Saving the Uchiha clan starts with becoming the clan leader.

"There's nothing special to prepare, is there? It's just an opportunity anyway. Even Shisui might not be able to learn it, just like I was before." Zongxian held his teacup, gently swirling it as he watched the pale green tea swirl within.

Akimichi Tokifu chuckled.

He stood up and took down the Book of Seals, which was prominently displayed on the bookshelf next to him. That's right, the Book of Seals, which recorded almost 90% of Konoha's forbidden techniques, was displayed on the bookshelf without any cover. There was no indestructible barrier, no extremely complex seal, and not even a decent safe.

Anyone who walks into the Hokage's office can easily obtain the Scroll of Seals.

Of course, the premise is that you can walk in here safely. It seems that there is no decent defense at all, but if people could come and go freely in the Hokage's office, then Konoha Village would have been a sieve long ago. There are ANBU guards here 24 hours a day, and not just one or two. The number of ANBU hidden in the shadows in the entire Hokage building is more than the number of office staff in the open.

Even a master of the Sannin level couldn't sneak into the Hokage's office without a sound.

The Book of Sealing, though called a book, is actually a scroll, a large scroll about a meter tall when standing upright. Akimichi Torifu carried the scroll over, opened it, turned to the section on the Flying Thunder God Technique, and handed it to Shisui, saying, "Shisui, read it here! The Book of Sealing is not allowed to be taken away by private individuals, and regardless of whether you can learn the Flying Thunder God Technique, you are not allowed to pass on the knowledge you see in any form. Do you understand what I'm saying?"

"I understand, Hokage-sama."

Shisui stood up and answered solemnly.

"Also, if you encounter an insurmountable calamity in the future, and you have no companions to help you with your affairs, the first thing you should do is destroy your own brain. According to the rules left by the Second Hokage, a self-destructive seal should be left in the minds of everyone who has read the Scroll of Seals. However, this method is somewhat taboo... In short, protect the secrets in your brain at all costs. You understand this, right?"

“I know very well.”

Shisui agreed again.

Setting up a self-destructive sealing technique in one's mind is not a new concept. However, this technique is not very practical. Firstly, similar techniques are not 100% safe, and any problem could be fatal. Secondly, this technique is very difficult to set up, making it hard to promote. In addition, not everyone is willing to have an uncontrollable seal in their mind.

This technology was implemented for a period of time, but was quickly shelved after the death of the Second Hokage.

Then Danzo took over this part of the legacy and went down another path, namely the "Seal of the Severing of the Root of Calamity," and used it as the basis for maintaining the existence of the "Root."

Akimichi Torifu went on and on about a bunch of demands and conditions, while Shisui kept nodding and saying "Yes," "I understand," and "I know." After about five minutes, the conversation between the two finally ended, and the Book of Seals was handed over.

He reached out and took the Book of Seals.

Without wasting any words, Shisui moved to a corner and sat down, embracing the Book of Sealing and immediately becoming completely absorbed in it. The study of ninjutsu was one of his few hobbies, and he possessed an astonishing level of concentration in this area.

Zongxian glanced at Shisui for two seconds, confirming that he was already immersed in the mysteries of the Flying Thunder God Technique, and then ignored him, turning his gaze to Jiraiya, who was sitting opposite him leisurely sipping tea. "Jiraiya-senpai, when are you planning to send Naruto to Turtle Island for training?"

Where did you hear that from?

Jiraiya sat on the sofa, holding a teacup, and calmly asked a question.

"My sister told me this, and she's asked me about it several times already. Naruto seems to be really troubled by this lately!"

"I see."

Jiraiya narrowed his eyes, pondered for two seconds, and then said, "Before you came, I was discussing this matter with the Hokage. I am indeed planning to take Naruto on a training trip. Turtle Island is just one stop on the way. His life in the village was a bit heavy before. Perhaps a change of environment can help him forget some of the unpleasant memories of the past."

"However, the Hokage disagrees with my opinion. He doesn't want Naruto to be away from the village for too long; staying in the village is the only way he can develop a connection with it..."

"Isn't that right? What if Naruto gets used to wandering around with you at his age and doesn't want to stay in the village later? He's the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki, we can't just let him run around all over the world, can we?" Akimichi Torifu interjected irritably.

Before Sogen arrived, he and Jiraiya had been arguing for almost an hour.

The two held their own opinions, and neither could convince the other.

Until Zongxian arrived.

Jiraiya didn't argue with the Fifth Hokage this time, but looked at Sogen and asked, "What do you think about this, Sogen-kun?" Since he couldn't reach an agreement with the Fifth Hokage, he would introduce a third party's opinion. Moreover, according to his understanding, Uchiha Sogen had a considerable influence on Naruto.

"My opinion?"

Zongxian twitched the corner of his mouth.

He didn't really care about this matter and didn't plan to get involved at first. Although as the Hokage's assistant, he was going to interfere, and even the Fifth Hokage couldn't stop him, in his opinion, it didn't matter whether he got involved or not.

However, since Jiraiya has asked, we can't refuse him.

“My opinion is, why not ask Naruto’s opinion? That kid is very smart. Don’t treat him as an ignorant brat just because he’s young. The ninja world has never lacked geniuses who are mature beyond their years. In my opinion, Naruto’s talent is no less than his father’s.”

This answer was completely unexpected by both of them.

Asking Naruto for his opinion... This was something neither of them had considered. In their eyes, Naruto was just a child, a student at the Ninja Academy who was still far from graduating, and it was not up to Naruto to make such a big decision.

Therefore,

They didn't even consider asking Naruto for his opinion.

"Furthermore, Naruto is the Nine-Tails' Jinchuriki. Although the seal left by the Fourth Hokage is strong enough, I think it's better to keep Naruto's emotions within a stable range. After all, you can't be too afraid of the worst-case scenario. Although the village's current strength makes it easy to suppress the Nine-Tails even if it goes berserk, it would be bad for both the village and Naruto if that happened."

If Naruto were to go berserk and lose control, not to mention the immense destruction he would cause, just the fact that he would remind the villagers of the terror of the night the Nine-Tails attacked would be enough to rekindle the fear and hatred that many had finally begun to dwindle towards regarding tailed beasts and Jinchuriki.

For Naruto himself, losing control once means there could be a second, a third... Unless Naruto transforms into the perfect Jinchuriki, he will always be labeled as high-risk and uncontrollable.

"Ask Naruto his own opinion? Whew!" Jiraiya let out a deep breath, a self-deprecating smile appearing on his face. "Sōgen-kun, thank you for reminding me. I've probably been thinking too much lately, my mind's all muddled. You're right, it concerns Naruto's own life, we can't leave it unsaid!"

Akimichi Torifu didn't say anything.

He and Jiraiya were ultimately different. In his eyes, the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki was obviously more important than Naruto Uzumaki, while in Jiraiya's eyes, Naruto was first and foremost Naruto, and only secondly the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki. Naruto's importance was above that of the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki.

As long as Jiraiya doesn't intend to take Naruto away from the village for too long, Akimichi Torifu has no need to argue with Jiraiya.

"Lord Hokage, I'll go ask Naruto's opinion. Sogen-kun, thank you for your help this time. I'll treat you to a drink sometime." Jiraiya was a man of action. After saying goodbye, he jumped out of the window and left, not taking the proper route at all. Akimichi Torifu could only sigh helplessly at this.

At Jiraiya's level, even the Hokage couldn't restrain them much.

As long as it's not a grave mistake like Orochimaru's—harming one's own people—minor transgressions are overlooked. Yes, in the eyes of the village's higher-ups, Orochimaru's biggest mistake was harming his own fellow villagers, not conducting human experiments.

To be honest, everyone knows that prohibiting human experimentation is just a deceptive facade, but in reality, similar experiments have never stopped. Putting aside everything else, Konoha's medical ninjutsu is so advanced thanks to the genius Tsunade, but it is also thanks to various human experiments that Konoha's medical ninjutsu is unparalleled in the ninja world.

"Honestly... can't they just go out the door properly? Ugh!"

Akimichi Tokifumi closed the window. The weather was so cold, and as an elderly man, he couldn't stand the cold wind.

"Lord Hokage, there's another matter I need to report to you about." Zong Xuan sipped his tea and slowly revealed the second reason for his visit to the Hokage Building.

"what's up?"

After closing the window, Akimichi Torifu turned around and turned his gaze to Sogen.

"I plan to reorganize the police department."

"...Reorganize the police department?" Akimichi Torifu felt a headache coming on, and the veins in his temples seemed to be throbbing. He reached up and pinched his brow to relieve the headache, and then asked rather cautiously, "Sōgen-kun, what kind of reorganization are you talking about?"

"We are grateful to the Second Hokage for his high regard and affection for our clan, who entrusted us with the full management of the police department. However, over the past few decades, the overall area of ​​Konoha Village has expanded considerably, and the number of residents has also increased significantly. To be honest, the current police department is finding it difficult to maintain order in the village."

Akimichi Torifu's eye twitched.

Listen to what he's saying, showing the Second Hokage's high regard and affection?

Shit!

It's more like being on guard and on high alert!

However, I really can't bring myself to say such things.

"Since we're short-handed, let's expand our manpower!" Akimichi Torifu said magnanimously.

“Expansion is inevitable, but there is another problem. Our clan has lost many members on the battlefield this time. Now, those left in the clan are either elderly or children. Even if we expand... there will be no one available.” Zongxian sighed. “So I was thinking of taking this opportunity to recruit ninjas from other clans or commoners into the police department. I wonder what the clan chief thinks?”

Akimichi Torifu was stunned.

Recruiting non-Uchiha clan ninjas into the police department? Was he hallucinating, or did Uchiha Mugen slip up?

Since the establishment of the Konoha Police Department, it has been closely linked with the Uchiha clan. In the minds of everyone in Konoha, the Police Department and the Uchiha clan are two sides of the same coin. Akimichi Torifu never thought of separating the Police Department and the Uchiha clan.

"Zongxian-kun, do you... do you know what you just said?"

"Of course I know what I said. In my opinion, the police department is still the village's police department. In the past, it was the Second Hokage's consideration to hand it over to my Uchiha clan to control. But times have changed, and it's time for the police department to make changes as well."

Zongxian's calm and composed demeanor did not suggest that he had lost his mind.

"Then you..." Akimichi Torifu's mind was in complete chaos. He pinched his temples hard, trying his best to calm himself down, wondering what Uchiha Sogen was trying to do. What was his intention in recruiting outsiders into the police department?

Is this an opportunity to win over other families in the village?

Or is it... that you plan to separate the police department from the Uchiha clan?

Although he wasn't as favored as Hiruzen Sarutobi, Akimichi Torifu was still a disciple of the Second Hokage, even if only in name. He understood why the Second Hokage would entrust the police department, an organization with considerable power, to the Uchiha clan.

The position of law enforcer may seem prestigious, but it is also a job that is easy to offend people. In particular, the Uchiha clan is inherently arrogant. With the two combined, it is no surprise that the Uchiha clan's reputation in the village has deteriorated day by day.

When the Second Hokage was in power, things were relatively good; he only used overt schemes to plot against the Uchiha clan. But when Hiruzen Sarutobi took over, Danzo secretly started smearing the Uchiha clan in the shadows. From then on, the Uchiha's reputation in the village truly plummeted!

Even now, it's not exactly great.

[Chapter 239. Open the Window or Lift the Roof?]

What exactly are the plans of the Uchiha clan... no, it should be said that Uchiha Munen is planning to change their reputation and their ultimate goal? One guess after another kept popping up in my mind, only to be quickly dismissed. In the end, only a few guesses remained, and the ultimate goal, without a doubt, should be to change the reputation and situation of the Uchiha clan.

Should I agree to this or not?

Qiu Dao hesitated to take the wind.

Unlike Hiruzen Sarutobi and Danzo Shimura, he was not as hostile or wary of the Uchiha clan. However, he was used to suppressing the Uchiha clan. This was not out of personal feelings or likes, but rather a judgment based on personal interests as the highest leader of the village.

Previously, in order to deal with the invasion of the Mist Ninja, Cloud Ninja, and Iwa Ninja, he gave Uchiha Munen the important position of Hokage's assistant, which was second only to the Hokage. This was so that the Uchiha clan could go all out in the war. Uchiha Munen did not disappoint him and brought back a great victory for the village!

then,

The conflicts and disputes that had been temporarily suppressed due to external pressure have resurfaced. The strength and power of the Uchiha clan were fully demonstrated in the war. It would be impossible for Akimichi Torifu not to be afraid of the Uchiha clan's strength at all!

Uchiha Sogen has hinted on many occasions that his ambition is to become the Sixth Hokage.

However, the rise of the sixth generation inevitably means the abdication of the fifth generation.

If Uchiha Sogen doesn't have the patience to wait until the day he abdicates, he, the Fifth Hokage, might be forced to step down. Being able to abdicate alive would be the greatest wish, and it's not impossible that he might die if he's unlucky. Isn't Hiruzen Sarutobi's death the best example? And such a future... is truly unsettling.

The time for hesitation was not long.

After careful consideration, Akimichi Torifu gave his answer.

“Zongxian-kun, I don’t object to opening up the police department to non-Uchiha clan members in principle, but... it might not be easy to implement. Since the police department is under too much pressure, the Anbu can help share some of the workload.”

"As for the police department's reform plan... I think Zongxian-kun, you can spend more time refining and polishing it. You are still young, and the future holds unlimited possibilities!"

Qiu Dao took a deep breath and said.

After much deliberation, he was still unwilling to sit idly by and watch Uchiha Munen continue to grow his power. If Uchiha Munen continued like this, he, as the Hokage, would eventually be squeezed out of his position. He didn't want to be just a puppet Hokage in name only.

Ideas are constantly changing.

When he was only the Fifth Hokage in charge, he once rebuked Nara Shikaku for his suggestion to suppress the Uchiha clan. At that time, he thought that sooner or later he would hand over the Hokage position to Jiraiya or Tsunade.

Therefore, he didn't care about the Uchiha clan's various actions.

But the future is so unpredictable.