Konoha Notes

Chapter 392 Choice
Fugaku places great importance on the collaborative tasks between the police department and the joint affairs bureau.

The importance attached to it was so great that even after Jiraiya personally took charge of the front lines of Kusagakure and Amegakure, he still chose to personally go to the areas of Yugakure and Otogakure.

Firstly, they were worried that their clansmen wouldn't handle cooperation with other ninja villages well; secondly, they planned to take the opportunity to deal with the rogue ninja from Yugakure, proving the headquarters' strength. It's said that the rogue ninja named Hidan had been hiding for a long time and his whereabouts remained unknown.

But the search didn't last long.

The joint meeting has ended, and new orders have arrived from the village. He needs to cooperate in the mission of escorting the Jinchūriki of Iwagakure.

Once this task is completed, the collaboration between the Police Department Headquarters and the Joint Affairs Bureau will come to an end.

The reason is quite practical: Iwagakure has stopped shrinking its defensive line, redeployed its personnel, and even started coordinating with Sunagakure ninjas, so it no longer needs support from headquarters.

On the other hand, according to sporadic reports, there seem to be new developments within the Joint Affairs Bureau. Konoha's previous practice of using its own people and acting in the name of the Bureau needs to be adjusted.

Fugaku intended to ask Itachi about the situation when he returned home.

But his eldest son had been working overtime for days on end, occasionally returning late at night and then going back to the office building before dawn. Under that kind of work rhythm, even though he was very concerned about the subsequent business coordination at headquarters, he couldn't bring himself to speak up.

Our headquarters has only experienced a reduction in business; it's not something that involves the life or death of the entire clan.

The fact that Itachi is this busy shows that he is doing very well in the Joint Affairs Bureau, which is a more important matter, and there is no need to disturb him.

So when Yashiro asked for the third time in the police department office about "the subsequent arrangements of headquarters," Fugaku simply said "wait for notification" and got up to go home to feed the fish.
-
At dusk, the stone lanterns in the courtyard of the clan chief's mansion were just beginning to glow faintly.

Fugaku sat by the pond, scattering handfuls of bait into the water. Koi gathered around, their snouts creating delicate ripples on the surface.

Mikoto Uchiha walked to his side: "Sasuke has been in a low mood lately."

Fugaku continued to cast the bait. The bait landed in the center of the carp school, making a soft splash on the water's surface.

“His talent is not as good as Itachi’s,” he said to the pool, “but he has higher expectations from Shuji than Itachi has. If he wants to prove himself worthy, he has to bear that pressure.”

"If he can't take it and wants to give up, I won't criticize him any further."

After all, Sasuke is the second son.

“What if he could learn some new techniques?” Mikoto said softly. “Perhaps he’s not as good as others in the special training class because he’s lacking a key skill.”

This is what a mother would think. Fugaku wouldn't.

The Uchiha clan possesses the Sharingan and Fire Release techniques.

Sasuke has everything now. If he still can't compare to others, it just means his eye power is insufficient or his talent is lacking.

So he didn't reply, but simply put away the bait container, turned around, and went back inside.

Sasuke returned when it was completely dark.

A faint sound came from the entryway, followed by slightly weary footsteps.

Fugaku sat at the low table in the living room, with a monthly report from the police department spread out in front of him, but his eyes were not on the paper.

"Father."

Fugaku looked at him: "How's the situation at the special training camp?"

Sasuke straightened his back a little.

"I can do it."

They didn't mention any difficulties, nor did they ask for any help.

So Fugaku looked away.

"Hmm." He looked at the report again. "Go take a shower."
-
The following morning, at the police headquarters building.

The atmosphere was somewhat different.

Even before Fugaku stepped through the gate, he noticed that the clansmen, who had become somewhat lax due to the relatively little work, had now returned to their old ways.

He did not inquire about the reason for the abnormality, but simply walked towards the minister's office as usual.

Inside the office, Uchiha Yasuo was standing beside his desk. Uchiha Izumi sat there, speaking towards the sofa. She held a document in her hand, reporting crisply:

"...So that's how the daily patrol schedule was adjusted. Last month, we handled seventeen disputes, three of which involved merchants from other villages, and all of them have been filed according to procedure."

The person on the sofa nodded.

It is Xiu Si.

Fugaku paused briefly at the doorway.

Yashiro immediately looked over, and Izumi stopped talking as well: "Minister."

Shuji turned his head: "I apologize for the intrusion, Minister Fugaku."

Fugaku walked into the office, nodded to Yashiro, and then looked at Shuji.

"Shushi."

"I happened to be nearby, so I thought I'd stop by." Shuji turned his gaze to Izumi. "Where were we?"

Quan blinked: "Speaking of the archiving process..."

"Hmm." Shuuji smiled. "How's it working in the police department?"

"I'm quite used to it." Quan's voice became lighter. "Although most of the work involves mediating disputes and patrolling, it feels very meaningful to be able to help the villagers."

"That's good."

Shuji then looked at Fugaku again.

Yashiro then took his leave, and Izumi followed suit, saying, "Well then, I'll head back now, Shuji-senpai."

"Go."

After Quan left, only the two of them remained in the office.

Shuji stood up and walked to the wall—where the police department's duty roster and task assignment chart for the month were displayed. His gaze swept over the items that had already been marked, lingering for a few seconds.

"The police department and the secretariat worked together very well this time."

Fugaku walked up to Shuji.

“The village originally planned to use a temporary transfer to the secretariat to complete the subsequent planning.” Shuji turned around, leaning against the wall. “But the situation has changed now. The secretariat is currently discussing a new proposal, and the subsequent operations will be more formalized.”

"This method of directly drawing on the village's elite and temporarily forming teams is unsustainable."

"But if Konoha wants to maintain its influence in the Joint Affairs Bureau, it also needs to have a standing elite squad available for Konoha's leaders in the Bureau to use."

Fugaku asked, "Does this mean, joining the secretariat?"

Xiu Si affirmed this.

“Considering the contributions of the Uchiha clan in recent years,” he said, “if anyone in headquarters is willing to join, they can submit their names directly.”

"Since the beginning of this year, the workload of headquarters has been reduced sharply and its authority has been reduced. Village remembers that under these circumstances, it was not easy for headquarters to cooperate with the work of the branch."

"Therefore, in this matter of joining the secret service's direct squad, priority will be given to the Uchiha Headquarters' elite members."

Prioritize.

Fugaku raised his eyes.

“However, relatively speaking,” Shuuji’s gaze swept over the vague figures outside the office door, “I hope that the personnel that will be added to headquarters later will be as different as possible.”

"After the branch went out, most of the people who stayed at headquarters were from the Uchiha clan."

Shuji smiled and said, "Of course, this is just a suggestion. The final decision will depend on Minister Fugaku's judgment."

"After all, the situation is not as dire as it was a few years ago."

(End of this chapter)