Chapter 73: The Hokage and Fugaku; The Uchiha Return to the Front Lines
Konoha Prison. Death Row.
Hiruzen Sarutobi carried a limp, half-dead Grass Ninja by the collar like a sack of trash. He walked toward Fugaku Uchiha, striking up a conversation as if they were just two neighbors bumping into each other at a market.
"Fugaku, your men have been doing excellent work lately."
"Sakumo tells me the coordination between the Police Force, the Patrol Net, and the Anbu has been seamless. You've caught every single Grass infiltrator before they could even breathe our air. Not one leak."
Fugaku offered a small, hesitant smile. "It was a minor task, Lord Hokage. We were simply doing our duty. It's hardly worth your praise."
Internally, however, Fugaku's Uchiha pride was prickling.
They are the Uchiha Clan. They were bred for the meat grinder of the battlefield, not for checking IDs at the village gates. Patrolling the streets had always felt like using a legendary katana to chop vegetables. Now, with the new Patrol Net and the reinforced Anbu picking up the slack, the Police Force felt like they were holding a "desk job."
They spent more time drinking tea and filing paperwork than drawing their blades. For any other clan, this might be a peaceful blessing. But for the Uchiha, whose very DNA was hard-wired for intensity and conflict, being "caged" in a domestic role was a slow poison.
They didn't just want to fight; they wanted to hunt.
"You look like a man with something on his mind," Hiruzen said with a chuckle. "Speak freely, Fugaku. We are all citizens of the same Leaf. There are no secrets here."
Fugaku hesitated. He remembered Elder Isshin's warning: "Don't ask for more responsibility. If we stay quiet, they can't target us."
The traditional isolationist policy of the Uchiha, established as a counter-measure to Tobirama Senju's restrictions, dictated that they should never volunteer for the front lines. The elders believed Hiruzen would only use the Uchiha as cannon fodder or reject them outright to "keep them in their place."
But Fugaku looked at the man in front of him. This Hiruzen didn't look like a student of Tobirama—he looked like a leader who actually gave a damn.
Judge a man by his tracks, not his intent, Fugaku thought. Hiruzen gave the veterans a home in the Patrol Net. He gave my uncle En a reason to smile again. If he values the old, maybe he'll trust the young.
"Lord Hokage... I wish to state that the Konoha Military Police Force is ready for more than just domestic security," Fugaku said, his voice gaining a sudden, sharp edge. "We are ready for the battlefield."
He waited for the rejection. He expected Hiruzen to pivot, to dodge the question with some "8-Trigrams style" political wordplay, or to remind him of the "sacred traditions" established by the Second Hokage.
"The battlefield?" Hiruzen repeated, looking thoughtful. He didn't speak for a long moment, simply puffing on his pipe.
Fugaku's heart sank. Isshin was right. He's going to say no.
"No problem, Fugaku," Hiruzen said finally.
Fugaku blinked. "Excuse me?"
"You are one of my High Commissioners now," Hiruzen said, giving him a firm pat on the shoulder. "It's time I kept you in the loop."
"In the very near future, Konoha will be launching a Special Military Operation. I need elite forces—men who are fast, lethal, and capable of operating without compromising the village's primary security net."
"Is the Uchiha clan up for the challenge?"
Fugaku stood frozen for a second before his brain finally caught up. He said yes? Just like that?
"There is no challenge the Uchiha cannot meet, Lord Hokage!" Fugaku snapped to attention, his voice booming with a fervor he hadn't felt in years.
Hiruzen grinned. "Good. I'm looking forward to seeing the Uchiha in their true element."
After Hiruzen left, Fugaku stood in the silent corridor of the prison, his mind racing.
He wasn't making excuses. He was actually considering us, Fugaku realized.
And then there was the title: High Commissioner.
The Uchiha had spent weeks debating who would make the list. The elders were convinced the Hokage would pick a "puppet" or skip the Uchiha entirely to spite them.
But Hiruzen had given the seat to him—the Vice-Chief and the future of the clan. It was a massive show of respect.
I need to tell Elder Isshin, Fugaku thought, striding out of the prison. The Monkey isn't trying to split us. He's trying to lead us.
As he walked, he passed the Grass spy Hiruzen had dropped. The man let out a low, pained groan.
"Hmph. If the Intelligence Division weren't already at capacity, I'd kill you myself, scavenger," Fugaku muttered. His Three-Tomoe Sharingan flared, and he cast a quick, brutal Genjutsu on the captive to silence him.
He felt a rare surge of affection for the Hokage. Lord Hiruzen is a man of passion. He didn't even send the Anbu to fetch this trash; he brought him here himself because he was so disgusted by what the Grass did to the Uzumaki.
A Hundred Meters Beneath the Hokage Rock.
Hiruzen entered Tobirama's Secret Lab, dragging the unconscious Grass Ninja behind him.
He had everything he needed now:
The research results from Hiruko and Orochimaru.
The high-vitality Earth Grudge Fear threads from Kakuzu.
The Izuna-clone in the tank.
And a fresh sacrifice.
Hiruzen began unsealing the complex protective arrays.
His conversation with Fugaku hadn't just been about "clan relations." It was the final setup for the play.
He didn't want the Uchiha to suspect he had "built" their new hero. He wanted them to feel like they were the ones who "discovered" him. He would lead an Uchiha-led squad into the Grass Village, "uncover" a hidden black site, and "rescue" a long-lost Uchiha prodigy.
With the Uchiha witnessing the rescue with their own Sharingan, the lie would become a historical fact.
Hiruzen looked at the boy in the tank—the vessel for his Master.
You taught me that a Hokage must be the bridge between light and dark, Master Tobirama, Hiruzen thought, his eyes glinting with a cold, clinical ambition.
I've managed this village for twenty years. I've solved the problems you couldn't. I've united the clans you feared.
I'm bringing you back. But make no mistake...
This is my Konoha now..
☆☆☆
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