Chapter 559: Reform
"The seniors are all so strong, and their Nin Beasts are too," Yamato exclaimed.
At that moment, his doubts about Danzo Shimura's words deepened even further.
Danzo had said that Yamato's talent was exceptional, that he would one day become Konoha's strongest shinobi, and that Konoha's future lay with him.
But after spending time with Kakashi and the others, Yamato felt that he was not particularly more outstanding than any of them.
Even his supposedly unique Wood Release was not actually unique.
After Mugetsu taught him [Wood Release: Cutting Technique] and [Flying Leaf Quick Blade], Yamato realized that Mugetsu could also use Wood Release.
He had been completely stunned at the time. Danzo had praised Wood Release so highly that Yamato had truly believed he was the only person in the Ninja World who could use it.
Because of Danzo's repeated warnings, Yamato had never practiced Wood Release in front of Kakashi and the others. He only trained it when he was alone or when he was with Mugetsu.
After seeing Mugetsu demonstrate Wood Release, Yamato felt even more at ease.
If anyone was qualified to represent Konoha's future, then Mugetsu was clearly far more suitable than he was.
"This doesn't count. You used genjutsu on me before the fight even started. That's cheating," Obito said as he brushed the dust off himself, having finally found a convincing excuse.
And it was not merely an excuse. It was the truth.
Zoroark had used genjutsu to disguise itself as Zorua, lowering his guard and leading directly to his swift defeat.
If he had seen the evolved Zoroark from the start, Obito would not only have avoided underestimating it, he would have treated it with the utmost seriousness.
Aside from Fire Dragon's first evolution, every other Pokémon evolution had displayed astonishing growth.
"That really does sound like something Obito would say," Zoroark said, utterly unsurprised.
"But what you said this time actually makes sense, so let's fight again!"
Zoroark was full of confidence in its strength.
Its power might not be absolutely top tier among all the disciples' Pokémon, but when it came to dealing with human shinobi, it was extremely dangerous.
Its powerful genjutsu made it easy to create openings, and its incredible speed allowed it to turn those openings directly into victory.
"I still have to practice Azure Flame, so I don't have time to spar with you. We'll talk about it later," Obito replied, pretending to be very busy.
At the moment, the enemy was hidden while he was exposed. Obito did not want to lose face twice. He would wait until he had gathered enough information on Zoroark, then find a way to settle the score.
"You should focus on training your Fire Release too," Shisui said as he walked over to Zoroark.
Once was enough. A second round would be a little too much.
"Mm hm." Zoroark nodded.
It had only said it casually anyway. It had not truly intended to beat Obito a second time.
And just like that, Kakashi and the others spent another harmonious week training.
During that week, every disciple remained busy with their own training.
Yamato, Kakashi, Shisui, and Obito all focused on the new ninjutsu Mugetsu had taught them.
Rin, meanwhile, had recognized some of her own shortcomings through the Youth Martial Arts Tournament and was working hard to address them, especially by strengthening her ability to deal with poisons.
As for Guy, the moment his injuries fully healed, he immediately resumed high intensity training and began putting pressure on himself again.
After all, his path was the most straightforward of them all. He only needed his body to grow stronger and stronger.
The stronger his body became, the more Gates he could open with the Eight Gates, and the smaller the side effects would be. It would also reduce the strain caused by stacking Rock Breathing Chakra Mode on top of it.
Night, Uchiha Clan Compound.
Before leaving, Shisui reviewed the contents of the speech he intended to deliver at the clan meeting.
Reforming the Police Force was a matter of great importance, and he wanted to handle it as well as possible.
He had not only prepared a full draft, but had already memorized it. Reviewing it now was simply a way to confirm that he had not missed anything.
After making sure there were no problems, Shisui found Obito and went with him to Naka Shrine.
If he wanted to succeed in a single attempt, then he needed Obito's support.
Although Obito did not have many close friends within the Uchiha, his strength was undeniable, and his second place finish in the Youth Martial Arts Tournament had made him one of the most famous young Uchiha in the entire Ninja World.
Obito's power and reputation would earn him significant recognition within the clan.
The timing they chose was neither too early nor too late. When they arrived at Naka Shrine, only about half of the Uchiha shinobi had gathered.
Shisui led Obito straight toward the seats near Uchiha Fugaku.
Seating at Uchiha clan meetings followed strict rules. The best seat was reserved for the clan head alone.
The good seats near the clan head belonged to the clan elders and to Uchiha Jonin who possessed status, strength, and prestige.
In general, seats were arranged according to status, position, strength, and age. If someone was a newly graduated Genin and still very young, then they could only sit at the outermost edge.
No one stepped forward to stop Shisui and Obito.
The reason was simple. They were qualified to sit there, more qualified than many ordinary Uchiha Jonin.
Before the two of them sat down, two elders were already seated in the upper positions. Both were Uchiha Jonin Shisui recognized.
"You two are truly young and promising. You brought glory to the Uchiha name at the Youth Martial Arts Tournament," Uchiha Keqiu said with a chuckle.
Originally, by the strict standards of Uchiha thinking, failing to take first place should have been unacceptable.
However, considering that the first place winner, Nagato, now possessed tremendous fame, Obito's second place was still understandable. Moreover, although Obito and Shisui had not taken first place, they still ranked higher than every other Konoha shinobi, and that point mattered greatly.
What did that prove?
It proved that the Uchiha bloodline was excellent. The geniuses of their clan were still the strongest in Konoha.
Even Uchiha Shin, who had previously clashed with Shisui, gave him a faint word of praise.
Even if their ideas differed, they were still clan members. When a younger generation member brought glory to the family, Elder Shin still had to say a few favorable words.
After all, whether they belonged to the radical faction, the conservative faction, or remained neutral, they were all still Uchiha.
Shisui responded with a smile, and Obito also put on a smile.
To make the evening easier for Obito, Shisui had already spoken to him beforehand.
As long as nobody started fighting, all Obito had to do was support him at the key moments. The rest of the time, he could let his mind wander and think about whatever he wanted. If someone spoke to him, he could respond however he liked. If he was in a good mood, he could chat. If not, he could give them a perfunctory answer.
As time passed, more and more Uchiha shinobi filled Naka Shrine.
Once everyone had taken their seats, Fugaku cleared his throat twice and said, "Since everyone is here, today's clan meeting will formally begin. Our topic today is how to make the clan stronger through change."
After speaking, Fugaku fell silent, waiting for the gathered Uchiha to start voicing their views.
"An Uchiha should become Hokage," one Uchiha said immediately.
"The Police Force's authority should be expanded," another said, clearly dissatisfied with its current reach.
A large number of Uchiha at Naka Shrine began to express their opinions. Not all of those opinions were useful, but a great many people still spoke.
"I believe the Police Force should be reformed by allowing non Uchiha shinobi to enter it," Shisui said calmly after observing the room for a minute.
Silence.
The once lively Naka Shrine abruptly fell quiet, as though it had gone from a discussion hall to the classroom of a terrifying teacher.
Many Uchiha shinobi looked at Shisui with shock and disbelief, completely unprepared for him to once again propose something that appeared to damage Uchiha interests.
This was not the first time Shisui had suggested bringing non Uchiha shinobi into the Police Force at a clan meeting.
When he had not yet even become a shinobi, Fugaku had already recognized his talent and brought him to a clan meeting early.
Back then, Shisui had still been rather naïve. He had only wanted to help the Uchiha correct their flaws and had not thought at all about the resistance he would face or the vested interests he would touch.
The result had been terrible.
A great number of Uchiha had condemned him on the spot and then directly driven him out of Naka Shrine under the pretext that a non shinobi had no right to participate in a clan meeting.
Inwardly, Uchiha Shin was delighted. He had been worried that Shisui's growing prestige would threaten his own authority, but he had never expected Shisui to turn the spear on himself so directly.
"Shisui, what exactly are you saying? That would be inviting wolves into our home!" Uchiha Shin rebuked sternly.
"If outsiders enter our Uchiha exclusive Police Force, wouldn't that mean the Uchiha might eventually lose the only important Konoha authority we currently hold?"
"Besides, the Police Force being exclusive to the Uchiha clan was a rule established by the Second Hokage. It was not a selfish decision made by the Uchiha ourselves."
Once he said that final sentence, Shin stopped talking.
He only needed to start the fire. If he said too much, it would look like he was deliberately targeting one of the clan's geniuses.
Too many Uchiha served in the Police Force. Shisui's proposal threatened far too many interests. There was no need for Shin to keep pressing the issue. Shisui would soon be buried under the anger of the crowd.
Just as Shin expected, even though Shisui was a famous genius within the Uchiha, even though many younger Uchiha respected him for his strength and character, and even though he had recently achieved outstanding results at the Youth Martial Arts Tournament, he was still immediately attacked verbally from all sides.
"Shisui, how can you even think something like that? That would only create endless trouble for the Uchiha."
"Even if outsiders were brought into the Police Force, our existing positions wouldn't change. But can outsiders truly stand with us with one heart and one mind?"
"Your talent in training is unquestionable, but talent in training does not mean talent in managing the clan. Shisui, you're more suited to focusing on your training."
"That's right. Elder Shin is right. We did not decide for ourselves that the Police Force should belong solely to the Uchiha. It was the Second Hokage's arrangement. If even the Senju recognized our ability, then why should we deny ourselves?"
Some Uchiha argued on practical grounds. Some used his youth against him. Some tried to invoke old clan grievances to suppress him.
At this moment, even many younger Uchiha who admired Shisui's strength and character remained silent instead of speaking up for him.
The reason was simple. Some of their relatives served in the Police Force. Some of them served there themselves.
In their eyes, Shisui's proposal was truly an act of self sabotage.
"No wonder he asked me that question before. So he still hadn't let this go," Uchiha Keqiu thought as he shook his head and remained silent.
Keqiu had previously spoken privately with Shisui, and Shisui had asked him whether the Uchiha's monopoly over the Police Force was truly a good thing.
If he had known Shisui would openly propose reforming the Police Force at the clan meeting in such a direct way, he definitely would have tried much harder to dissuade him.
Regardless of whether the reform would actually strengthen the Uchiha or not, the moment Shisui brought it up, he had already put himself in opposition to the majority of the clan.
Most of the Uchiha's capable shinobi served in the Police Force. To touch the Police Force was to touch their rights.
As he listened to one Uchiha after another refuting him, and saw the disappointed looks in so many eyes, Shisui was unexpectedly calm.
Even if most of them disagreed with him, they could no longer drive him out of Naka Shrine the way they had done before.
Because this was a clan meeting, and a clan meeting was open to all Uchiha shinobi.
Other than the clan head, no one had the right to expel a member.
And more importantly, the current Shisui was no longer the powerless child who had not even graduated from the Academy.
Now, among the Uchiha, he was confident he could defeat everyone except Obito and Fugaku.
Shisui now possessed both reason and power.
He had the logic needed to defend his proposal, and he also had the strength to make people quiet down and listen if necessary.
So there was no reason for him to panic.
"Everyone, please calm down. Give me some time to explain my proposal in detail," Shisui said steadily.
They were all his clansmen. If he could persuade them through reason, then Shisui still did not want to resort to force. That would be a bad precedent.
"Quiet down, everyone," Fugaku said in support.
Although he would not openly back Shisui during the meeting, he still had to show some measure of favoritism toward one of the clan's greatest geniuses.
At once, the noise in Naka Shrine disappeared and the room grew quiet again.
Even if they disagreed with his proposal, Shisui was still that extraordinary genius. Combined with the clan head's order, the gathered Uchiha were willing to give him face and listen.
"The first point is this," Shisui began calmly. "The harm people imagine to Uchiha interests will not actually happen."
"Although reforming the Police Force would allow outsiders to enter, existing positions would not change at all. My proposal is to apply to the Third Hokage for additional positions, so that the Police Force can become stronger and its influence can expand."
In Shisui's ideal Police Force, Uchiha shinobi would eventually make up no more than one fifth of the whole.
But the first step could not be too large.
So Shisui was not proposing to replace a single Uchiha. He was very deliberately framing the reform as a way to strengthen the Police Force.
Just as he had expected, many Uchiha faces softened the moment they heard that their positions would not change.
Then they thought further. If no current post was touched, and new positions were simply added to absorb outsiders, then the Police Force would indeed become stronger.
After seeing that the reaction was moving in the direction he wanted, Shisui continued according to his original plan.
.....
[If you don't want to wait for the next update, read 50 chapters ahead on P@treon.]
[[email protected]/FanficLord03]