The Uchiha clan... no, to be more precise, what exactly is Uchiha Sōgen planning? What is his ultimate goal? One guess after another surfaced in his mind, only to be quickly dismissed. The remaining suspicions boiled down to a few, with the most likely goal being to change the reputation and standing of the Uchiha clan.

Should he agree or not?

Akimichi Torifu hesitated.

Unlike Sarutobi Hiruzen and Shimura Danzo, he didn't harbor the same deep-seated hostility or wariness toward the Uchiha clan. Still, he had grown accustomed to keeping the Uchiha in check. It wasn't out of personal feelings, but a judgment based on the village's best interests, as its highest leader.

Previously, due to the invasions from Kirigakure, Kumogakure, and Iwagakure, he had given Uchiha Sōgen the position of Hokage's assistant, second only to the Hokage himself. His hope was that the Uchiha clan would commit fully to the war effort. Sōgen did not disappoint, leading the village to a series of sweeping victories!

Then...

The conflicts and tensions that had been temporarily suppressed by external threats resurfaced. The Uchiha clan's strength and dominance, which had been on full display during the war, were impossible for Akimichi Torifu to ignore. To say he wasn't even a little afraid of the Uchiha clan's power would be a lie.

Sōgen had subtly hinted more than once that his ambition was to become the Sixth Hokage.

But becoming the Sixth Hokage would inevitably mean the Fifth Hokage stepping down.

If Sōgen wasn't patient enough to wait for Torifu to retire, he could very well be forced to abdicate, and that would be if he was lucky—dying like Sarutobi Hiruzen wasn't out of the question. Such a future was far from reassuring.

The hesitation didn't last long. After careful thought, Akimichi Torifu gave his answer.

"Sōgen, I don't oppose the idea of opening up the Police Force to include non-Uchiha members in principle. But... implementing this won't be easy. If the Police Force is overwhelmed, the ANBU can help take on some of the tasks."

"As for your reform plan for the Police Force... I think you should take more time to polish and refine it. You're still young, with limitless potential ahead of you!"

Akimichi Torifu spoke cautiously.

After all that thinking, he still couldn't bring himself to sit by and watch Sōgen continue to amass power. If he allowed Sōgen to grow unchecked, his position as Hokage would soon be squeezed out. He had no intention of becoming a mere puppet Hokage.

Thoughts change over time.

Back when he was only acting as the Fifth Hokage, he had scolded Shikaku Nara for advising him to suppress the Uchiha. At that time, he had planned to pass the title of Hokage on to Jiraiya or Tsunade anyway.

So, he didn't care much about the Uchiha's moves.

But the future had turned out to be so unpredictable.

He had been officially confirmed as the Fifth Hokage!

Once that happened, his thoughts and feelings shifted. Suddenly, the Uchiha, the most prestigious clan in Konoha, became an eyesore. Though he knew that the Uchiha's rise was unstoppable, he still wanted to see if he could control its trajectory.

Besides, in his view, Konoha was already doing well. The victories over Kirigakure and Kumogakure had earned him enough prestige as the Fifth Hokage. He had no desire to stir things up with more reforms.

After all, let's be honest: if the reforms went well, it would just be icing on the cake. But if they went wrong, they'd leave an indelible stain.

Of course, he wasn't thinking of using harsh methods to suppress Uchiha Sōgen. He just hoped Sōgen would wait a few more years. Once Torifu retired from the Hokage position, Sōgen could do as he pleased.

But—

Sōgen had no intention of accepting Torifu's ideas.

"Hokage-sama, forgive me, but the reform of the Police Force is inevitable. It's not just a matter of manpower; the internal structure is too crude, the division of duties is vague, and this issue extends beyond the Police Force. The Administrative Department, ANBU, Medical Corps, and Interrogation Unit all need reform as well."

Sōgen spoke firmly.

As he saw Torifu about to respond, Sōgen didn't give him the chance, continuing rapidly, "I appreciate the trust you placed in me by appointing me as your assistant. Since returning to the village, I've been thinking about my role. After investigating, I found that the village's biggest problems aren't external, but internal."

"The ANBU, Administrative Department, Police Force, Education Department, Interrogation Unit, and Medical Corps were all structured during the time of the Second Hokage and solidified during the Third Hokage's tenure. Back then, this framework effectively organized the village's resources and played a crucial role in the wars."

"However, times have changed, and Konoha has undergone significant transformations, but the management structure remains outdated. The biggest problem isn't even the Police Force—it's the ANBU. The ANBU is no longer the 'Special Assassination and Tactical Squad' it was under the Second Hokage. Its functions have become bloated, taking on assassination, protection, surveillance, patrol, spy training, rogue ninja hunting, intelligence gathering—too many responsibilities, dulling its edge."

"The leak of the spy list last year is already proof of the ANBU's declining capability. And it's not just the Police Force and ANBU—other departments, like the Interrogation Unit—"

"Sōgen, wait a moment, don't be so hasty."

Akimichi Torifu was starting to get a headache.

What on earth...?

Weren't they just talking about the Police Force? How did this turn into a critique of the ANBU? If he hadn't forcefully interrupted, Sōgen probably would've dragged out every department—Interrogation, Education, Medical—for a thorough critique.

"You're too radical! The village has finally settled down; these changes could cause chaos."

"Radical problems need radical solutions, and now is the perfect time. We've just allied with Kirigakure, defeated Kumogakure, and driven a deep wedge between Iwagakure and Kumogakure. Sunagakure still hasn't recovered from the losses of the Third Great War. This is the ideal time, with no external threats, to focus on internal reform."

Sōgen was equally determined. He continued earnestly, "Hokage-sama, I understand your concerns. Reform will inevitably face challenges, and there may even be intense conflicts. But as the saying goes, 'Time waits for no one.' If we miss this chance, who knows how long we'll have to wait for another?"

Akimichi Torifu's face twitched.

He wanted to get angry but couldn't find a good reason. Logic kept telling him to stay calm. After all, Uchiha Sōgen was the Hokage's assistant, and proposing such ideas wasn't entirely out of line. Even Shimura Danzo, as the Hokage's assistant, had created his own private armed force, "Root."

The Hokage's assistant...

As the name suggests, his job is to assist the Hokage in handling all matters, big or small, in the Hidden Leaf Village. There's almost nothing that the Hokage's assistant can't get involved in within the village, except when restrained by the Hokage themselves. Only the advisors backed by the Council of Elders could barely compete with the Hokage's assistant.

"This is a matter of great importance, affecting the village's operations and stability. I can't make a unilateral decision on this, so I'll need to consult the Council of Elders..." Halfway through his sentence, Akimichi Torifu suddenly remembered that the two elder advisors, Homura Mitokado and Koharu Utatane, were still in jail!

In an effort to quickly erase the influence left by Hiruzen Sarutobi and Danzo Shimura, Torifu, acting as the Fifth Hokage at the time, had launched a massive purge within the village. The Elder Council was a prime target. Now, without its leaders, the Council was scattered and fragmented. Thinking they could resist Uchiha Sougen would be nothing but a fool's dream.

At this moment, Torifu couldn't help but feel a bit regretful.

If only he had known, he wouldn't have gone so hard on the Elders. But unfortunately, there's no remedy for regret in this world.

"Sougen, you don't need to worry about the ANBU for now. Large-scale reforms within their ranks would be unwise. If you're truly interested, why not try your hand at the police department first?" Torifu stepped back. The ANBU were under the direct control of the Hokage, and he would never allow Uchiha Sougen to extend his influence there. The same went for other departments like the interrogation or education units; frankly, he didn't want Sougen to interfere too much.

Since Sougen was so insistent on making waves, Torifu figured he might as well let him stir things up in the police department, which was already under Uchiha control. Unless Torifu used the Hokage's authority to suppress him by force, he couldn't really stop Sougen from doing as he pleased in the police force.

But to openly clash with Uchiha Sougen... That was a situation Torifu was desperately trying to avoid.

Although he was the Hokage,

he didn't feel he could truly deal with Sougen. The gap in strength made him feel a bit uneasy.

"You're absolutely right, Hokage-sama, as always. Taking too big a step would indeed cause issues. Let's treat the police department as a test ground and see what challenges we encounter and what the results of the reforms will be." Sougen's tone softened, now echoing Hokage-sama's wise decision.

His previous hard stance had completely disappeared.

From the start, his goal was only to reform the police department. Flipping all of Konoha's administrative institutions upside down was merely a negotiation tactic. It was nothing new or innovative, just the old 'open the window or tear off the roof' approach.

But new or not, what mattered was that it worked.

Akimichi Torifu's facial muscles twitched unnaturally as he struggled to maintain a friendly expression.

The conversation soon shifted to trivial, meaningless topics, with the Hokage and his assistant—the nominal first and second in command of Konoha—engaged in aimless chit-chat. This dragged on until Uchiha Shisui, who had been immersed in the Scroll of Seals, let out a deep sigh, breaking the idle chatter.

"Shisui, how are you feeling?"

Sougen looked at Shisui, who seemed to be savoring the experience, and asked.

"...Hmm, very... impressive!" Clearly, Shisui hadn't fully come back to his senses, his dazed look only fading after a few seconds. He pinched his brow, using the pain to snap himself out of it. "The Second Hokage was truly a genius! And the Fourth as well—he was the real deal, an undeniable genius!"

Shisui's excitement was palpable.

He kept praising the two deceased Hokages, which was starting to give Sougen a headache.

"Alright, Shisui, I know both the Second and Fourth Hokages were geniuses. What I want to know is how you're feeling. Have you mastered the Flying Thunder God technique?" Hearing this, even Torifu discreetly perked up his ears.

"I'm... not sure yet. I understand the concept, but whether my body can adapt will require practice to confirm."

This ambiguous answer was, of course, unsatisfactory.

However, Sougen wasn't too disappointed. After all, unlike when he read the Scroll of Seals and immediately realized he couldn't handle the Flying Thunder God technique, Shisui hadn't outright denied it. That meant there was still hope he could master it.

"Alright! Return the Scroll of Seals to Hokage-sama. It's time for us to leave." Sougen placed his teacup down and stood up.

"Hokage-sama, the Scroll of Seals has been returned."

Shisui held the scroll and handed it back to Torifu.

Unlike Jiraiya, who loved to jump out of windows, Sougen and Shisui left through the front door. After their figures disappeared behind the closing doors, the warm smile on Torifu's face slowly faded.

At this moment, Torifu still had his rotund figure,

but the kind, neighborly aura was gone. Now, with a cold expression, he looked more like a Hokage.

"Hokage-sama, when the Hokage's assistant said he wanted to reform the village's six major departments, that was a lie," said Nara Yanbo as he approached, quietly tidying up the tea cups on the table.

"I know," Torifu muttered.

"From the beginning, his true goal was the police department. The whole 'reform the six departments' thing was just an excuse to force me to give ground. He didn't even bother hiding his tactics." Uchiha Sougen could've just threatened to shake up the six departments right from the start, then settled for the police force afterward.

Even such a move wouldn't have been subtle,

but at least it wouldn't have been as blatant as before. Anyone with a working brain could see through Sougen's methods.

"If you don't want to clash with the Hokage's assistant, you could try stalling," Yanbo suggested.

"That won't work for long. If Sougen insists on pushing through, can I really punish him for it? If things go that far, the only one left embarrassed would be me, the Hokage." Torifu's voice dropped, full of frustration.

Yanbo remained silent as he cleared the tea table.

His words had hit a sore spot.

In the ninja world, power and rules were based on strength. While the Leaf, Cloud, and Stone villages didn't explicitly state that only the strongest could be the Kage, most of the time, the Kage was indeed the village's strongest warrior. That's why the Kage held the highest authority.

But the Leaf faced an unusual situation now. Torifu had become Hokage through a stroke of luck. While he was no weakling—being a pillar of the Ino-Shika-Cho trio—his strength barely ranked him in the top ten within the village.

While that power was enough to support his clan, it wasn't quite enough to carry the weight of being Hokage.

Especially when compared to the rise of someone like Uchiha Sougen, whose strength was on par with the First Hokage and Madara Uchiha. Next to Sougen, Torifu seemed to pale in comparison.

"In the end, it's no use. The gap in strength... can't be easily bridged through schemes and tactics alone." Torifu mumbled to himself, clearly dejected. His unspoken battle with Sougen had ended in his defeat.

Without the strength to back his position,

he couldn't assert the Hokage's authority in front of Sougen.

"Looks like I should just settle down and be a peaceful Hokage!" After a minute of silence, Torifu leaned back in his large chair, closing his eyes as he spoke with complete resignation. "At least, based on Sougen's attitude, I'll probably still be Hokage for another two years."

The hope and ambition he had felt upon becoming the official Hokage were completely gone.

Unable to fight,

unable to win,

fighting on would only bring unforeseen troubles for both him and his clan.

With no Senju left to counterbalance the Uchiha, the rise of their clan seemed inevitable. Even trying to stall for time seemed futile. The future... perhaps Konoha would soon be an Uchiha village. Hopefully, that future wouldn't be too bleak.

However,

Uchiha Sougen was not Madara Uchiha.

As for where he would lead the Leaf, all Torifu could do was watch and see!

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