While blood was being shed on the front lines, Konohagakure, located in the rear, remained in a state of calm. Although the civilians living there knew that a war was happening, it felt too far away from them, and they did not feel any sense of urgency. Only the high-level officials receiving battle reports from the front lines carried that burden.
As the current administrator of Konohagakure, Uzumaki Mito kept a close watch on the situation at the front lines. The names of the many Ninjas who had died in battle almost stung her eyes, and among them, the number of Senju Clan Members was unusually high, as they were always the ones charging at the very front on the battlefield.
Mito did not tell Hashirama any bad news, fearing it would affect his condition. Even knowing that Hashirama would soon pass away, she wanted to extend that time as long as possible, so she only shared good news with him, skipping over the price that had been paid.
At this time, because Hashirama's condition had worsened, his consciousness was somewhat blurred, so he did not ask too many questions. He had no energy to concern himself with these matters now; he was satisfied just listening to those good reports. This indicated that Tobirama was doing a great job, and that Konohagakure would not fall because of this.
Although Mito held onto the hope that Hashirama could live a little longer, it seemed he could no longer hold on. His condition suddenly deteriorated, and he remained unconscious all day, only occasionally waking up for a moment before slipping back into a coma.
Mito had no choice but to send this news to the front lines so Tobirama would know. The message Tobirama sent back was that he would have Fūmori Masaki come in his stead to see Hashirama one last time, and at the same time, he would send over some civilians and wounded soldiers who had been taken in from the battlefield. Regarding the settlement of those civilians, Tobirama had already made arrangements: he would make available the land belonging to the fallen Senju Clan Members for the civilians to live on, and as for the rest, he would request to cultivate new land from the Daimyo after the war.
Tobirama's arrangements were always comprehensive. Mito had no objections; she would just wait for Fūmori Masaki to bring the people back and have Uchiha Kagami pay close attention.
Uchiha Kagami was also able to learn about the situation on the battlefield from Mito. Every time he saw his fellow students fighting, he felt pained that he could only wait in the Village. If it weren't for his clan not being very easy to manage, he could have accompanied Fūmori Masaki and the others to fight.
Thus, Uchiha Kagami followed the method Fūmori Masaki had suggested at the time and thoroughly reorganized the Uchiha Police Force. He established regulations that were strictly forbidden to be broken, and he would deal ruthlessly with anyone who violated the rules.
At this time, the Uchiha Clan Members only displayed a slight bit of arrogance. As the Clan Head, Uchiha Kagami had great influence within the clan and could completely keep these people in check. Even some Hawk Faction members who did not agree with Uchiha Kagami had to swallow their anger.
Of course, there were some stubborn ones in the Hawk Faction who refused to believe in evil and wanted to go against Uchiha Kagami. Uchiha Kagami did not know if they were expressing their dissatisfaction or testing the rules of the Police Force, but he would simply punish them according to the regulations. Although he wanted to punish them more severely to make those Hawk Faction members come to their senses, as the one who established the rules, he could not be the one to violate them.
Uchiha Kagami specially conducted a secret survey, asking those civilians about the recent performance of the Police Force. The results made him very happy; they all said that the performance of the Police Force was much better than before. Although the extent wasn't deep yet, they did have some trust in the Police Force.
This made Uchiha Kagami even more convinced that what Fūmori Masaki said was correct. To let the Uchiha Clan earn the trust of the people in the Village and become a complete part of it, the Police Force had to follow the rules, be close to the populace, and demonstrate the sense of responsibility of a security department.
At the clan meeting, Uchiha Kagami showed everyone his survey results and praised all the members of the Police Force. Originally, the Police Force members had been a bit unhappy because of these regulations, but seeing these survey results and hearing the personal praise of the Clan Head, most of them felt it was very good. Only those in the Hawk Faction felt that this behavior lost the honor of the Uchiha Clan and grew even more disgusted with Uchiha Kagami.
Uchiha Kagami did not care about the views of those in the Hawk Faction. As long as the majority of the clan approved, it was fine. Under the trend of the times, what could those Hawk Faction members do?
Recently, Uchiha Kagami learned that Fūmori Masaki would be returning from the front lines and would bring civilians and wounded soldiers with him. He was happy to see his friend again, and also realized that this was another time for the Uchiha Police Force to demonstrate its presence. These newly arrived civilians would surely not be accustomed to the Village, so they would need the help of the Police Force.
After receiving intelligence that they were about to arrive, Uchiha Kagami took the people of the Police Force out to welcome them. The moment he saw Fūmori Masaki appear, he hurriedly waved his hand, stepped forward, and said: "Long time no see, Masaki."
"Long time no see." Fūmori Masaki saw the Police Force members behind Uchiha Kagami, and from their expressions and posture, he could see certain things. He said in a low voice: "It seems you've done well these days."
"You're right, it's indeed useful." Uchiha Kagami smiled, "You will see soon."
Upon seeing a large group of people appear before them, the people belonging to Konohagakure didn't react much, but the newly arrived civilians were a bit uneasy, looking at these Police Force members with some fear. Subsequently, those Police Force members immediately stepped forward, their attitudes very friendly, asking after their well-being while leading them into Konohagakure and arranging places for them to live, and so on.
"I didn't expect these people to have such a side. When we left, they still had an arrogant look, but now they seem very people-friendly." Senju Touka walked over, supported by Satomi, and said with interest while looking at those Police Force members.
"Lady Momoka, you have worked hard." Uchiha Kagami bowed, "I heard that you led a squad to cut off the supply line of the Land of Lightning and forced back the Land of Lightning's troops, but suffered such injuries."
"If it weren't for Masaki, I wouldn't have even made it back." Senju Touka sighed, "Now I can only stay in the Village to recover from my injuries, unable to do anything, only able to watch others fight."
"I can understand your feelings." Uchiha Kagami felt the same way.
Everyone entered Konohagakure together, and the remaining wounded were arranged by the Police Force and the people Fūmori Masaki brought back. Uchiha Kagami and Fūmori Masaki went to discuss other matters. Uchiha Kagami first offered his congratulations, congratulating Fūmori Masaki on being promoted to Jonin.
"Likewise, congratulations to you." Fūmori Masaki took out the appointment scroll signed by Tobirama, "You have also been promoted to Jonin."
Uchiha Kagami was slightly stunned. He took the scroll and looked at it, understanding that he was also about to go to the battlefield. His body trembled slightly; he was not afraid, but rather, he could finally fight to protect the Village, and his blood seemed to be surging throughout his body.
"The battlefield of the Land of Wind? It is most appropriate for us from the Uchiha Clan to deal with it," Uchiha Kagami said.
"Be careful, Kagami. The Land of Wind is vast and sparsely populated, so the number of Ninja troops it can train is limited, but it dares to attack on its own, so it must have something to rely on. On the battlefield, I have learned that you must never underestimate the enemy." Fūmori Masaki knew that what the Land of Wind could rely on was the Secret Technique of Sand suitable for the terrain and the Puppet Technique that could make up for the difference in numbers. The Secret Technique of Sand was manageable; as long as one didn't rush into the territory of the Land of Wind, its power was limited. However, the Puppet Technique was quite insidious; it could have all sorts of traps.
"I understand." Uchiha Kagami nodded. Fūmori Masaki was someone who had stepped onto the battlefield a step earlier; listening to a senior's experience was always a good principle.
"Also, how is Lord Hashirama's condition?" Fūmori Masaki only knew that Hashirama was not doing well, but he didn't know the specific situation.
"Not good. He has been in a coma for a long time these days and hasn't woken up yet. He used to wake up a few times before." Uchiha Kagami shook his head, "It's estimated that he really won't make it. You arrived just in time."
"At least I can see him one last time, but Teacher will only be able to see Lord Hashirama's grave," Fūmori Masaki said.
Uchiha Kagami's gaze dimmed slightly. Tobirama did not return this time, and it was foreseeable that he would not be able to return for a long time in the future. Given Hashirama's current condition, he definitely wouldn't be able to hold on until that day. The former Clan Head Senju Butsuma only had two children, Hashirama and Tobirama, who lived to adulthood, yet the two brothers couldn't even see each other when they died.
"I'll go see Lord Hashirama," Fūmori Masaki said.
"Hmm." Uchiha Kagami nodded, "I will handle the other matters; you go and see him."