Chapter 559: Reform

“The seniors are all so strong, and their Nin-Beasts are also very strong,” Yamato exclaimed.

At this moment, Yamato’s doubts about Danzo Shimura’s words deepened.

Danzo Shimura said that he was exceptionally talented and would sooner or later become Konoha’s strongest, and that Konoha’s future lay with him.

But after spending some time with Kakashi and the others, Yamato felt that he was no more outstanding than them.

His unique Wood Release wasn’t even unique.

After Muzuki taught Yamato the Wood Release: Cutting Technique and Flying Leaf Quick Blade, Yamato realized that Muzuki also knew Wood Release.

Yamato was stunned at the time; Danzo Shimura had exaggerated Wood Release so much that he thought he was the only one in the Ninja World who could use it.

Due to Danzo Shimura’s various admonitions, Yamato had never even practiced Wood Release in front of Kakashi and the others. He only cultivated Wood Release when he was alone or with Muzuki.

After Muzuki demonstrated Wood Release, Yamato felt even more relaxed.

If one were to speak of Konoha’s future, Muzuki was clearly more suitable, not him.

“This doesn’t count. You used genjutsu on me before the fight, which is cheating,” Obito said, patting the dust off himself, having thought of a convincing reason.

This wasn’t even just a reason; it was reality.

Zoroark had used genjutsu to transform into Zorua, making him careless, which led to his swift defeat.

If he had seen the evolved Zoroark, Obito would not only not have underestimated it, but would have approached it with utmost seriousness.

Aside from Fire Dragon’s first evolution, the remaining pokémon evolutions all showed astonishing progress.

“That sounds like something Obito would say,” Zoroark said, unsurprised.

“But what you said this time does make sense, so let’s have another fight!”

Zoroark had full confidence in its own strength.

Its strength wasn’t absolutely top-tier among all disciple pokémon, but in terms of dealing with human Ninja, Zoroark was very strong.

Its powerful genjutsu ability made it easy to create offensive opportunities, and its extremely fast speed allowed it to maximize those opportunities into victory.

“I still have to cultivate Azure Flame, so I don’t have time to train with you. We’ll talk about it later,” Obito said, indicating that he was very busy.

The current situation was that the enemy was hidden, and he was exposed. Obito didn’t want to lose face. He would wait until he had gathered information on Zoroark, then figure out a way to get even.

“You should also cultivate Fire Release more,” Shisui said, stepping forward to Zoroark.

Once was enough; twice would be a bit much.

“Mm-hmm,” Zoroark nodded.

It had just said it casually and wasn’t really planning to continue beating Obito.

And so, Kakashi and the others spent a harmonious week of training.

During this week, each disciple was busy with their respective training.

Yamato, Kakashi, Shisui, and Obito learned the new Ninjutsu taught by Muzuki.

Rin Nohara, on the other hand, had realized some of her weaknesses through the Youth Martial Arts Tournament and was diligently working to address them, enhancing her ability to deal with poisons.

As for Might Guy, after his injuries fully recovered, he immediately put pressure on himself and engaged in high-intensity training.

After all, his path was quite pure; he only needed his body to become stronger and stronger.

The stronger his body, the more Gates he could open with Eight Gates, and at the same time, the side effects would be smaller. He also wouldn’t have to worry about stacking Rock Breathing Chakra Mode causing too much pressure on his body… Night, Uchiha Clan Compound.

Before leaving, Shisui reviewed the content he was going to present at the Clan Meeting.

The reform of the Police Force was a matter of great importance, and Shisui would do his best to handle it well.

He had not only prepared a draft but had also memorized it.

Reviewing it was just to check if his memory was correct.

After confirming there were no issues, Shisui found Obito and went to Nanga Shrine with him.

To succeed in one go, he needed Obito’s help.

Although Obito didn’t have many friends within the Uchiha, he was strong, and his second-place finish in the Youth Martial Arts Tournament had made him a well-known Uchiha genius in the Ninja World.

Obito’s strength and reputation would earn him considerable recognition within the Uchiha Clan.

The time they chose was neither too early nor too late. When they arrived at Nanga Shrine, only about half of the Uchiha Ninja had arrived.

Shisui led Obito to a seat near Uchiha Fugaku.

The seating at the Uchiha Clan Meeting had rules; the best seat was reserved for the Uchiha Clan Head alone.

The good seats near the Clan Head were occupied by the elders of the Uchiha Clan and Uchiha Jonin with strength and prestige.

Basically, seating was arranged according to status, position, strength, and age. If one was young and a Genin who had just graduated, they were only fit to sit in the outermost corner.

No Uchiha came forward to stop Shisui and Obito’s actions.

Simply put, they were qualified to sit in that position, more qualified than ordinary Uchiha Jonin.

Before Shisui and Obito sat down, two elders were already seated at the upper positions. Both were Uchiha Jonin whom Shisui knew.

“You are truly young and promising. You displayed the Uchiha’s prestige at the Youth Martial Arts Tournament,” Uchiha Keqiu greeted the two with a chuckle.

Originally, according to Uchiha’s philosophy, not getting first place was unacceptable.

However, considering that the first-place Nagato now had a great reputation, second place was understandable. Also, even though Obito and Shisui didn’t get first place in the Youth Martial Arts Tournament, their rankings were better than those of other Konoha Ninja, and this point was very important.

What did this indicate? It indicated that their Uchiha bloodline was excellent! The geniuses in their clan were the best in Konoha.

Even Uchiha Sheng Qing, who had once clashed with Shisui, now spoke a faint word of praise.

Even if their philosophies differed, as fellow clan Ninja, when a junior brought fame to the family, Elder Sheng Qing should still say some good words.

After all, whether they were the radical faction, the conservative faction, or the neutral faction, they were all Uchiha.

Shisui responded with a smile, and Obito also smiled along.

To make Obito’s evening easier, Shisui had spoken with Obito before arriving.

In situations where there was no fighting, Obito only needed to show support for Shisui at critical moments. For the rest of the time, he could just space out and think about his own things. If someone spoke to him, he would respond according to his mood. If he was in a good mood, he would chat; if not, he would just give a perfunctory reply.

As time passed, more and more Uchiha Ninja gathered at Nanga Shrine.

Once the Ninja had all taken their seats, Uchiha Fugaku cleared his throat twice and said:

“Since everyone is here, today’s Clan Meeting officially begins. Let’s discuss ‘changing the clan to become stronger’ as our topic.”

After speaking, Uchiha Fugaku closed his mouth, waiting for the Uchiha Ninja to speak enthusiastically.

“Surely, a Hokage must emerge,” an Uchiha Ninja said.

“Expand the authority of the Police Force,” someone said, dissatisfied with the current power of the Police Force.

A large number of Uchiha Ninja in Nanga Shrine expressed their opinions, and although not all were reliable, a considerable number of Uchiha Ninja spoke.

“I believe that the Police Force should be reformed to attract non-Uchiha Ninja into the Police Force,” Shisui said, observing for a minute before decisively speaking.

—Silence—

The once lively Nanga Shrine suddenly fell silent, as if it wasn’t a discussion meeting but a strict teacher’s classroom.

Many Uchiha Ninja looked at Shisui with surprise and disbelief, not expecting him to say something that would again harm the Uchiha’s interests.

This wasn’t the first time Shisui had proposed attracting non-Uchiha Ninja to the Police Force at a Clan Meeting.

When Shisui had not yet become a Ninja, Uchiha Fugaku, seeing his potential, had brought him to a Clan Meeting early.

At that time, Shisui was still relatively naive, only thinking of helping the Uchiha fix their flaws, without considering the resistance or the vested interests he would touch.

So that time, the result was also very bad. Shisui was denounced by a large number of Uchiha and was directly driven out of Nanga Shrine on the grounds that non-Ninja could not attend Clan Meetings.

Uchiha Sheng Qing’s heart rejoiced. He was worried that Shisui’s rise would affect his power, but he didn’t expect Shisui to directly point a gun at his own head.

“Shisui, what are you saying? Isn’t this inviting a wolf into the house!” Uchiha Sheng Qing sternly rebuked him.

“If outsiders enter our Uchiha-exclusive Police Force, won’t we Uchiha potentially lose the only important Konoha power we control?”

“Moreover, the Police Force being exclusive to the Uchiha Clan was a regulation set by the Second Hokage, not a selfish decision made by us Uchiha ourselves.”

After saying the last sentence, Uchiha Sheng Qing stopped speaking. He only needed to start it; if he said more, it would seem like he was targeting a clan genius.

Too many Uchiha Ninja served in the Police Force. Shisui’s decision touched too many people’s interests, and Shisui would soon be attacked by the masses, so he didn’t need to say more.

As Uchiha Sheng Qing expected, even though Shisui was a famous genius among the Uchiha, even though many young Uchiha had a good impression of Shisui because of his strength and character, and even though Shisui had recently achieved good results at the Youth Martial Arts Tournament, Shisui was still verbally attacked by many Uchiha Ninja.

“Shisui, how can you have such an idea? Everyone in the Police Force is a brother. If outsiders come in, can they be of one mind with us?”

Some Uchiha felt that Shisui’s proposal would bring endless troubles to the Uchiha.

“Although you are very talented in cultivation, talent in cultivation does not mean talent in governing the clan. Shisui, you are still more suited to focus on cultivation.”

Some Uchiha outwardly affirmed Shisui’s cultivation talent but were actually sarcastic about his proposal.

“Elder Sheng Qing’s words are more reasonable. The Police Force isn’t something we Uchiha said we wanted to monopolize; it was the Second Hokage’s idea. Even Senju Ninja recognized our abilities, so why should we deny ourselves?”

Some Uchiha tried to use clan conflicts to suppress Shisui.

At this moment, even some young Uchiha Ninja who admired Shisui for his strength and character did not speak up for him, watching in silence.

Because some of their relatives were Police Force members, and some were Police Force members themselves.

In their eyes, Shisui’s proposal was truly self-defeating.

“No wonder he asked me that day. It turns out he still held such thoughts,” Uchiha Keqiu shook his head and remained silent.

Uchiha Keqiu had once linked up with Shisui, and Shisui had asked him whether the Uchiha’s monopoly of the Police Force was truly a good thing.

If he had known that Shisui would propose reforming the Police Force so directly at the Clan Meeting, Uchiha Keqiu would definitely have tried to dissuade Shisui thoroughly.

Regardless of whether Shisui’s reform could strengthen the Uchiha, his reform would put most Uchiha Ninja against him.

Most of the Uchiha Clan’s skilled individuals served in the Police Force. Shisui moving against the Police Force meant moving against their rights.

Listening to each Uchiha Ninja refute his proposal, and seeing the “disappointed” looks in their eyes, Shisui was surprisingly calm at this moment.

Even if most didn’t agree with him, they couldn’t drive Shisui, who had long become a Jonin, out of Nanga Shrine again.

Because this was a Clan Meeting, a Clan Meeting that all Uchiha Ninja could attend. Except for the Clan Head, no one had the right to drive anyone out.

Moreover, the current Shisui was not the weak child who hadn’t even graduated back then.

Now, he was confident he could defeat all Uchiha except Obito and Uchiha Fugaku.

Shisui now had both the reasoning to support his proposal and the power to make people quiet down and listen to his reasoning, so of course, he didn’t need to panic.

“Everyone, please calm down. Give me some time to explain my proposal in detail,” Shisui said calmly.

After all, they were all clan members. If he could convince them through reasoning, Shisui still didn’t want to use force; it wasn’t a good habit.

“Everyone, quiet down,” Uchiha Fugaku said cooperatively.

Although he would not openly support Shisui at the Clan Meeting, he still had to show some favoritism towards the clan’s genius.

The commotion within Nanga Shrine instantly vanished, becoming quiet once more.

Even if they didn’t agree with Shisui’s proposal, Shisui was still that exceptionally strong genius. Coupled with the Clan Head’s words, the Uchiha were willing to give face.

“First, the imagined harm to Uchiha interests will not happen,” Shisui began to explain.

“Although the Police Force reform will absorb outsiders, existing positions will not change at all. It is to apply to the Third Hokage for additional positions, to enhance the strength of the Police Force, and to expand the influence of the Police Force.”

Shisui’s ideal Police Force would have no more than one-fifth Uchiha Ninja, but the first steps couldn’t be too big.

Therefore, Shisui not only didn’t replace any Uchiha Ninja but also specifically emphasized that this was to enhance the Police Force’s strength.

As Shisui expected, many Uchiha’s expressions immediately softened when they heard that positions would not change.

Then they thought again: not touching existing positions and adding new ones to absorb outsiders could indeed strengthen the Police Force.

After all, newly recruited Police Force members couldn’t be given high positions, which meant having more subordinates and more operational positions within the Police Force.

Seeing that the effect was good, Shisui continued to speak according to his original plan.

PS:

Staying up late makes me lose hair, and now I have diarrhea. My stomach has been uncomfortable lately; I need to get it checked out when I have time.

This chapter was actually yesterday’s update. There will also be 8k today.

Also, asking for monthly votes at the beginning of the month.