That night, during patrol duty,
A Uchiha Police Force squad encountered a drunken villager causing a scene near the main market street of Konoha!
Following standard procedure,
They stepped forward, restrained the man with chakra cuffs, and pinned him to the ground!
At that moment, several curious villagers gathered to watch.
In the past,
There would surely have been whispers among the "The Uchiha are too harsh again! Look at them, slamming a man's face into the ground!"
"He's just drunk, not a criminal."
"Do they really need to go that far?"
Or worse
"They must just dislike this guy! The Uchiha always abuse their authority for personal grudges!"
Because the villagers had long carried a fixed prejudice against the Uchiha, such thoughts came naturally.
But this time was different!
"Good!!"
"Excellent!!"
"That drunk's caused trouble before serves him right!!"
"Arrest them all!!"
"The Police Force is amazing!!"
The crowd erupted into cheers!
Cheers for the Uchiha guards!
It was at that very moment that the villagers truly realized
How safe it felt to have a group of disciplined shinobi enforcing the law fairly and fearlessly!
Hearing the cheers echoing around them, the patrol squad members were stunned.
They had never experienced this kind of support before!
What was going on?
After subduing the drunkards, they escorted the offenders back to the Police Department headquarters near the Naka River
All while villagers along the streets called out to them:
"Working night shifts must be tough!"
"Be careful out there, Uchiha-san!"
"It's because of you that we can walk safely at night!"
Compliments poured endlessly from every side.
The guards, usually met with glares and suspicion, were completely speechless!
"Did you all hear that? The villagers are actually thanking us!"
"What's going on here?"
"Have we changed… or have they changed?"
"I was only off duty for a month how did everything turn upside down?"
"It's all thanks to the new patriarch, Uchiha Chiya!"
"Remember when he said once we resumed patrols, the village's attitude would change? I didn't believe him back then… but now I see I was short-sighted!"
"I used to underestimate him, but now I realize how wrong I was! The new patriarch truly has foresight!"
"Yes, I never expected him to be this capable!"
...
After the Uchiha resumed law enforcement, the village's security swiftly returned to its former peace and order.
Everything seemed as it once was as though the turmoil had never happened.
But in truth, something had changed.
The villagers' hearts had changed.
Their impression of the Uchiha…
Their understanding of law enforcement…
Had all begun to transform.
And the Uchiha themselves also personally felt the warmth and respect now coming from the villagers.
Though few said anything aloud,
Inside, they were quietly overjoyed!
Among them, the elders of the clan were the happiest of all several of them came early in the morning to find Uchiha Chiya.
"Patriarch, this strategy of yours was truly brilliant!"
"Yes! I can clearly feel that the villagers' attitude toward us has completely changed!"
"Even members of the Police Force have told me repeatedly that their patrols have become smoother than ever! None of them dared to imagine this before!"
"Now that we've gained the support of the villagers, even the Hokage's advisors and Danzō won't dare suppress us openly anymore!"
"..."
The more they spoke, the more excited they became!
Before this, these same elders had looked down on Chiya, both openly and behind closed doors.
After all, Chiya was a younger shinobi his strength was nothing exceptional compared to other elite members of the Uchiha clan.
Even though he had defeated Fugaku during the patriarchal succession duel, many whispered that he'd relied on cunning tactics rather than raw power.
To entrust the clan's leadership to someone like that, they'd thought, was like walking straight into the flames!
But now, they finally understood
How remarkable this new patriarch truly was!
Standing nearby, Uchiha Fugaku watched Chiya with quiet satisfaction.
The more he observed, the more he felt that his decision back then had been absolutely right.
Chiya smiled calmly and said, "I'm pleased with these results as well. But remember our Uchiha path toward true revival has only just begun. We must not grow complacent. Continue working hard, for the clan's honor depends on us all."
"Don't worry, Patriarch! We will always stand with you!"
All the elders declared in unison their voices filled with sincerity!
Watching this, Fugaku gave a faint, bitter smile.
He understood perfectly from this very moment, Chiya's position in the hearts of the clan members had completely surpassed his own, the former patriarch's.
And to achieve this, Chiya had needed only a single month…
...
After the meeting ended and the elders dispersed, Chiya returned to his quarters.
The moment he was alone, he could no longer hold back his excitement and quickly opened the clan's secret intelligence system the network established by the Police Force to track reputation across the village.
Just moments ago, the system had notified him: the Uchiha's public reputation had risen sharply.
And with that rise, a new reward had been unlocked a gift of recognition for their restored honor!
---