"I see they've switched out the gate guards for Uchiha now?"
Akaba couldn't help but show some surprise upon hearing the news from Izumi Yamano.
"Yes, the checkpoint at Konoha's main gate is now managed by the Military Police. They've even posted notices stating all such duties now belong to the Military Police. The unit will be expanding soon due to insufficient manpower."
Having brought his caravan through customs, Yamano paid particular attention to these unusual procedures, thus noticing the differences.
Akaba fell silent, deep in thought.
Assigning gatekeeping to the Military Police and expanding their ranks—it seemed power dynamics within the village were beginning to shift.
He couldn't help but wonder which major clans might be targeted for recruitment.
If confrontation with the powerful clans was inevitable, his own Sakuma clan could very well end up on their recruitment list.
"Though honestly, it doesn't seem like a big deal. These Uchiha people are actually quite nice to deal with—nothing like the rumors about them acting arrogant and superior."
Yamano smiled as he casually helped one of the guards unload a crate of manga books.
"Some stories are just exaggerations after all."
Akaba smiled slightly too. When even an outsider spoke this way, clearly the Military Police involvement must be gaining public favor.
As long as they sincerely served the people, naturally everyone would accept them.
If the Uchiha clan ended up causing internal problems and alienated villagers further through misuse of power, that would indeed justify Motonami Uchiha's determination to purge those troublemakers.
"So how many copies are we looking at in total?"
Akaba pointed toward the vehicles. Previously there had only been one wagon, but this time two came together. Although each vehicle carried fewer items, the fact that every manga book arrived neatly boxed clearly meant this shipment was bigger than before.
"There are 150 copies of Volume 10 and 200 copies of the first edition of Volume 11 for 'Naruto,' 200 copies for Volume 4 of 'One Piece,' plus 50 copies of Jiraiya's 'Intimate Desert.'"
Yamano pulled out a list paper while checking and reporting titles.
It wasn't like the old days anymore, when there was only one manga series to deal with.
After finishing, he seemed somewhat hesitant, weighing his words carefully before saying, "By the way, recently Mito Uzumaki approached me wanting to publish a manga she had drawn."
"What Lady Mito?"
Akaba froze.
"Which else could I mean? Mito Uzumaki from the Senju household."
Yamano expressed both respect and awe on his face, yet also looked seriously strange.
That look of his was seriously strange.
While Mito Uzumaki's artistic skills weren't questionable, Akaba still didn't understand why Yamano wore such an odd expression.
Sensing Akaba's confusion, Yamano lowered his voice and whispered, "Mito Uzumaki's manga involves... unusual content regarding the First Hokage."
Unusual content?
Connecting this with Hashirama Senju's character portrayal in the manga, Akaba immediately grasped what happened.
Yamano was worried about getting into trouble after what appeared to be a direct critique of the First Hokage.
Akaba wanted to laugh, yet felt it understandable.
Despite being arms factory director, Yamano essentially worked under the Daimyo, occupying far less authority compared to their position in Konoha.
Therefore, Akaba gave him a suggestion (to avoid potential backlash): "Why not ask Grandma Mito to write an author's note at the beginning? That'll make it look like an authentic memoir."
"Who could possibly understand Hashirama Senju better than Mito Uzumaki?"
That one phrase snapped Izumi Yamano out of his daydream!
His eyes lit up. Everything clicked in his mind, and he nodded excitedly. "Right! The memoirs! As long as we can get some personal reflections and statements, even the higher-ups won't have anything to say!"
He could already tell it was going to be a massive hit.
"As for how to actually pull it off—that's up to you."
Akaba gave a few suggestions but had no intention of getting further involved.
A regular manga might not have much market appeal, but Hashirama Senju's story was a different case.
Hashirama Senju's Daily Life
It sounded pretty interesting—even Akaba found himself looking forward to it.
After finishing this topic, Akaba took out some blueprints and equipment obtained from Orochimaru and handed them to Izumi Yamano: "By the way, regarding those pieces of equipment I mentioned earlier, this is exactly what I meant."
"Let me take a look."
Izumi Yamano picked up the two pieces of equipment and examined them carefully.
The first one he could understand, but the second one—
"Is there any particularly high requirement for this bell?"
Izumi Yamano asked.
Akaba passed him the blueprint for the bell. After briefly glancing at it, Izumi Yamano finally said in confusion, "I don't get it. Can you explain it to me?"
"You still don't understand after looking at this?"
Akaba glanced over briefly, then gradually lost his confidence because he didn't understand it either.
Although the structure and principles were clearly written, the symbols and manufacturing requirements were explained using an utterly Orochimaru-esque notation—deeply obscure and difficult to grasp.
After thinking hard for a while, he finally suggested, "Just follow the specifications precisely. Try making ten of them first."
"Alright, I'll give it a shot first. As for payment, I'll calculate the costs later and come find you then."
Izumi Yamano generously replied. Having long-term cooperation with Akaba and knowing him well, he wasn't worried about such a small sum for a few weapons.
After finishing this, Akaba turned his attention to another piece of equipment's design.
Izumi Yamano looked down briefly, then lifted his head and suddenly noticed someone peeking from not far behind Akaba. He was about to warn Akaba when the person spoke first: "Akaba, what's this weapon for?"
Hmm, whose voice is that?
Akaba turned around and saw an unexpected person—Motonami Uchiha.
At the same time, he noticed Izumi Yamano's expression and smiled saying, "No worries, he's the Uchiha Clan Leader."
"So it's actually the honorable clan leader!"
"It's okay, okay."
Motonami Uchiha didn't mind at all.
He had previously been lying low within the clan and rarely came out, so most people outside the clan hadn't seen him before.
Therefore, it was normal for Izumi Yamano not to recognize him.
"It's Orochimaru's creation; it's a good piece of weaponry."
After introducing the two pieces of equipment, Akaba returned to the main subject.
Seeing Motonami Uchiha reminded him of the military police force expansion. Suddenly, he realized—the regular Military Police might actually need these more than the New Root!
Motonami Uchiha's eyes lit up: "Oh? May I try its power?"
"It requires chakra input, which gets amplified through air vents, intensifying the impact force of the chakra flow, creating tremendous power."
Akaba handed it to him and, after thinking for a moment, added, "Since your power level is quite high, please be careful not to use too much chakra."
"Understood."
Motonami Uchiha put it on, glanced around, and walked toward an open area. Carefully, he channeled chakra into it.
Moments later—
Boom!
A whistling sound erupted as compressed chakra blew out from the ventilation holes, directly shattering a large boulder in the distance.
"This power is pretty good!"
Motonami Uchiha was thrilled. Although its destructive force wasn't particularly strong, its advantage lay in not requiring hand seals—just control over chakra to unleash effective results.
This weapon would suit genin, elite genin, and even some mid-level chunin without powerful jutsu.
"Interested?"
"Definitely. I was actually worried about the strength of the Military Police before—I came here hoping to Take something from you, but this looks perfect now."
Motonami Uchiha said happily.
"There are downsides though—if the ventilation hole gets blocked, it could cause serious harm to the user."
Akaba explained.
"That's true. After all, it's just a weapon."
Motonami Uchiha nodded.
No weapon in this world was flawless; that's precisely why people were needed to wield and manipulate them.
Izumi Yamano couldn't hide his excitement either.
It seemed once these two weapons were produced, making money wouldn't be an issue.
The Uchiha clan was among the first-tier noble families after all.
"What does the bell do?"
Motonami Uchiha asked.
"It creates sound to disrupt hearing. If infused with more chakra, it can also damage someone else's auditory senses."
After explaining, Akaba paused briefly before adding, "That's the theory at least, but it's still in testing phase."
"Let's try it out."
Motonami Uchiha stepped aside, signaling Akaba to proceed.
Akaba channeled chakra and gently shook the bell.
A sharp ring rang out.
"It does work, though not that strong yet."
Motonami Uchiha approached but showed no sign of contempt.
It wasn't strong because the amount of chakra used was minimal. With increased chakra input, its effects would undoubtedly intensify.
Of course,
these kinds of tools wouldn't be much use against high-level ninja—their effect is pretty limited.
However, for lower-ranked genin, any tool might mean the difference between life and death.
Growing increasingly fond of the two weapons, Motonami Uchiha quickly said, "Akaba, when these are made, the Military Police should get first priority—we'll pay whatever it takes!"
"You won't recruit from other clans?"
Akaba sounded surprised.
Surely the ninja from various clans wouldn't be below par.
"I will definitely draw from other clans, but—"
Motonami Uchiha looked around cautiously, sensing insecurity. Instantly activating his eyes, he cast a genjutsu.
Akaba found himself pulled into an illusion.
Only then did the other continue, "In the future, the Military Police won't only protect Konoha itself, but also safeguard surrounding villages, towns, and even ensure daily security across the entire Land of Fire. Relying solely on each clan's elites simply won't suffice."
"Now I get it—this is just like that department thing!"
Understanding dawned on Akaba instantly.
These days, bandit or roaming gang missions usually start only after trouble has broken out—villagers come seeking help then. The Military Police's role would be to proactively station forces, patrol, and protect local safety, to nip such issues in the bud.
If the area is this vast, it would be too much even for the elites of the clans—not to mention the Anbu.
"You could recruit ninja from commoners. Most commoner ninja are genin, and they're fully capable of chores like daily patrols, guard duties, and message delivery."
"I was thinking the same thing, and I've already discussed it with Lord Third."
Motonami Uchiha nodded. "These weapons should help boost their independent combat abilities."
Akaba paused for a moment and said, "Patrolling distant towns by commuting to Konoha every day wouldn't be practical. The Military Police could set up small squads there on rotation—just send in fresh teams every few days."
"That makes perfect sense!"
Motonami Uchiha's eyes lit up as he asked excitedly, "Any more ideas?"
"Ah... right. You should also get on good terms with the Inuzuka clan. From what I remember, the Inuzuka don't only have ninja hounds—there are also some dogs whose talents aren't quite up to par. Your Military Police could take them over. Though not suitable for frontline combat, they'd be perfect for daily guard work."
Naturally, police dogs aren't standard issue anymore.
But to Motonami Uchiha, these suggestions were undeniably valuable.
He nodded while jotting them down, then said excitedly, "You really have a sharp mind for a young guy. I've been stuck on these issues for so long, yet you solved everything at once! Would you be interested in joining my Military Police? I'll offer you the position of vice captain!"
"No, no, no—please forget it!"
Akaba hurriedly declined. Joining Root was already busy enough. Adding the Military Police on top of that might just make his liver explode.
Motonami felt a little regretful but understood these things couldn't be forced. He simply sighed softly and let the matter drop.
<><><><><><><><>
Thank you for reading! Your support will keep me updating!
~ Every 50 Powerstones = **4 Bonus Chapters** this weekend!
<><><><><><><><>
~ 100+ Advanced Chapters Available on Patreon!
~ More *Free* Chapters and Books Available on Patreon!
patreon.com/Tansnovel
<><><><><><><><>