Uchiha Makoto left quietly after finishing his meal at Senju Hashirama's home.
Just as quietly as he had arrived.
But compared to the empty hands he came with, when Uchiha Makoto returned, he was holding a list. Without much effort, Uchiha Makoto had successfully persuaded Senju Hashirama to have the Senju clan participate in the Konoha ninja study abroad program.
Senju Tobirama stood outside the door, watching Uchiha Makoto's back until he disappeared into the night, the sound of his teeth grinding audible.
He was definitely against Uchiha Makoto's bullshit project.
Senju Tobirama knew very well that the children sent to Akatsuki Village would be thoroughly indoctrinated with Uchiha Makoto's Will of Light. Even if these mentally influenced Konoha children didn't defect and returned to become Konoha ninjas, they could still be quietly used by him.
But there was nothing he could do...
Senju Tobirama was merely a Shadow Hokage.
"Lord Hashirama, to promote the alliance between Akatsuki Village and Konoha... I thought we could plan a ninja village exchange program, allowing children from the Senju clan to study at the Akatsuki Village Ninja Academy. This would forge bonds between both sides... In this way, the relationship between our two villages can surely maintain mutual understanding and tolerance!"
"The Uchiha clan has already helped me discuss this with the other Konoha ninja clans, and they have basically all agreed to this plan."
"Makoto, what a great idea!"
With just a few sentences from Uchiha Makoto, the matter was settled. Senju Tobirama simply couldn't overrule Senju Hashirama.
Moreover, Uchiha Makoto had prepared in advance, pulling the rug out from under the ever-opposing Senju Tobirama. Even if he was dead set on refusing, he couldn't object to a decision made by the numerous ninja clans of Konoha.
However, to show his sincerity, Uchiha Makoto didn't even wait for Senju Tobirama to speak before proactively offering to send a batch of Akatsuki Village students to Konoha.
Infiltration and counter-infiltration always go hand in hand.
He never intended to seal off Akatsuki Village; he had always planned to maintain an open and free attitude towards the entire ninja world.
Faced with such a proactive Uchiha Makoto, even though Senju Tobirama had initially thought of making a reciprocal demand, he chose to refuse after some consideration.
The reason was that Uchiha Makoto was too proactive this time.
Senju Tobirama was genuinely afraid that Uchiha Makoto had plotted some other conspiracy, laying a trap for him to step into.
And in the current situation, Senju Tobirama couldn't afford to give Uchiha Makoto any more opportunities to exploit the situation... Securing his own base was more important than anything else.
Continuing to tussle with Uchiha Makoto would do him no good!
The night passed quickly.
The next day.
Although the New Year festivities were almost over, a core area of Konoha was currently decorated with lanterns and colorful banners, with the sound of firecrackers filling the air.
A huge sign was being lifted by Uchiha clan members, who hung it directly above the main entrance—Konoha Military Police Force!
At the entrance of the Police Force headquarters.
Uchiha Madara, dressed in a sharp formal suit, was waiting for Senju Hashirama.
Beside him stood several Uchiha elders, standing ramrod straight, holding a ribbon-cutting ceremony.
Uchiha Madara had always considered such flashy ceremonies a waste of time and hadn't wanted to participate. But Uchiha Makoto told him that Senju Hashirama would be attending, so he came.
"Madara, that's a nice suit you've got on!"
"Shut up. I've been waiting for you for a long time."
"Today is a great day, you shouldn't be wearing such a sour face... Give me a smile!"
Uchiha Madara forced a grin, but that smile... was enough to make a child cry.
Uchiha Makoto was naturally present as well, attending as a VIP guest.
After all, he was the financial backer of the Konoha Military Police Force.
He certainly wouldn't do something like spending money without getting any recognition for it.
Uchiha Makoto wanted to clearly and openly spread his influence throughout Konoha!
The ceremony was still underway.
"Let us give a warm round of applause to the Lord Light Shadow of Akatsuki Village! He is the pride of the Uchiha clan. To support Konoha and the Uchiha clan, he has established a foundation in his personal name. This is an organization independent of ninja villages and for-profit enterprises, dedicated to promoting development and change in the fields of society, economy, environment, and ninja rights, providing gratuitous financial aid to ninja villages, organizations, and clans in need across the ninja world. And the Konoha Military Police Force..."
Uchiha Makoto walked to the front, greeting Senju Hashirama and Uchiha Madara.
The ribbon-cutting officially began.
Then, under the camera flashes.
Uchiha Madara and Senju Hashirama shook hands with smiles, and the ribbon-cutting moment was permanently captured by the photographers present.
The last time Konoha's two giants had met with such fanfare was during the founding of the village. Now, with the establishment of the Konoha Military Police Force, Uchiha Makoto had orchestrated a repeat of that famous scene. This caused the Uchiha clan members present to feel an inexplicable surge of excitement, as if an Uchiha Hokage was about to emerge—with Uchiha Madara inside the village, Lord Hashirama's strong support, and Uchiha Makoto outside as the Lord Light Shadow of Akatsuki Village ready to provide aid at any time, the Uchiha clan could definitely produce a Hokage!
The members of other ninja clans attending the ribbon-cutting ceremony applauded enthusiastically, their eyes fixed on the events unfolding before them. The establishment of the Konoha Military Police Force was like a large stone thrown into a lake, destined to create ripples throughout the village.
At this moment...
While the ordinary clan members were naturally jubilant, the clan leaders... their hearts were filled with a mix of complex emotions, a tangle of confusion and excitement.
To be honest.
The ninja clan leaders in Konoha truly couldn't understand the current political landscape of the village.
Especially Senju Hashirama's attitude.
He had clearly handed over absolute power in the village to his younger brother, Senju Tobirama, to the point where even the ANBU ninjas answered to him. This was obviously grooming his brother to be the Second Hokage. Yet, Senju Hashirama was also extremely close to Uchiha Madara, so close they could share a pair of pants and sleep in the same bed.
With such an intimate relationship, what were the Uchiha supposed to think?
The entire Uchiha clan believed that the Second Hokage should be Uchiha Madara, or at least another Uchiha clan member!
Senju Tobirama was sharpening his sword, aiming for the Hokage position, while the Uchiha clan was ambitious and eager for advancement.
In truth, whether it was Senju Tobirama becoming the Second Hokage or an Uchiha becoming one, if Senju Hashirama had made up his mind, he should have made preparations long ago. He should either strip Senju Tobirama of his power and stop letting him dominate Konoha's politics, or he should suppress the Uchiha clan and make them give up their ambitions.
After all, Senju Hashirama was powerful enough...
Either way would provide some form of resolution for both sides.
But the current situation was like half-cooked rice.
Such bizarre behavior truly left the Konoha ninja clans baffled... Surely Senju Hashirama didn't really think that after establishing the village, the thousand-year blood feud between the two clans would just vanish into thin air—give me a break. Members of both clans have blood debts owed to the other; they are only holding back now because you and Uchiha Madara are so powerful.
Internal strife in Konoha seems inevitable in the future!
Soon, the ribbon-cutting ceremony ended.
Uchiha Madara and Senju Hashirama went inside the Konoha Military Police Force building, happily chatting while eating snacks.
Outside, the Uchiha elders were responsible for recruiting personnel for the Police Force.
There was an examination round for applicants to the Konoha Military Police Force.
Of course, this was all just a formality. The real candidates who would enter the Police Force had already been decided internally—the Uchiha clan would take half the spots, and the other Konoha ninja clans would take the other half, with each family sending their best members to be selected from.
But even so.
Konoha's civilian ninjas still congregated at the entrance of the Police Force headquarters, studying the recruitment conditions and planning to sign up and give it a try... What if?
The crowd was noisy, with arguments breaking out from time to time.
"Hey... what are you pushing for... Civilian ninjas, stand back. I'll be honest, you're all just here for the show!"
"Hey, why is your mouth so foul!"
"Is telling the truth considered having a foul mouth? You got a problem with that?"
"You just got lucky with a better birth, that's all."
"My, my, why does the air smell so sour!"
The Uchiha clan members responsible for maintaining order quickly stopped the conflict. The civilian ninja was reprimanded and sent to the back of the line, and while the clan ninja was also sent to the back... a palpable resentment and tension still filled the air.
And the discussions in the line did not end.
"What that guy said wasn't wrong... Clan ninjas are just stronger than us civilian ninjas."
"Tch, it's just a better background. As long as we work hard on missions, save up for a few years to exchange for a B-rank ninjutsu, and train hard, I can surpass them too."
"But they have people in their families who specifically teach them B-rank ninjutsu. And ninja children receive stricter training from a young age and work harder than us..."
"Ah... this..."
Whether the civilian ninjas were willing to admit it or not, even ordinary clan ninjas were generally stronger than them. And those ninjas born with powerful Kekkei Genkai were opponents they could never defeat in their lifetime. Even a four or five-year-old child, once they mastered their power, could easily kill them.
Uchiha Makoto took in the scene before him. He knew better than anyone that what the clan ninja had said was right. The civilian ninjas were just here for the show this time, because all the slots were being used to win over the Konoha ninja clans.
For this, he could only sigh silently.
However, after a moment's thought, Uchiha Makoto's gaze fell upon the civilian ninjas in the line.
From the very beginning, Uchiha Makoto had consciously wanted to create a natural, positive filter for outsiders when they thought of Akatsuki Village. Just like seeing Tesla or Sam's Club makes you think of an iPhone—this filter would save a lot of trouble during Akatsuki Village's future period of rapid expansion.
Urban legends like "Akatsuki Village wipes a single plate seven times" were bound to spread sooner or later.
Now, he thought of a new promotional plan that could add another golden ray to the sacred halo of Akatsuki Village—an Akatsuki Dream for the civilian ninja!
And compared to Konoha...
Akatsuki Village truly did care more about ninjas from civilian backgrounds. Uchiha Makoto saw them as his base of support. The number of children from ordinary backgrounds enrolled in the ninja academy each year had already reached four digits.
This was highly consistent with Uchiha Makoto's strategy of supporting civilian ninjas and developing the economy.
Since the end of the war with Kumogakure, war preparation was temporarily no longer the main theme for Akatsuki Village. The primary goal was to develop the economy with all its might. No matter how good the business environment in Akatsuki Village was, or how abundant the funds were, it needed people to achieve this goal.
Relying solely on that group of wealthy merchants was not a long-term solution; Uchiha Makoto couldn't fully trust them in his heart.
And the civilian ninjas, who were relatively weaker and couldn't compare to clan ninjas, were naturally the most suitable to be transitioned in large numbers into production-related work.
Currently, the Akatsuki Village Ninja Academy had already trained several thousand cannon-fodder Genin. They were literate, which already made them intellectuals in the ninja world, and they were skilled in taijutsu and full of love for Akatsuki Village.
This was a village's most valuable asset!
Several classes of students had already graduated and were now working as laborers in Akatsuki Village.
Umm... even though they were laborers...
Their future prospects in Akatsuki Village were definitely better than being laborers in Konoha.
But just this number of people was certainly not enough for a large-scale expansion in the Land of Fire. He needed to attract more civilian ninjas from across the ninja world to Akatsuki Village... the more, the better!
And at this stage.
The attention of the various ninja villages was focused on their own clans. No one really cared if a civilian ninja took a mission and ran off. He could seize this opportunity, activate his propaganda machine, and poach some decent civilian ninjas for Akatsuki Village.
As Uchiha Makoto was pondering these things, his attention was suddenly drawn to a familiar yet strange figure in the line—a high nose bridge, dark purple eye shadow, and extremely pale skin. Was this a carbon copy of Orochimaru?
But amidst his delight, Uchiha Makoto wiped the smile from his face in an instant.
He knew that the Konoha ANBU ninjas sent by Senju Tobirama were right across from him. And as if to deliberately annoy Uchiha Makoto, there were hidden posts and overt posts. The overt ANBU posts weren't even trying to hide anymore; they just stood in the open not far away, staring straight at Uchiha Makoto, following him wherever he went.
Senju Tobirama's beautiful excuse was that they were specially sent to protect the Lord Light Shadow!
Not long after the Orochimaru look-alike finished filling out his application form, Uchiha Makoto raised a middle finger at the ANBU ninja standing guard outside the door, picked up a stack of application forms, and walked into the Konoha Military Police Force building.
The interior of the Konoha Military Police Force building was a key defensive area for the Uchiha clan; even Senju Tobirama himself couldn't sneak in.
"Hmm... his name is Oroshikyu... this name... is not bad!"
"Married, with one son at home..."
"Looks like I've hit the jackpot this time."
Uchiha Makoto felt from the bottom of his heart that this trip to Konoha was absolutely the right decision.
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