Three days later.
The storefront along the street in the Clan Grounds, vacant for two years, had its door boards taken down.
A new sign hung above the entrance.
It read: Public Grievance Mediation Office.
The pair of white lanterns at the street corner had also been taken down early that morning.
They had hung there for six days.
The person who took them down said that from now on, cases involving bloodshed would have somewhere to be heard.
Six chairs stood below the steps.
Seats for the elders.
Two people occupied them.
Sosuke had come and sat at the far end, that strip of black cloth still pinned to his cuff.
Mikoto sat in the front row.
Her folding fan rested on her knees, closed.
Kiyoshi stood on the steps, with no ledger in his hands.
He explained the plan.
The framework had three parts.
The director would be elected.
Everyone on the rolls, whether from the clan or outside it in the village, would have one vote.
The clan elders' advisory seats would handle only the rules governing old cases within the clan, not new cases.
The Konoha Military Police Force would step back.
It would respond to incidents, not adjudicate cases.
An elder below asked how they would deal with Ju, who had attacked someone at the West Entrance.
"An assault case," Kiyoshi said. "It will be transferred to the mediation office for scheduling. Police custody remains unchanged."
Another elder asked what would happen if the director ruled unfairly.
"Then we admit we were wrong," Kiyoshi said. "Article four of the charter: erroneous rulings are reviewed, overturned cases are heard again."
He paused.
"Let the people in charge take the blame. The police force will retain just one role."
"Protection."
No one below the steps answered.
A