Just as Natsuki had predicted.
These past few days, Konoha's public security had not been very good.
There were no major conflicts, but countless small frictions went unchecked.
Fortunately, the Third Hokage had ordered the ANBU to keep an eye on things, otherwise real chaos might have broken out.
There were no longer merchants coming to file complaints against the Police Force, but every day people came to ask when personnel would be assigned back to patrol. The Uchiha simply had no manpower to spare.
Helpless, the merchants could only take their complaints to the Hokage.
Although not everyone could meet the Hokage directly, these villagers had lived in Konoha for a long time. Many had distant connections with various clans, and when enough people voiced concerns, plenty of opinions still reached the Third.
The Third Hokage had no choice but to press the Hyūga Clan to take over more quickly.
Under the Third's urging, the Hyūga arrived two days earlier than planned. By the sixth day, their Police Force members were finally in place throughout the village.
Though the squad configurations were smaller than the Uchiha's had been.
The Hyūga, however, had their Byakugan for observation and Gentle Fist for sealing chakra, making them suitable Police Force members as well.
Sure enough, once the Hyūga took over, public security instantly improved.
The one in charge of Police Force matters was Hyūga Hizashi, and all the members were from the branch family.
Having learned from the Uchiha's experience, Hizashi instructed every Hyūga officer to enforce the law gently and avoid provoking complaints from villagers.
The Hyūga branch family had always fought on the front lines, branded with the Caged Bird Seal. Though they bore the Hyūga name, they carried no noble airs and were instead approachable.
Thus, most disputes were settled through persuasion.
When the villagers saw even the noble Hyūga speaking kindly, they praised them endlessly.
"The Hyūga truly are dependable."
"They're so much gentler than the Uchiha."
"If you ask me, the Hyūga should've been running the Police Force long ago."
Natsuki and Itachi walked down the street together. Itachi had already resigned from the ANBU under the Third's approval.
Natsuki wanted to spend more time with him—after all, Itachi would one day become an incredibly powerful force. His illness, though, was something that needed a solution.
Fugaku also wanted Itachi to grow closer to Natsuki. For his part, Itachi deeply admired Natsuki's intellect. Both wanted to observe how the villagers would react to the Uchiha gradually stepping away from the Police Force.
"Itachi, what do you think our clan truly needs?" Natsuki asked, his gaze sweeping over the streets of Konoha.
Though it was called a "village," its scale was absurd. From the bustling streets alone, the permanent population must have been well over a hundred thousand. No wonder the Uchiha had long fixated on seizing power.
Unfortunately, the future changes in the shinobi world would not be swayed by just a hundred thousand people.
Konoha already looked strong on the outside but hollow within, lacking in top-tier combat power.
And years of oppressive policies meant that the Hokage faction never trusted the Uchiha.
Forget the Hokage's seat—they hadn't even given the Uchiha a single advisor's position.
No wonder the clan harbored such resentment.
The more the Hokage's faction refused to cede authority, the tighter the Uchiha clung to the Police Force. During the Nine-Tails attack, the Uchiha had even been ordered not to fight—yet afterward, this was twisted into grounds for the villagers' suspicion.
Whether this manipulation of public opinion had been orchestrated by Danzō or by the Third himself was hard to say.
Itachi thought carefully. "Deputy Clan Leader, I believe what our clan seeks is a sense of recognition."
Natsuki waved a hand. "Just call me Natsuki."
"Recognition, huh? How many jōnin do we have in our clan? And how many does Konoha have in total?"
In Konoha, the total number of jōnin was about two hundred.
A single jōnin could normally lead three to five four-man squads, and in wartime, even more. Their importance was tremendous.
Yet within the Police Force, an Uchiha jōnin was nothing more than a squad leader.
There were over thirty such squad leaders.
"Our clan clearly has more jōnin than most others, yet we're all stuck in this tiny corner called the Police Force."
"As long as the Uchiha remain tied to the Police Force, we will never be recognized. We'll only waste our sharpness on trivial, petty disputes every day."
"We are the Uchiha—we are already strong. Do we truly need recognition from anyone else?"
Itachi nodded slowly, deep in thought.
"I've heard the Hyūga are doing quite well now, with very few complaints. What do you think, senpai?" After some silence, Itachi glanced at the street corner.
He had changed his form of address from "Deputy Clan Leader" to "senpai," but not yet to Natsuki's name. Natsuki didn't mind—time was on his side.
He followed Itachi's gaze.
There, two Hyūga Police Force members were mediating a dispute.
"Few complaints, is it?" Natsuki's lips curled into a faint smile. "The Police Force's work isn't so simple."
Sure enough, the conflict escalated.
One man shouted, "Who do you think you are meddling in my business? My wife's from the Yamanaka Clan!"
Another retorted, "So what? I'm a Shimura. You know what that means? Elder Advisor Danzō's bloodline…"
The two Hyūga members were caught in the middle, damned if they acted and damned if they didn't.
"This gentleman, clearly you were in the wrong first. The other was only defending himself," Hyūga Hechuan tried to explain patiently.
Hizashi had instructed them—unless the situation was truly severe, they were not to arrest anyone.
"You're just a branch family dog, a caged bird, and you dare meddle in my affairs?"
The drunkard lashed out at Hechuan with fists and feet, spitting words that cut to the bone.
Hechuan's face darkened instantly. That insult struck at the deepest wound of every branch member.
His fingers pressed together, and in a flash he struck the man's tenketsu.
The drunkard collapsed to the ground, smashing his face, nose bleeding profusely. Crying out, he wailed, "This is abuse of force! I'll file a complaint!"
Hechuan's face turned ashen as villagers around them whispered and pointed. Quickly, he and his teammate dragged the man away.
Watching, Itachi felt an uncanny sense of déjà vu.
He had seen Shisui in similar situations many times. Shisui would always apologize and seek reconciliation, which earned him resentment from certain clansmen.
Most merchants in these districts had ties to one clan or another.
Whenever conflict broke out, they brandished their connections as a shield.
The Uchiha often found themselves caught in the middle, impossible to please either side.
And since many Uchiha were hot-blooded, smoothing things over was out of the question. Arguing was their daily routine.
Now the Hyūga had taken over—and it looked like they weren't doing much better after all.
Itachi's respect for Natsuki deepened.
Natsuki smiled faintly at his expression.
Too many Uchiha had faced such moments, but the Uchiha had never tolerated it.
Prideful as they were, they would never stoop to false pleasantries. They enforced the law impartially—if someone deserved arrest, they were arrested; if they deserved punishment, they were punished.
This had been their way for years.
And that had always been Tobirama's trap: impartial enforcement meant inevitably offending other clans. Offend the clans, and you could never secure enough trust votes to become Hokage.
Thus, an Uchiha could never sit in the Hokage's chair.
Otherwise, with Fugaku's contributions in the Third Great Ninja War, he would not only have been Hokage material—he would at least have been made an advisor elder.