Tekka immediately stepped forward to lead the way.
The Uchiha clan members, with arrogance written all over their faces, surrounded Kai in the middle and walked straight to the seats reserved for the Uchiha.
Uchiha Kai wore a smile. Unlike the others, he appeared humble. He even returned a polite smile whenever someone looked his way.
But as for the clan's arrogance—he turned a blind eye to it. He had no intention of correcting them.
There were two reasons for this.
First, he simply couldn't change them. He'd already said it countless times back in the clan compound, but it was useless! The Uchiha's pride was carved into their bones. As the saying went, mountains and rivers may change, but human nature does not. If he couldn't change even his first lieutenant, Uchiha Tekka, how could he expect to change anyone else?
And really, it wasn't just them.
Take the clan's prodigies, Shisui and Itachi. They seemed polite, humble, easy to talk to on the surface. But Kai, who spent the most time with them, knew better than anyone—deep down, they were prouder than anyone else.
In fact, the Uchiha standing behind him weren't half as proud as Shisui and Itachi.
The difference was that their pride was ingrained in their very bones, hidden under their calm demeanor.
Most people couldn't even tell.
Shisui considered himself the Uchiha's genius, the descendant of Uchiha Kagami. His pride made him ignore everyone else, focusing solely on reforming the clan. Nothing could sway him—no hardship, not even death.
Itachi was even prouder!
In the original timeline, aside from Shisui and Hiruzen, he held no one in his eyes. His attitude was always: You don't understand, and I can't be bothered to explain. Just follow my plan.
Especially with Sasuke.
His attitude was: I've already thought of everything, including your Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan. You don't need to think—just follow my path blindly.
And if Sasuke didn't accept? Are you kidding me? Someone as amazing as me already planned this far for you, and you still refuse?
This was exactly why Sasuke's feelings toward Itachi were such a tangled mix of love and hate later on.
On the one hand, his brother did everything for him. On the other hand, Sasuke himself was even more arrogant, with Indra's chakra fueling his pride. How could he ever truly accept Itachi's control?
So in conclusion—
The Uchiha were the ultimate "dragon-protagonist" archetype.
Trying to change them? Forget it. Even the Sage of Six Paths couldn't root that out.
And truthfully, after thinking it through, Kai realized their arrogance wasn't necessarily a bad thing.
Konoha's number one noble clan, stylish and overbearing—that sort of presence would be invaluable when it came time to implement Nara Kazama's plan.
People naturally admired strength.
Of course, this only worked if Kai could keep a firm grip on the clan. If no one held the reins, the Uchiha would self-destruct before outsiders even touched them.
After all, their unstable mentality produced defectors in droves.
From Madara in the distant past, to Obito and even Itachi in recent years—all of them turned on their own clan in one way or another.
Madara tried to destroy the Uchiha.
Obito tried to destroy the Uchiha.
Itachi outright massacred the Uchiha.
sigh…
Thinking of this, Kai couldn't help but sigh helplessly.
And just then—
Hiruzen Sarutobi entered the hall, flanked by Koharu Utatane and Homura Mitokado.
"Lord Hokage!"
Everyone rose to their feet respectfully.
Even Kai, despite his disgust, stood up and put on a respectful demeanor. There was no choice. If he wanted to play within the rules, he had to follow them.
The Uchiha, reluctant as they were, followed suit once they saw Kai stand.
"Sit," Hiruzen said. "Given that we're in wartime, I'll get straight to the point."
"First, I owe the Uchiha an apology. For many years, due to various reasons, the Police Force's budget allocation has been withheld. This has led to a situation where members of the Force can't even afford to eat. I've heard that many of them can't focus on their duties, spending their days looking for side jobs just to feed their families. That is my failure as Hokage. So, I must apologize."
"After discussions with the other elders, we've decided to begin repaying the arrears immediately. Of course, the total sum is too large to pay at once. Normally, the Police Force is allocated 370 million ryō per year. This time, I propose paying out three years' worth in advance—a total of one billion ryō, to be disbursed directly from the Treasury. Elder Koharu has already agreed, so the funds can be transferred without delay."
"Of course, this will affect the budgets of other departments. But I hope everyone can understand—the Police Force has shouldered this burden for years."
"Enough talk. Let's vote."
Hiruzen's voice was calm, without a hint of hostility toward the Uchiha. On the contrary, he even seemed to be speaking in their favor.
This was his nature. Once he made a decision, he wouldn't hesitate. "The Professor," "The Strongest Hokage"—his reputation wasn't for nothing.
He lost this round, and he admitted it. No shame. He raised his hand first.
Koharu and Homura, though displeased, followed suit. They glared at Kai before lifting their hands.
At once, the room fell silent.
Everyone was stunned.
They all knew about the conflict between the Hokage faction and the Uchiha. They had come today expecting to witness Hiruzen's counterattack.
And yet—he conceded?
No one could make sense of it.
Sure, the Uchiha had made some moves recently, but nowhere near enough to force such a complete surrender.
Why?
"What's the Hokage thinking?"
"I don't get it at all."
"Something's off. He must be plotting something."
"Maybe, but it's none of our business."
That was the consensus.
Whatever Hiruzen's scheme was, it was the Uchiha's problem—not theirs.
So, everyone raised their hands.
Soon, unanimous agreement.
Hiruzen ignored the Uchiha entirely and nodded.
"Good. The motion passes. The Police Force can collect the funds from the Treasury later. But since the budget issue is resolved, I expect the Police Force to settle the civilian unrest within a week. That's all. Dismissed."
With that, he left.
Koharu and Homura followed without delay.
The hall was soon abuzz with whispers. All eyes turned toward the Uchiha with strange looks, but no one dared say much. Everyone drifted off in small groups, clearly intending to discuss the matter in private.
In moments, the hall was nearly empty—save for the Uchiha.
They too frowned deeply, each lost in thought.
Yes, they were arrogant, but not stupid. Anyone could see something was wrong.
"Elder, what's going on?"
"Has the Hokage lost his mind? He just surrendered without a fight?"
"Feels unreal… did we actually win just like that?"
"Idiot, of course not! This reeks of trickery!"
"There's definitely a plot, but what?"
The clan argued back and forth, but in the end they couldn't reach a conclusion. Instinctively, all eyes turned to Kai.
Everyone acknowledged one thing: in terms of intelligence, no one in the clan could match him.
Kai frowned. Truthfully, he was just as confused.
Hiruzen's move had blindsided him completely.
Surrender, just like that?
It didn't make sense. Surely Hiruzen had another plan. But for now, Kai couldn't figure out what it was.
Was Hiruzen really that brilliant? Brilliant enough that even Kai, with his nine years of modern education, couldn't see through it?
Impossible.
This world didn't have the conditions to produce such a political mastermind.
Unless…
He was overthinking it?
Following that line of thought, he mulled it over a bit longer. Then, slowly, a smile tugged at his lips.
Ah, I see…
Taking a deep breath, he spoke calmly:
"Enough. Let's head back. We'll discuss this properly at the Police Force headquarters."
"..."
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