Chapter 26 : Compromise or Resistance??

Give Up Half of the Police Force?

These words echoed in everyone's minds. Some even felt their temples throbbing in anger.

It was as if they had heard something unbearable.

"Why should we, Clan Leader? Our Uchiha Police Force has worked tirelessly over the years, always being the first to respond when something happens in the village. But the villagers not only ignore our efforts—they insult us!"

As Fugaku finished speaking, someone immediately stood up, their eyes wide in disbelief. "Why should we apologize to those who made mistakes? And why should we give up half of the power of the Police Force? It's the foundation of our clan!"

The Police Force is the backbone of the Uchiha clan. With the village's constant suppression, the clan mainly relies on the Police Force for income. There's no way they would ever give it up.

Absolutely not!

If the clan gave up the Police Force, the incomes of the Uchiha ninjas would be cut in half.

"Yes, why should we?"

"What does Konoha think of our Uchiha clan? They target us at every turn, and now they even want to take our Police Force!"

"Do they really think we're that easy to push around?"

"No, I won't apologize, and I won't give up half of our Police Force!"

"Hmph, absolutely not!"

The other clansmen voiced their anger, their faces filled with dissatisfaction toward Konoha.

They were furious, frustrated, and resentful of the village.

Uchiha Shisui glanced at the enraged clansmen and felt anxious. The clan's emotions were growing increasingly unstable, and hatred toward the village was spreading.

If this continues, the relationship between the Uchiha clan and the village will worsen. A full-scale conflict seemed more and more likely.

Someone needed to calm the clan down.

Uchiha Itachi watched the angry clansmen in silence, but his eyes grew colder.

These people were the unstable elements within the family. It was because of them that Konoha continued to target the Uchiha clan.

"Everyone, be quiet!"

At this moment, the second elder, who had been sitting at the front of the elders' seats, stood up with a serious expression. "I've sent people to look into this issue. Although the villagers made mistakes, it's wrong for us Uchiha to enforce the law with violence!"

"If this keeps up, the relationship between our Uchiha clan and the villagers of Konoha will only get worse!"

The second elder was a conservative within the Uchiha clan.

"Second elder, are you saying we should compromise and give up part of the Police Force's authority?" Someone from the crowd shouted angrily in response, representing a group of others who shared his view.

Everyone turned their attention to him.

The second elder pressed his lips together and continued, "We need to trust the Hokage. His actions are for our benefit. If the villagers are unhappy with our Uchiha Police Force, maybe it's worth considering giving up some of our authority!"

The second elder was clearly influenced by the Hokage's perspective, and his words were aimed at aligning with the village's interests.

"Hmph, Second Elder, you're wrong!" The Third Elder, sitting next to the Second Elder, snorted and spoke coldly. "The Uchiha cannot be insulted. It's not that our Police Force was looking for trouble or using violence unnecessarily. It's because the villagers who committed crimes refused to cooperate. We must use strong measures!"

"I'd like to ask the Second Elder, what should we do if we encounter uncooperative villagers who commit crimes? Should we just let them go?"

Compared to the moderate Second Elder, the Third Elder was clearly more radical. Everything was about the Uchiha's honor, and he believed the Uchiha Police Force was in the right.

"No matter what, violent enforcement is still not the best approach!" The Second Elder was momentarily speechless but still supported the Third Hokage's view. 

However, his tone became increasingly faint, and the last part of his statement was barely audible.

The Uchiha clan had never tolerated humiliation, and the Police Force had its own rules. As the Third Elder mentioned, if villagers broke the law and resisted, they needed to be dealt with firmly. This was the Police Force's duty.

As the Second Elder fell silent, another Uchiha member stood up and said, "As the captain of the Police Force team, I've worked hard to protect the village. My subordinates and I have done our job well. We won't apologize!"

Other Uchiha clan members echoed his sentiment, starting to protest:

"Don't apologize. We didn't do anything wrong. We can't apologize!"

"We did nothing wrong."

"Yes, we've been protecting the village and haven't done anything wrong!"

"They're also taking away half of our Police Force's responsibilities. Why not just remove all Uchiha Police Forces? I'm being treated unfairly in the Police Force anyway. I'm done!"

"I don't want to continue with this!"

"Everyone, quiet down!"

Uchiha Shisui looked at the increasingly upset clansmen, realizing their frustration with the village had grown deeper. He quickly intervened, "Actually, Lord Hokage is doing this for the good of the Uchiha Clan!"

"Sharing half of the Police Force duties with other clans in Konoha will help address problems more efficiently, and it will prevent the villagers from targeting only us Uchiha."

Shisui knew that reducing some of the Police Force duties could also lessen the ambitions of the radical Uchiha members, helping the clan become more stable.

"Shisui, you've been close to the Hokage for so long; I'm afraid you've turned against the Uchiha Clan, haven't you?"

As Shisui finished speaking, the Fourth Elder, who had been silent on the high platform, finally spoke up. His voice was filled with anger as he questioned Shisui:

"You're a genius of the Uchiha clan. Do you realize that Konoha has been targeting us for years, making it impossible for Uchiha ninjas to take on village missions? Our entire clan depends on the Police Force to support us. If we lose the Police Force, how will we Uchiha ninjas survive?"

Shisui was left speechless by the Fourth Elder's words.

What the Fourth Elder said was reasonable. The village's lack of trust in the Uchiha Clan meant they couldn't receive missions, leading to their current struggles.

Shisui had been trying to find ways to improve relations between his clan and the village, but because of his close relationship with the Third Hokage, he hadn't fully grasped the difficulties faced by his clan members.

The Uchiha Clan was now struggling financially due to their ninjas not receiving missions for a long time.

But the village has always been against the Uchiha clan, constantly oppressing them and leaving them with no options.

Genya was privately frustrated, realizing why the Uchiha wanted to stage a coup. Under these conditions, life was becoming unbearable for the Uchiha people.

They couldn't just abandon their pride and take on other jobs.

The only choice left was to secure the clan's future through a coup.

Uchiha Itachi, who had been silent during the meeting, finally spoke up. His tone was arrogant and commanding: "The ninjas of the Uchiha clan can't rely solely on the Uchiha Police Force for our livelihood. We need other sources of income!"

This was Itachi's first time speaking at the clan meeting, and his words were dismissive, urging the Uchiha clan to adapt without considering their perspective.

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