Konoha, Western District.Military Police Substation.
Sunlight poured through the wide glass windows of the office, illuminating the spacious interior below. From his seat behind the desk, Uchiha Yoru looked out over the compound, his gaze lingering just a little too long.
This was authority.
The Military Police Force maintained nine divisions. A division stationed within the village proper was authorized a full roster of two hundred shinobi. That meant two hundred subordinates, two hundred voices that answered to him.
Power had weight. And it was intoxicating.
"Yoru-san."
Standing near the desk was Uchiha Shisui, now officially the vice-captain of the Seventh Division. His expression was calm, but the fatigue behind his eyes was impossible to hide.
The past months had taken their toll.
He had returned to Konoha full of conviction, believing Orochimaru would soon ascend to the Hokage's seat. Instead, Orochimaru was sidelined. Worse still, Shisui had spent much of his time dealing with Root-related operations, seeing the village's darker machinery up close.
It had shaken him.
Yoru noticed the change immediately and frowned.
"Look at yourself," Yoru said bluntly. "Is this all it takes to break you? You're an Uchiha."
Shisui said nothing.
"You still believe in the Will of Fire," Yoru continued, voice firm. "You still believe in the Third Hokage. When Orochimaru becomes Fifth Hokage, things will change. You just need to endure."
Shisui forced a small smile.
As always, Yoru stood steady. Confident. Unshaken.
"Congratulations," Shisui said after a moment. "You've been promoted to jōnin… and appointed captain of the Seventh Division."
Yoru nodded.
The promotion had been inevitable. The village couldn't very well appoint a division captain who was still officially a chūnin. His work alongside Orochimaru had been reframed, polished, and approved.
Politics made anything possible.
"Our situation isn't ideal," Yoru said, steering the conversation forward. "The division currently has barely thirty operatives. We need to restore full strength immediately."
"Yes," Shisui replied, straightening. "Recruitment has already begun. The screening process will be finished within three days."
The Police Force wasn't composed solely of Uchiha. Civilian-born shinobi and members of other clans served within it as well. That balance mattered. A police force made up entirely of Uchiha would only accelerate the clan's isolation.
Before the Nine-Tails incident, the Uchiha had stood at the village's center. That changed afterward.
Now, appearances mattered.
Yoru narrowed his eyes slightly.
"This time, prioritize shinobi aligned with Orochimaru-sensei," he said. "From today onward, the Seventh Division doesn't just represent the Uchiha."
He paused.
"It represents Orochimaru."
Shisui looked up.
Yoru pulled a roster from the desk and slid it forward, stopping on a specific section.
"The second vice-captain position is still open," Yoru said. "The Hyūga would be a good fit. Speak with them. Also reach out to the Inuzuka and Aburame."
"No matter their response, remember this," he added. "We are acting in Orochimaru's name. Not the clan's."
Shisui frowned.
"If we do that," he said slowly, "won't the division become… compromised? Too many interests, too many eyes."
Yoru rubbed his temples and let out a tired breath.
"Shisui," he said patiently, "your strength is unmatched, but your political instincts still need work."
He looked directly at him.
"The Seventh Division has already been offered up. It no longer belongs to the Police Force or the Uchiha. It belongs to Orochimaru. To the future Hokage."
Realization flickered across Shisui's face, though it was clear he only half understood.
"So… this is the clan's statement."
Yoru shook his head slightly.
"It's more than that. Any clan that sends a shinobi here is declaring where they stand. Not with us. With Orochimaru."
The division wasn't being built for efficiency.
It was being built as a signal.
Support would be noted. Hesitation would be remembered.
Who would dare offend a man who might soon wear the Hokage's hat?
Yoru leaned back, eyes distant.
Orochimaru's failure to secure the position wasn't due to lack of merit. It was politics. Danzō's ambition. The Third Hokage's hesitation. The fear of an uncontrollable successor.
Others simply followed the current, protecting their own interests.
Shisui fell silent, finally grasping the weight of what he was being asked to manage.
"…Understood," he said at last.
Yoru nodded.
"That's enough for today," he said. "Go prepare."
As Shisui turned to leave, Yoru remained seated, staring out through the glass once more.
The Seventh Division had become a chess piece.
And the board was finally in motion.