Chapter 560: Uchiha
"The reform of the Police Force will absolutely help the Uchiha Clan develop further," Shisui continued.
"The Police Force is a department that holds important authority in Konoha, yet it is monopolized by the Uchiha alone. That monopoly will inevitably make other clans and ordinary shinobi suspicious of it, and that suspicion will naturally turn into distrust."
The more Shisui studied the Uchiha's problems, the more he came to understand just how terrifying the Second Hokage, Tobirama Senju, had been.
That man had understood the Uchiha far too well, and his schemes had run deeper than the sea.
If Shisui had been asked to suppress a certain clan, he never would have thought of creating something like the Police Force.
On the surface, it seemed like special treatment. Because the Uchiha had contributed to the founding of the village, they had been given sole control over an important department.
But in reality, Tobirama had used the Police Force to isolate the Uchiha from the other clans and from ordinary shinobi.
The special status of the Police Force meant the Uchiha had to assign a large number of their elite shinobi to it. Otherwise, if the department failed in its duties, the Hokage would have a perfectly legitimate reason to punish the Uchiha.
And the more Uchiha entered the Police Force, the less contact they had with the rest of the village. Add to that the suspicion born from their monopoly over such a department, and the Uchiha would only become more and more insular.
There was also another subtle point.
The Police Force seemed to wield broad and significant authority. It could arrest shinobi and it could formulate regulations within Konoha.
But in practice, much of that authority was overlapped by the Anbu.
The Police Force could not interfere in Anbu matters, but the Anbu could interfere in Police Force matters. If the Anbu needed support, the Police Force even had to cooperate.
As for making rules, that was even more superficial.
Did anyone really think the Police Force could pass a regulation the Hokage disapproved of? Were they trying to rebel?
In Shisui's eyes, the Police Force had become a cage for the Uchiha Clan.
And today, he intended to help the Uchiha break out of that cage.
"What Shisui is saying does have some truth to it," Uchiha Keqiu thought after some consideration.
If it truly did not affect the Uchiha's power within the Police Force, then letting in a few outsiders might not actually be a bad thing. It might even bring certain benefits.
Still, Keqiu did not openly support him.
Because upon thinking more deeply, what Shisui was proposing sounded too idealized.
Once the door was opened for non Uchiha shinobi to enter the Police Force, would the Hokage really allow the major powers of that department to remain in Uchiha hands forever?
"Since it won't affect anyone's current position and can even expand the Police Force, isn't that a good thing?" Uchiha Inaho was the first to openly voice support for Shisui.
He and Shisui were not particularly close, but he felt he understood him at least a little. He did not believe Shisui was the sort of person who would recklessly sacrifice the clan's interests.
"It does sound reasonable. The Hokage needs supporters too, doesn't he? If Shisui's proposal can improve how the other clans see us, then it's worth it."
Most Uchiha shinobi did not truly care what outsiders thought of them, but even they understood that without support, becoming Hokage would be difficult.
"I think what Shisui said makes sense too." Obito, who had been spacing out, was lightly poked by Shisui and abruptly snapped back to reality before speaking up.
Walking into the Naka Shrine together did not mean much by itself. Only when Obito clearly expressed support for Shisui's proposal would the rest of the clan treat them as a united front.
"What should I eat for breakfast tomorrow? And how should I greet Rin?" After speaking, Obito drifted right back into his own thoughts.
Still, regardless of his later behavior, everyone at the clan meeting understood one thing.
The two strongest young geniuses of the current Uchiha had joined forces.
Obito's stance immediately shifted the direction of the meeting once more.
The Uchiha did not know much about Obito personally. He had very few friends within the clan and had only attended one clan meeting before. During that meeting, he had even argued back against the clan members after Shisui was driven out.
But that lack of familiarity did not matter.
What mattered was that Obito was strong, and that he had placed second in the Youth Martial Arts Tournament.
Among the Uchiha, the strong were worthy of respect.
As soon as Obito spoke, many young Uchiha began to discuss Shisui's words more seriously before gradually voicing their approval.
"He's really going to pull this off." Fugaku was somewhat surprised.
Shisui had gathered more support than he had expected.
"I'll say it again. The Police Force being assigned to the Uchiha was the Second Hokage's decision. If anyone suspects us because of that, then it only proves that they are incompetent people who envy the Uchiha.
"Why is the Police Force under Uchiha control? Because the Uchiha are capable. Because the Uchiha are strong enough!"
Elder Shin spoke again the moment he saw the tide shifting.
He would never agree to reforming the Police Force. That would be no different from handing the initiative back to the Hokage.
As things stood, if the Third Hokage tried to interfere too heavily with the Police Force, they could always point to the fact that it had been the Second Hokage's arrangement.
But if they reformed the department according to Shisui's proposal, then the Police Force would never again return to a state of being fully monopolized by the Uchiha.
As they listened to Shin's impassioned words, many Uchiha straightened proudly, their chests puffing out.
Clearly, they believed he was speaking the truth.
"At first, it might only be a few ordinary positions. But who can guarantee that the Third Hokage won't use this opportunity to gradually take back the Uchiha's special privileges? In the end, even the captain's post might fall into the hands of an outsider."
Shin fixed his gaze on Shisui as he said it.
Once again, the tone of the meeting shifted.
Many of the adult Uchiha, especially those in their twenties and thirties, began voicing support for Shin.
Shisui's expression did not change as his mind worked rapidly.
Whether the captain's position might change or not was, in truth, meaningless to him. To him, the Police Force itself was a cage.
But now, he needed a way to persuade the clan. He needed them to believe their interests would not be harmed, and that reforming the Police Force would not be a bad thing for the Uchiha.
"Elder Shin, you just said it yourself. The Uchiha were given the Police Force because we are capable. Do you really think so many outstanding Uchiha shinobi would lose to a few outsiders?" Shisui said after a moment's thought.
The Uchiha were proud by nature, and their confidence in their own abilities ran deep.
Just as Shisui had expected, many of them fell silent at once.
Because continuing to reject him along those lines would amount to saying that they were afraid of competing with outsiders.
"If the competition were truly fair, then naturally the Uchiha would still be more qualified for the important positions. But do you really believe the Hokage would treat the Uchiha fairly?" Shin shot back immediately.
Shisui had to admit that his ability to stir emotions was not as refined as Shin's.
The moment Shin said that, quite a few Uchiha swiftly began denouncing Konoha and the Hokage.
Still, Shisui did not give up. He continued searching for flaws in Shin's logic and answering them one by one.
And he was not alone.
Many younger shinobi kept speaking up in support of him, arguing with the Uchiha who stood on Shin's side.
"Hoo." Shisui slowly exhaled, then thought to himself that this could not continue.
At this rate, the discussion might drag on until it was postponed to the next clan meeting.
His Three Tomoe Sharingan spun to life. He focused his breathing, and a powerful wave of chakra burst from his body.
"Elder Shin, since neither of us can convince the other, let's make things simple and let our strength decide," Shisui said, fixing his blood red eyes on him.
Shin was the most influential elder in the clan. Coupled with the fact that Shisui's proposal did touch some real interests, words alone were never going to be enough to persuade everyone.
Shisui had not wanted to use force, but the situation had now made it necessary.
The Naka Shrine fell silent again.
The Uchiha seated closest to Shisui felt the overwhelming chakra pouring off him, and many of them could not hide their shock.
Hearing the name of a genius and actually standing before that genius's strength were two completely different experiences.
"He's become so much stronger!" Inaho blurted out.
"Your talent as a shinobi is indeed extraordinary. I am not your match. But shinobi talent does not represent..." Shin admitted openly that he could not defeat Shisui, only to immediately try to turn that into an argument against the rest of Shisui's ideas.
Before Shin could finish, Shisui cut in.
"All shinobi who support Elder Shin may join the battle. If you can defeat me and Obito, then the matter of reforming the Police Force will be dropped.
"But if you lose, then the proposal to reform the Police Force will pass."
He looked around the shrine.
"Well? Do you dare accept?"
He deliberately used a harsher tone than normal.
He needed Shin to agree.
Hearing that, Shin narrowed his eyes and began weighing the matter carefully as he looked at Shisui, then at Obito.
On the surface, it sounded absurd. A clan meeting turning directly into a fight?
But this was the Uchiha, a clan full of martial spirit, a clan that once even possessed a history of rebellion. Shisui's move did not seem outrageous. If anything, it felt like the confidence of a true genius.
Most importantly, Shisui was not acting without support.
Many among the younger generation supported him, and the clash was happening only because the debate had reached an impasse, not because Shisui had failed and simply decided to seize victory through force.
"Shisui, it seems that as your elder, I will have to teach you the meaning of humility. No matter how talented you are, you are still outnumbered."
Shin accepted.
In his eyes, victory was assured.
His own strength was not much inferior to Shisui's, and on his side he had seven Uchiha Jonin, as well as many highly capable Chunin.
Even if Shisui and Obito joined forces, there was no way they could defeat them all.
Shin was not even thinking about whether they could win. He was already thinking about the political impact of the fight itself.
"Shisui, we'll fight with you too!" Inaho said excitedly.
Other young Uchiha voiced their willingness to join Shisui as well.
But Shisui quietly refused.
First, because Shin had already agreed.
Second, because he had absolute confidence in handling the opposition himself. He had prepared for this.
He and Obito, together with their contracted Nin Beasts, amounted to four elite Jonin level combatants.
That was not enough to challenge the entire Uchiha clan, but it was more than enough to deal with Shin and the group backing him.
Naturally, the fight could not happen inside the Naka Shrine. Shisui and the others moved to an open area nearby.
All the Uchiha who were not participating left the shrine as well and followed to watch. Fugaku personally led them there.
"Perhaps this is the best possible outcome," Fugaku thought.
The Uchiha Shisui had persuaded might not remain firmly with him forever.
But if Shisui defeated the opposing Uchiha and forced them to submit, then for a long time afterward, no one would dare stand against him again.
.....
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