Uchiha Ryōsuke took a sip of the tea Mikoto had handed him earlier.
The flavor was fragrant and refreshing, lifting his spirits considerably.
He couldn't help but marvel.
"Good tea," Fugaku said with a smile. "These are a specialty of my Uchiha Clan; there isn't much of it in existence."
"I'll send you some later."
"Then many thanks, Clan Head," Ryōsuke expressed his gratitude.
At this point, Fugaku intended to discuss serious business.
"These are just small matters. I asked you here this time to ask if our Uchiha Clan should take a step further and overthrow the rule of the Third Hokage."
"When you killed Danzō, those other clans didn't dare to utter a word. If we were to forcefully overthrow him, I imagine we wouldn't encounter too much obstruction."
"The position of Hokage should be assumed by you, Ryōsuke."
Although Fugaku had thoughts of ascending to the position himself, the Hokage was naturally expected to be the strongest in the village. Moreover, if he took the role, he feared he wouldn't be able to convince the masses. Ryōsuke was the perfect fit; at the very least, his power could compel them to submit completely.
Hearing Fugaku's words, Ryōsuke was slightly surprised. To think Fugaku wanted him to be the Hokage. Wouldn't that make him the Fifth Hokage?
The Fourth Hokage, Namikaze Minato, had already passed away.
Unfortunately, Ryōsuke wasn't particularly interested in such taxing affairs.
Despite the immense power of the Hokage, the role required handling all sorts of matters once assumed. How could it compare to the carefree freedom he enjoyed now?
However, he hadn't expected Fugaku to harbor such radical thoughts at this stage.
He spoke slowly, "I'm afraid now isn't the right time. Although the Uchiha Clan's current strength certainly gives us the opportunity to reach the pinnacle of Konoha, doing so now would be too crude and simple-minded."
Fugaku pondered Ryōsuke's words. Forcefully overthrowing the Third Hokage was indeed too crude.
It would leave the Uchiha Clan with an even more tyrannical image in the eyes of the villagers.
However, he said with a darkened expression, "Konoha was founded by the Senju Clan and the Uchiha Clan. Yet, among the first four Hokage of the village, not a single one has been an Uchiha."
"Ryōsuke, isn't it time the Uchiha Clan produced a Hokage?"
"In terms of seniority, war merits, and strength, it is long overdue."
Ryōsuke naturally considered the other's point of view to be correct.
"That is natural. My Uchiha Clan is a founding elder family of Konoha; we naturally should have produced a Hokage by now. It is strange that we haven't."
"It's just that I feel the method by which our Uchiha Clan ascends to the top should be a bit gentler and more natural. Otherwise, even if the village submits to our military force, there will surely be significant resentment behind our backs."
"If our Uchiha Clan wants to live comfortably in Konoha, it is best not to give the villagers an overly overbearing impression."
Fugaku nodded in agreement.
"Ryōsuke, what you say makes a lot of sense. These past few days, whenever villagers encounter members of our Uchiha Clan, they give us a wide berth. Is it not because we killed Danzō?"
"Although that fellow got exactly what he deserved—he truly deserved to die."
"Even so, the fact remains that it has caused these villagers to fear our clan even more than before."
"Is there really a need to fear our Uchiha Clan this much? As long as they don't break the law, we Uchiha wouldn't do anything to them."
He felt the gap between the Uchiha Clan and the village even growing wider, making it harder than ever to integrate.
Ryōsuke hadn't expected things to turn out this way either. Perhaps it really was time to change the image of the Uchiha Clan.
Fugaku looked at the contemplative Ryōsuke.
"Ryōsuke, do you have any ideas? How can we enable our clan to ascend?"
Ryōsuke thought for a moment before speaking slowly.
"There is naturally a method, but it depends on whether the clan is willing to accept it."
Fugaku asked hurriedly, "Ryōsuke, tell me first. What exactly is the price?"
Ryōsuke immediately voiced the thoughts in his mind.
"Actually, the reason the villagers and the other clans are dissatisfied with our Uchiha Clan stems entirely from the authority of the Police Force."
"When the Second Hokage handed the Police Force over to our Uchiha Clan to manage, he likely didn't have any good intentions."
"The power of the Police Force is too great, but the work involves offending people."
"To be honest, although we Uchiha manage the Police Force, the decisions we make do not convince everyone."
"In the final analysis, it is because our Uchiha Clan simply cannot represent the entire village."
"After all, Konoha is no longer the same as it was in the past. It not only has many civilian ninja, but also clans of all sizes."
Fugaku understood what he meant and expressed deep agreement.
Indeed, the work of the Police Force was all about offending people. He couldn't help but ask internally, 'Does Ryōsuke mean for the Uchiha to give up the Police Force?'
He hadn't expected that while Danzō and the Third Hokage had meticulously schemed to seize the rights of the Uchiha Police Force, Ryōsuke would suggest giving it up so easily.
But the authority of the Police Force was vast; they could even judge the consultants and elders. In terms of power, it was in no way inferior to the Third Hokage, provided one had the strength to back it up.
If Ryōsuke chose to give it up, then he would follow. He trusted Ryōsuke's vision.
Although the clansmen might find it hard to accept, they would have to accept it, because Uchiha Ryōsuke represented what was correct.
Ryōsuke, however, looked dumbfounded.
"I never said we should abandon the Police Force. Power is indeed a good thing; it is absolutely impossible to discard it completely, otherwise doing anything would be inconvenient."
"But we can absolutely absorb others into it and share the power. When that happens, the Police Force won't just belong to our Uchiha Clan, but will be the Police Force of the entire village."
"At that time, the judgments made shouldn't leave people unconvinced."
Fugaku understood now. Ryōsuke meant to invite other clans to join the Police Force, or allow civilian ninja to join as well.
He couldn't help but ask, "But if so many people come in at once, our power will undoubtedly be diluted significantly. Will these clans potentially unite and directly steal the authority that originally belonged to the Uchiha?"
Ryōsuke spoke with indifference.
"Since we have decided to absorb talent, the necessary rights must naturally be given."
"Although this will indeed share a significant amount of power, as long as our Uchiha Clan is strong enough, no one will be able to replace our central position within the Police Force."
"In other words, my Uchiha Clan will remain the true supervisors of the Police Force. That will not change."
Fugaku agreed with Ryōsuke's opinion. Indeed, the foundation of power was the fist.
If the Uchiha Clan's fist was bigger, then they would always be the center of the Police Force.
Ryōsuke's method was indeed effective. If implemented, it would completely change the image of the Uchiha Clan.
If the villagers, ninja, and clans no longer held dissatisfaction toward the Uchiha...
Then the Uchiha Clan's subsequent ascent to power would be much easier and more logical. It wouldn't invite too much opposition or resistance.
Fugaku continued to ask, "Ryōsuke, but which clans should we invite?"