Two in the afternoon.
Uchiha compound, Uchiha Kai's small courtyard.
He and Itachi had just finished lunch and were sitting in the yard, letting their food settle.
"Sensei!"
"I've heard a little at home about the Police Department lately, from my father."
"But I can't make sense of it."
"Even if the village won't allocate funds to the Police Department, we shouldn't shift that resentment onto the civilians, right?"
"I don't understand—why?"
"If even I can think of that, there's no way you haven't."
"So why do it?"
Itachi's brows were lightly furrowed.
It was clear he'd been wrestling with this for days.
Honestly, it was only because he'd spent so much time with Kai and knew that, at his core, his teacher was a kind man.
Otherwise, he would've already put "Uchiha Kai" on his enemy list.
So these days, he tried not to dwell on how badly the civilians were suffering, and instead forced himself to figure out why his teacher would act this way.
But—no luck. No answer.
He was still just a child. Once he had someone he could confide in, it was hard to keep it bottled up for long.
So today, he asked.
Across from him, Kai's expression stayed calm.
He'd seen this coming.
Itachi, at heart, was a kind kid. Of course he couldn't accept these methods.
Kai had been thinking too: if Itachi couldn't hold it in and asked, how should he explain?
After a long silence, he decided—
Tell the truth.
Lies don't last.
They get punctured sooner or later, and when that day comes, teacher and student become enemies.
Better to be honest now.
Seeing Itachi finally ask, he actually felt relieved.
He thought for a moment, then spoke quietly.
"I'll give you the answer in a minute.
For now, think about this: why did the Second Hokage, Senju Tobirama, hand the Police Department to the Uchiha?"
"Remember, he hated the Uchiha.
Before Konoha was founded, Hashirama and Tobirama had three younger brothers—
All killed by Uchiha hands.
Even after the village was established, Tobirama kept calling us 'the evil Uchiha.'
And after Madara left, his wariness of the Uchiha went through the roof.
Under those circumstances, he still gave the Police Department to the Uchiha.
Why?"
Kai's voice was soft.
Given how little this world cared about history or inheritance, he first laid out the old blood feud between the Uchiha and the Senju—especially why Tobirama despised the clan—before asking his question again.
Itachi was stunned.
So that's how it was?
The First and Second Hokage had three younger brothers—
And they died at Uchiha hands. No wonder Tobirama hated the Uchiha.
But why?
If he hated them so much, why give a powerful office like the Police Department to the Uchiha?
Itachi thought for a long time, then shook his head.
"I don't know," he said frankly. "Please enlighten me, sensei."
Kai nodded.
He hadn't expected Itachi to answer. He only wanted him to grasp, at a deeper level, the village's knotted grudges and hidden fault lines—
So he wouldn't be easily manipulated in the future.
That was enough.
With that in mind, he began.
"First point: the Senju owe the Uchiha.
"Yes, Hashirama's family lost three younger brothers to the Uchiha.
But at the same time, Madara Uchiha's own little brother, Uchiha Izuna, died at Senju hands.
A thousand years of slaughter between the two clans—when the ledger runs that long, it's a blur of blood either way.
There's nothing more to say there.
"Do you think Madara, as clan head, didn't hate Hashirama and Tobirama for killing his brother?
I can tell you—he hated them to death.
And yet, Hashirama persuaded him, and together they founded Konoha.
"'Wood' from the Senju, 'Leaf' from the Uchiha—
That's actually the origin of 'Konohagakure.'
"But you know Madara's temperament. When it came time to choose the First Hokage, no clan was going to let Madara take the seat.
So Hashirama promised then and there: the Second Hokage would be an Uchiha…
"Unfortunately, even after Hashirama died, that 'Uchiha Second' still turned out to be Senju Tobirama.
The Senju broke their promise. That's why the Police Department was handed to the Uchiha—
Compensation.
"And honestly, our Uchiha were stupid.
The Police Department's authority is absurdly vast. If you know how to wield it, even the Hokage would struggle to counter it.
"The Police Department has the power to legislate, to detain and interrogate, and to adjudicate.
Think about it.
If you can revise the village's laws, and say someone's guilty—that's enormous power.
"That's why the Uchiha accepted it. Otherwise, how could the Senju's broken promise have been waved away so easily?
"But the Uchiha were too foolish.
They never recognized the sheer potential of the Police Department, and let it degrade into what it is now—the bottom rung of Konoha's seven major departments.
Its original functions have been carved up by Anbu, the Interrogation & Torture Department, and the Administration Department.
"You can't blame the Senju for that. The reins were in Uchiha hands. If you don't know how to drive, that's on you.
"Second point—
And the more important one: the Police Department was also a pit dug for the Uchiha.
"Yes, its authority is massive. But it's also the department closest to the common people.
And the lower rungs of the populace are ignorant, with a strong herd mentality.
They have little access to high-level information, so they're easily swayed by hearsay.
"The Uchiha, meanwhile, are a proud clan.
They disdain explanations—and end up turning good intentions into blunders.
Add a few rumors spread by the village leadership, and our reputation only gets worse.
"That's the tangled web among the village leadership, the Police Department, the Uchiha, and the Senju.
"Digest that first—then I'll answer your question.
It's something I want to teach you: don't judge by appearances. Cut to the essence and look at things dialectically.
In this world, everything is complicated.
If you don't trace causes and consequences thoroughly, you'll end up with an answer that's the exact opposite of the truth."
"…"
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