"Naruto: Ice God"Chapter 190: On Reforming the Police Force
Sakumo soon arrived outside the Uchiha clan compound.
Seeing Sakumo approach, the two Uchiha shinobi guarding the compound gate immediately straightened up and respectfully saluted him.
"Where is Captain Fugaku now?"
Wearing a gentle smile, Sakumo nodded in acknowledgment while inquiring about Fugaku's whereabouts.
"The Captain is currently patrolling inside the compound. Should we go call him for you?"
The two Uchiha immediately offered to fetch Fugaku.
"No need, I'll go myself. It's a good opportunity to stroll around and experience the Uchiha clan's culture and customs."
Sakumo waved them off with a smile, then stepped into the Uchiha compound.
He randomly chose a dango shop, ordered a single-person set meal, and sat in the innermost booth, quietly observing the current state of the Uchiha.
Since Fugaku had previously demonstrated his Mangekyō Sharingan abilities in front of everyone, the Uchiha clan members' morale had risen considerably, especially the Police Force members in training, who now walked with a swagger.
However, the Police Force's membership remained limited.
Within the Uchiha clan, there were many who, despite living for decades, had never awakened their Sharingan.
Most of them ran small businesses within the compound to make a living.
The dango shop where Sakumo was sitting was one such establishment.
There were also a small number of Uchiha shinobi with solid fundamentals but no awakened eyes who served in the Police Force.
In short, the Uchiha's autonomy ensured that every clan member could live properly in Konoha Village.
This was also why when Uchiha Madara had wanted to lead the clan away, not a single person was willing to follow him.
Having endured too much warfare, the Uchiha clan had been completely blinded by peaceful living and no longer wanted to follow Madara back to those harsh days.
Finishing the tea in his cup and watching the Uchiha with their happy, blissful smiles, Sakumo's lips also curved into a slight smile.
"I sincerely apologize, Fourth Hokage, for keeping you waiting due to my patrol duties."
Before long, Fugaku, having received the message, hurried to the dango shop.
"Not at all, the dango is delicious—there's no question of being kept waiting."
Sakumo smiled and shook his head, gesturing for Fugaku to sit down.
The owner brought another single-person set meal and placed it in front of Fugaku, then tactfully closed the booth door and hung a "temporarily closed" sign outside.
"Fourth Hokage, you didn't come here just to drink tea and eat dango, did you?"
After gulping down his tea, Fugaku wore a serious expression as he tentatively questioned Sakumo.
"That's right, Captain Fugaku. In the previous battle against those mysterious Uchiha, thanks to the Police Force and your intervention, we avoided greater losses. I want to express my gratitude here."
Sakumo bowed his head, sincerely thanking Fugaku.
"Not at all. The Uchiha clan is part of Konoha, and the Police Force fights for Konoha. When external enemies invade, it's natural for us to resist."
Fugaku waved his hand, telling Sakumo not to worry about it.
"But Captain Fugaku, you're absolutely right—the Police Force is Konoha's Police Force. If that's the case, shouldn't shinobi willing to contribute to Konoha be allowed to join and fight together to protect Konoha?"
Sakumo's next words didn't surprise Fugaku too much.
He could see the Police Force's problems himself, but as clan leader, he had to follow his clan members' will. Combined with the previously awkward relationship with the village, he had never considered actively requesting a Police Force reorganization.
Now that Sakumo was bringing this up, Fugaku actually felt relieved.
He knew that given Sakumo's character, if he was going to reorganize the Police Force, he would definitely give the clan members a satisfactory arrangement.
"I've observed that aside from Police Force members, most Uchiha clan members make their living within the compound, with only a portion—or rather, an extremely small portion—of shinobi choosing to join Konoha's ninja squads."
"Here's what I'm thinking: double the Police Force's size, recruit some other shinobi, establish a deputy captain position, with you continuing as captain, while also taking on Konoha Village's counter-espionage work."
Sakumo quickly outlined his ideas, but this answer didn't particularly satisfy Fugaku.
If it was just simple expansion and adding other shinobi, the radicals within the clan would definitely oppose it.
When that time came, which side should he, as clan leader, stand on?
"Of course, that's not all I intend to do. I hope the Uchiha clan can join other village departments, such as the Research Bureau, Medical Corps, and even ANBU."
Sakumo saw Fugaku's dilemma and immediately laid out his bargaining chips.
Allowing the Uchiha clan to join other departments—this was indeed good news.
All along, the village's leadership had not allowed Uchiha clan shinobi to join any department other than the Police Force. Now Sakumo was willing to open up departments for the Uchiha clan to choose from, truly showing his sincerity.
Though as for the Research Bureau... going there, whether you'd become a test subject or an employee was honestly uncertain.
"Fourth Hokage, your consideration is indeed thorough. I agree with your idea, but what about Advisor Danzo..."
Fugaku still hadn't forgotten the scene where Danzo led his subordinates to block him during the Susanoo invasion.
Hearing Danzo's name, Sakumo also felt conflicted.
This advisor's actions were indeed somewhat overreaching, but since taking office, the other party hadn't made any moves, and his Root showed no signs of continued activity.
Except for appearing before Fugaku during this incident, Danzo's Root had been in an extremely well-behaved state at other times.
"The former Hokage and Advisors Koharu and Homura all agree with this decision. Advisor Danzo won't say anything."
After all, Danzo was just an advisor now. Even if he opposed it, he could only make some underhanded moves.
"Besides, Obito and Feng Bai have a good relationship, don't they?"
Sakumo thought of Feng Bai again.
"Obito? I understand."
Fugaku immediately grasped Sakumo's meaning and decided to call a clan meeting tonight to inform the clan members of this matter.
"Captain Fugaku, regarding stubborn radicals, it's best to discipline them appropriately."
Seeing Fugaku agree to his plan, Sakumo didn't forget to remind him how to handle the radicals.
"If it's inconvenient for Captain Fugaku, I could ask Jiraiya..."
"Fourth Hokage, I still want to try to win them over, but rest assured—if they're truly obstinate, I will use clan rules to discipline them."
The current Fugaku was no longer weak. Previously, he hadn't been willing to trust the Third Hokage, mainly because the latter had been too indulgent with Danzo.
Even if he backed down, the Konoha leadership influenced by Danzo wouldn't give him any benefits.
Now that Sakumo was willing to step forward and shield him from Danzo's pressure, Fugaku naturally wouldn't miss this golden opportunity.
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