"Hey, let go of me... I'm really on leave. There were too many complaints before, so the Vice-Chief won't let me serve in the Military Police anymore."
"I'll go withdraw the complaints! I'll go withdraw them! Can't you Uchiha just come back on duty?!"
Kawasaki had to use a Substitution Jutsu to escape the izakaya owner's overzealous grasp, leaving Third Street in a rather disheveled state.
Despite this, a sudden sense of relief washed over him. The pent-up frustration he had felt for so long vanished in an instant.
Similar scenes were playing out on other streets the Uchiha had once patrolled.
Many of the former Uchiha Military Police members were being greeted warmly by shopkeepers.
When they heard the Uchiha weren't returning to their patrols, their disappointment was palpable.
They pleaded, saying everything they could, just hoping these Uchiha clansmen would return to their posts.
If it weren't for the fact that every one of these Uchiha was exceptionally agile, they probably would have been held back, unable to even walk.
These were the hardliners of the clan, men whose uncompromising methods had offended many people.
Yet now, they were being held onto by shopkeepers, begged to come back.
This sudden recognition was like a long-awaited ray of light, piercing through their repressed hearts and scattering all their dissatisfaction and gloom.
So there were people who needed the Uchiha after all. They only realized our value once we were gone?
Some were even moved enough to consider returning to the clan and pleading with the Clan Head to let them resume their duties.
After all, the Captain of the Military Police Force was Uchiha Fugaku. Whether they could be reinstated was up to him.
Upon returning to the compound, several of these suspended Uchiha really did go to seek an audience with the Clan Head.
What they said made Fugaku wonder if he had been caught in a genjutsu.
He neither agreed nor refused, simply telling them to continue their leave.
Afterward, he summoned Kawasaki, Shisui, and Itachi.
Kawasaki had spent the last few days holed up at the training grounds, cultivating his skills with Itachi accompanying him.
Shisui, now recovered from his injuries, was also there, engaged in rehabilitation training.
The group gathered quickly.
"Have a seat. Shisui, how is your recovery?"
Fugaku first nodded to Kawasaki and Itachi before addressing Shisui.
"Thank you for your concern, Clan Head. I have mostly recovered and am currently undergoing rehabilitation training."
Shisui was as meticulous as ever, sitting perfectly upright and answering seriously even though he had just healed.
"Kawasaki, were those people part of your plan?" Fugaku asked.
Kawasaki grinned. "They've stopped causing trouble now, haven't they?"
Fugaku nodded. "Your move was truly effective. Before, we were met with disdain everywhere we went. Now, people are grabbing us and begging us to return."
Kawasaki turned to Shisui and Itachi. "Shisui, Itachi, what have you two observed over the past few days?"
Shisui and Itachi had also been paying close attention to the clansmen who had been suspended and sent home.
They had feared their morale would plummet, but after the first couple of days, the subsequent developments had surprised them.
Itachi said, "Senpai, you have highlighted the Uchiha's irreplaceable position."
Shisui added, "Senpai, I think it's more that we, the Uchiha, are needed."
Kawasaki nodded.
The two boys had some sense, after all.
They were only in their early teens—middle schoolers in his previous life.
It was an age when their ideologies were malleable. Without proper guidance, even a genius could be turned into a fool.
"People have a bad habit of taking for granted what's right in front of them. That's why no matter how much we Uchiha do, it gets overlooked."
"But this oversight can be corrected through loss and comparison."
"We Uchiha have run the Military Police Force for years. No one can match us, and no one has done a better job."
"But there are always schemers in the village who think we're trying to usurp power, so they find ways to suppress us."
"That's why we took a step back, to dispel the impression that the Uchiha are a threat."
"Once the villagers realize their previous suspicions were just paranoia, they will naturally remember the good we've done."
The others listened in silence.
These were fundamental principles, but not ones they possessed.
In this cruel world, it was common for children not yet ten years old to be sent to the battlefield. What kind of education could they possibly receive?
Their genius was confined to combat; in other aspects, they were far too naive.
A moment of carelessness and they would be deceived by Danzo.
Or else, they'd be brainwashed by the Third Hokage's Will of Fire.
Fugaku spoke up. "Some clansmen now wish to return to the Military Police. Kawasaki, what are your thoughts?"
Kawasaki rolled his eyes and said dismissively, "I think it's a terrible idea."
Shisui hesitated. "But many villagers are desperate for the Uchiha to return."
Only Itachi remained quiet, knowing Kawasaki would explain.
Kawasaki slapped a hand on Shisui's head, messing up his hair. "Shisui, you really have a short memory. Have you forgotten how you lost your eye?"
"People are forgetful creatures. If the Uchiha go back now, it will just be a repeat of history."
"Unless the root of the problem is solved, everything you're talking about is meaningless."
As Fugaku listened to Kawasaki's eloquent explanation, he sometimes felt that his own thinking was too simplistic. Protecting the clan was truly a difficult task.
Thankfully, he had Kawasaki.
Itachi asked hesitantly, "Then, senpai, what is the root of the problem?"
"The key."
Kawasaki patted Itachi's back and clenched his fist.
"This is the key."
"Senpai, are you referring to strength?"
Kawasaki shook his head. "Yes and no."
"Yes, because in this world of shinobi, strength is everything."
"When the Uchiha's power is great enough to completely overwhelm Konoha, whoever we want to be Hokage will be Hokage."
"And no, because even if we subdue Konoha, we still have the Hidden Cloud, the Hidden Stone, the Hidden Mist, and the Hidden Sand waiting for us."
"In Madara and Hashirama's era, Hashirama became Hokage through his unrivaled power because he alone could suppress all the other shinobi villages."
"But the Hokage of today is merely the result of a compromise between the various clans."
"Without becoming powerful in our own right, the title of Hokage is nothing more than an empty name."
"You saw so many disasters in my Mangekyo. Shouldn't you be setting your sights further?"
"I had the Uchiha suspend their duties so they could see the reality of their situation, so they wouldn't be blinded by the immediate injustice."
"What we need is to become stronger ourselves. When every one of the Uchiha's powerful members can stand on their own, Konoha will be begging us to take the position of Hokage."
Fugaku was captivated. He placed a hand on Kawasaki's shoulder. "Kawasaki, you should be the one leading this clan."
Kawasaki laughed and brushed Fugaku's hand away. "You jest, Clan Head. As long as the Uchiha clan prospers, it doesn't matter who leads it."
"If the Uchiha clan is annihilated, what meaning would there be in being the Clan Head?"
A heavy silence fell over the room.
[Ding...]
"Shisui!"
"Yes!"
Uchiha Shisui nodded firmly.
"It's about time. The psychological barriers of most of our clansmen have been cleared."
"It's time to break free from these shackles."
"It's time to prepare for a 'revolution'."
Fugaku was silent for a moment. "Proceed with the original plan and notify those individuals."
Kawasaki took out a sealing scroll and handed it to Itachi. "Itachi, this contains some of the clan's assets, as well as a business plan I've written."
"It will be difficult for you after you leave. Everything will depend on you."