Chapter 181: The Irreconcilable Conflict between Konoha and the Uchiha Clan!

Chapter 181: The Irreconcilable Conflict between Konoha and the Uchiha Clan!

"The timing is perfect, not late at all."

Minato smiled.

As expected by most in the meeting room, Minato didn't dwell on this.

Haneda and Kakashi sat in different places, one representing the Uchiha Clan, the other representing the Hatake Clan.

Soon, the two separated.

Once Haneda and Kakashi were seated, Minato began today's meeting.

As it was his first time acting as Hokage, he still couldn't handle all the village's affairs or the relations with other major ninja villages.

Since taking over as Hokage that morning, he had been consulting the Third Hokage and seeking advice from older or influential individuals.

As a habit of a ninja, Minato tended to first identify problems and then work on solutions.

Village affairs were no different.

*Cough, cough...*

Minato cleared his throat to indicate he was about to speak.

"In these past few days, since I graduated from the Ninja Academy, I've been pondering a lot of things."

"About the village, about the ninja world...so many complex matters."

"I've read many books, trying to find answers, but books are all theory without real experience."

"I'll start by discussing some issues I've found among the villagers."

"Most of the civilian population has a certain dislike for the Uchiha, thinking they act superior, arrogant, and look down on others."

"This attitude exists not only among civilians but also within the Ninja Academy and even among other ninja."

Hearing Minato bring up the Uchiha first, everyone seemed somewhat puzzled.

Logically, since Minato was a Hokage greatly supported by the Uchiha, shouldn't he be offering some benefits?

Why was the first topic of this meeting about the Uchiha?

The reason Minato brought up the Uchiha was his desire to improve relations between them and the village.

In his experience, most Uchiha he knew were kind-hearted but reserved and somewhat proud—not truly arrogant or superior as the villagers described.

Minato wanted to change that perception, hoping for the Uchiha to fully integrate into the village.

So, he raised this issue to solve it.

"I reviewed some records at noon and found a large number of complaints from villagers about the Police Force."

"There are complaints nearly every day."

"Most are about violent enforcement or actions not following proper procedures."

"Fugaku, is there any underlying issue here?"

As he said this, Minato looked over at Fugaku.

As the Uchiha clan leader, Fugaku would likely know more about the situation.

Minato already understood the villagers' grievances to a large extent; now he needed to understand the Uchiha's perspective to find a balance.

Everyone in the room turned to look at Fugaku.

But unlike others, the Uchiha directed their gaze toward Minato.

They didn't understand what Minato's question implied.

Was he criticizing the Uchiha?

Was he distancing himself after gaining their support?

Fugaku, like Minato, hadn't been in his role for long. He didn't have a deep understanding of the Police Force and relied heavily on the elders to manage many issues.

However, he was aware of the long-standing complaints from villagers—a problem that had existed since his father's time.

Fugaku knew Minato wouldn't deliberately trouble the Uchiha. But now that Minato asked him, Fugaku felt unsure how to respond.

Fugaku instinctively looked at Haneda.

*Cough, cough...*

Better to leave this to his younger brother.

Fugaku kept glancing at Haneda, signaling repeatedly.

Seeing this, Haneda chuckled helplessly.

He didn't know the Police Force well, either, but he understood the general reasons behind complaints about their enforcement.

"Minato-senpai, strict enforcement is necessary."

"The authority of the law must be upheld; otherwise, it won't deter wrongdoers."

"As for procedural complaints, some people commit crimes but deny them, and if punished, they feel resentful and file complaints."

"We can't do much about such unreasonable behavior."

Haneda shrugged.

Hearing this, Minato pondered for a moment and felt Haneda made sense.

Enforcement had to be firm. As for what some people consider "violence"...

If enforcing the law makes criminals uncomfortable, they may call it "violence."

Violence is a subjective term.

To the Uchiha, it wasn't considered violent.

Minato frowned slightly, realizing that according to Haneda's view, there would always be friction between the village and the Uchiha.

This conflict seemed almost unresolvable.

In a sense, it was a conflict between individuals and the system, or between the village and its people.

The village created laws, and the Uchiha enforced them, yet they bore the blame.

Minato suddenly felt his previous admiration for the Second Hokage waver. This tactic of shifting responsibility seemed to target the Uchiha.

While Minato frowned in thought, others assumed he was dissatisfied with Haneda's answer.

They initially thought that Minato was suppressing the Uchiha, and the Uchiha should simply admit fault.

But the Uchiha didn't see themselves as wrong.

Was this not a challenge to the Hokage's authority?

The head of the Shimura clan smirked quietly.

Their clan's Elder Danzo had been captured; next would be the Uchiha.

The Ino-Shika-Cho alliance, who had some inside knowledge, looked confused.

They didn't understand Minato's intentions, but they would support him if he asked.

The Hyuga clan watched calmly, ready to side with whichever party prevailed.

Suddenly, Haneda spoke up again:

"As for the villagers' resentment toward the Uchiha..."

"It's more directed at the Police Force."

"The Police Force is responsible for maintaining order in the village, so when rule-breakers are punished, they blame the Uchiha."

"It's understandable in human nature, but also somewhat irrational."

"Minato-senpai, is your aim to address the conflict between the village and the Uchiha?"

Hearing this, everyone in the room turned toward Minato.

Aside from the Uchiha, most jonin weren't particularly interested in the village's friction with the Uchiha.

But the relationship between the Hokage and the Uchiha was a significant matter!

Minato nodded:

"The conflict between the Uchiha and the village has been around for too long."

"As Hokage, it's my duty to resolve it."

The Shimura clan head was stunned.

The Fourth Hokage wasn't clashing with the Uchiha; he was simply seeking to resolve the issue between the village and the Uchiha!

The Uchiha jonin, who had initially shown suspicion, shock, and anger, returned to a neutral expression.

So, the Hokage was truly considering the Uchiha's well-being!

But they knew the Police Force's issues too well.

It was almost impossible to resolve.

As Haneda pointed out, the resentment wasn't truly against the Uchiha but against the village's laws and regulations.

At this moment, Haneda laughed and suggested:

"It's simple—why not let other ninja join the Police Force as well?"