“…Fine, Genya, from now on you are the Chief of the Konoha Police Force.”
“I hope you can fully demonstrate your talents in this position.”
Hiruzen Sarutobi finally compromised; after all, it wasn’t a major issue.
Genya immediately stood at attention and said with righteous conviction:
“Of course.
To protect the peace and justice of Konoha is the duty of every ninja.”
“Where the leaves dance, the fire will also burn!”
Although Hiruzen Sarutobi often used such words to fool his subordinates, hearing them from an Uchiha—and one who had just threatened him—made him feel like something was fundamentally wrong.
After Hiruzen Sarutobi signed and sealed the appointment letter to confirm it had taken effect, Genya finally tucked it away with satisfaction.
At the same time, he produced another document and gestured for Hiruzen Sarutobi to sign it as well.
“What is this?”
“It’s nothing much, just a reform plan for the Konoha Police Force that I’m proposing in my capacity as Chief.”
“First, the size will be tripled, and we will be allowed to recruit Police Force members from among the civilian ninjas and other ninja clans.”
“Of course, we will adhere to the principles of fairness and justice, ensuring that every member joins the Police Force voluntarily.
There will definitely be no forced recruitment or abductions.”
When mentioning forced recruitment, Genya looked directly in Danzo’s direction, his implication plain as day.
Seeing that look, Danzo nearly jumped up in a fit of rage.
What does an evil Uchiha brat like you know?
Everything I do is for the village!
“Hmph!”
But the moment Fugaku’s Mangekyo turned toward him, Danzo very obediently lowered his head like an ostrich.
I’m not afraid of you, Fugaku, but the current Konoha absolutely cannot do without him!
Hiruzen Sarutobi did not rush to voice his thoughts this time.
Instead, he seriously read through the entire document Genya had submitted.
Throughout the report, there was essentially only one demand: more money.
Recruiting ninjas cost money, paying salaries cost money, and maintaining the fairness and justice of Konoha as well as various training facilities for the Police Force members also required funding.
Tripling the scale didn’t just mean recruiting three times the personnel; it meant asking for three times the original operating budget of the Police Force.
And that wasn’t all.
There were also various site maintenance fees, ninja training costs, and wear-and-tear expenses for ninja tools—all of which needed to be reimbursed by the village.
The total asking price was roughly four to five times what the Police Force had consumed in the past.
Hiruzen Sarutobi instinctively reached for his pipe to smoke, but after glancing at Genya, he maintained a kind smile.
“Genya, you’re a good child.
You must know that the Third War has just ended, and every part of the village is in need of funds.”
“If you ask for triple the budget, Konoha simply cannot produce it.”
“How about this?
I can allow the recruitment expansion, but regarding the budget, the village will make it up when there’s an opportunity in the future.”
Genya let out a cold sneer in his heart, nearly huffing just like Fugaku.
Not enough money?
Excuses, all excuses.
Clearly, they wanted to continue depleting the Uchiha’s foundation, preferably by having the Uchiha pay for it themselves.
Triple the budget was no joke.
Furthermore, other ninja clans weren’t necessarily as easy to talk to as the Uchiha; recruiting them as members of the Police Force would likely cost even more money.
After all, the Police Force was a department that attracted quite a bit of hatred, so there had to be some compensation for mental distress.
However, Genya had anticipated this and produced yet another report.
“And what is this now?” Hiruzen Sarutobi’s eyelid twitched; he had a bad premonition.
Why did it feel like Genya had been lying in wait for him specifically?
Genya said with a smile, “Since Konoha is facing difficulties, we can understand.”
“It just so happens that I’ve collected the signatures of all the members of the Konoha Police Force.
Now, as long as I, the Chief, sign off, this resignation report will officially take effect.”
“After all, our Police Force also wants to save funds for the village.”
“A resignation report?” Hiruzen Sarutobi was stunned, not understanding what Genya was up to.
He had just become the Chief of the Police Force and now he was resigning?
Was he intentionally making a fool of him?
But he soon realized the gravity of the situation because Genya had just said “all the members of the Police Force.”
What was he trying to do?
Was he forcing his hand right here to his face?
If he didn’t agree to the demands, the entire Police Force would resign.
Regardless, the Police Force was a massive pit that the Second Hokage—his teacher—had dug for the Uchiha.
He absolutely could not let the Uchiha escape from this trap.
Moreover, Hiruzen Sarutobi had another consideration: the combat power of the Uchiha clan was far too high.
Even if they did nothing and just honestly accepted missions, they would likely corner the ninja mission market, swallowing up the missions of other major clans, including those of the Sarutobi clan.
The Uchiha were famously powerful in battle; everyone who had hired them spoke highly of them.
Meanwhile, the Senju clan, who once shared equal fame with the Uchiha, was now essentially non-existent.
Looking at the two documents on the table, Hiruzen Sarutobi was caught in a dilemma.
One option was to agree to Genya’s demands, taking a little less money from the families of his old comrades to satisfy the Uchiha’s appetite.
Or, he could let the Uchiha completely emerge from the quagmire of the Police Force, in which case the Uchiha ninjas would be entirely beyond his control.
Although they were still somewhat out of control now, at least this young man was still willing to talk.
As the saying goes, one should choose the lesser of two evils.
Although Genya had presented a demand that made Hiruzen Sarutobi very uncomfortable, fortunately, he had also provided another option that was absolutely unacceptable.
By comparison, the request to increase the budget and the scale of the Police Force didn’t seem quite so intolerable.
It might even be a good opportunity to plant a few of his own people in the Police Force to monitor the movements of Fugaku and this Uchiha Genya.
Hiruzen Sarutobi hadn’t expected at all that he was being played by the very tactic he used most often.
With Fugaku playing the bad cop and Genya playing the good cop, they had Hiruzen Sarutobi completely wrapped around their fingers.
Having thought this through, Hiruzen Sarutobi immediately put on a kind smile.
“Since the Uchiha are determined to share the village’s burdens, I agree to the expansion of the Police Force.”
When Shimura Danzo heard these words, he was so angry he wanted to jump out on the spot.
I see you’ve truly grown old, to actually do something like untying the Uchiha’s leash.
But under the gaze of a pair of blood-red Mangekyo, Shimura Danzo ultimately didn’t dare to jump out.
It wasn’t that he was too cowardly, but because this distance was far too dangerous for him.
Konoha could do without Hiruzen Sarutobi, but it absolutely could not do without him, the Darkness of Shinobi!
Seeing Hiruzen Sarutobi sign his name, Genya tucked the document away with satisfaction, intending to head straight to the Finance Department for the money.
Hiruzen Sarutobi still cared about his reputation somewhat; it was impossible for him to go back on a signature he just made.
But that might not be the case after a while.