Koki's Ideas
"Ridiculous! Stop stirring up trouble here!" Before Koki could finish, the Fourth Elder could no longer contain his anger and rebuked him sharply.
No matter how fond he was of Koki, the Fourth Elder would not allow him to malign the village.
Just as the Fourth Elder expected the Second Elder and his followers to chime in, he found them all silent.
The First Elder even cast him a reproachful glance!
"Second Brother, do you really believe what Koki said is true?" The Fourth Elder turned to the Second Elder for support.
"Never mind. Let him finish." The Second Elder pondered for a moment. What Koki had said made a good deal of sense, so why not hear him out?
"All right, I'll continue. Where was I?"
"You were saying they failed to understand the Second's true intentions," Shisui reminded him softly.
"Oh, right. The village leadership even thinks the Uchiha Military Police Force is a threat to them, so let's give it up and see what happens when someone else takes over. We've been taking the blame for them for far too long!"
"If we give up the Military Police Force, what else can we do?"
"That's right. None of the positions in the Hokage Building go to the Uchiha."
"What are we thinking? Would they let us hold important positions?"
"Sigh!"
"Why are you all so discouraged? This isn't a dead end. Is this little Military Police Force all you can see? How could a place as tiny as the Military Police Force accommodate our clan's elites? Leaving the Genin aside, our clan currently has at least dozens of Jonin and hundreds of Chunin, doesn't it? Are you willing to stay trapped here?"
"How do you feel about having several Jonin lead a dozen or more Chunin on patrol in a squad, only to deal with petty household squabbles? And that's not even mentioning how the villagers don't understand us! We're constantly subjected to complaints and even reprimands from the Hokage! Danzo has even demanded pay cuts for the Military Police Force!"
Indeed, Koki's words struck a chord with the members of the Military Police Force, who were full of grievances.
"Koki, hurry up and tell us your solution!" Uchiha Yashiro could barely wait.
"Before that, Second Elder, Fourth Elder, I want to ask you something. As clan heads, you bear the trust of the clansmen, who have even entrusted their lives to you. Are you going to place our clan's fate in the hands of our enemies' mercy? Are you fit to sit in those positions? Who have you done right by? When the village wants to wipe you out, are you still going to risk your lives for others? We're all Konoha ninja clans, so why should we be treated as inferior?" Koki's string of questions struck everyone's hearts like a sledgehammer.
The room fell silent, and even Fugaku could not help closing his eyes.
The more Koki said, the more regret Fugaku felt. His own weakness had allowed the village to push further and further, and it was because he had chosen the wrong side that his clansmen had suffered so much bullying!
But fortunately, it was not too late! Fugaku's eyes snapped open. "Koki, go on!"
"Yes! As I said, we should break free of the confines of a small department like the Military Police Force and consider the whole picture. There's so much we could do! On the economic side, we should first make a major push to develop commerce. Look, the other clans all have their own ways of making money, while we Uchiha just produce and sell to ourselves. What good does it do to make our own shopping street as good as it can be? The other clans all have ways to make money, so why shouldn't we Uchiha venture out and earn money elsewhere? The power of wealth needs no explanation. We can discuss the details later."
After all, Koki was a proper college student from modern times. Whipping up some milk tea and desserts would be easy for him, and Japanese food was so bland. Koki was quite a good cook, so he could simply write down recipes and teach the clan's civilians, then have them go out and make money! For those who did not want to leave the clan compound, that was fine too-they could start a food delivery business! Ninja were always appearing and disappearing without a trace anyway, so covering those distances would be a piece of cake for them, wouldn't it? If their own people did not want to do it, they could hire outside ninja to help and just pay them. Koki's mind was full of endless business opportunities.
"Next, have you heard that science and technology are the primary productive forces? We should devote ourselves to developing them."
Seeing the puzzled looks on his clansmen's faces, Koki cleared his throat and said awkwardly, "Never mind, let's talk about that later too." It seemed it was time to meet Orochimaru and see if he could get them playing with Douyin.
"Then there's education. I think our clan could set up a kindergarten!"
"What's a kindergarten?" Uchiha Inabi had never heard of one.
"(⊙o⊙)... Uh, I read about it in a book too!" Seeing everyone looking at him in confusion, Koki hurried to explain. "Children don't enter the Ninja Academy until they're five. A kindergarten educates children under five. The clan could fund its construction and hire childcare teachers and ninja teachers to teach them, paying them a salary. The kindergarten would be free, so clansmen who are struggling financially or are busy can send their children there."
"We could also set up a night school. After classes at the Ninja Academy end for the day, they could choose to attend it. We should educate our own children ourselves-we can't let the village brainwash them! The night school would focus on academic subjects... teaching theoretical knowledge, that is. We could build several kindergartens and night schools. The clan compound is so big and has so much empty land that leaving it unused would be a waste anyway."
"As I said, I suggest making it free. Children's education is the last thing we should cut back on. Children are flowers; children are hope." Koki gave Fugaku a meaningful look, and Fugaku nodded. The clan had enough money anyway.
"Also, we should encourage childbirth and increase our population. In troubled times, population and wealth are always the most important things."
"Finally, there's the Military Police Force. Taking a step back opens up a wider world, so why don't we simply withdraw all the way? They think our Military Police Force is a threat, so let's make their argument that we're a threat nothing but a castle in the air! Dad, if the Third Hokage uses complaints to give you trouble again, seize the opportunity and resolutely resign to take responsibility! Tell them that we Uchiha really aren't suited to positions in the Military Police Force by temperament, and that they should find someone more capable!"
"They'll probably think the Uchiha really do know their place. They might be smug, thinking the Uchiha don't live up to their name, and the other clans will surely be eager to take over what they see as a plum assignment. Let them reap what they sow and shoulder this heavy burden of blame. We've carried it for too long."
"If you believe me, why not give it a try? I promise you, we won't lose the Military Police Force. In less than half a month, the Third Hokage will be begging us to go back and carry on! When the time comes, Dad, don't go soft. Use the opportunity to negotiate with them and have all the clans share responsibility for management, with the Uchiha Clan in overall charge. We can also place Uchiha in all the other departments. It doesn't matter if there aren't many of us at first; we can take it slowly and let our clansmen stand out in the Konoha Six Departments through their outstanding abilities!"