Chapter 7: What Is Called Transferring Contradictions, Anyway?
Human beings are an incredibly complex kind of creature—but at the same time, they are also remarkably simple.
Uchiha Shisui thought carefully for a moment, and then realized that what Shiraishi had said actually made a great deal of sense.
Were the people who formulated the rules wrong?
No, they were not.
Were the people who enforced the rules wrong?
No, they were not.
Neither side was truly in the wrong, yet conflicts with the villagers would still inevitably arise.
Because people, in the end, all have selfish motives.
Different positions naturally lead to different attitudes.
Toward those who interact with them directly, it is very easy for resentment and hatred to form.
Toward those in high positions, resentment may also exist—but it is usually much weaker.
And on top of that, a sense of awe and fear is often mixed in as well.
"…It really might work."
Uchiha Shisui's eyes lit up.
"Shiraishi, you're practically a genius."
"This method would still be very difficult to implement, but if it really could be carried out, there's a very high chance it would completely change the current situation of the Military Police Force."
"You haven't even entered the Military Police Force yourself, and just through external observation and what I told you, you were able to come up with something like this. That's incredible."
Shisui couldn't help but sigh inwardly once more.
—If only Shiraishi's talent as a ninja were just a little better…
In truth, for Shiraishi, this wasn't anything remarkable at all. He was simply copying ideas from his previous life.
It was just that this world had not yet developed to that level.
People's understanding was still stuck in a relatively outdated stage.
Unlike Shiraishi's previous world, where almost everyone had at least a decent grasp of politics, class structures, and the concept of transferring contradictions.
Shiraishi spoke calmly.
"The difficulty is still very high."
"First, you'd need to get the village leadership to agree. More personnel means more expenses, and the higher-ups may not be willing to approve that kind of spending."
"Second, although I don't know the exact internal situation of the Military Police Force, there will definitely be some members who view the authority of the Police Force as their own personal power and don't want to share it with anyone else."
"They enjoy that feeling of interacting with villagers from a position of superiority."
"That group of people would likely raise objections."
Uchiha Shisui frowned slightly.
"I think the internal issues within the Police Force can be resolved. I interacted with quite a few members today, and the situation you described actually isn't very common."
"Most members of the Police Force don't even like this job. They're tired of it, and if given another option, they'd prefer to do something else."
As he spoke, Shisui suddenly seemed to think of something.
"Shiraishi, do you think this would work?"
"What is it?"
"Getting the village leadership to agree to increased spending is extremely difficult. But if we don't increase spending at all—wouldn't that solve the problem?"
"Directly dismiss most of the Uchiha members from the Military Police Force and free up that portion of the funds."
Shisui continued,
"Use that money to hire ordinary ninja, or even civilians."
"In that case, the village leadership would have no objections. On the Uchiha side, aside from a small number of people who might be dissatisfied, the majority shouldn't have a problem with it either."
"This would perfectly solve the Military Police Force issue."
"And the relationship between the Uchiha and the villagers could finally ease."
Shiraishi nodded.
"I think what you're suggesting is feasible. It's definitely worth trying."
Night had completely fallen.
Uchiha Shisui took his leave.
Shiraishi returned to his bedroom.
As for the matter of the Military Police Force, Shiraishi still harbored some doubts.
He had two possible theories.
The first was that the entire Military Police Force was, in itself, a scheme devised by Konoha's higher-ups—using the department to deliberately intensify the conflict between the Uchiha and the villagers.
The goal being to continuously worsen the Uchiha clan's reputation within the village.
The second possibility was that some Uchiha members within the Police Force genuinely had terrible personalities—arrogant, self-important, and prone to letting even a little authority go to their heads.
Or perhaps… it was a mixture of both.
Uchiha Shisui became busy, working on ways to submit a proposal to the higher-ups.
Two days later.
Two figures walked toward the ninja tools shop.
"Senior Shiraishi."
Shiraishi looked at the two figures entering the shop and smiled.
"Good morning, Itachi."
Then he turned his gaze to the smaller figure beside him.
"This must be Sasuke, right?"
Uchiha Itachi nodded.
"Sasuke, this is Senior Shiraishi."
Uchiha Sasuke curiously sized Shiraishi up.
"Good morning, Senior Shiraishi."
"Good morning, Sasuke."
Shiraishi gestured lightly.
"Come in and have a seat."
Shiraishi led the two into the lounge, then signaled to Hirako Shinji nearby.
"Hirako Shinji, I'll leave the shop to you for now."
"Yes, sir."
Hirako Shinji leapt lightly and landed atop the counter, arms crossed, a tachi hanging at his waist, putting on an expression of forced seriousness.
Uchiha Sasuke stared at him curiously.
"Big brother, is that a ninja cat?"
Uchiha Itachi nodded.
"Then do you have a ninja cat too, big brother?"
Itachi shook his head.
Disappointment immediately appeared on Sasuke's face.
Only then did Itachi explain,
"The Uchiha clan has always had a close relationship with ninja cats. If you like them, Sasuke, when you're a bit older, you can find one to become your partner."
"I don't have one because I chose crows instead."
Sasuke's eyes lit up again.
"Alright! Then I'll find a really, really strong ninja cat!"
Itachi then turned to Shiraishi.
"Senior Shiraishi, I'm sorry for visiting so suddenly today. The tea snacks you let me take last time were just too delicious—after Sasuke ate them, he couldn't stop thinking about them."
"So I wanted to ask if I could buy some more. If it's too much trouble, then please forget it."
As he spoke, Itachi took out his money pouch.
Shiraishi waved his hand.
"No need to buy them. Just tell me what you like, and I'll have Alice make them."
"No, no. If you do that, I won't feel comfortable bringing Sasuke here again."
Shiraishi sighed slightly.
"Alright then—just cover the cost of ingredients."
"These snacks are far better than ordinary food. How could they possibly be cheaper than the dango shop's prices? That would be taking advantage of you. At least double—no, even double isn't enough."
Itachi shook his head.
"Just the dango shop price. Any more than that, and I won't sell them. I'm not running a business like this anyway, and the ingredients aren't expensive."
"That's too low…"
"Then it's settled. We're friends, aren't we? If you insist on raising the price, then you're not treating me like a friend."
Shiraishi said this while pretending to look annoyed.
This time, Itachi didn't insist further.
"…Alright. We'll do it your way, Senior Shiraishi."
Shiraishi turned his gaze to Sasuke.
"Sasuke, what do you like to eat?"
"Bonito rice balls and tomatoes."
"Got it. I'll have Alice make some bonito rice balls too."
Shiraishi went to the kitchen, said a few words to Alice, and returned to the lounge with some small snacks.
"Oh right, Itachi—stay for lunch today. I already asked Alice to prepare the ingredients."
"…This…"
Itachi hesitated.
"Shisui had something he wanted me to tell you last night."
Hearing that, Itachi finally nodded.
"Then I'll trouble you, Senior Shiraishi."
Shiraishi handed the snack bag to Sasuke.
"Sasuke, give it a try. Alice made these too—they're pretty good."
Sasuke looked eager, but still glanced at Itachi first. Only after Itachi nodded did he happily open the bag.
"It smells so good!"
He took a small piece and tasted it.
"So delicious!"
But instead of eating the second piece himself, he handed it to Itachi, then gave the third piece to Shiraishi.
"Senior Shiraishi, you should eat too."
"Thank you."
Shiraishi accepted it.
As he ate, Shiraishi glanced at the top of Sasuke's head.
A small line of text appeared—visible only to him.
[36 — A big brother who can bring out delicious food.]
Shiraishi wasn't surprised.
Among the Uchiha clan members he hadn't interacted with much, favorability usually hovered around thirty, fluctuating slightly.
Among non-Uchiha villagers in Konoha, favorability ranged from negative values up to around twenty.
Negative values represented outright dislike.
This clearly showed how poor the Uchiha clan's standing in Konoha really was.
Sasuke's favorability of 36—those extra six points likely came partly from Itachi, and partly from Alice's cooking.
The three chatted casually.
Before long, it was lunchtime.
"Master, lunch is ready."
Alice's voice rang out.
"Alright. Thank you for your hard work, Alice."
Shiraishi turned to Itachi and Sasuke.
"Itachi, Sasuke, lunch is ready. Let's head to the dining room—the wash basin is right next door."
"Okay."
The two stood up.
After washing their hands, the three sat down at the table.
Sasuke looked full of anticipation.
Even Itachi, in truth, felt a quiet sense of anticipation.
Despite his young age and his constant contemplation of the village, the clan, and the Will of Fire, Itachi was still human—and humans liked good food.
There were four dishes in total.
The portions were generous.
The colors were rich and appetizing.
"Let's eat."
Shiraishi picked up his chopsticks.
Sasuke followed immediately, unable to wait any longer.
At just over three years old—not even four yet—Sasuke already understood a great many things. Living independently wouldn't even be much of a problem for him.
Though, of course, he was still cared for by Uchiha Mikoto in daily life.
Elsewhere, Uzumaki Naruto at the same age truly lived alone.
People in this world really did mature frighteningly early.
Shiraishi recalled the original storyline—students were already gossiping about crushes before even officially enrolling in the ninja academy.
"Is it good, Sasuke?"
"It's really good."
After hesitating for a moment, Sasuke added,
"It's the best food I've ever eaten."
"If you like it, then eat more."
Shiraishi noticed that as the meal progressed, the number above Sasuke's head continued to rise little by little.
The meal ended.
All four dishes were completely wiped clean—not a single bite left.
The ninja cats that had gathered nearby once again left in disappointment.
"Meow…"
One cat rubbed its head against Shiraishi.
During the midday break, the shop closed for two hours. Shiraishi instructed Hirako Shinji to shut the doors, then led Itachi and Sasuke into the backyard.
Sasuke remained deeply curious about Hirako Shinji.
Shiraishi and Itachi stepped a short distance away from Sasuke.
"Last night, Shisui and I discussed a decision."
"Senior Shiraishi, what is it?"
Shiraishi spoke slowly.
"In the current situation, the core issue is the conflict between the Uchiha and the village. If this conflict continues to escalate, it will inevitably lead to serious consequences."
"Either the Uchiha will suffer a devastating blow."
"Or the village will."
"Or both will."
"And this conflict comes from two main sources."
"First, dissatisfaction within the Uchiha clan toward the village's policies."
"Second, dissatisfaction among the villagers toward the Uchiha."
"What Shisui and I discussed yesterday was a way to solve the second issue—removing part of the Uchiha members from the Military Police Force and sending them back to the clan."
"Then, using their empty spot to recruit ordinary ninja, or even civilians, to form a new department."
"This department would directly interact with the villagers."
"The Military Police Force would only be responsible for coordination between this department and the village leadership."
"With this setup, the villagers' dissatisfaction toward the Uchiha would be reduced."
"Shisui and I have already discussed it thoroughly, and we both think it's feasible."
"But as for the first issue, neither of us could come up with a good solution."
"Itachi—do you have any ideas?"
Uchiha Itachi fell silent for a while.
At first, he was thinking about Shiraishi's proposed solution for the villagers' dissatisfaction.
Only afterward did he turn to the question Shiraishi had posed.
"Senior Shiraishi… why do you think the Uchiha are dissatisfied with the village?"
"There are many reasons."
Shiraishi shrugged lightly.
"For example, the Uchiha and the Senju founded Konoha together, yet the Uchiha never received the treatment befitting founding clans. Even their district was pushed to the edge of the village."
"And beyond that, conflicts naturally accumulate over time."
"The longer they're left unresolved, the bigger they become."
After a brief pause, Shiraishi added,
"And some Uchiha members are simply too radical, too extreme, and too proud."
At those words, Itachi's expression subtly changed.
After a moment—
"Senior Shiraishi, I think we can approach it from that direction."
"Which direction?"
"The mindset of the Uchiha members themselves."
Itachi said seriously,
"I think many Uchiha are still immersed in the era of Uchiha Madara, and they don't have a clear understanding of the present reality."
Shiraishi was genuinely surprised.
Those words revealed Itachi's true inner thoughts—something he would never have said to Shiraishi during their previous meeting.
Suddenly, Shiraishi noticed that the number above Itachi's head had quietly risen to 70.
Only then did Shiraishi understand.
No wonder, his favorability increased, so his distrust lowered, and he spoke honestly.