Konoha Notes

Chapter 151 Alternation
The recruitment process for the Ninja Academy began in earnest five days after the Chunin Exams concluded.

The process was exceptionally fast and efficient, and the final list of admitted students was posted just two days later.

Of the eight teaching positions, five names clearly indicated the surname "Uchiha".

The fact that the Uchiha clan had broken through the police force and entered the Ninja Academy also caused a stir among the various ninja clans in Konoha.

"Did the village make concessions to the Uchiha?"

"Or did the Uchiha finally give in, at some price we don't know about?"

Is the wind about to change direction?

Regardless of how the outside world interprets it, the atmosphere within the Uchiha clan's territory is distinctly exhilarating.

This excitement reached its peak with another piece of news that followed—Uchiha Itachi, along with three other young clan members, had joined the Anbu.

This is the second batch.

Police forces, ninja academies, and ANBU—the Uchiha clan seems to be appearing at an unprecedented pace at every important juncture in Konoha.

On the very night that the two pieces of good news arrived, Fugaku Uchiha summoned key members of the police force to a meeting at the clan head's residence.

At this moment, most of the attendees had a cheerful expression, with only a few looking serious.

"The village first opened up positions for us in the Anbu, and now it has allowed our people to teach at the Ninja Academy."

As Fugaku began to speak, all eyes in the room focused on the clan head.

"In response, we must also show corresponding sincerity."

"The police force will soon welcome four non-Uchiha members."

The moment the words were spoken, the previously harmonious atmosphere seemed to freeze instantly, followed by an uncontrollable uproar.

"what?!"

"Letting outsiders into the police force? How can that be allowed?"

"Clan leader! This is a conspiracy by the village. They want to devour our clan and steal the pride and foundation that belongs to the Uchiha!"

Several radical members immediately stood up to express their opposition.

"Chief! This is absolutely unacceptable! We've finally made progress in other areas, why should we give up the police force's position?"

As the voices of the radicals grew louder and the situation was about to spiral out of control, Uchiha Yatsumo, who had been listening silently, stepped forward.

"Calm down, everyone!" Yashiro looked around. "It's precisely because we gave up these spots that we've achieved this!"

"Ninja Academy, five spots; Anbu, eight spots."

"This means that our clan is no longer confined to the police force, and people within the clan have more choices."

"If we refuse to offer four spots, will the village choose to take back everything it has offered so far?"

The eighth generation's words drew even more agreement. The village had clearly made more concessions, and the benefits were tangible.

"Yashiro is right."

"Indeed, it looks like an exchange."

“Perhaps… this is indeed a necessary compromise. Trading four spots for more room for development is worthwhile.” Voices of support and understanding began to emerge, and the meeting room quickly split into two distinct factions. Although the radical faction was outnumbered, their attitude was extremely firm, their words were fierce, and they refused to back down in the slightest.

"The police force is the pride of the Uchiha clan, and we must never allow outsiders to tarnish it..."

"It is precisely for the glory of the Uchiha!" At this moment, Fugaku Uchiha finally spoke again, "that is why we must do this."

All eyes turned to the clan leader once more. A crimson hue suddenly appeared in his eyes, and what swirled within the blood-red light was no longer a simple tomoe, but a far more complex pattern—the power of the Mangekyou Sharingan.

Fugaku looked at those who opposed him.

"This is the price that must be paid for the future of the Uchiha clan."

"This is not a request, nor a discussion, but a decision."

"If there is still dissatisfaction..."

His gaze slowly swept over the radical members.

"Use your eyes to communicate with me."
-
Fugaku Uchiha forcibly unified internal opinions by using the pressure of his Mangekyou Sharingan. This news was quickly relayed to Shuuji by Itachi Uchiha and naturally reached Tsunade's ears as well.

Subsequent progress went quite smoothly. After receiving confirmation, the Hyuga clan quickly dispatched four carefully selected branch family members to officially join the police force, and the two sides entered a period of adjustment.

In the past two days, Tsunade has indeed felt some subtle pressure and probing from other families.

From the perspective of the village's overall interests, giving up a few ninja academy teaching positions is not a big deal, especially since the candidates have undergone rigorous screening and will ultimately become a force serving the village.

However, other ninja clans saw this as a clear signal that the village was making concessions to the Uchiha, which inevitably drew criticism and unease.

With limited resources and positions within the village, the Uchiha clan, while firmly controlling the police force, has begun to dabble in other key departments, and the village's higher-ups seem to approve of this.

Without a sufficiently convincing reason, it would be difficult to convince other families who have long been law-abiding.

However, once the news spread that "a member of the Hyuga clan has joined the police force," the initial whispers and doubts gradually disappeared.

The other families seem to have finally grasped the intentions of the village's higher-ups—this is not simply a concession, but more like a structural adjustment and a rebalancing of interests.

Shuji said, "Once this breach is made, the resistance to gradually adding non-Uchiha members to the police force will be much less."

Tsunade stretched and said, "Let's wait until the people sent by the Hyuga clan can establish themselves in the police force. Next, we'll consider sending some people from the Aburame and Inuzuka clans, which have always been relatively well-behaved."

"In the end, the police force should reserve about one-third of the spots for the Uchiha, which should be about right."

"As for the Uchiha clan, we can distribute some of them to places like the Ninja Academy, the Administrative Department, and the Anbu, which should be enough to absorb them. The key is to form a dynamic and healthy flow mechanism."

Tsunade calculated that the whole process would probably take several more years to be fully sorted out and to ensure that there would be no lingering problems.

At this point, she seemed to suddenly remember something, turned to look at Xiuji beside her, and a smile appeared on her face.

"By the way, the old man's plans are almost finalized, and he's preparing to officially retire. Luckily, Daming is still in the village, so I don't have to make a special trip to the capital to handle the handover procedures."

She patted Xiu Si's shoulder hard, the force causing him to sway slightly.

"So, Shuuji, prepare yourself mentally. Once I'm on that seat, your good days are about to begin..."

"But it's about to officially begin."

(End of this chapter)