6.Defending the Police Force

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"Hokage-sama, while I understand the village's difficulties, the Uchiha have been continually improving our law enforcement standards. The number of complaints has significantly decreased and only requires a few clerical staff to manage. I hope Hokage-sama can also understand the Uchiha's plight. Under your leadership, the village is becoming more prosperous."

"The Uchiha are responsible for patrolling increasingly larger areas, and the police force has already expanded several times. We simply can't handle these matters as well."

Fugaku flattered the Third Hokage a bit and then played the hardship card.

In fact, it wasn't just playing the hardship card; the Uchiha were indeed facing such a situation. Not every Uchiha shinobi joined the police force; many chose to join squads for missions. With clan members scattered in various places, even a large clan like the Uchiha experienced manpower shortages.

Everyone likes to hear good things, and the Third Hokage was no exception. Even though he knew Fugaku was doing it on purpose, it still made him feel a bit better, as Konoha had indeed become more prosperous under his leadership.

"You have a point. The Uchiha do seem to be understaffed."

What does that mean?

Hearing this, Fugaku's heart skipped a beat, thinking that the Third Hokage might once again propose expanding the police force to include other clan and civilian shinobis. So he quickly responded:

"Hokage-sama, the Uchiha may be short-staffed, but we can still ensure the police force operates smoothly. Please trust us."

If Kazuki were here, he would have cursed: "Foolish!!"

What good does it do the Uchiha to cling to the police force?

If they want to put people in, let them! Along with making some demands!

In exchange, what difference would it make if other clans' shinobis or even civilian shinobis joined the police force? The police force was Uchiha's domain, and as long as the core personnel remained unchanged, those joining would at most be lackeys.

Give them the dirty and tiring work—what's not to like?

Predictably, Fugaku stubbornly clung to the police force, unwilling to make any concessions. The Third Hokage sighed slightly.

"In that case, I will select some people to handle the complaints. However, you understand the village's financial situation…."

"The salaries for these people will be covered by the police force."

If you don't let us put people in, you have to pay. That's inevitable!

Fugaku quickly agreed. For him, as long as the complaints weren't directed at the Uchiha, everything else was negotiable. Supporting a batch of clerical staff was within Uchiha's means. As long as these people took care of the complaints, it was fine.

This way, he could fulfill his promise to the clan members.

This guy really knows how to create trouble for me.

After haggling with the Third Hokage, Fugaku left the Hokage's office and breathed a heavy sigh of relief. Although the process was troublesome, it was finally over. From now on, the Uchiha only needed to handle the police force, while a specialized department would deal with the complaints.

A great burden was lifted from Fugaku's shoulders. Indirectly, the Third Hokage also reduced the financial pressure on the village. Though he wanted to slowly cook the Uchiha like a frog in warm water, he didn't want to push them too hard. When cornered, even a rabbit would bite, let alone the largest clan in the shinobi world—or at least the largest on the surface.

"Uchiha Kazuki? It seems we need to increase surveillance on him."

Kazuki's frequent visits to the shinobi school gates were already annoying the Third Hokage. Now, he was starting to make waves within the clan, which was not something the Third Hokage wanted to see. Even if Kazuki had no intention of siding with the hardliners now, what about in the future?

To prevent more variables, the Third Hokage decided to step up surveillance on Kazuki.

Returning to the clan, Fugaku immediately called for a simple clan meeting. The attendees included the clan leader, a few elders, and squad leaders from the police force. Kazuki, upon receiving the notice, set aside his tasks and went to the clan leader's courtyard. As usual, the elders were among the last to arrive.

Everyone's eyes were on Fugaku, eager to know the outcome of his negotiations at the Hokage's office. Even Kazuki was curious about whether the Third Hokage would agree to the Uchiha's proposal. Would he strongly reject it, or use a soft knife to continue cutting away at the Uchiha?

Once everyone was present, Fugaku got straight to the point without any preliminaries to keep them in suspense.

"Everyone, I went to the Hokage's office to present our police force's requests. After much discussion and negotiation, the final result is that from now on, the complaints related to the police force will no longer be handled by the police force but by a specialized department. However, due to the village's tight finances, the expenses for this department will need to be covered by the police force."

This essentially meant the Uchiha would pay to support a group of people to handle complaints. The cost was significant, but the Uchiha could afford it. What they feared was the hassle, especially the endless complaints. Dealing with unreasonable people without being able to retaliate could drive anyone crazy. Mishandling these could lead to blame and even punishment from the village.

"That's great."

Both the squad leaders and elders expressed their delight, and even Shisui, the spy, showed a happy smile. This was undoubtedly good news for the Uchiha.

"This is definitely a victory for the Uchiha!"

Seeing the excited look on the elder's face, Kazuki rolled his eyes internally.

Sure, it's good for the Uchiha, I'll admit that. But calling it a victory? What nonsense. This was clearly a soft knife cutting away at the Uchiha's resources.

Seeing the grinning elders and others, Fugaku understood their thoughts and wouldn't give them the opportunity.

"Kazuki."

Fugaku called him out directly:

"Since you proposed handling the complaints, what other ideas do you have for the clan and the police force?"

All eyes turned to Kazuki.

Up to no good.

Knowing Fugaku was deliberately pushing everything onto him, Kazuki didn't shy away. After a moment's thought, he responded:

"I think we should reorganize the police force's tasks. Our police force is responsible for the entire Konoha's security, including important tasks like capturing criminals and spies. As for trivial matters like catching cats and finding dogs, we can completely refuse and have the villagers post such tasks with the mission office for shinobis to take up."

Yes, you heard that right—catching cats and dogs.

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