Konoha: The Soul King from the Uchiha Clan

Chapter 255 A Solution That Isn't a Solution

After a while, none of the Konoha F4 could come up with a way to completely stop the police department's policy of external expansion.

This is because it is a perfectly reasonable and open strategy. If it were unreasonable, Hiruzen Sarutobi could have vetoed it with a single order.

The three tricks that Konoha's F4 are good at are splashing dirty water, manipulating public opinion, and using righteous indignation to suppress dissent.

The notice posted by the police department makes it very clear that any accusations of ill intentions or false advertising will soon be exposed.

The most direct way to stop the police department from expanding outwards is to make Uchiha Gen retract his order and go back on his word.

It is obvious that such a decision is extremely difficult, and Uchiha Gen is not afraid of pressure from higher-ups at all.

When one can't think of a proper way, it's easy to resort to unorthodox methods. Danzo, racking his brains, couldn't help but come up with a crooked idea.

"Hiruzen, should we threaten him with someone Uchiha Gen cares about?"

Hiruzen Sarutobi's expression changed drastically upon hearing this, and he shouted angrily, "Danzo, what's going on in your head?"

"Uchiha Gen may be ambitious, but he's still a member of Konoha. How could he resort to such despicable methods?"

"These dark tactics are used against enemies, not against the people of the village."

"Besides, if you set this precedent, what if others follow suit?"

"Do you think Uchiha Gen wouldn't dare?"

"If they tear off all pretenses and fight amongst themselves using any means necessary, will Konoha ever have a peaceful day again?"

Danzo, thoroughly humiliated by the scolding, stammered, "I was just saying."

"The fact that you dared to bring it up means you really have this idea. If I don't directly deny it, you'll assume I'm agreeing."

"You think I don't know?"

"You understand me, and I understand you just as well."

Hiruzen Sarutobi, his brows furrowed and spittle flying, once again berated Danzo until he was utterly humiliated.

Mitokado Yan and Utatane Koharu quickly tried to smooth things over, and the matter was eventually dropped after a while.

In fact, Hiruzen Sarutobi saved Danzo's life and prevented a huge crisis from occurring.

Uchiha Gen isn't like Hiruzen Sarutobi; he wouldn't tolerate Danzo. He assassinated the Hokage and it wasn't a big deal, tsk tsk…

If Danzo dares to break the rules of the game, Uchiha Gen will not be foolish enough to abide by them anymore and will definitely deliver a devastating blow.

An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth—this kind of equivalent retribution is not enough. In order to eliminate any future troubles, Danzo and the brainwashed Root organization must be completely destroyed.

There's no other way than to nip it in the bud and eliminate it at the root to prevent future troubles!

Uchiha Gen was naturally not afraid of Root's revenge, but it was a different story for those close to him.

At worst, they could tear off all pretenses and fight to the death. He wasn't the Hokage yet, so he didn't care that much about Konoha's petty tricks.

In the end, if Hiruzen Sarutobi finds that he cannot defeat Gen Uchiha, he will definitely compromise for the sake of Konoha.

Of course, this is only a temporary compromise. For the sake of Konoha, Hiruzen Sarutobi will secretly try every means to eliminate Gen Uchiha.

"Sigh, Hiruzen, it's too difficult to completely stop the police department's expansion."

"I think we should settle for second best."

After turning to her new room, Xiaochun rubbed her temples and said.

After pondering for a moment, Hiruzen Sarutobi nodded and asked, "What are your thoughts?"

Koharu Tsurugi's expression turned serious as she said, "Since the police department is recruiting, then we can recruit too."

"We have five departments at our disposal. Recruiting a few from each department would be enough to snatch the most elite group of ninjas."

"We can't let Danzo just threaten others; he's too hated."

Upon hearing this, Mitokado Homura had a sudden inspiration and quickly said, "Perhaps the police department's expansion might not be a bad thing for us..."

"In the past, the police department was very closed off, and we had little room to intervene. After Uchiha Gen took over, he used various means to make the police department an impenetrable block."

"Now that there are cracks in the police department, we can place trustworthy people into the police department."

Upon hearing this angle, Hiruzen Sarutobi and his two companions were immediately alerted.

They had fallen into a misconception. Yes, the police department's actions weren't all bad for them.

This is a good opportunity to infiltrate the police force; it might come in handy at a crucial moment...

"Menyan's idea is excellent; Danzo should take note," Hiruzen Sarutobi exclaimed.

Danzo was speechless and annoyed by the criticism, but he couldn't say anything because he hadn't thought of that angle.

"The Dark Division isn't hiring. Go and make the arrangements."

"I don't know anything..."

After saying that, Hiruzen Sarutobi got up and left the small conference room.

The three of them were already used to Hiruzen Sarutobi's non-stick pan behavior.

Danzo was the one carrying the heavy burden, while they were the ones carrying the light burden.

Taking the blame is fine, as long as Hiruzen doesn't fall, they won't fall. Even if they're temporarily silent, they can rise again after the storm passes.

This is the tacit understanding between the four of them.

Danzo and the other two continued their discussion in the small conference room for a while before leaving to begin executing their plan.

……

On the other hand, due to the large number of applicants, two rounds of assessment and selection are needed to choose the most outstanding candidates.

The selection process appears fair and impartial on the surface, but there are actually some behind-the-scenes manipulations, such as those involving Hong, Xiyan, and Hongdou.

Uchiha Gen secretly contacted the ninja in charge of the assessment and made some exceptions.

The reason it is appropriate is that the three girls are already very good at the Chunin level, among the top group of Chunin, and their combat power has reached the level of Special Jonin.

The reason I haven't been promoted yet is because I haven't met the workload target.

In addition, the added advantage of being a female ninja and being a subordinate of Uchiha Gen greatly increases the chances of passing the test.

The greeting was only to avoid any unexpected situations. The three women were unaware that Uchiha Gen had secretly opened some back doors for them.

Apart from the three women, the assessment of everyone else followed the rules of fairness and impartiality, with the capable rising and the incompetent falling.

Three days later, the preliminary and final examinations were completed, and the police department posted a list of 51 people. They could officially start working at the police department starting tomorrow.

The selected Konoha ninjas celebrated in their own unique ways. For example, Kurenai, Yugao, and Anko invited Uchiha Gen to celebrate with them.

Uchiha Gen gladly accepted the invitation, but because he had to go to work the next day, he drank in moderation.

With Hongdou acting as a third wheel, it's not easy for her to do anything naughty; she can only exchange glances and at most touch hands.

Uchiha Gen wasn't in a hurry; it was only a matter of time, and he would have his chance sooner or later.

That night, apart from the three women, all the Konoha ninjas celebrating their return encountered threats and temptations from Root ninjas.

Two of the three women were both subordinates of Uchiha Gen and his girlfriends.

Danzo was disgusted by this behavior and scorned Uchiha Gen.

The last one is both a subordinate and a junior sister from the same school.

Given that the four of them were classmates, Danzo didn't bother sending anyone to waste his time.

Ordinary ninjas are unaware of the existence of Root, but the elites selected by the police department have all heard of Root to some extent.

Faced with the Root ninjas wielding a large stick and a carrot, the reserve ninjas of the police department all backed down for their own safety and the peace of their families.

As a result, only Hong, Hongdou, and Xiyan arrived on time for work the next day; no one else showed up.

Such an unusual situation naturally caught Uchiha Gen's attention, but he didn't panic; it was something he had expected.

It's normal for something to happen; it would be a miracle if nothing happened. I just didn't expect the Konoha higher-ups to act so late.

After sending someone to investigate, Uchiha Gen took Kurenai, Yugao, and Anko to his office...

(End of this chapter)