Chapter 10

"Tsk tsk!"

Nobuhiko's eyes lit up as he listened. "You brat… you're only five years old—how the hell does your brain work like this?"

"All those layers of scheming, so thorough, all angles considered!"

"If Fugaku had even half your brain, I'd be thanking the heavens."

"I get it now! I'll do exactly as you say."

"When the time comes, I'll fully cooperate with you—whatever you say, I'll follow."

"Let's hope it really works."

If it did, the entire balance of power between the Uchiha and Konoha could shift dramatically.

"By the way," Nobuhiko added, "do you have any ideas for the future of the clan? Especially how we should manage our relationship with Konoha?"

If it were before today, he'd never have thought to ask such a question to Riku.

After all, what kind of meaningful insight could a five-year-old possibly offer on such matters?

But after hearing Riku's detailed analysis earlier, he had completely changed his mind.

Some people are just… monsters.

Like they were born with knowledge, able to see through things with only the barest clues.

Nobuhiko himself had no real plan to deal with the clan's current crisis.

But maybe… Riku did.

And even if he didn't, it wouldn't hurt to ask.

Just then, footsteps echoed from upstairs—Fugaku had finished washing up and was coming down.

Nobuhiko quickly said, "Forget it for now. After breakfast, come to my study—we'll talk more there."

He didn't think Fugaku was mature enough for this kind of conversation yet.

Knowing would probably do more harm than good.

"Alright."

Riku had no objections.

The next moment, Nobuhiko lifted the suppression barrier in the dining room, and the family continued eating breakfast together.

After breakfast, Fugaku left on a mission, and Nobuhiko called Riku into the study.

"Alright, now we can continue. Do you have any good suggestions for the clan's development?"

He motioned for Riku to sit, and then asked again.

"Of course I do."

Riku nodded confidently.

Truthfully, even if Nobuhiko hadn't asked, he had planned to bring up this topic eventually.

He wanted to guide his father to start reforming the clan from within, and to gradually shift its external policies.

He couldn't sit by and watch the clan walk the same old path toward destruction.

Since his father was still alive and had high prestige within the clan, pushing for reform while he still held power was the best choice.

Otherwise, once his father was gone, things would get far more complicated.

Riku had originally worried that his father wouldn't take a child's advice seriously.

But now, thanks to how he'd handled himself earlier, he had unexpectedly earned that trust ahead of schedule. It made him genuinely happy.

He began, "I've been thinking seriously about the clan's development these past few days."

"I've broken it down into two main categories: internal and external."

"Let's start with internal."

Nobuhiko nodded repeatedly, motioning for him to continue.

Riku said, "The internal issues of the clan are actually quite serious."

"We're a clan of thousands, but we've splintered into three or four factions constantly at each other's throats. This kind of infighting is just plain ridiculous—especially with so many external threats looming."

"So from an internal perspective, the priority should be finding a way to unify the clan, to make sure we all speak with one voice and move as one body. That's the key."

"That's true." Nobuhiko nodded in agreement, but his face also looked troubled. "But achieving that is easier said than done."

"Different people have different ideas and goals. Unifying them is incredibly difficult."

"I've made some efforts over the years, but I've seen very little progress."

"Do you have a solution?"

Riku nodded firmly. "I wouldn't bring it up if I didn't."

"But of course, it'll be a process."

"First, if we want everyone united under one vision, then we need to create a goal that benefits everyone—something that serves everyone's interests."

"I think we should start by reconstructing the clan's merit and contribution system, and our welfare structure, to win people's hearts."

"At the same time, we need sweeping reforms to the education of children and young shinobi within the clan."

"Also, we need major reforms to the Police Force."

"The Police Force?" Nobuhiko frowned. "What kind of reform are you talking about?"

He could get behind the ideas of merit-based rewards and education reform, though those would need serious discussion and careful planning.

But the Police Force… that was another matter entirely.

That was dangerous territory.

Riku, of course, was well aware of this, and replied at once:

"First, select and extract the best members to form an elite task force within the Police Force."

"From now on, these elite officers won't handle standard law enforcement. Instead, they'll focus on intensive training, patrol missions around the outskirts of the village, and identifying or capturing enemy spies."

"They'll be our clan's true trump card, a force to rival the Hokage's ANBU."

"Hoh?"

Nobuhiko's eyes lit up. "Now that… that's an idea. The Uchiha really do need a trump card like that to stand toe-to-toe with the village."

"But still, if we do that, we won't have enough people left in the Police Force."

"Especially since the village has been expanding year by year. We're already stretched thin."

That was actually one of the reasons Uchiha growth had stagnated in recent years—overextending their people into thankless jobs.

Combat was always the best way for the Uchiha to grow stronger.

"That's not a problem."

Riku shook his head. "My second point solves that issue."

"Second, we partially open up some Police Force positions and form a new Public Safety Division."

"This division would be led by Uchiha captains, but would include three vice-captains."

"We'd recruit civilian ninja to serve as those vice-captains and fill the rest of the squads. They'd handle domestic law enforcement and internal conflicts within the village."

"What?"

Nobuhiko's expression changed instantly. His tone turned serious. "That's absolutely out of the question. The Police Force was granted solely to the Uchiha when Konoha was founded. We can't just hand it over to civilians or other clans."

"The village would jump at the chance to insert their own people and slowly erode our influence."

"You have to understand—those in power in the village have been suppressing us for years. We're barred from nearly every other department—this Police Force is the last bit of authority we have."

"We cannot give it up."

Riku sighed and shook his head. "And that's exactly what the Second and Third want you to think."

"The Police Force's work is largely thankless. We make enemies everywhere—that's something you know well, don't you?"

"Yeah…"

Nobuhiko's expression darkened. He sighed. "Of course I know. Why else would Tobirama so willingly grant us this authority back then?"

"It was a trap from the beginning. But it's all we've got. Even if it's poisoned bait, we had to swallow it."

"If we open the Police Force to outsiders—even just partially—our clan would never accept it."

"You need to understand that."

Without this authority, the Uchiha would be completely marginalized—our voices would be silenced within Konoha.

That's something neither Nobuhiko nor the Uchiha could afford.

(End of Chapter)

[Check Out My Patreon For +20 Extra Chapters On All My Fanfics!!][www.p@treon.com/zaelum]

[+500 Power Stones = +1 Extra Chapter]

[Thank You For Your Support!]