Saving the Uchiha clan starts with becoming the clan leader.

"There's always a way. It doesn't necessarily have to be moved next to the Hokage Building. At least it doesn't have to be as far away as it is now. The police department is responsible for maintaining the village's security, but there's such a large forest between the police department headquarters and the village center. The Second Hokage really knows how to make things difficult."

Zongxian's footsteps crunched on the snow.

The two of them were walking in a bare forest where all the leaves had fallen.

Behind us were the police headquarters buildings, which were no longer clearly visible, while in the distance ahead, we could see smoke rising. Passing through the forest, what came into view was the chaotic and disorganized residential area of ​​Konoha, which lacked any unified planning and was truly a mess without any order.

Zongxian was wearing warm clothes underneath, but only a blue-gray long robe on the outside. The family crest of the Fire Fan stood out against the simple color of the robe. Shisui, as a member of the police department, was wearing the standard uniform of the police department.

Their attire was so eye-catching.

The villagers along the way looked at the two of them, their attitude was not exactly friendly, but their eyes were no longer filled with resentment and hatred as before.

"See that, Shisui? The villagers may be easy to fool, but that doesn't mean they're stubborn fools. Whether the Uchiha clan is evil or not, most people, except for a small group, don't really care. They're more concerned with daily necessities than with such things. They might talk about these things as a pastime after meals, but that's all. Tell me, what heinous things did our clan do in the past that made everyone in the village hate us so much?"

Walking on the street,

Sensing the change in the atmosphere around him, Zongxian sighed with genuine emotion.

Zhi Shui observed the pedestrians around him without saying a word.

Variety,

I felt it after returning to the village after the war ended!

The Uchiha clan made a name for themselves in this great war. Not only him and Sogen, but also the names of the other clan members who fought valiantly spread through the mouths of all their comrades who had gone on missions together. From then on, the villagers’ hostility toward the Uchiha clan weakened considerably.

During the Third Shinobi World War, the Uchiha clan fought desperately against the Kirigakure on the eastern front, shedding so much blood, yet upon returning to their village, they found their situation unchanged. Even though Obito Uchiha, the disciple of the Fourth Hokage, was hailed as a hero and his name was inscribed on a memorial stone, it was of no use to the clan.

Comparing the two,

Anyone who isn't stupid can figure out the answer.

"Danzo?"

Zhi Shui muttered to himself.

"It's not just Danzo; they're all dead now. What's there to be afraid of? If it weren't for Hiruzen Sarutobi's permission, do you really think Danzo could have handled all this by himself? But then again, they're all dead now, so there's no point in bringing up old grievances."

Shisui could only smile wryly and remain silent in the face of Zongxian's blunt and uncompromising remarks.

He wasn't really stupid. Zongxian was right. Without the Third Hokage's permission, Danzo wouldn't have been able to attack the Uchiha clan so easily. If the Third Hokage had been fair, the Uchiha clan's reputation wouldn't have been ruined back then.

However, Hiruzen Sarutobi was ultimately the longest-serving Hokage of Konoha, and he's dead now, so let bygones be bygones! As for any blame, Danzo, the king of blame, will take the fall anyway.

"Hey! That's... Yakushi Nonou?"

"Ha! Changing the subject, huh? You're hopelessly brainwashed by Hiruzen Sarutobi... You really are!"

At the entrance of a vegetable shop on the street, Pharmacist Nono was picking out items while carrying a large paper bag full of things. Beside her were two young men, the older one looking to be around twenty years old and the younger one looking to be seventeen or eighteen.

The older one wore a black hat and had a resolute face, while the younger one had white hair and wore round glasses.

"Nonou, are you shopping?"

Zongxian stepped forward and greeted him.

"The Hokage's assistant?!"

Yakushi Nonou's reaction was a bit slow, not nearly as sharp as when she was on the battlefield. However, Sogen could understand. This 'walking shrine maiden' was now properly retired. Although she wasn't old, only thirty, being a spy was truly a torturous job. Few people were willing to do it for a lifetime, and even fewer could do it smoothly for a lifetime.

Living to retirement like Yakushi Nono is often a luxury; not all spies can decide their own future.

As for Yakushi Nono...

It has a unique characteristic that is difficult to replicate.

What are you doing here?

"I was just passing by and saw you buying something, so I came over to say hello. Is this kid your adopted son?" Zongxian glanced at Yakushi Kabuto, who was standing quietly next to Yakushi Nonou.

"Yes, these two children are my children, Urushi and Dou."

Yakushi Nonou introduced the two with a smile.

"Hokage, my lord!"

"Hokage, my lord!"

Urushi and Yakushi Kabuto politely bowed and greeted Sogen.

The two unrelated brothers had very different expressions. Urushi's eyes and brows were filled with an unyielding sorrow, while the younger brother, Kabuto Yakushi, had a formulaic smile that revealed no true feelings, except when his gaze swept over Nono Yakushi, it would soften.

Zongxian's focus is self-evident; Urushi is still only a genin.

Kabuto Yakushi is a genius spy who is no less talented than Nono Yakushi.

Previously, due to the leak of the spy list, many of Konoha's spies in Iwagakure were arrested, but Kabuto Yakushi was one of the very few who escaped.

This kid went under several guise in Iwagakure. The name of his first guise was leaked, and the Iwagakure ninjas went to arrest him according to the list, but they came up empty-handed and couldn't even find a trace of Kabuto Yakushi. In the end, Kabuto Yakushi took the initiative to contact the others and learned that Nono Yakushi had returned to the village, so he finally made his way back to Konoha.

It's a real shame that such talent isn't put to good use!

However, Zongxian had not yet figured out how to use Kabuto Yakushi's talent. At the same time, Kabuto's own wishes could not be ignored. Because of the great contributions that Nono Yakushi had made to the village, the Fifth Hokage did not make things difficult for Kabuto and readily removed Kabuto's name from the list of spies.

Back in the village, Kabuto and Nono Yakushi reunited, and Kabuto has been working at the Konoha Orphanage ever since. He seems to have completely lost the ambition that young people should have... He might not be willing to work for Sogen!

"Urushi, Kabuto Yakushi, would you be interested in working for the police department?"

Zongxian suddenly extended an invitation.

Not only Shisui stared in surprise, but Yakushi Nonou, as well as the invited Urushi and Yakushi Kabuto, also showed a hint of surprise. However, unlike Urushi's blank expression, Yakushi Nonou and Yakushi Kabuto quickly controlled their expressions.

"Hokage's assistant, isn't the police department only accessible to members of the Uchiha clan?"

Yakushi Nonou politely declined.

She had no problem with the Uchiha clan, but she was fed up with that thrilling life and didn't want to get involved in any more dangerous situations. As the number one clan in Konoha, the Uchiha were always in the eye of the storm. If she had seen Uchiha Munegen approaching first, she probably would have avoided getting close to him before being discovered!

"That will soon become a thing of the past. The police department is not the Uchiha clan's backyard. The Uchiha are also an inseparable part of Konoha. Some people did not understand this in the past, but in the future I will tell all the residents of Konoha this truth."

"So, Urushi, Yakushi Kabuto, don't worry about these outdated rules. If you're interested in working in the police department, you can try coming here to experience it. Not only do you not have to leave the village, but the salary and benefits are also very good."

Zongxian said with a smile.

As soon as he finished speaking, especially after hearing the last sentence, Urushi was clearly moved. However, after glancing at Yakushi Nono, he held back and remained silent. Meanwhile, Yakushi Kabuto's formulaic smile remained unchanged, revealing no trace of his true emotions.

Yakushi Nonou, on the other hand, seemed to be a little conflicted.

He looked hesitant and indecisive.

Seeing that Uruxi's face couldn't hide his thoughts at all, he frowned slightly.

"But there's no need to rush to give me an answer now. Just wait until the police department makes changes, and then give me an answer. Before that, think it over carefully. If you can't make up your mind, you can also discuss it with your colleagues."

At this point, Zongxian paused for a moment, then continued, "I have something to do at the Hokage Building, so I won't disturb your shopping any longer. Shisui, let's go!" He glanced at Shisui, and the two set off again along the main street toward the Hokage Building located in the center of the village.

Once they were out of sight of Yakushi Nonou and the others, Shisui finally couldn't resist asking out of curiosity, "Sōgen, are you going to subdue that walking shrine maiden?"

Is there a problem?

"There's no problem, it's just that I feel like Yakushi Nonou isn't so easy to persuade."

"Yakushi Nonou seems to want to live out the rest of her life peacefully, but where in this world can one really escape and avoid the troubles of these mundane matters? You've seen it too, haven't you? Everyone has their own troubles with all the things Yakushi Nonou bought!"

Shisui blinked.

Yakushi Nonou was carrying a bag full of radishes, while Urushi and Yakushi Kabuto were carrying the cheapest kind of rice and flour... It was clear that the walking shrine maiden seemed to be facing financial difficulties.

"If I remember correctly, the village should have given pharmacist Nono a large sum of money, enough for her to live a carefree life for the rest of her days, right? She's so frugal that she's buying the cheapest rice, noodles, and vegetables. Did she put all her savings into the orphanage?"

Even when one is completely oblivious to the world around them, it's not that one is utterly deaf to what's happening around them.

As a member of the police department, he was able to keep track of any disturbances in the village, such as the fact that Yakushi Nono had returned to the orphanage where she used to live and took over the position of director from an old nanny.

“Maintaining an orphanage is no easy task.”

Especially with Yakushi Nonou's loving personality towards all children, when the old nanny was the director, the orphanage had less than twenty orphans and could barely survive with the village's subsidies. However, after Yakushi Nonou took over as director again, the number of orphans skyrocketed to more than seventy in a short period of time.

With so many people, the village's subsidies are simply not enough.

As for applying for more subsidies, that obviously can't be done in a short time. Although Konoha is rich, there are also many places to spend money. There are more than ten orphanages in the village. The subsidy for one orphanage is not much, but the subsidies for more than ten orphanages added up are not a small number.

Back then, Yakushi Nonou was forced to agree to Danzo's threat to cut off funding to the orphanage, and she had no choice but to return to the Root organization. It was at that time that Yakushi Kabuto voluntarily joined Root to serve Danzo in order to help Yakushi Nonou.

"But there's no need to worry too much. It would be best if this matter succeeded, but even if it doesn't, it won't have any impact."

Zongxian really didn't care much.

It would be great to be able to recruit Yakushi Nonou and Yakushi Kabuto to his side, but even if he failed, it wouldn't have any impact. He didn't pay any price at all; he just happened to run into them on the road and tried to recruit them.

"Shisui, your next task is to focus on learning the Flying Thunder God Technique. After that, you will have the work of the Department of Justice to worry about. Don't worry about these things."

"I know."

Zhi Shui nodded. "I know what I should do now."

He gazed at the Hokage Building that had come into view, and couldn't help but feel a surge of excitement. The opportunity to learn the Flying Thunder God Technique... something he had never dared to dream of before!

[Chapter 238. Why not ask Naruto for his opinion?]

"Lord Hokage?"

Zongxian pushed open the door to the Hokage's office and saw Akimichi Torifu sitting behind the desk, and Jiraiya sitting on the guest sofa. "Jiraiya-senpai is here too!"

"Zongxian-kun, Shisui, sit down!"

Akimichi Torifu called out to the two, and Nara Shizuku, who had only recently become the Hokage's secretary, quickly brought over tea. After making enough contributions on the front lines, this young man from the Nara clan returned to the village and was kept by Akimichi Torifu as his secretary a few days later. He could help him handle daily affairs and also offer advice in case of emergencies.

As for Nara Shikaku, he is, after all, the leader of the Jonin class and the current head of the Nara clan. He is a true high-ranking official in the village. When Akimichi Torifu first took office, everything was in disarray, so it was not a big deal for Nara Shikaku to run to the Hokage's office three or five times a day. But you can't keep ordering people around like that.

then,

After careful selection, Nara Shizuku, a young man in his early twenties, became the Fifth Hokage's personal secretary.

"Zongxian-kun, are you all ready?"

Akimichi Torifu glanced at Shisui, understanding the situation. After all, the Book of Seals was always kept by the Hokage, and anyone who wanted to read it had to get the Hokage's permission. Sogen had already told him about this before, and after hesitating for a second, he agreed.

He was well aware that the Book of Seals had never been open to the Uchiha clan in the past. No matter how great their achievements, the Uchiha clan had never even considered touching the Book of Seals before.

But things are different now.

He is not Hiruzen Sarutobi.

Although both were disciples of the Second Hokage, he did not inherit the Second Hokage's extreme vigilance and hostility towards the Uchiha clan, which was akin to seeing enemies everywhere.