The fire crackled softly in the hearth, casting flickering shadows across the scrolls and ink-stained parchment spread across the table. Snow continued to fall outside, muffling the sound of the village.
Tobirama sat alone at his desk, as he tapped on the table with his index finger while the other hand stroke his chin. As he began to plan, the firelight casted a long shadow across the scrolls and ink.
"They need status. Authority. And a role that elevates them to appease their pride, but all the while confines their ambition and influence."
The Uchiha had shown exceptional efficiency in rooting out spies and rogue shinobi during the purge. Their pride, discipline, their Sharingan. It all made them ideal for internal security – for rooting out spies and also for suppressing shinobi clans from losing control.
He dipped his brush.
At the top of the scroll, he wrote.
Proposal: Konoha Internal Security Division.
[Military Police Force]
He outlined the structure:
Mandate: Maintain law and order within the village. Investigate crimes. Apprehend suspects. Monitor internal threats.
Jurisdiction: Operates independently from the Hokage's daily command, but submit monthly reports.
Composition: staffed primarily by Uchiha clan members. Personnel selection remains an exclusive right of the Uchiha.
Privileges: Access to intelligence archives. Authority to interrogate and confiscate property.
Restriction: No involvement in foreign affairs, military strategy, or Hokage's direct command.
Oversight: Hokage may audit or restructure the force
He paused.
Then revised.
Oversight: Hokage may audit or restructure the force only with Uchiha clan's agreement.
Tobirama leaned back, finalizing the mandate. Then Uzumaki Mito entered quietly.
"You're still working?" She asked gently.
Tobirama didn't look up.
"I'm drafting a solution."
She stepped closer, reading the scroll over his shoulder.
"Military Police Force…"
Mito's eyes narrowed slightly.
"Is it because of the elders?"
Tobirama remained silent for a moment.
"No. it's for the future of Konoha."
"You're giving the Uchiha a cage – gilded in gold."
"A necessary one," Tobirama replied. "They need status, authority, and a role that elevates them. This will satiate their pride and ambition and bind them to the village with sense of duty. All the while suppressing their influence within Konoha and Land of Fire.'
Mito studied his face.
"Some of them might see it as a gift. But, as I said, some will also see it as cage."
Tobirama nodded.
"But. They respect power. And value honor. Whether they agree or not, once they take charge, they will take it seriously, police themselves for the sake of their reputation."
Mito sat across from him, giving him a knowing look.
"You're still thinking about Madara."
He paused and grimaced in annoyance, accustomed to Mito's unique ability to absorb and feel his raw emotions and subsequently read his thoughts and actions like a book.
"I saw it in Sosuke's eyes. The ambition. The resentment. And the desire to rise. The elders' concern weren't entirely wrong. If I do nothing, the Uchiha will produce a Hokage. Hokage should not be gained through coercion or rebellion, but through merit and the village's recognition."
Mito was quiet for a moment.
"And if one of them earns it?"
Tobirama looked at her.
"Then I'll accept it. If Uchiha can win the heart of the villagers all the while carrying this responsibility, then the purpose has been served. Police Force is a safeguard, a method to slowly reform Uchiha."
He gestured to the scroll.
"This force will give them a sense of duty and belonging to Konoha."
Mito narrowed her eyes and locked her eyes with Tobirama's. Tobirama sighed helplessly and shrugged his shoulder.
"Sure, the safe internal duties will decrease casualty rates and earn the envy of other clans, and isolate them. But it will also allow me to monitor their strength. And most importantly – it will suppress the conditions that awakens the Mangekyo Sharingan."
Mito exhaled slowly and shook her head in resignation. She knew.
"Hashirama would've hated this."
"I know."
"But... he would've understood."
Tobirama finally set down his brush. And argued back.
"I'm not trying to suppress them. I'm trying to prevent the worst outcome."
Mito shook her head again and raised her hands in mock defeat. She was well aware that Tobirama was just as stubborn as her husband and 'his rival', especially on the matters concerning Uchiha.
"Then let's hope that the future unfolds as you have planned."
---
Few days later.
The streets of Konoha were still vibrant with life. Villagers bustled through markets, children chased each other with wooden toys, and merchants shouted to draw attention to their stalls. But beneath the surface, tension simmered.
Since the Revelation of Senju Hashirama's death, bandit activity, rogue ninja sightings, and small-scale crimes had surged. Missions flooded into the Hokage Office, but the atmosphere across the Land of Fire had begun to stir.
Senju Tobiramam, the Second Hokage, sat in his office reviewing reports. He could no longer delay.
He donned his red and white Hokage robe, placed the conical hat atop his head, and left the office.
***
Uchiha clan Head Residence
SMASH!! Clangg~~!
The sound of chinaware and a wooden table shattering echoed through the room.
"What did you just say!"
Uchiha Sosuke's voice roared, his crimson three-tomoe Sharingan blazing with fury as his chakra surged, filling the room with pressure.
"I said," Tobirama replied calmly while sipping his tea, "the Uchiha clan will be in charge of Konoha's Military Police Force. The village will make the announcement in a few days."
"SENJU TOBIRAMA!!!"
Sosuke's chakra flared violently.
In response, Tobirama raised his index finger and let his own chakra surge. It was denser, colder, and more domineering and It pressed down on Sosuke like a mountain.
"Ugh!!!"
"Didn't Uchiha help build Konoha?" Tobirama said. "Senju took on the responsibility and disbanded most of its members as civilian. Now, as another founding clan and one of the strongest in Konoha, you should accept this role with pride and honor."
"Kuekkk!"
Sosuke gritted his teeth as his left leg buckled into a kneel; his eyes locked on Tobirama in defiance. Uchiha had endured much. He and the elders had agreed to pass responsibility to the next generation. But this... this so-called Military Police Force, was a trap. He forced his way and stood back up.
"YOU! As leader of the Senju, you know what it means to take on judiciary roles in large clans. Forget those second- and third-rate clans like Sarutobi, Shimura and the rest! Even the Hyuga, with their branch system, don't understand the backlash!"
Sosuke's face flushed in indignation, veins began to bulge on his neck as he raised his voice.
"Big clan like ours – Senju and Uchiha – we've lived in a village-like system for generations; like the Uzumaki and their Uzushiogakure. The judiciary may seem powerful, but it's a hollow role without support from true authority. You know this! You know the fate of police is solitude and pain!"
Sosuke's voice cracked further.
"What do you think we are?! A dog to guard your Senju-built village?! A brainless, evil, and cursed clan that can't even think properly? If we are so deranged and extreme as you claim us to be, do you think Uchiha would have even survived for this long?"
Tobirama said nothing. His chakra continued to press down further.
KWANNNGGG!!!
This time Sosuke's legs buckled forcing him to kneel on all fours with a loud thudding noise. But his crimson eyes remained even more defiant under pressure.
"Even if I die here or declared a rogue-nin – I will never agree to your terms! We will never be your dogs!"
Cough! Cough!
Sosuke finally collapsed as blood slipped out of the corner of his mouth and his chakra flow disrupted leaving his body trembling.
Tobirama withdrew his chakra and stared silently at the fallen clan head.
Uchiha Aiko rushed to Sosuke's side, with her kunai drawn and tears streaming down her face. Her own Sharingan flared as she glared at Tobirama.
"Senju Tobirama – no, Hokage-sama – you are no longer welcomed here. Leave."
Sosuke, still gasping, raised a hand.
"No! NOT YET! Not until you cancel your decision! YOU can't leave!"
Tobirama stepped forward, channeling yang chakra to stabilize Sosuke's condition.
"The decision was made by the village council."
"A council we weren't part of!"
"As compensation," Tobirama said, placing a scroll on the floor, "the Uchiha clan's mission quota will be reduced from five to one. You will be granted full autonomy over the Police Force. These are the rights and privileges the Uchiha will receive for taking on this responsibility."
"YOU–!"
Tobirama's voice remained steady.
"Uchiha Sosuke… I didn't want to make this decision. But the crime rates are rising and war is only an inch away. I chose the best to protect Konoha. You may call it a leash. But I call it a duty."
He turned to leave.
At the doorway, he paused.
"Kagami is my disciple. I too care for his clan's wellbeing. Uchiha too are part of Konoha."
"…"
Sosuke could only watch Tobirama's departing figure. His body trembled. His chakra was unstable. And his pride was shattered.
"I'm not fit to be clan head. I've failed the clan… and Madara-sama."
Tears fell from his eyes – mixed with blood.
"Sosuke…."
"Aiko… I…."
She embraced him silently.
Earlier, she had asked Eisuke to keep the other clansmen away. No one witnessed the clan head's collapse.
But Sosuke didn't care.
At this moment, he only felt despair.
***
Next day.
The morning light filtered through the paper windows, casting pale shadows across the tatami floor. The air was still, heavy with the scent of ink and ash.
Uchiha Sosuke sat alone in the study, the scroll from Senju Tobirama unfurled before him.
His eyes scanned the contents again – slowly and carefully.
[Stabilize village order. Investigate crime scenes. Apprehend criminals. Distinguish enemy spies. Sentence to justice.]
These were familiar words. The language of clan judiciary. The duties of internal discipline. But now, they were formalized – codified into the village scale law enforcement duties.
[Confiscate and seize property. Full autonomy over appointments. Chief Minister of the Military Police Force.]
[Hokage may audit or restructure the force only with Uchiha clan's agreement.]
It sounded like great power and authority, but Sosuke knew better.
His fist clenched, his nails digging into his palm.
"Autonomy… right to deny Hokage's intervention… but funding under Hokage's jurisdiction."
A leash.
A gilded leash.
He could already feel the weight of it pressing down on his chest and his collar. This scroll was not just a policy – it was verdict.
The Uchiha would be elevated.
But contained and isolated.
He looked at the final clause again.
"Uchiha clan has the right to expand and appoint any members into any positions."
It sounded generous. But no doubt, a trap.
Sosuke closed his eyes.
He could still feel Tobirama's chakra from the day before. It was cold, suffocating, and absolute. He had tried to resist it. However, even with his Kage-level strength, he had failed. And now, this scroll reminded him of that failure and forever etched into his mind.
He opened his eyes again.
The decision was already made for them.
Now they had to prepare and turn this into opportunity.