The Police Force Outsourcing Plan!

Hiruzen Sarutobi looked at Bai Ye, his heart bleeding. Returning those assets to the Uchiha meant handing over real money!

But he had no other choice.

Even though he knew the other party was threatening him now,

there was nothing he could do!

If the Uchiha really went through with it, he would become the one condemned for it.

But Hiruzen Sarutobi was no fool. He could agree to this,

but he still had to set conditions.

Otherwise, wouldn't he be letting himself get fleeced?!

Really, the main issue was that Hiruzen Sarutobi didn't want to give anything back.

"If we're returning it, everyone has to do it together. That was probably your intention too, wasn't it?! As long as you convince the others, we'll return everything to the Uchiha. What do you think?!

"Oh, right...

"You don't need to worry about the four of us. I'll agree on our behalf. You only need to convince the other clans!

"If we're the only ones returning everything, we'd have a hard time explaining it to our clans, wouldn't we?!

"What would everyone else think of us?"

Hiruzen Sarutobi's condition was simple.

As long as Bai Ye could convince the others, he would return everything to him.

"Fine, but you need to announce it throughout Konoha!"

"What do you mean by that?!"

Danzo stared at Bai Ye, his face dark and his eyes filled with cold hostility.

"What else could I mean? I don't trust you!"

"You!!"

Before Danzo could finish, Hiruzen Sarutobi cut him off. "No problem. We'll do as you say. Do you have any other demands?!"

"Not for now. I'll let you know if I do. If there's nothing else, we'll be leaving."

With that, Bai Ye rose and left.

His first step was complete.

Hiruzen Sarutobi and the others remained in the office. Danzo looked at Hiruzen Sarutobi indignantly and demanded, "Sarutobi, what the hell are you doing?! Do you even know what you're doing?!

"Are you showing weakness to the Uchiha Clan?!"

Danzo had already been seething with anger.

He had come today intending to take the Uchiha Clan down a peg.

Instead, Hiruzen Sarutobi had backed down again and again.

With things as they stood, he really couldn't understand what the man was thinking.

"Danzo, there you go getting worked up again..."

Hiruzen Sarutobi glanced at Danzo, then said slowly, "The Ino-Shika-Cho, the Hyuga, and those other clans are still there. How could it be easy for the Uchiha to reclaim all that now?!

"The Hyuga Clan has always competed with the Uchiha Clan for the title of the foremost ocular jutsu clan.

"They won't be able to get it back. Besides, what he just said is really digging his own grave. Once the whole village knows that the Uchiha want to reclaim their former clan lands,

"the others certainly won't want to return them. Wouldn't handing them back mean admitting they're afraid of the Uchiha?!

"And if the Uchiha fail to reclaim them, their prestige will be dragged through the mud over this incident."

This was yet another scheme Hiruzen Sarutobi had devised to target the Uchiha.

He couldn't really be blamed!

He hadn't intended to publicize it at first, but after hearing Bai Ye's demand, he suddenly felt that letting the village know would be a good thing.

Wouldn't that actually work in their favor?!

"That does make sense. Sarutobi, this is a good move. But I feel the Uchiha are getting a little restless. They actually want to take their entire clan out of Konoha..."

Mitokado Homura nodded. After thinking it over, he agreed.

It really did seem unlikely that the Uchiha could reclaim those assets.

But now wasn't the time to dwell on that.

He felt that the Uchiha were slipping out of their control.

Now, they actually wanted to leave with their entire clan.

That absolutely could not be allowed!

Once that precedent was set, the village would cease to be a village.

More importantly, they truly couldn't let the Uchiha leave!

"If you ask me, we should have wiped them out long ago. Sarutobi, you're just too soft. If you'd listened to me, how could any of this have happened today?!"

Danzo looked at Hiruzen Sarutobi in exasperation.

He acted as though following his advice would have guaranteed things never came to this.

Mitokado Homura and Utatane Koharu, who would normally argue against Danzo, were unusually silent this time.

The Uchiha had indeed threatened their interests.

Now, neither of them wanted to watch the Uchiha take back what they had worked so hard to obtain.

Hiruzen Sarutobi said nothing. He merely smoked in silence, an unreadable glint appearing in his eyes.

Meanwhile,

after returning to the Uchiha compound, Uchiha Hui looked at Bai Ye with a worried expression. "You handled things very well earlier, but reclaiming those assets from clans like the Hyuga... I think that will be difficult!"

He wasn't trying to discourage Bai Ye.

But the relationship between the Uchiha and the Hyuga could hardly be called good.

Had Bai Ye been too rash?!

"I'll handle the Hyuga. Once we convince the Hyuga Clan, most of the other clans will return those assets too. You don't need to worry about that.

"But there is something I need you to do.

"Given the situation, we have no room to back down anymore. So if we're going to act, let's go all the way!"

There was still a chance to win over the Hyuga Clan.

After all, despite their rivalry on the surface, judging by the anime, the Hyuga Clan hadn't exactly had an easy time under the Third Hokage!

The opening was easy enough to identify.

Wasn't there Hizashi Hyuga's death?!

Bai Ye didn't believe Hyuga Hiashi could truly act as though he didn't care at all about what had happened back then.

"What do we need to do?!"

"Hasn't the Konoha Military Police Force always been a source of criticism against us Uchiha?! Let's step back for now and outsource the police force!"

"Outsource!!!?"

The others froze at Bai Ye's words, wondering what this unfamiliar term meant.

They couldn't understand it at all!

Outsourcing really was outside their knowledge.

"It means we Uchiha won't be responsible for running the police force anymore!"

Realizing the problem, Bai Ye offered an explanation. Apparently, this world didn't have the term "outsourcing."

But the moment he said that, not only did Uchiha Setsuna become agitated, even Uchiha Huo of the Dove Faction couldn't sit still.

"You're saying we Uchiha should give up the police force?! It's the only thing we have left now!!! Bai Ye, what on earth are you thinking?!"

Uchiha Setsuna was dumbfounded.

He had watched everything Bai Ye had done so far and thought the Uchiha had finally gained a good clan head.

At least so far, everything Bai Ye had done was exactly what Uchiha Huo had wanted to see.

But now Bai Ye was saying they should abandon the Konoha Military Police Force.

That didn't seem right to him!

It was the only authority the Uchiha still held.

What would it mean if they simply gave it up?!

"Exactly, Bai Ye. Even if I think the police force might have gone a little too far in some matters, we can't just abandon it, can we?!"

Uchiha Huo hurried to speak as well.

He really couldn't make sense of what Bai Ye was doing.

"I think you're overthinking this. By giving it up, I mean the Uchiha should stop handling all those trivial matters. We just need to oversee the police force and leave everything else to others."

"Others?! Who? This is work that makes enemies..."

So now you know it makes enemies?!

Bai Ye rolled his eyes. They had clung so tightly to their authority before. Apparently, they knew the work antagonized people, yet still couldn't bear to let it go!

But he said nothing more about that and instead laid out his entire plan.

"First of all, since everyone knows police work makes enemies, I've never understood why the Uchiha insist on holding on to it.

"My plan is for us to retain control of the police force. As for the frontline work that antagonizes people, we can leave that to other ninja.

"I call it outsourcing because we Uchiha will contract out the work and have someone establish a staffing company.

"We'll hand the police force's dispute-resolution work over to that company. Then the company will recruit a group of ninja and ordinary people to handle all the village matters, large and small, that the police force used to handle."

Leave the work that made enemies to others?!

And the Uchiha would continue overseeing the police force.

Rather than dealing with those matters themselves, they would let others handle them. That way, the police force members wouldn't spend every day simmering with resentment either.

After hearing Bai Ye explain it, they suddenly felt it might actually work!

The three exchanged glances. They could see a way to resolve the Konoha Military Police Force's predicament in Bai Ye's plan.

They had actually known all along that this was a trap set by the Second Hokage.

But they had no other choice.

If they gave this up too, the Uchiha would have no authority left whatsoever.

After all, this was law enforcement authority!

Having the power to enforce the law within the village was, in truth, an enormous privilege.

It was simply too easy to antagonize people.

After all, the Uchiha handled all those matters. How could everyone else look kindly on them?!

But now, their Uchiha Clan would outsource the police force while keeping control firmly in their own hands.

The work that made enemies would fall to others.

Looking at it that way, it really was a good solution.

"But would anyone be willing to come?!"

"Pay them. Our Uchiha Clan has money anyway. If we offer high salaries for some positions, people will definitely come. And once they gain law enforcement authority, they'll turn around and defend us Uchiha!"

Brilliant!!!

A thousand words boiled down to that one thought.

Bai Ye's outsourcing policy was truly brilliant!

After hearing his explanation, they felt that the problem which had plagued them for so many years had finally been solved.

So we could have done this all along!!!

If we shifted the conflict elsewhere, wouldn't that mean we no longer had a conflict?!

As for paying people,

then pay them!

The Uchiha certainly weren't short of money anyway.

"So if we follow your plan, we only need to put up some money, and the police force will remain in our hands. But what reason should we give?!

"Hiruzen Sarutobi probably won't let this slide so easily!"

Uchiha Huo thought this was an excellent idea.

But if they did this now, people would probably start pointing fingers again.

"This is the Uchiha Clan's own business. What does it have to do with them?! The police force has always belonged to our Uchiha Clan. Who needs their interference?!

"And this is what I mentioned earlier, the thing I need you to do. For now, arrange for police force members to either take on some missions or begin open group training to develop their combat abilities."

Since the police force would have time on its hands,

they certainly couldn't let its members sit idle, or other problems would arise.

They could have those people take on missions or arrange training to improve their combat strength.

"What are you planning?!"

Uchiha Huo gave Bai Ye a startled look, somewhat bewildered.

Wait a second!?

Why did this sound a little wrong?!

You aren't planning to go to war with Konoha and training in advance for it, are you?!

The thought seemed a little far-fetched, but sending those Radical Faction members in the police force off to train made it feel all too possible!

"Just improving our combat strength. Having no sword and having a sword we choose not to use are two different things. If we Uchiha become stronger, negotiating with the village will be easier too!"

Of course, it was to increase their combat strength for when they eventually broke with Hiruzen Sarutobi!

But Bai Ye didn't say that outright.

Until the very end, the Dove Faction probably wouldn't act alongside him, so he kept his true purpose to himself for now.

"I agree. The Uchiha really do need to become stronger. Since we've decided to reform the police force, we should put those people to use too. They're all elites of the Uchiha Clan!"

Uchiha Setsuna approved.

"Then let's do it. We'll make the arrangements afterward. Bai Ye, just focus on handling the Hyuga Clan!"

Uchiha Hui voiced his agreement as well.

Bai Ye's proposal also made Uchiha Hui realize that perhaps he really did have a way to deal with the Hyuga Clan.

So he chose to trust Bai Ye for now.

Afterward, the three elders each began making arrangements.

Within the Uchiha clan, the proposed reforms to the Konoha Military Police Force caused quite a stir, but everyone soon agreed to them.

Then the news began spreading beyond the clan.

As Fugaku listened to Mikoto tell him about the changes within the clan, a trace of confusion flashed through his eyes. "Was this the solution he came up with?!"

Since stepping down as Clan Head, Fugaku had stayed at home, going nowhere.

He had been waiting all this time for Bai Ye to make his next move.

But now, he realized he could not make sense of it at all.

What exactly was he trying to do?!

Why give up the Konoha Military Police Force and hand its duties over to other people?!

Was this what Bai Ye meant by saving the Uchiha?!

Hiruzen Sarutobi and the others were just as puzzled. At that moment, the four of them were holding a secret meeting in the Hokage's Office, discussing the Uchiha clan's recent changes.

"Have those people gone mad?! They're actually handing the Konoha Military Police Force over to someone else?!"

When Utatane Koharu first heard the news, she thought it was some unfounded rumor.

But after confirming it through multiple sources, they reached a conclusion.

The news was true!

Then came the shock. What on earth were those Uchiha lunatics thinking?!

They were actually giving up the authority they held?!

"It's a conspiracy! It has to be a conspiracy!!! How could that brat possibly give up the authority already in his hands?!"

Danzo was certain there was a conspiracy behind this!

Otherwise, why would Bai Ye give up his authority so easily?!

He simply had not figured out why Bai Ye would do this yet.

He turned to Hiruzen Sarutobi and said, "Sarutobi, we have to stop this!!"

Stop it?!

Hearing Danzo's words, Hiruzen Sarutobi's lips twisted into a helpless smile. "How am I supposed to stop it?! The police force is managed by the Uchiha. We have no say in their internal adjustments."

Seriously?!

Did they think he didn't want to intervene?!

But they had no authority to interfere!

Back in the Second's time, it had already been made clear that the police force was under the Uchiha clan's own management, and the village would not interfere.

So how was he supposed to step in now?!

"Are we supposed to just sit back and watch, then?! That fellow said the Uchiha would be holding intensive training! What if they're training for a rebellion?!!!"

Mitokado Homura hurriedly spoke up as well.

The Uchiha might really be making preparations!

They had even given up the Konoha Military Police Force to devote themselves fully to preparing for battle!

"What are you all panicking about?! They're only letting other people handle the police force's duties temporarily. Is that really enough to make you panic?!

"Besides, the police force no longer needs that many people, so the Uchiha are free to arrange their own affairs however they like. Why are you overreacting like this?! Calm down!!!"

Hiruzen Sarutobi raised his voice slightly.

Seeing how the others were acting, he felt a surge of helplessness.

Seriously?!

What exactly were they panicking about?!

Nothing had even happened yet!

No matter how much the Uchiha trained, if they rebelled, the village could swiftly suppress them!

What was there to worry about?!

Still...

What exactly were the Uchiha trying to do?!

Why had Bai Ye suddenly changed his policy?!

A flicker of unease rose within him as well, prompting him to consider having Shisui and Itachi continue gathering information.

After all, he truly could not sit still without a firm grasp of what was happening within the Uchiha clan.

But Bai Ye was different from Fugaku. Whether Itachi and Shisui could obtain any information was another question entirely.

Looking at it that way... Bai Ye really was a difficult man to deal with!!!