uchiha, who was always gentle with others, slammed his fist against the table in anger. Clearly, these people had infuriated him.

Kazemori Masaki knew that the Uchiha Clan could be foolish at times, but he truly had not expected anyone to remain dissatisfied after Tobirama had granted the Security Force so much authority. After all, what other department in the current Konoha Ninja Village was controlled by a single clan alone?

Although this arrangement was intended to make monitoring them easier, it had also expanded the Uchiha Clan's power to an astonishing degree. They had complete control over public security in the Shinobi Village, as well as the authority to interrogate and arrest suspected criminals or spies. It was no wonder the Anbu had to serve as a counterbalance to the Security Force.

"There really are people like that?"

"Yes. Their leader is called Uchiha Setsuna. He's one of the leading figures among the clan's hawks." Kagami Uchiha did not conceal anything and gave the leader's name outright. He had already told Tobirama about him anyway, so there was no harm in discussing it with Kazemori Masaki.

"Uchiha Setsuna..." Kazemori Masaki remembered seeing that name before. He had appeared in only one panel of the manga and had apparently claimed to have inherited Madara's will. He was also one of the reasons Tobirama felt the Uchiha Clan needed to be watched closely.

It really was incredible. When Madara brought the threat of destruction down upon the clan, its members had all wanted to distance themselves from him. Yet once the clan's circumstances gradually stabilized, some began to feel they deserved more and instead believed Madara's actions had been right.

"Then you really should put things in order," Kazemori Masaki said. "But from the sound of it, this Uchiha Setsuna should only represent a minority. He won't be able to cause too much trouble. Kagami, as long as you take the other clan members' feelings into account, there shouldn't be any problems."

"Yes. When the Security Force was first established, everyone did their duties conscientiously. But now there seem to be some problems, though I can't quite put my finger on them," Kagami Uchiha said.

"Have the members of the Security Force become a little arrogant?"

"A little, yes, but..." Kagami Uchiha did not continue. What he really wanted to say was that arrogance was perfectly normal among his clan members. The other clans all knew it, so it hardly seemed unusual.

"Kagami, there's a principle I believe in: absolute power breeds absolute corruption," Kazemori Masaki said slowly. "The Security Force has considerable authority, but precisely because of that, very few people can keep it in check. It may not seem like anything now, but over time, that will inevitably give rise to misconduct within the force. If even those enforcing the law stop upholding justice, who will be willing to trust the Security Force?"

Kagami Uchiha was startled. Hearing Kazemori Masaki put it that way, those seemingly insignificant faults within the Security Force might indeed become hidden dangers in the future. He hurriedly asked, "Masaki, do you think there's any way to prevent that from happening?"

"I think the first step in preventing it is to establish a strict set of rules within the Security Force to stop people from abusing their authority. If anyone does, they must be punished severely," Kazemori Masaki said. "Second, you need to instill a sense of honor in its members, so they believe they have a responsibility to enforce the law fairly and uphold ethical standards. Of course, you can't rely entirely on the Security Force itself. Other people also need to supervise its conduct and strengthen oversight, so its members know they can't simply do whatever they please. That's the general idea, anyway. Actually putting it into practice should be more complicated. I'm afraid I couldn't spell it all out on the spot."

"No, this is already enough," Kagami Uchiha said, delighted. "Hearing you explain it has really opened my eyes. Now I have a direction for putting the clan in order. I'll give it some serious thought when I get back."

"As long as it helps." Kazemori Masaki smiled.

Kagami Uchiha stayed and chatted a while longer before taking his leave. He was probably going to consider some of the disciplinary issues within the Security Force. Hopefully, it would do some good.

Afterward, Kazemori Masaki began preparing for the trip to the Northern Border Army. Soon, however, he no longer needed to concern himself with those arrangements. The day before they were due to leave, a Ninja Hawk arrived at Konoha Shinobi Village, bringing news from the border army.

—The Land of Lightning has launched a massive invasion. Send reinforcements immediately!

(End of chapter)