"Third Hokage. Is the death of the Daimyo of the Land of Water related to you?"
The Daimyo of the Land of Fire's emotionless voice rang out.
"Absolutely not."
Hiruzen Sarutobi denied firmly.
"What about Konoha? I heard that experimental subject was left behind by Orochimaru."
"Lord Daimyo. Konoha is also a victim. For Orochimaru to directly use ninjas from the village as materials for human experiments is truly deranged."
At this time, Hiruzen absolutely couldn't deny it. Nor could he reveal the actual situation.
Letting the Daimyo know that the experimental subject was not Orochimaru's masterpiece would only make him feel deceived.
Once this feeling emerged, it would spread infinitely. Making the Daimyo suspect if he was being deceived in other matters as well.
So he could only pin it on Orochimaru.
"Orochimaru? I heard he was your disciple."
The Daimyo of the Land of Fire, standing behind the screen, suddenly said.
Hiruzen knew this couldn't be shirked. So he could only say sincerely.
"This is this old man's fault. I failed to keep Orochimaru on the right path. Allowing him to go astray instead."
"I am willing to step down from the position of Hokage and personally lead my subordinates to capture Orochimaru."
The Daimyo of the Land of Fire looked at Hiruzen, whose hair and beard were somewhat white. He didn't agree immediately.
He was also aware of the events in Konoha over the past few years. The multiple chaotic incidents had dragged Konoha down. Greatly reducing the effectiveness of its recuperation.
If the Hokage position was changed again, they probably wouldn't be able to handle a war that could break out at any moment.
"Hiruzen. There's no need for that. I still trust your words."
The Daimyo of the Land of Fire spoke comfortingly.
Hiruzen breathed a sigh of relief internally. But the next words made his heart jump up again.
"But just me believing it is useless. The problem now is that the Daimyos of the other great nations all have objections."
"Then I wonder what must be done to satisfy the Daimyos of the other great nations."
Hiruzen asked.
The Daimyo of the Land of Fire pondered for a moment.
"There's no need to step down from the Hokage position. But you must personally lead a team to the Land of Water."
"Find the monsters that killed the Daimyo of the Land of Water. And kill them together with the Hidden Mist Village. It would be best if you killed them with your own hands."
"The Hidden Mist Village? Will they agree? What if they turn around and attack us?"
Hiruzen frowned slightly.
"They won't. Unless the new Daimyo of the Land of Water doesn't want to gain our recognition."
The Daimyo of the Land of Fire spoke very directly.
Right now, the most important thing wasn't the Hidden Mist Village at all. Nor was it the new Daimyo of the Land of Water.
It was maintaining the majesty of the Daimyos. The monsters that killed the Daimyo must pay a heavy price.
The priority of this matter superseded everything else.
"I will gather personnel as soon as I return and head to the Land of Water at the fastest speed."
Hiruzen spoke.
After providing some intelligence on the monsters and some detailed orders, Hiruzen listened and then left.
Konoha.
Hokage Building. Danzo Shimura and the two Hokage Advisors looked expressionlessly at Fugaku Uchiha.
Homura Mitokado was the first to speak.
"Captain Fugaku. Regarding the application to expand the Police Force, I believe we have already made ourselves very clear."
"The village's tight funds are insufficient to support this expansion. Furthermore, the original establishment of the Police Force is sufficient to handle the village's security. There is simply no need for expansion."
Fugaku cast a glance at these three old fogeys. His state of mind was completely different from before. He spoke with more confidence.
"The original Police Force was in the center of the village. Now it's on the edge of the village. The travel distance has greatly increased. The previous establishment is simply insufficient to handle the village's security."
"My expansion request is reasonable and justified. Do you all think the village's security isn't important enough?"
Both Homura and Koharu looked at Fugaku with surprised gazes. Completely not expecting him to retort directly.
"Captain Fugaku. The village's tight funds are a reality. As the leader of the Police Force, you should learn to make internal adjustments instead of blindly expanding."
Koharu spoke slowly.
She managed the village's financial power. Even if there were enough funds, it was impossible to let the Police Force expand.
A smile appeared on Fugaku's lips. He took out a report.
"The Advisor makes sense. So I have decided to reform the Police Force. This is the detailed report."
Although the Police Force was firmly controlled by the Uchiha clan and possessed extremely high authority...
In reality, it was limited to within its framework. Such as various appointments, promotions, fund usage, and establishing village regulations.
Village regulations were not laws. The power of law lay in the Hokage's hands.
So for things like directly increasing the force's establishment or changing the department's structure, the Hokage's approval was needed.
The three of them frowned. Taking it and looking at the first glance, Danzo immediately spoke in a deep voice.
"A security force to deal with ordinary people? How is this any different from increasing the establishment?"
"These people also need salaries. How is it any different from the previous application?"
Koharu also frowned.
Fugaku didn't speak. Merely standing up slowly. He had long had ideas for reforming the Police Force.
It was just that the Sharingan could easily see through the disguises of those ordinary people. Knowing at a glance who the lawbreakers were.
Coupled with the clansmen's relative arrogance—when criminals refused to admit their guilt and used lies to quibble, they would directly strike hard.
But ordinary civilians didn't know this. Causing the Police Force's reputation to always be poor.
Zenji was right. Don't force a person to change their nature. But place them in a suitable place to guide them.
Ninjas should deal with equally cruel ninjas. The security of ordinary people should be left to ordinary people.
And the people the Uchiha clan needs to confront are not those ordinary people. Nor the various major clans. But only the Hokage faction.
Fugaku looked at these three old fogeys in front of him. Or rather, just the three of them.
"If the three of you do not agree to the force's reform, then the Police Force hiring some assistants on its own does not require an application."
Fugaku turned and left after speaking.
This scene made Danzo's face rapidly sink. Watching the other party's retreating back, he spoke with an icy tone.
"Since when did Fugaku Uchiha become so tough?"
The two advisors also frowned tightly. It just had to be when Hiruzen was away.
"I want to investigate this matter."
Danzo stared fixedly at the two advisors.
He still wasn't sure if Hiruzen had been removed from office. So he didn't dare to ignore his orders and act on his own.
Hiruzen in his previous state had left an extremely deep impression on him. Even now, seeing Hiruzen with a few more white hairs and looking a bit older...
He still didn't dare to disobey his orders.
Koharu frowned tightly. Recalling Fugaku's attitude just now.
Finally, after exchanging a glance with Homura, she said, "You may. But an ANBU must accompany you."
The corners of Danzo's mouth curled up slightly. He stood up and walked outside. He had to get Root moving immediately.
After all, what he wanted to investigate was not just why Fugaku's attitude had become so tough.
Zenji sat in the courtyard of his home. Playing with the three orb cores in his hand. Invisible fluctuations enveloping the entire village.
_____________________________________________________
Read Advanced Chapters on : patreon.com/Kaizo247
~ Every 150 PS = Bonus Chapter!
~ Push the Story forward with your [Power Stones]