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Uchiha Haru chuckled softly. "The reputation of the Uchiha clan is not decided by the top leaders, but by the villagers at the grassroots level."
"As long as I'm here, no one will dare to lay a finger on the Uchiha clan."
"And as long as the police department doesn't make any mistakes, the villagers will definitely accept the Uchiha clan."
Haru had clearly thought this through. Otherwise, he wouldn't have made such a decision. What the Uchiha clan truly needed was the recognition of the common people—not the approval of the village's elite.
Mei Terumi grasped this quickly but still couldn't understand why Haru chose this particular approach.
"Do you have any other opinions?" Haru asked, noticing Mei Terumi's hesitation.
"No... no," Mei Terumi replied. This arrangement was only beneficial to her—there was no downside. How could she refuse? It was just that she couldn't fully comprehend it.
"That's good," Haru said, about to leave. Then he suddenly stopped, turning back. "Soon, I might leave Kirigakure."
"Huh?" Mei Terumi asked sharply. "Where are you going?"
Halfway through her question, she realized Haru probably didn't owe her any explanation about his plans. So she simply replied, "Alright... alright."
Right now, Mei Terumi's ability to hold the Mizukage seat owed much to Uchiha Haru's support. So when he suddenly said he would be leaving, she felt a subtle emptiness settle in her chest.
"I'm going to find Tsunade. I won't be gone long," Haru said casually.
"Tsunade? One of the legendary Sannin of Konoha back then?" Mei Terumi asked, surprised.
Tsunade was the descendant of Hashirama Senju, the "God of Shinobi," and deeply tied to the Hidden Leaf Village. Haru had just departed Konoha with the Uchiha clan, though she didn't know why. She also suspected it wasn't for anything good.
Why was Uchiha Haru going to find Tsunade?
However, she didn't press further. If Haru wanted her to know, he would tell her. If not, no amount of questioning would help. Mei Terumi had already seen through this.
"Hm." Haru nodded and left without another word.
Not long after, Mei Terumi hurriedly departed as well. Upon returning, she immediately convened a meeting with Kirigakure's top leaders.
But in truth, it was mainly to appease them.
Just like Haru said.
Long-term, high-pressure rule inevitably breeds problems.
Since Haru had taken on the role of the villain, someone needed to step up and be the good guy.
On one hand, to ease tensions; on the other, to win over the people.
This was the only way Kirigakure could remain stable.
In practice, this method proved extremely effective.
After witnessing Haru's ruthless display of power, these leaders appeared genuinely grateful toward Mei Terumi during her conciliatory efforts—much more than she had anticipated.
However, the gratitude was twofold: they were thankful to her, but afraid of Uchiha Haru.
None dared openly voice any discontent with Haru. Mei Terumi saw the fear reflected in the eyes of these senior officials whenever his name came up.
Within less than half a month since the establishment of the police department, Haru had made all these people obedient.
Indeed, toughness was the most straightforward and effective approach.
After summoning Kirigakure's senior executives, rumors about the police department's actions spread rapidly.
Several people died.
But most survived.
The villagers of Kirigakure were dissatisfied with this outcome.
They had seen these kinds of measures too often before.
Many criminals were known, but only a few were punished.
Could the blood debt of so many be repaid by so few lives?
For a time, the villagers' trust and respect for the guards and Uchiha Haru dwindled.
But the unrest was short-lived.
Because Kirigakure's leaders began a campaign of forgiveness.
They promised Haru that they would compensate those they had wronged.
And the most direct way to make amends was, naturally, one life for another.
But Kirigakure's leaders were unwilling to go that far.
Their own lives were too precious.
Besides, even if they agreed, they didn't have enough lives to offer in exchange.
So, they thought of a different way to make restitution.
The solution was surprisingly simple.
One word: money.
Money had always been indispensable—whether in a past life or in the world of shinobi.
Of course, there are things in this world that money cannot solve. Money is not omnipotent.
But money can certainly resolve most problems.
Especially for the villagers of Kirigakure, who have endured countless hardships.
Under the dark rule of the Fourth Mizukage, manipulated by the masked man, and the oppression from the village's top leaders, their spirits were nearly broken, and their lives were barely sustainable. Poverty was rampant.
At such a time, if someone could offer them a large sum of money, it would significantly ease their burdens.
Moreover, under Uchiha Haru's intimidating presence, even Kirigakure's highest officials humbled themselves and personally went to apologize.
Most of the oppressed villagers chose to accept these apologies.
People must move forward.
Hatred cannot be preserved forever.
As for the remaining stubborn few, no matter how furious the Kirigakure leaders were inside, they could only patiently apologize, offer compensation, and plead for forgiveness.
They no longer dared to act recklessly in front of Haru and under the watchful eyes of the Police Department.
Besides, after the terrifying ordeal involving the Police Department's crackdown, the villagers could clearly see that Haru wanted to ease their grievances on one hand.
On the other hand, he wanted to send a clear message that the Kirigakure of today was no longer the Kirigakure of the past, and that the previous chaos and abuses would never recur.
Uchiha Haru aimed to satisfy the people of Kirigakure.
If they did their best and won the majority's forgiveness, their mission would be accomplished.
If it wasn't necessary to kill them, Haru wouldn't attack.
The reason was simple: Kirigakure needed people to manage it.
If too many top officials were killed, who would handle all the affairs?
So a unanimous conclusion was reached:
Do everything possible to avoid repeating past mistakes, and you may survive.
They remained the top brass of Kirigakure, still standing at the pinnacle of power—but no longer free to act as they pleased.
In fact, their assumption was correct.
Haru certainly didn't want to slaughter them all—unless they invited death.
As long as they could quell the people's grievances and guarantee they wouldn't repeat their errors, they could live.
Big changes were on the horizon.
Haru needed a loyal force to fight for him.
That was why he protected the Uchiha clan, and why he backed Mei Terumi as the Fifth Mizukage to steer Kirigakure back on course.
Everything the Kirigakure officials did daily was carefully monitored and reported to Haru by the Police Department.
It had to be said: though these high-ranking officials feared death and were less obstinate than before, they could still accomplish tasks.
Especially when dealing with Kirigakure's villagers.
They not only used the power of money, but also employed emotional and rational persuasion.
Within days, more than half of Kirigakure's grievances had been soothed.
Uchiha Haru, who had worked so hard for this, was praised highly by the Police Department.
Even the Uchiha clan seemed to be smoothly integrating into Kirigakure.
Everything was moving in a better direction.
Time passed little by little, and soon two months slipped by.
Mei Terumi's position as Mizukage steadily solidified.
Kirigakure had swept away its former haze and regained vitality.
During these two months, Haru barely had to worry about Police Department affairs.
The Uchiha clan and the Byakugan user Ao took care of everything.
Especially Ao, who played a crucial role.
Though the Uchiha clan had overseen the Police Department back in Konoha, relations between the Uchiha and Konoha were so fractured then that the department was mostly a hollow shell with few substantive tasks.
Thus, their experience was limited.
Naturally, the Byakugan user Ao had to shoulder the bulk of the burden.
Otherwise, why would Haru keep him by his side?
Ao had endless matters to handle almost every day.
Originally sent to monitor Haru and the Police Department, Ao now found himself too busy to watch anything else.
Meanwhile, Haru—ever ambitious—looked for ways to elevate himself to a super-shadow-level powerhouse.
He also deliberately inquired of Mei Terumi about the whereabouts of Kisame Hoshigaki and Zabuza Momochi.
Both were formidable shinobi.
Especially Kisame Hoshigaki.
With his sword Samehada blessing him, his strength was not to be underestimated. He was called the tailless tailed beast!
If Haru could recruit these two, it would be a tremendous boon.
Unfortunately, neither was still in Kirigakure.
Haru suspected they had followed the same trajectory as the original Hokage.
He felt a twinge of regret about that.
That was all.
He had long believed that only by becoming strong yourself can you truly be powerful.
Strong people always attract other strong people.
Without sufficient strength, even if you gather powerful allies, they will ultimately scatter.
Another month passed.
Good news came from the head of the Kaguya clan.
Tsunade had been located.
However, they did not rashly disturb her but immediately reported the news to Haru.
The matter was related to his son's life, so caution was paramount.
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