Konoha Notes

Chapter 356 Leisure and Anxiety
The work of the police department reached its peak in the 57th year of Konoha.

At that time, the police department was not only responsible for routine patrols within the village, but also for handling various large-scale events held in the village.

At that time, Fugaku often had to work overtime, not only to cope with his work, but also to deal with the relationships between the various ninja clans and Uchiha members who had recently joined the police department, and occasionally he also had to deal with the situation of dealing with his own clansmen.

Now, two years later, Fugaku finds himself spending more and more time sitting on the veranda of his own courtyard, quietly watching the koi carp swimming in the pond.

the reason is simple.

Venue area.

The area that was originally built just to host joint military exercises has now developed into a village outside the village.

With the entire ninja world now open to the public, the management system is efficient and simple. Entry and exit checks, material reporting, temporary registration of outsiders... all of these, which used to occupy the majority of the police department's work, have now been transferred to the police department branch in the venue area.

Most visitors prefer to complete all the formalities in the venue area, where the queues are shorter, the rules are relatively more lenient, and they can also stroll around the visitor area after finishing their business.

The proportion of those who truly need to enter Konoha headquarters is less than 30%.

As for the interior of Konoha Village?
The area is populated by villagers who have lived there for generations, long-term business partners, and occasional visiting relatives and friends. Security incidents are extremely rare, and any slightly larger problems are directly handled by the secret police.

The few times when headquarters was busy were when the branches requested assistance.

"They've practically become the branch's logistics support team."

Some people within the police department have already complained about this in private.

The ease of work is a good thing for those who yearn for a peaceful life. But for the ambitious ninjas at headquarters, their sense of presence is fading, which is definitely not something to be happy about.

So when Fugaku was summoned to the Hokage Building today, he even came with a certain amount of expectation.

Although the ministry didn't say it explicitly, he understood those looks—Minister, it's time to get the ministry to do something worthwhile.
-
In the conference room, Tsunade and Shuji were seated, while Nara Shikaku stood in front of the map on the conference table. By the time Fugaku arrived, Hyuga Hiashi had already arrived.

"Everyone's here," Tsunade said. "Shikaku, let's begin."

"Yes."

Nara Shikaku walked up to the map, which was a detailed topographical map of Konoha Village and the surrounding area, with the locations of the stadium area and the Joint Affairs Bureau building specially marked.

"Next month, the Joint Affairs Bureau will hold a joint meeting of ninja villages in the building," Shikaku said bluntly.

"The meeting itself was organized and coordinated by the Joint Secretariat, and the security work for the meeting was also mainly undertaken by the Secretariat's joint team."

"However, since the meeting is located outside Konoha Village and within the Land of Fire, we are obligated to provide security support for the surrounding area."

His finger traced a circle on the map.

"Furthermore, the large number of visiting ninja village leaders and their personal guards could potentially impact the overall security of the Land of Fire. While the Land of Fire will not interfere with the meeting, they have requested that we ensure no incidents occur that affect civilian areas."

Tsunade said, "Therefore, we need to thoroughly investigate the surrounding area before the meeting begins, and ensure that no suspicious persons gather during the meeting."

She looked at the two police ministers sitting at the table.

"That's why we've called you here. The police headquarters and its branches need to work together to prepare for this perimeter security operation."

"This time, the situation is more complicated than during the Five Shadows Summit."

"The Five Kage Summit requires participants to be at least the five major ninja villages who know each other well and have a basic consensus on the rules."

"This time, the ninja villages that came were of varying sizes and had different stances, and some even had old grudges against each other. With such a mixed group, the possibility of trouble is higher, and we must be extra careful."

After listening for a moment, Fugaku said, "The overall sweep of the outer area, the elimination of suspicious strongholds, and the identification and monitoring of personnel along the main passages can be handled by headquarters."

"Our team members are relatively familiar with the terrain outside the village and conventional infiltration methods. They have been engaged in this type of work for a long time and are very experienced."

He looked at Japan Football Club: "The daily patrols and emergency response around the stadium area, as well as from the stadium area to the secretariat building, can be handled by the branch office."

In Fugaku's view, this is a reasonable division of labor based on the current responsibilities and capabilities of both parties.

The main headquarters undertakes more aggressive and proactive perimeter clearing and interception missions, which not only demonstrates its presence but also leverages the Uchiha clan's traditional strengths in combat reconnaissance and rapid response. Branch offices, on the other hand, utilize their geographical advantages to defend the relatively static but highly vigilant core areas, where the Hyuga clan's Byakugan truly possesses an irreplaceable advantage in fixed-area patrols.

At that moment, Shuji's voice broke in.

"I basically agree that headquarters should be the main force in this security operation."

Fugaku felt a sense of relief—at least the direction was now confirmed.

"However, in the peripheral investigation and monitoring phase, it is still necessary to draw on the special investigation team of the branch for cooperation."

That was a composite team made up of members from the Hinata, Aburame, and Inuzuka clans.

After a moment of silence, Fugaku nodded in agreement.

Subsequent meetings focused on specific details such as the delineation of the cordon, personnel allocation, communication and liaison, and emergency response plans.

By the time all matters had been preliminarily discussed, it was already completely dark outside the window, and the Fire Shadow Rock was only a blurry outline in the deepening night.

Instead of returning to the police department, Fugaku went straight home.

When he pushed open the front door, the light in the entryway was still on. He took off his coat, changed into casual clothes, and walked through the quiet corridor, where he saw his eldest son, Itachi, sitting in the living room.

“Father.” Itachi raised his head and stood up to greet him.

"Hmm." Fugaku sat down opposite his son and looked him over.

"Itachi, you've been working in the Anbu for several years now."

"Yes."

"You have done a great job as a bridge between the clan and the village."

"So, have you considered your future development? Do you... have any plans to be transferred?"

Itachi looked at Fugaku with some confusion. Fugaku had always valued Itachi's position in the Anbu.

Fugaku said, "Kakashi Hatake has been working in the Joint Affairs Bureau for a long time since he left the Anbu."

"You should also know his position in the village."

“At today’s meeting, the village has expanded its alliance to include those smaller villages from the past.” Fugaku Uchiha looked at him. “This has happened before.”

"Initially, it was the Senju and Uchiha clans that joined forces to end the chaos and lay the foundation for Konoha. Subsequently, large and small ninja clans such as Sarutobi, Shimura, Hyuga, Nara, Akimichi, and Yamanaka joined one after another."

"At that time, our clan acquired the police force as an honor for the clan that founded the ninja village."

"Now, the glory has not faded, but the responsibility we bear is not as great as before."

“Itachi, if the Uchiha want to truly reach that position, they need to find a more crucial position, a position where they can continue to exert influence, accumulate merits and prestige in the new era.”

"Joint Secretariat".

"The Police Department is the glory of the past, but the Joint Affairs Bureau... may be the power of the future."

Fugaku stood up, walked to the window, and looked at the pond of fish in the courtyard illuminated by the moonlight.

“I spoke with Hiashi and explained that the Uchiha did not consider them enemies, but Hiashi did not take it seriously.”

"He probably already knows the current situation."

“Itachi, you are the person Shuji trusts the most. If you request a transfer to the Joint Affairs Bureau, he will not object.”

"As for the Dark Division, there are other members within the clan."

(End of this chapter)