Konoha Notes.

Chapter 63 Decisions and Choices

Chapter 63 Decisions and Choices (Completed after 10 chapters)

"I have been secretly investigating the death of the fourth generation, but without any results."

Fugaku's expression changed several times before finally returning to its usual calm and expressionless state, but when he spoke again, his words were more pleasing to the ear.

So Shuji didn't care whether there was truly no result or he had guessed something and wasn't planning to say, he just nodded. In any case, he knew what was going on, and he couldn't say anything either.

The only thing that can be resolved by hand is the Konoha Police Department's business.

"The clan cannot accept relinquishing the police department."

This is not arrogance, but a real conflict of interest. The police department is by no means a hot potato with only a nominal title that attracts hostility.

Its authority is deeply embedded in the daily operations of Konoha.

The formulation of village rules, especially the specific details concerning people's livelihood and commerce, is generally set by the higher authorities. However, in practice, a single ban from the police department is enough to make it difficult for most vendors, both inside and outside the village, to operate.

Maintaining stability goes without saying, but the so-called arrest of people with criminal tendencies is highly subjective. If the police department thinks you have criminal tendencies, then you do. If you want to appeal, you either need to find the Hokage or the advisor, or you need to find the captain of the police department.

Except for the two special departments, the Dark Department and the Root Department, which are beyond his control, other departments are more or less hampered by him.

"Even if I, as the clan leader, forcefully order the Uchiha to withdraw from the police department, I cannot do so."

"That will only cause chaos among the tribe sooner."

"The 'no way' you're referring to is the inability to get the Uchiha to completely abandon the police department, right?" Shuji pressed, his voice steady.

"Exactly."

As expected of the Uchiha clan, everything they do and think is so extreme.

"So, what if we just bring other people into the police department?" he suggested.

Fugaku's taut shoulders seemed to relax almost imperceptibly, and the coldness on his face softened slightly: "If the village is willing to provide funds to increase manpower, we can try to form an additional squad."

They won't even suffer the slightest loss!

Shuji almost laughed in exasperation. Right now, the Uchiha clan needs to bleed themselves dry to buy themselves some breathing room! Not have the village provide money and manpower to expand their power and consolidate their authority!

Even if Shuji were just a special Jonin, and even if he were capable of organizing things, he would absolutely not do something so foolish.

Additional funding and more staff?

He could foresee the subsequent actions even with his toes: either the new recruits would be completely isolated, bullied, and ostracized, or the Uchiha would find various "reasonable" reasons to kick them out and replace them with their own people.

Even if Fugaku were determined to withstand the pressure from below, the final result would only be the opposite of what he intended, and he would not be able to achieve his goal of introducing foreign tribes to improve relations.

"It's pointless for you to negotiate with the village on these terms," ​​Shuji's voice turned cold.

"Since we've come this far," he looked directly into Fugaku's eyes, no longer looking away, "I'll ask you bluntly, Chief Fugaku, could you free up a position within the existing staffing quota of the police department?"

Fugaku Uchiha fell silent again.

Expelling unqualified clan members? Sure. But the vacated positions are always filled by new, qualified Uchiha ninjas. The Uchiha population is growing, and the police force's quota is already insufficient to accommodate all clan members; this internal rotation isn't the first time.

But expelling a member of the clan and replacing them with an outsider? Fugaku could imagine the uproar that would engulf the clan.

However, the path the young man pointed out seems to be a viable direction at present? Perhaps, we really should give it a try.

"I can try, it will take some time—but—" Fugaku's gaze sharpened, "Can you guarantee it?"

Will such behavior really work?

If not, this move will only become a fuse, instantly igniting the pent-up resentment within the clan, causing the radicals to completely abandon him as the weak clan leader and directly plot a rebellion! At that point, everything will be beyond repair!

This is precisely why Fugaku, despite knowing the difficulties of communication, always patiently stood on the edge of a radical stance.

He cannot abandon his own people, so he cannot show that he does not support them.

Take a deep breath, take a deep breath...

Shuji closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and slowly exhaled. He forcibly suppressed the turmoil surging in his chest.

He changed his mind.

"If we proceed with this task in your current state, Chief Fugaku," Shuji's voice regained its usual calm, "it's highly unlikely to succeed. Forcing it would be pointless."

A hint of anger flashed in Fugaku's eyes.

"Please compile detailed information on all members of the Konoha Police Force, including their resumes, competency assessments, and job titles, into a booklet."

"Give it to Itachi, and then pass it on to me."

This request is tantamount to asking him to betray his clan.

"If you can't even do this much, then from now on, just treat me as your enemy."

Shuji seemed oblivious to the sudden surge of shock, anger, and resistance in the eyes of the Uchiha clan leader.

He was somewhat thinking of Wasabi Jiro. Although his strength was lacking, at least his ability and decisiveness were not a problem. The man in front of him might be good at being a ninja and killing people, but as the head of a clan, especially a clan like the Uchiha with its complicated circumstances, he was really using his talents for a small task.

This time, Shuji didn't look at Fugaku again, nor did he wait for his reply. He turned and left without hesitation, disappearing into the shadows of the forest, leaving Fugaku alone.

It's still early; there's still time to go to the forbidden arts room.

The village's procedures had already been completed. The administrator of the forbidden technique room was a middle-aged ninja with a stern face. He checked Shuji's identification and the Third Hokage's warrant, but said nothing. Instead, he took out the forbidden technique catalog and handed it to Shuji to choose from.

Shuji already knew what to choose.

I've been dealing with too many Uchiha-related issues these past few days, and I can't help but think about how to handle Obito's Kamui. In terms of pure ability, Kamui is indeed almost unbeatable, but given clear intelligence, it's not impossible to set a trap for him once.

The problem is, Obito had more than one Sharingan.

Therefore, there must be certain countermeasures against space-time ninjutsu. They don't need to be sophisticated, but they must be available.

The simplest way is to use space-time ninjutsu to counter space-time ninjutsu, and Konoha happens to have such a technique—the Flying Thunder God Technique.

The Flying Thunder God Technique is very powerful, but it requires a high level of skill to be effective in actual combat.

Shuji knew perfectly well that he was probably not suited for the Flying Thunder God Technique.

It's not that they lack the talent for space-time ninjutsu. People who can use summoning jutsu usually have some talent in this area. If they grit their teeth and practice hard, even if their aptitude is slightly inferior, they are not completely unable to get started.

The real bottleneck lies beyond spatial talent—the core requirement of unparalleled perception. One must be able to instantly and naturally lock onto the chakra imprints left behind by oneself, as naturally as breathing. Both the Second Hokage, Tobirama Senju, who created this technique, and the Fourth Hokage, Minato Namikaze, who perfected it, were monsters in the field of perception.

Other examples include reaction time and dynamic vision, but I won't go into detail about those.

In general, the Flying Thunder God Technique is not suitable for Shuuji's fighting style.

Keshu didn't expect the Flying Thunder God Technique to be a regular fighting method for him; he only needed to retain its function of leaving chakra marks and sensing teleportation.

The forbidden scrolls cannot be taken out of the forbidden arts room; they can only be studied here.

He pushed open a door to the side, inside which was a long table and a chair, surrounded by a reinforced sealing barrier.

Shuji stepped inside, sat down, and unrolled the scroll.

For a stable life in the future, let's start learning today.