Fall of Year 32
A few days after Fukashi delivered Shinichi's proposal. Uchiha Sosuke convened a high-level meeting. Present were the clan's key figures: Fukashi, Eisuke, Kagami, and the elders. Eisuke, the young clan head, was here to gain experience. Kagami, Sosuke's son and a candidate for Third Hokage, sat just behind his father. Fukashi, the clan's strongest shinobi, was a regular presence. And Shinichi – still only thirteen – was here because the proposal was his.
Sosuke sat on a slightly elevated platform, Eisuke to his right, Kagami to his left.
"You've all read the proposal," Sosuke began. "Feel free to share your thoughts."
The room stirred.
"I think these are excellent ideas," said Elder Heiwa, the 9th elder. "But Konoha is preparing for war. We shouldn't disturb Hokage-sama now. Let's wait until the war ends."
"Heiwa, are you serious?" snapped Elder Haka, the 6th elder. "Who knows when the war will erupt? If Tobirama is so occupied, we should push this proposal now – pressure him while he is busy with foreign affair so that he will accept it!"
As expected, Heiwa and Haka clashed immediately. Their rivalry had worsened since the Police Force formed.
"Now, now," interrupted Elder Shino, the 8th elder. "Let's focus on the content before debating its implementation."
"Hng!"
"Hmph!"
With the tension diffused, Shino continued.
"I see no major issues. Though the part about taking over gate guard duty… that could cause friction with the Hokage."
Elder Sakura, the 5th elder, nodded.
"I agree. The proposal is sound. But I suggest we fill the Civilian Officer Corps with villagers, not our own clansmen. Most of our civilian clansmen are already working in our industries like medicine, weapons, and the Uchiha Gourmet Restaurant. Reassigning them would be wasteful."
Sosuke nodded.
"Elder Sakura, your insight is valuable. We'll adjust that section. As for Elder Shino's concern – if we're responsible for internal security, then gate duty too should fall under our jurisdiction. Or, at the very least, we must clarify that any infiltration into Konoha is not our responsibility nor our fault."
The room murmured in agreement. The Uchiha should not be blamed for failures beyond their control.
Then Elder Gin, the 3rd elder, spoke.
"This proposal has two risks. First, expanding Police Force might make the Hokage think we're power hungry. Second, allowing outsiders to join could let the Hokage plant spies among us."
"Elder Gin?!" Heiwa snapped. "You speak as if the village is our enemy! I thought you agreed we must show loyalty to Konoha!"
Gin lifted his left eye open and stared meaningfully at Heiwa.
"Heiwa, I never said we should oppose Konoha. But I am the 3rd elder – you know what I oversee. The intelligence gathered so far indicates that Konoha has over 25,000 register ninjas – 30,000 if we include recent academy graduates. And at least 8,500 unregistered or retired ones. We cannot win against the village. But that doesn't mean we must grovel before them."
He paused.
"If the worst comes – if the village no longer sees us as its founders – then we perish together. That's why Tobirama didn't destroy us. Instead, he gave us the Police Force to isolate us from central politics. Opposing the Hokage isn't the same as opposing Konoha."
"GIN! YOU–"
"ENOUGH!" barked Elder Ryouma, silencing the room. "We founded this village. We cannot rebel against what is ours. Let's focus on the proposal."
He turned and gestured his hand toward Shinichi.
"Young Shinichi. What do you think of Elder Gin's concerns?"
Shinichi replied in a calm and respectful manner.
"There's no need to worry. I too considered those risks. But what I find more important is to gauge Hokage's stance toward us. If the Hokage rejects our proposal, we'll know where we stand. If he accepts then it shows that there is a willingness to cooperate."
He continued.
"As for the matter of vulnerability. Recruited outsiders can remain as peripheral members on simple patrol, investigations, and prison guard duties. Keep them away from sensitive documents and supplies. We can safeguard our records with Sharingan based seals."
After a brief consideration, Elder Gin questioned.
"What do you mean by gauging the Hokage's opinion?"
"It's simple," Shinichi replied. "With Konoha's population growing, our current structure is unsustainable. It's inefficient for our elite to patrol streets all day. Reform is inevitable. If the Hokage rejects it, then this Police Force was never meant to empower us – it was a cage. If he accepts, then maybe he truly wants what's best for both the village and our clan."
The room fell silent.
Even Heiwa and Kagami frowned, but they couldn't help but nod in agreement. However, Sosuke caught their hesitation and narrowed his eyes. He was the clan head, but not all elders were aligned with him and even his son, Kagami, seemed to have other interest in mind than the clan's.
"Kagami," he said, "you know Tobirama better than any of us. You're his disciple – and our candidate for Hokage. What do you think?"
All eyes turned to Kagami.
He swallowed his nerves and answered, though he couldn't dispel the uncertainty in his voice.
"Tobirama-sama… will accept the proposal. But he'll likely add his own conditions before approving it."
"There is no need to gain Hokage's approval."
Shinichi's voice cut through the room like a blade.
All eyes turned from Kagami to him.
"The Autonomy granted to the Konoha Military Police Force states we may use any means necessary to maintain public order – so long as it doesn't harm the village or its people. Does our proposal harm Konoha or its population? We just need to declare our intention, as he and the village had done before, and confirm his attitude toward us."
"?!"
"!!!"
Elder Heiwa leaned forward, his tone slightly reprimanding.
"Young Shinichi, you're still too young. It's not that simple. We cannot act without consulting the Hokage."
Shinichi didn't flinch.
"…Did the village consult us when they assigned us this duty? Did they ask for our approval before burdening us with the Police Force? They gave us autonomy. It's only right we use the rights they granted us."
Silence fell.
There was no flaw in his logic and the elders too have thought the same in their heart. But it was habit and fear that held the elders back.
For seventeen years, since Madara's departure, they had bent to the Hokage's will and by extension to the Senju faction.
It was just as Madara had once said to Hashirama before formation of Konoha.
["No Uchiha view me with such high regard… not anymore."]
They had lost their spirit.
Haaaa.....
A collective sigh filled the room
Heads bowed – both in shame and in quiet realization.
They had once stood tall under Madara and Izuna, proud and fierce. But they had also witnessed the clan's downfall. They had fought the Senju on countless battlefields – and lost. They had watched comrades fall to Hashirama's might, and to Tobirama's ruthless, unorthodox jutsu, specifically crafted to counter the Uchiha.
They had survived.
But survival had cost them their pride.
They had grown old under the weight of fear. Subservient not necessarily to the Hokage's authority, but to the trauma of defeat.
Their obsession with the Hokage title wasn't just a simple ambition. It was a therapy. A desperate attempt to rewrite their defeated past.
Then, Uchiha Ryouma raised his head.
"Perhaps I am… no, we are all too caught up in the past. It's Time I retire – and pass my position to someone who still remembers what it means to lead."
"…Second Elder…" Eisuke whispered, stunned.
Ryouma looked at the young clan head.
"Clan head… we've become something else. We lost ourselves the moment we rejected Madara-sama. The moment we told ourselves we were stepping back to leap forward – we surrendered our right to lead."
He turned to Shinichi with mix of guilt, regret, and hope.
"From this day forward, I will resign as Second Elder of the Uchiha clan."