Konoha Notes

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 still state, but when he spoke again, his words were more audible.

So, regardless of whether there was truly no result or he had guessed something and didn't intend to say, Xiuji simply nodded. In any case, he knew what was going on, and he couldn't say anything either.

The only thing we can address is the Konoha Police Department's matter.

"The clan cannot accept giving up 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—although the general direction is set by the higher authorities, in practice, a single ban from the police department is enough to make it impossible for most vendors inside and outside the village to move an inch.

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 go to the Hokage or the advisor, or to the captain of the police department.

Except for the two special departments, the Dark Department and the Root Department, which it cannot control, other departments are more or less constrained by it.

"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 the tribe to...stir up chaos sooner."

"The 'no way' you're referring to is the inability to get the Uchiha to completely abandon the police department?" Shuji pressed, speaking steadily.

"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 a little: "If the village is willing to provide funds to increase manpower, we can try to add a small team."

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 only 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 willing to resist 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 beating around the bush, "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 that such actions will 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 couldn't abandon his people, so he couldn't show that he didn't support them. Deep breath, 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 positions, and give it to Itachi to pass 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. As for the man in front of him... he might be good at being a ninja and killing people, but as the head of a clan, especially the head of a clan like the Uchiha with its complicated circumstances, it was really a waste of his talents.

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 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.

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—Flying Thunder God.

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 in the core requirement beyond spatial talent—extraordinary perception. One must be able to instantly lock onto the chakra imprint left behind by oneself, as naturally as breathing. Whether it was the Second Hokage, Tobirama Senju, who created this technique, or the Fourth Hokage, Minato Namikaze, who popularized it, they were both 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.

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.

Xiu Si stepped inside, took a seat, and unrolled the scroll.

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

(End of this chapter)