Saving the Uchiha clan starts with becoming the clan leader.

Therefore,

Everything proceeded smoothly and according to plan.

In a very short time, the police department overturned the old and rigid management system and re-established an internal structure with a clearer division of labor and responsibilities. In particular, the three 100-person brigades that were the core of the police department were directly split into eleven law enforcement brigades of the Public Security Division by Zongxian.

The reason there are eleven teams is that, after research, the current village has been divided into eleven areas, with each brigade responsible for one area. As the village continues to expand in the future, new teams will be established accordingly. The eleven teams are just the current number.

The rectification was not difficult, but the problem of insufficient manpower was fully exposed after the rectification.

They exhausted the police department's original manpower and even mobilized many retired clansmen who had been injured to return to work, barely managing to keep the new police department running.

Yes,

It barely managed to maintain a basic structure, but inside it was completely empty.

The Public Security Division, in particular, was basically just a shell. For example, before Kabuto Yakushi reported for duty, the Second Squad of the Sixth Enforcement Brigade only had Captain Uchiha Torajiro and team member Uchiha Izumi. That was considered good; many squads only had a captain with no one under his command.

"How much of a deficit does the Public Security Bureau still have?"

"As of this morning, there are still 27 squads belonging to the 3rd, 6th, 9th and 10th law enforcement brigades that are not at full strength. The other six law enforcement brigades are all at full strength. By the way, the 2nd squad of the 6th law enforcement brigade, where Yakushi Kabuto is, is also short of a member. Should we transfer Yakushi Kabuto out?"

What are they going to do with those they've been transferred out to?

"I thought Zongxian was important to him."

"No rush. Let him get used to the environment first, and we'll talk about it later." Zongxian did not deny his desire to mobilize Kabuto Yakushi. Kabuto Yakushi was able to be noticed by Orochimaru in his previous experience and kept by his side as an assistant. Later, he even joined forces with Obito Uchiha to start the Fourth Shinobi World War. His ability is beyond doubt.

Since such talent has willingly entered our trap, we should not waste it.

Of course, there's no need to rush; he has plenty of time and patience to polish each and every rough stone under his command.

Kabuto Yakushi was just one of them; others included Itachi Uchiha, Kimimaro, Yakumo Kurama, and many more.

"I see."

Uchiha Arashiyama marked the name of Kabuto Yakushi in his mental notebook.

He then asked, "There's one more thing. At the current recruitment speed, if nothing goes wrong, we should be able to fill the current vacancies in about three more days. Should we take advantage of this and recruit a few more people? The disabled clansmen in the Personnel Department and General Affairs Department are all temporary hires. Even after we get through this period, the Personnel Department and General Affairs Department may still be short-staffed."

Upon hearing this question, Zongxian raised his eyebrows and pondered for a moment. “Go and ask those clansmen for their opinions. If they like their current jobs, they can stay and work until they are fifty years old or retire when their health can no longer support them. If they want to go back to their clans, we will not force them to stay. After compiling the list, we will recruit another batch of people based on the number of people who choose to go back to their clans.”

Hiring these tribesmen who were injured or disabled in war and missions to come back to work was a last resort. However, over the years, these injured and disabled tribesmen have proven with their abilities that they have not become useless people who only know how to eat, drink, defecate, and sleep.

They definitely can't go out on fieldwork.

However, it doesn't pose much of a problem if you're just sitting in an office.

If possible, Sogen also hopes that these clan members can continue to work in the police department. Relaxing restrictions to recruit non-Uchiha clan ninjas into the police department does not mean that Sogen will relinquish the Uchiha clan's control over the police department. What will happen in the future can be discussed later, but for now, Sogen is determined to firmly grasp the power of the police department.

Another point,

Sasori of the Red Sand is studying the White Zetsu's corpse. If all goes well, these disabled members of his clan may be able to have new limbs in the future.

"Arashiyama, is there anything else?"

Zongxian picked up his teacup and took a sip to moisten his throat.

"Have."

Uchiha Arashiyama ignored the gesture of serving tea to see the guest out. "The department is almost out of money. Brother Suma has been very anxious these past two days. He told me that he has submitted a report, but has not received a reply yet." As he spoke, his eyes were still glancing at the 'small hill' piled up in the corner of the desk.

"Ahem! I've gained some insights into the Flame Fan these past two days, but I haven't had time to process them yet."

Zongxian coughed lightly as if nothing had happened. "If I remember correctly, didn't Suma say at the last meeting that the financial situation was good? How come they're out of money so quickly?"

"We bought a large plot of land in a prime location near the village center, which was a huge expense. After buying the land, we have already broken ground to start building a new police department office building, which is also a huge expense. These two expenses alone have almost drained the Finance Department's coffers. And don't forget that at the beginning of next month, we will have to pay more than double the usual salaries, plus the rapidly increasing consumption of equipment and supplies."

Reminded by Uchiha Arashiyama, Sogen immediately remembered.

It seems that buying land near the center of the village and building a new police department office building were all on his orders.

"The gap is huge?"

Zongxian asked.

"Anyway, it won't last two months. If there are any unexpected expenses in between, it may not even last a month."

"That serious?"

Zongxian smacked his lips.

This... it's his own fault for being careless. The police department's finances had always been extremely healthy, so much so that he hadn't expected to face this problem after restructuring the department. "Wait, let me think... the department is broke... looks like I'll have to go beg the Hokage for money."

This sounds quite exaggerated. If it were those penniless Sand Ninja, they would most likely have to rely on their Fourth Kazekage to go deep into the desert to pan for gold to solve their funding problems.

But this is Konoha.

The police department being out of money doesn't mean the village is out of money either.

Moreover, the reform of the police department was approved by the Hokage, so the police department can't be expected to raise funds on its own, can it?

······

The financial crisis facing the police department is not a big deal for the lower-level officers; it's a problem for the higher-ups to worry about. As long as they don't delay paying salaries, that's all that matters. They're not so idle as to have time to brag and joke around. The work in the police department is anything but leisurely.

After only two days of working at the police department, Kabuto Yakushi realized just how troublesome this job was.

Yes, it's troublesome!

This is a completely different profession from espionage.

In terms of job difficulty, being a spy is definitely more difficult. You are always walking on the edge of a knife, and one wrong step will lead to utter ruin. The work of the police department is not so dangerous and exciting. Instead, it is a kind of life-wasting in a different sense. The countless trivial matters can bury you alive!

"Kabuto-kun, are you done here?"

"Quan, this... another thief?"

"Yes, I saw her steal someone's wallet. Her movements were very professional. She must be a repeat offender who came from somewhere else."

Uchiha Izumi walked over, leading a scantily clad young woman.

"A professional thief? There are all sorts of people in this world." Kabuto glanced at the woman's revealing, shivering attire, and scoffed. He suspected she wasn't just a professional thief, but probably had other side jobs besides stealing. He casually asked, "Where are you from?"

"·····Short Book Street".

The woman looked at Kabuto Yakushi and sensed a cold, murderous intent that she hadn't felt in Izumi Uchiha. Not daring to play any tricks, she answered the questions in a low voice.

Tanpaku Street?

Kabuto raised an eyebrow, somewhat surprised.

Tanabata Street is a notorious den of iniquity in the Land of Fire, a haven for gamblers, and also a paradise for criminals such as gangsters and thieves. Compared to Konoha Village, which has tens of thousands of ninjas, these criminals don't really like coming to Konoha, since Konoha's management is so strict that even the Daimyo's mansion can't compare.

"When did you arrive in Konoha?"

"A week ago."

"Why leave Tanabata Street? There are plenty of rich people there. Why come all the way to Konoha?"

"...I was unlucky and stole a briefcase from a high-ranking executive of the Gato Corporation. Inside were evidence and records of Gato Corporation bribing high-ranking officials in the Ministry of Finance of the Land of Fire. I dared not stay in Tanabata any longer, so I came to Konoha."

Yakushi Kabuto was speechless.

This woman is really unlucky. Kado Company is one of the top multinational shipping companies in the ninja world, with operations spanning the Land of Fire, the Land of Waves, the Land of Hot Water, the Land of Tea, and the southern Red Island, among other countries. Of course, this is what's on the surface. In reality, Kado Company's main business is actually dealing in all sorts of shady contraband.

Such power is indeed not something a thief can afford to provoke.

but,

This woman may have considerable value.

"Kabuto-kun, how's the missing persons case going?" Uchiha Izumi was a very smart girl, but she was too young and her experience was nowhere near that of Yakushi Kabuto. She didn't see anything special about the thief she had caught; she was more interested in the missing persons case that Yakushi Kabuto was investigating.

"I have no clue."

When the missing persons case was brought up, Kabuto Yakushi couldn't help but scratch his head.

Their Sixth Enforcement Brigade is responsible for patrolling the newly built area of ​​Konoha. Due to the victory in the war last year, a large number of outsiders poured into Konoha. So many people poured into the village and quickly formed a new settlement. This area, where incidents frequently occurred, was assigned to the Sixth Enforcement Brigade.

Yesterday, when Kabuto was on patrol, an elderly man reported that his youngest son had gone missing. After Kabuto inquired around the neighborhood, he discovered that there was more than one missing person. There are now four people who are confirmed to be missing, with the earliest one disappearing about five days ago.

"This area is too chaotic, and it's really difficult to gather intelligence. Another construction worker went missing last night, but I asked around the construction site where he worked, and no one noticed such an ordinary construction worker at all. There are just too many construction workers here," Kabuto Yakushi said helplessly.

The surrounding area is a newly built district, and most of the residents have not yet truly settled down. People leave every day, while new people constantly arrive... In such an environment, finding valuable information is not an easy task.

Uchiha Izumi looked around.

The streets were bustling with people, and there were many houses under construction on both sides. Construction workers carrying timber were everywhere, and they were all dressed similarly, wearing dusty work clothes and old safety helmets that looked like they had been used for many years. At first glance, it was hard to tell who was who.

"Were all the missing people construction workers?"

"That's right, and they're all men who are seventeen or eighteen years old, or in their early twenties."

"Could they be human traffickers? Mining and farming both require strong laborers like them."

Uchiha Izumi racked her brains, trying to guess.

"I don't know."

The pharmacist shook his head.

We currently have no clues, and all speculations are just baseless conjectures, which are meaningless.

"Sigh! It really feels like it's going to be very difficult to investigate!" Uchiha Izumi sighed. The girl was very smart, and she knew that her speculations had no basis whatsoever. It was fine to just think about it on her own, but if she wanted to take action, she couldn't do it without concrete clues!

"Quan, why are you sighing?"

The sound came from above.

Kabuto Yakushi and Izumi Uchiha looked in the direction of the sound. Their captain, Kojiro Uchiha, was squatting on the roof, smiling and looking down at them. He was carrying a bag of sweets, and judging from the packaging, they were from the famous shop 'Amatsu-gan'.

"Captain? You're slacking off again!"

Uchiha Izumi noticed the uniquely styled snack bag and immediately realized that the captain must have skipped work to buy snacks again.

The king of Konoha's sweets, Gansugan, is located in the heart of the village, quite a distance from the area their squad is responsible for patrolling.

"Don't say that! I did use shadow clones to patrol diligently."

"Captain, you're just making excuses. What if we encounter a serious incident and the shadow clone gets destroyed?"

"Haha! Izumi, Kabuto, come and have some snacks. There are three-colored dumplings in there."

Uchiha Torajiro successfully shut up Uchiha Izumi's incessantly chattering mouth with a snack. Three-colored dumplings were Uchiha Izumi's favorite food. Kabuto Yakushi neither disliked nor liked sweets, but unlike Uchiha Izumi, he didn't care much about his boss skipping work.

He thought the captain was quite nice, as he was easy to talk to and had no airs.

Although he has a sweet tooth and sometimes sneaks out of work to buy snacks, apart from this one flaw, Uchiha Torajiro is a qualified captain in every other way. Kabuto is quite satisfied with him. After all, no one is perfect, and he wouldn't expect his boss to be a flawless saint.