Time passed quickly, and before the New Year, at the end of December, the returning army finally brought back generous reparations from the Cloud Village to Konoha. Under the guidance of the Fifth Hokage, a grand welcoming ceremony was held, and the entire village celebrated both the victory and the end of the war.

The glory of victory overshadowed the numerous sacrifices made. At this moment, no one talked about how many people died in battles against the Mist and Cloud villages. After going through three Shinobi World Wars, Konoha's villagers had long grown resilient. The families of the deceased quietly accepted the tragic outcomes after receiving compensation, silently mourning their husbands, sons, and fathers, who were buried as heroes.

The lively atmosphere continued into the New Year, with the festive spirit pushing the excitement to new heights.

When the winter break at the ninja academy ended, students returned to school, and villagers resumed their regular work. The excitement gradually faded, but Konoha's departments grew even busier. The village's great victory continued to have far-reaching effects on the ninja world.

Forming an alliance with the Mist Village opened up maritime trade between the Land of Fire and the Land of Water, boosting commerce and benefiting Konoha. A large number of high-paying missions accumulated in the mission hall at the Hokage's office, and the defeat of the Cloud Village caused many small northern nations to transfer their missions from Cloud to Konoha.

This flood of missions became a sweet burden for Konoha.

Many shinobi couldn't even celebrate the New Year in the village, constantly taking on missions, especially the elite Jonin entrusted with critical tasks. Kakashi was a prime example. After barely resting for a night, he was given an S-rank mission by the Fifth Hokage the very next day, and immediately after completing it, he was assigned another…

It wasn't just the mission-takers who were constantly busy; even the ninjas staying in the village had no downtime. The Uchiha clan members working in the police department spent their New Year on duty. The village's prosperity also brought its share of trouble, with crime flourishing in unseen shadows.

Just the influx of outsiders driven by Konoha's booming commerce led to a surge in cases. The prison cells for common criminals in Konoha's jail were packed, forcing the village to start expanding the prison during the New Year.

"Itachi, you're here again. How many have you caught today?"

"This is the third one."

"What did this unlucky guy do?"

"He tried to steal from a store, got caught, and stabbed the owner with a knife."

"Oh, someone got hurt, huh? Well, he's in for a while, then. Poor old Morino Ibiki's probably losing more hair over this, haha!"

The police department was bustling, filled with either Uchiha clan members in uniform or captured criminals. Among the crowd were Uchiha Itachi and Kimimaro. Young as he was, Itachi responded to greetings from his clansmen as he passed by.

Despite his youth and lack of seniority, the Uchiha clan didn't care much about age or experience—power determined status. Itachi had proven his abilities on the battlefield and naturally earned the respect of his clan.

The noisy hubbub downstairs didn't affect the quiet office upstairs, thanks to the building's excellent soundproofing.

"This is your reform plan from the winter break?"

Sougen finished reading the document in his hand, narrowing his eyes at Shisui, who sat on the couch.

"Yes, that's my idea," Shisui nodded.

"Sougen, what do you think? Is there a problem?" he asked, a bit nervously.

Though the war was over, work was endless. Sougen hadn't forgotten their previous agreement. Upon returning to Konoha, he immediately began thinking about reforming the police department and dragged Shisui along to brainstorm ideas.

After all, Shisui was the first chief of the police department's legal division.

Up until now, he hadn't had much of a chance to fulfill his duties. He had been too busy battling internal politics with Danzo and the Third Hokage or fighting alongside Sougen in the war. Only now had things quieted down enough for him to focus on his responsibilities.

Thus, at Sougen's request, Shisui spent his entire winter break thinking about how to reform the police department. Finally, he had something to show.

"Of course, there are issues," Sougen said.

Shisui held his breath.

"However… overall, it's pretty good. The only thing is that the enforcement guidelines are too detailed. I think there should be some room for the officers to use their discretion in certain situations. Other than that, no major issues."

"Including bringing non-Uchiha into the police department?" Shisui asked uncertainly.

He had expected to be scolded for including that suggestion in his report. But that was it?

"Is Kimimaro an Uchiha?" Sougen asked casually.

"Uh, no."

"Then there's your answer."

Shisui was stunned. Was it really that simple?

Could it really be that easy? After all, there were only so many positions in the police department, and not even every Uchiha could get in. For decades, the Uchiha had treated the police department as their territory, and not everyone would be happy about sharing it with outsiders.

Kimimaro's inclusion hadn't sparked opposition because he was just one person—and a child at that. Initially, the clansmen were merely curious, and later, when they realized Kimimaro wasn't an ordinary child, no one wanted to confront him about it.

"Sougen, if we follow my plan, many of the clan will oppose it!" Shisui warned.

Sougen chuckled, looking at Shisui. "Didn't you come up with this plan? Why are you hesitating now?"

"What I mean is that if we go ahead, you need to be ready for pushback from the clan," Shisui said seriously.

"Got it, I understand. But I still think you're being too cautious," Sougen said, tapping the document in his hand. "The clan will only oppose because bringing in outsiders means fewer opportunities for them. So, as long as we ensure their benefits remain unchanged, it'll be fine."

"That's easier said than done. The department's only so big—how do you guarantee their interests won't be affected?" Shisui shot back, glaring.

"Shisui, think outside the box! Your talent isn't just limited to training and combat, right? Don't forget, your legal division currently only has one member—you! If we go through with these reforms, you'll need to recruit more people. There's no way you can handle everything yourself."

"Since I can establish one legal division, I can set up a second department. To be honest, the current structure of the police department is outdated. It's time to overhaul it. Plus, its authority is vague in several areas, so this is a good opportunity to clarify things," Sougen said with a smile.

This isn't some brilliant plan that only Sōgen could come up with. It's just that in the past, the police force didn't change its abilities, and Uchiha was so busy dealing with the divide and conflict with the Hokage that they had to use all their strength just to protect themselves.

But now,

The Third Hokage and Danzō Shimura, who were hostile toward the Uchiha clan, have fallen from power. The Uchiha clan proved their strength during the war, and aside from his roles as Head of the Police Force and Clan Leader of the Uchiha, Sōgen also holds the position of an advisor to the Hokage.

This position grants him significant authority.

Unlike Danzō, who was tightly controlled by the Third Hokage, Sōgen's authority as an advisor is much stronger. Backed by the Uchiha clan and allies like the Kurama family, his power far exceeds that of the former "Root." At times, he can even rival the Fifth Hokage in influence.

Of course, Sōgen isn't foolish enough to make that kind of move.

After returning to the village, Sōgen didn't go out of his way to emphasize his presence or use his power as the Hokage's advisor to interfere with village affairs. Instead, he stayed quietly within the Police Force, focusing on his own domain. His goal is to become the Sixth Hokage; there's no need to rush and assert his presence everywhere.

You have to take things step by step. Becoming the Sixth Hokage isn't something that happens overnight, and reforming the Police Force and the Uchiha clan is just the beginning.

"...Sōgen, did you already have this planned out?" Shisui glared at Sōgen and said in frustration, "Since you already figured out what to do, why did you make me rack my brains over it? You know I'm not as quick-thinking as you are. You're just making things hard for me on purpose."

Shisui muttered under his breath.

"Heh!"

Sōgen shot Shisui a sideways glance, with a look of disdain almost written on his face.

"Who was the one saying they'd gladly give their life for the clan and village? And now you're unwilling to do a little bit of work? Were you just bluffing back then, Shisui?"

"No, my resolve was genuine," Shisui said, trying to explain but clearly unsure how to counter. Feeling frustrated, he muttered, "I just think that if you already have a plan, there's no point in doing these repetitive, meaningless tasks."

"Thinking is never meaningless,"

Sōgen shook his head and rebutted. "I can't do everything by myself. No matter how capable I am, I can only do so much. Changing the clan isn't something that can be done through my efforts alone. If you don't learn to think, Shisui, you'll just be a skilled enforcer. And right now, I don't need more enforcers; I need people like Ranzan, who can stand on their own and help me with the bigger picture."

Shisui was at a loss for words.

Unable to come up with a rebuttal, Shisui stared at Sōgen for a few seconds before lowering his head with a sigh, "I've been thinking too simply."

"As long as you realize that."

Sōgen nodded in satisfaction.

He truly lacked people who could stand on their own. The Uchiha clan had plenty of fighters: Uchiha Chisao, Uchiha Akitarō, Uchiha Inaba... Though they hadn't awakened the Mangekyō Sharingan, they were all top-notch fighters. But that's all they were—fighters. Aside from excelling at combat, they had no other skills.

As for the older, more stable members of the clan, Sōgen didn't particularly like their overly rigid way of thinking. He preferred working with younger people.

"Use your brain more. The more you use it, the sharper it gets. And these things aren't as complicated as you think. Once you get the hang of them, you'll realize they're not that hard to handle," Sōgen said, trying to encourage Shisui.

Shisui could only nod in agreement.

After listening to Sōgen's lengthy talk, he rubbed his temples and asked, "Sōgen, when are you planning to act?"

"No rush. I still need to communicate with the Hokage. Once he gives the green light, we can begin." As the Hokage's advisor and head of the Police Force, according to the rules set by the Second Hokage, Sōgen had the authority to make internal changes as long as they didn't involve other departments.

However, following the rules doesn't always work smoothly.

Sōgen didn't want to start off on the wrong foot with the Hokage. Giving him a heads-up was just a courtesy, and he doubted the Hokage would go out of his way to make things difficult for him.

"I see."

Shisui nodded. "Let me know when you're ready to start. In the meantime, I'll keep thinking."

"Wait!"

Sōgen stopped him.

"Don't rush off just yet; there's something else I haven't told you."

"What?"

"Did you forget? The day the Mist Village surrendered, I mentioned something about the Flying Thunder God technique."

"Oh!"

Shisui remembered. Sōgen had said he'd try to find an opportunity for him to learn the Flying Thunder God technique.

"I've already spoken with the Hokage. You'll get a chance to view the Scroll of Seals and learn any forbidden technique from it. Give it a try and see if you can master the Flying Thunder God technique," Sōgen said, a bit regretfully. For Sōgen, viewing the Scroll of Seals wasn't too difficult anymore.

His contributions alone were enough to justify reading the Scroll several times. However, after reviewing the Flying Thunder God technique, Sōgen realized it wasn't a good fit for him. As for the other forbidden techniques recorded in the scroll, he didn't want to get sidetracked. The mysteries of the Flame Fan, Banana Palm Fan, and Amber Purifying Pot were already enough to keep him occupied for a long time.

Though he didn't have the time or energy, he could let Shisui, Chisao, or Ranzan give it a try.

It wasn't just the Flying Thunder God technique. The Scroll of Seals contained many powerful forbidden jutsu. If any of them could master one, it would be a huge boost to their abilities!

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