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When Minato Namikaze told Shisui Uchiha he would be the Vice Commander, Shisui stared blankly for a long time.
He snapped out of it a moment later. "Lord Hokage… why me?"
"Because I trust you," Minato replied. "Of the entire Uchiha clan, I trust you the most. You're not shackled by narrow clan loyalty. You're intelligent, rational, and you think things through. You stay calm under pressure and act with extreme composure. You care deeply for the village, and you're an excellent shinobi who takes action."
Shisui felt a little embarrassed by the praise. Was he really all that?
Minato continued, speaking frankly. "It's precisely these qualities that made me decide on you for Vice Commander of the Leaf Village Defense Force. While Lord Fugaku is leading your clan through changes, hoping to regain our trust—and I do trust Lord Fugaku—my trust alone isn't enough. As I said, the Defense Force was the result of discussions between myself, the Third Hokage, and the Hokage's Advisor. In truth, the proposal for this new department came from Advisor Danzō."
"The Uchiha clan is well aware of Advisor Danzō's significant hostility toward you. I am willing to believe in the Uchiha; he is not. That's what drove the creation of this new department, and he strongly recommended Qianyu to lead it."
"I know very well that if Qianyu becomes the leader, your clan will panic. If that happens, the trust Lord Fugaku and I have painstakingly built will fracture. That's why I proposed establishing a Vice Commander position and recommended you for it."
"The establishment of the Leaf Village Defense Force is set in stone. It cannot be changed. Shisui, I have great faith in your abilities, and you hold considerable prestige within your clan. As Vice Commander, you can reassure your clansmen. Furthermore, if Qianyu or Root operatives deliberately target the Uchiha, you can intervene. The ANBU assigned to the Defense Force will support you."
Passion surged through Shisui. He hadn't expected the Hokage to value and trust him so much.
He took a deep breath. "I will not fail your trust, Lord Hokage!"
Minato offered a gentle smile. "I believe you can. And if you encounter problems you cannot solve, I will help you."
"Understood, Lord Hokage!" Shisui nodded firmly.
Minato stood. "Once the department is established, you and Qianyu will assume your positions immediately. Now, it's time to meet with Lord Fugaku. After all, the Defense Force's two authorities will be carved out from the Konoha Military Police's jurisdiction. As the future Vice Commander, Shisui, you should come with me."
Minato and Shisui set off for the Uchiha compound.
…
Meanwhile, at the Root base.
Danzo had summoned Qianyu.
When Qianyu arrived, Danzo's expression was one of bitter reluctance. "The new department is approved. The 'Leaf Village Defense Force.' You will be the Commander. But that Namikaze… he insisted on creating a Vice Commander position…"
Before Danzo could even name the person, Qianyu spoke. "Lord Danzō. The Vice Commander is Shisui Uchiha, correct?"
Danzo looked at him, surprised. He guessed that?
Qianyu explained, "If the Hokage decided to create a Vice Commander, its purpose must be to placate the Uchiha clan. And to be effective, the candidate must be one of them. Shisui Uchiha is a confidant of Lord Minato. In my view, he is the only logical choice."
Danzo nodded slowly. "As expected of the man who led shinobi forces to victory so many times during the war. Your analysis is sharp. Correct. The Vice Commander is Shisui Uchiha. I agreed to Minato's proposal because I believe you can keep him in check."
Qianyu merely smiled at the praise. "Lord Danzō, may I ask a question? To what degree do you wish to pressure the Uchiha clan?"
Danzo was puzzled. "What do you mean?"
Qianyu replied, "If your goal is simply to prevent the Uchiha from acting as arrogantly and unrestrainedly as before, then that goal is already achieved. The Defense Force is a blade hanging over their heads. If they wish to act as they once did, they must weigh the consequences. This time, we only carved out two of their authorities. Next time, it could be more, until the KMP is nothing but an empty shell."
"The Konoha Military Police is the key to the Uchiha's prestige and power. As long as they don't want to lose it, they must behave. However, if your goal is to press the Uchiha so hard they cannot lift their heads, that is also easily arranged. Even if Shisui and Minato try to stop us, they will have no grounds to do so. Because we will be in the right."
"So I ask: To what degree do you wish to pressure the Uchiha clan?"
At Qianyu's words, a fierce, malicious light ignited in Danzo's eyes.
His face darkened. "Of course, we will press them down until they cannot lift their heads. Until they have no chance of ever recovering!"
A faint smile touched Qianyu's lips. The answer was no surprise. He wouldn't have been shocked if Danzo had called for the clan's extermination.
Now, his money-making plan could proceed.
Danzo asked, "You just said it would be easy to press them down completely. What is your method?"
Qianyu laid it out. "It doesn't matter that Minato is placing ANBU in the department or making Shisui the Vice Commander. To put it bluntly, they are there to monitor us. However, as long as we target Uchiha members within the jurisdiction of the Defense Force, they can do nothing."
Danzo frowned. "But those Uchiha, knowing you are the Commander, will surely be on their best behavior. How can we target them through our jurisdiction?"
Qianyu's lips curved into a confident, almost cold smile. "Lord Danzō, you know the Uchiha temper better than anyone. We simply need to stir up friction between the villagers and the Uchiha clansmen. Those arrogant Uchiha only need to show a tendency toward violence—or even dare to curse someone—and we can arrest them on suspicion of criminal intent!"
Danzo's interest was instantly piqued. He motioned for Qianyu to continue.
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