Chapter 111: Showing Fists, Reasoning Sense

"Clan Head, the number of people in the prison has been increasing lately, and I still have patrol duties to carry out, so I'm gradually finding it hard to manage. I hope you can assign more manpower to help."

The Police Department's trial work had always operated on the principle that whoever made the capture was responsible, and coupled with the 'benevolent governance' policy the Uchiha had implemented since the Nine-Tails incident, the trial work was not particularly complicated.

Yatsuo had originally thought it was just some minor matters, but now, not even a month into the additional role, he and his squad were already finding it unbearable—exhaustion that was not only physical but mental as well—so he had no choice but to seek out Shisui and request help.

Shisui's expression showed some difficulty. "Senior Yatsuo, you know that several assistants have grown increasingly dissatisfied with me lately. We absolutely cannot give them reason to find fault with the clan at a time like this."

"Moreover, the Police Department doesn't have much manpower to spare. If we reassign people to trial work, I'm afraid the patrols will suffer as a result."

"However, since Senior Yatsuo cannot continue holding both positions, I'll have Brother Hui go help you."

"Hui Uchiha?"

Yatsuo's expression changed instantly upon hearing this. He had heard about how the other party had handled everything at maximum severity before. With such harsh punishments, if someone like that were put in charge of trials, the Uchiha would be finished sooner or later.

He immediately said, "Clan Head, you must not. Hui acts recklessly and too freely. Trials are the most important work of the Police Department, and they absolutely cannot be handled by Hui."

"The clansmen have always been like this. It is precisely because this work is so important that I wanted to entrust it to someone as steady and fair in judgment as Senior Yatsuo."

Shisui sighed. Finding someone in the clan who was both capable and steady was harder than awakening the Mangekyo.

After a moment's hesitation, he suggested, "How about this—since the work is being separated, let's separate the Police Department forces as well. From today onward, the Police Department forces will be divided into a patrol force and a trial force."

"Senior Yatsuo will be promoted to Deputy Chief, in charge of trial work. After prisoners are registered, you will lead your people to try them, and the results can be reported to me. I will personally review and approve them in a timely manner. As for your original patrol duties, I will find someone to take over."

The sudden change caught Yatsuo off guard. He carefully considered whether this would benefit the Police Department's work.

After a moment, he arrived at an answer: having a dedicated group responsible for trials would undoubtedly greatly improve efficiency.

As for whether it was a promotion, he didn't particularly care, but this arrangement worked well enough—he could also give a proper account of himself to the Grand Elder.

"Yes, Clan Head."

Seeing Yatsuo agree so readily, Shisui's mind stirred. From his observations during this period, whether it was Yatsuo, the Grand Elder, or those ninja in the Police Department, they were undoubtedly loyal to the Uchiha—but for now, only to the Uchiha.

Because of the gap in the main lineage, they had been influenced by branch elders from a young age, and thus held different views on reviving the clan.

Shisui keenly realized that this was the fundamental reason these elders existed.

After a moment of contemplation, he called for Inabi, promoted him to Deputy Chief, and placed him in charge of the patrol force.

Inabi understood Shisui's intent and accepted directly, then said, "I will win over the clansmen from the other squads as soon as possible."

"No rush, you can take your time. But with Yatsuo reassigned to the rear, the Second Squad is short a few people. Do you have anyone to recommend?"

Large-scale expansion was something Shisui couldn't do, but adding three or four people was no problem.

"You could have Izayoi Uchiha manage the Second Squad. Not only is his strength sufficient, but he was also a veteran of the guard division, and only left the Police Department for certain special reasons. Everyone knows him, so having him in charge won't cause dissatisfaction."

"Izayoi?"

Shisui immediately recalled this person. Back then, when facing Fugaku's killing intent, Izayoi was the only one besides him who had spoken up.

"Most importantly, his lineage has always maintained neutrality."

"It's him then. Sorry to trouble you with a trip—the Uchiha need his strength." "Yes!"

After Inabi left, Shisui didn't stay long at the Police Department. Compared to working there, he preferred strolling through the clan grounds and chatting with the clansmen.

The more people he met, the more he spoke, the more he understood, the clearer his path forward became, and the more confident he grew.

"Clan Head, I thought for several days about the method of clan revival you spoke of last time, and I found that it is indeed more reliable and more perfect than what the elders described. Every step you've considered is so clear. I can't wait to see the day the Uchiha regain their glory."

Along the way, passing ninja constantly spotted Shisui and came over to talk with him. Shisui turned no one away, openly discussing his vision for revival, and afterward told everyone he met how the elders had rejected his ideas.

He was not the least bit concerned about their motives, and even took the initiative to seek out those ninja whose names the elders had concealed.

By now, more than two months had passed since the Coup. With his campaigning, his position had been thoroughly consolidated—every single person in the clan knew Shisui's identity.

Even though some elders forbade them from approaching Shisui on their own initiative, it was to no avail.

After all, the clan grounds were only so large. Unless they hid inside the elders' homes constantly, Shisui's strength meant he could always spot them first.

By now, Shisui had gradually stopped caring about appearances. As long as he could encounter them, he would directly intercept them. In a place where clan values ran so deep, they naturally dared not show open disrespect to the clan head.

Shisui would seize the opportunity to pull them aside and pour out his vision for revival. Once, perhaps, they would remain unmoved; twice, they would begin to consider the feasibility of such a plan.

Three times, four times, and they would start comparing it with the elders' ideas.

Until one day they realized that compared to Shisui's plan—with its clear goals, well-defined steps, and immediately visible results—the elders' ideas not only seemed vague and absurd, but also blurry and uncertain, with no clear idea of how to actually proceed.

Over time, Shisui noticed that when these people encountered him again, even if he didn't actively intercept them, they would deliberately detour over to talk with him.

This was probably what they meant by 'a journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step,' wasn't it? It was precisely because of this that Shisui gradually came to understand these clansmen who had awakened their bloodline.

Most of them were undoubtedly loyal to the clan, even loyal to Shisui, but their thinking tended to go down a one-way street. Unless one could overwhelm them in both ideology and strength, they would only cling to their own direction.

And ideology and strength were exactly what Shisui had! He used his formidable strength to hold everyone's attention, then dissected the various elders' ideas in detail, proceeded to tear them down as worthless, and argued his opponents into speechless submission.

Then he replaced them with a more refined and clearer plan, overwriting their thinking, turning them from a small one-way street into a larger one-way street—only this road led to Shisui.

Under Shisui's day-after-day advocacy, several elders gradually realized the severity of the problem. Nowadays, the moment Shisui walked through streets and alleys, large numbers of clansmen would flock to him, eager to discuss the clan's future.

Shisui turned no one away. When there were many people, he would simply sit on the ground right there and preach, to the point where the three assistants frequently suspected him of holding clan meetings to stir things up.

Fortunately, Shisui always remembered to maintain his relationship with the Third, periodically reporting on his work, and during the Third's leisure time, even complaining about how tedious and difficult his duties were.

The Third would always chuckle and reassure him, advising him to listen more to the clan elders' suggestions.

Shisui would obediently express his gratitude.

Thus, in the blink of an eye, it was April of the 50th year. As time passed, Shisui thoroughly took control of the forces Fugaku had left behind, and his standing in the clan rose like the sun at its zenith.

On this day, he looked at the intelligence in his hand and immediately called for Inabi, Tie Huo, and Hui.

"The opportunity has come. We can proceed to the next step."

(End of this chapter)