After returning to the Police Department, Sougen immediately issued a command to gather all the department leaders for a meeting. He had already informed the Hokage about the planned reorganization, so he didn't intend to spend much time on preparations. There was no existing model to follow, so no matter how long he prepared, it would still be a process of trial and error.

Half an hour later, Sougen and Shisui entered the conference room. What had been an empty space was now bustling with over ten department heads gathered.

"Chief!"

The group greeted him in unison.

"Take a seat, don't just stand there," Sougen gestured, signaling them to sit down. He took the main seat, with Shisui following behind him, sitting to his right, while Uchiha Lanshan sat to his left—both of them clearly Sougen's trusted aides.

"Chief, everyone's here," Uchiha Lanshan said softly once Sougen was settled.

"Since everyone's here, let's get straight to the point. The reason I called this meeting is to announce something important," Sougen said, scanning the faces on both sides of the long table. Everyone remained calm, which pleased him. He turned to Uchiha Hachidai and asked, "Hachidai, five days ago, you told me that the workload has been overwhelming for your unit. How are things now?"

"Still the same," Uchiha Hachidai, a well-known veteran Jonin within the clan, stood up with a bitter expression. "Since the New Year, the number of outsiders in the village has increased every day, leading to more frequent incidents. Petty crimes aside, there's been at least one murder case every day. We're running ragged trying to keep up. Everyone is hanging on by sheer willpower, but if this continues, things will fall apart."

"I see. You may sit down, Hachidai," Sougen nodded. All of this had already been outlined in the reports Uchiha Hachidai had previously submitted.

"Minglei, Yashika, is it the same for you?" Sougen asked, turning his gaze toward the other two leaders.

The main law enforcement force of the department consisted of three units, each led by a captain. Uchiha Hachidai was one of them, while the other two were Uchiha Minglei and Uchiha Yashika. Uchiha Minglei, a middle-aged man with a stern expression, was the model of a Uchiha man—serious and unsmiling.

Uchiha Yashika, on the other hand, was a woman. Unlike the cold and commanding Minglei, Yashika had a gentle appearance and a kind demeanor. However, underestimating her would be a mistake. Uchiha women were never far behind their male counterparts, and Yashika's status as an equal to Hachidai and Minglei was proof of her strength.

"It's about the same as Hachidai's situation. I haven't been home in over a week; I've been sleeping in the office every night," Uchiha Minglei said, the dark circles under his eyes visible. Exhaustion was etched deep in his features.

"I was about to head out to handle a case when I received the meeting notice," Yashika added softly, but the gravity of her statement was clear. If even the captain had to personally handle cases, it spoke volumes about the shortage of manpower.

"Sounds like there's a lot of pressure," Sougen commented casually, as if it had nothing to do with him.

"Mingshen, how's the prison expansion going?" Sougen asked.

Uchiha Mingshen, Minglei's younger brother, was the current warden of Konoha's prison.

"There are too many people in the prison, though thankfully most are ordinary civilians. Otherwise, with the few guards I have, it would be impossible to control them. The expansion is taking time, and right now, we're squeezing six or seven prisoners into cells meant for three or four... It's barely manageable," Mingshen replied. His face bore a striking resemblance to Minglei's, except for the long scar on his left cheek—a remnant from a battle with Mist shinobi during the Third Ninja War.

After Mingshen sat down, Sougen continued to question the others, except for Shisui and Lanshan. It was clear that the Police Department was under immense strain. The frontline law enforcement teams were understaffed, and even the administrative departments were overwhelmed. The entire department was operating at overcapacity. While they were still holding on for now, the longer this continued, the greater the risk of collapse.

Reform was urgently needed.

When the last person sat down, Sougen tapped his fingers lightly on the table. "You've all heard it. It's not just one person, one department, or one team under pressure—the entire Police Department is facing challenges. You should also know that I went to the Hokage's office earlier, right?"

No one responded.

Sougen hadn't tried to hide his visit, but no one enjoyed being constantly watched. Still, no one in the room dared to admit they were keeping tabs on the clan leader's personal life—they had merely "observed" his movements.

"I'm not mentioning this to warn you. Well, maybe I don't love being followed everywhere... but that's not the point today. The point is, I went to see the Hokage and made a suggestion. Would you like to know what I discussed with him?"

Again, silence. But the curiosity in their eyes was unmistakable.

"None of you know how to play along," Sougen muttered under his breath, feigning a bit of frustration.

Beside him, Uchiha Lanshan's lips twitched, but he managed to keep his composure.

Despite the lack of response, Sougen continued, "The suggestion was simple. I believe the current structure of the Police Department is outdated and no longer fits the ever-changing village. It's time for a change. So... I've decided to bring in non-Uchiha shinobi to join the Police Department."

His words struck like a thunderclap.

Most of the room looked shocked.

Rumors had been circulating for some time that Sougen intended to reform the department. His actions were hard to miss, and anyone paying attention could see it. While the Uchiha were a proud clan, that didn't mean they were oblivious.

They knew change was coming, and many had suspected this sudden meeting was about that.

But no one had expected the clan leader to propose bringing outsiders into the Police Department.

How could this be?

This would destroy the honor of the Uchiha!

"Chief, this is unacceptable! The Police Department belongs to the Uchiha!" Uchiha Hachidai was the first to stand, his eyes burning with emotion, turning crimson in his outrage.

"The Second Hokage himself promised that the Police Department would belong to our clan!"

"That's right, Chief! Please reconsider!" Following Hachidai's outburst, two others stood to support him. Like Hachidai, they were older, in their forties, not yet retired, but the elders of this room.

"Forefathers of the Eighth Generation, what do you mean by what you just said? Are you saying that the Police Force belongs only to our Uchiha Clan and not to the entire village? How ridiculous!" Shisui, who had been sitting silently next to Sougen since the meeting began, angrily rebuked Uchiha Hachidai for what he considered absurd statements.

These elderly members of the clan were all so narrow-minded and foolish! The conflict between the clan and the village couldn't be entirely blamed on either side. While the village had indeed been tightening its control over the clan step by step, these old-fashioned thinkers within the clan were equally significant factors in exacerbating tensions.

"What did you just say, you brat?"

Uchiha Hachidai erupted in anger.

Although the Uchiha Clan respected the strong, being openly challenged by a junior was still hard to ignore.

"I made myself very clear. The Police Force is not just our Uchiha's, but also the village's Police Force." Shisui confronted Uchiha Hachidai and his supporters head-on. He was a staunch supporter of Sougen, and even though he had expressed concerns in Sougen's office about this approach being too radical, he firmly stood by Sougen now.

"Enough!"

A calm but firm voice echoed in the room.

Shisui immediately fell silent, and Uchiha Hachidai, who was about to speak, also closed his mouth.

By this time,

Sougen had already established his supreme authority within the clan.

Even these "elders" like Uchiha Hachidai were cautious and wouldn't dare defy Sougen's orders.

"Why are you all arguing when I haven't even finished speaking?" Sougen's gaze swept over Uchiha Hachidai and the others.

"Apologies, Clan Leader, I was too impulsive."

"We were reckless."

Under Sougen's cold gaze, Uchiha Hachidai and his two companions felt chills down their spines and admitted their mistake.

"Hmph!"

Sougen did not say more but shifted his gaze to the others. "Besides Hachidai, is there anyone else who believes that the Police Force should not include anyone from outside our clan?" It was a simple question, but no one answered. The rest of the room remained silent.

"Why isn't anyone speaking?"

Sougen asked again.

A relaxed smile appeared on his face, "Does this mean you all are willing to accept outsiders joining the Police Force? In that case, let me ask another question. Who supports the recruitment of non-Uchiha ninja into the Police Force? Show your stance!"

And then—

There was another long silence.

Sougen wasn't surprised by this situation. There were certainly staunch opponents like Uchiha Hachidai, but he, as the Clan Leader, wasn't to be underestimated. Few would dare to go against his will, even though openly declaring that the Police Force would no longer solely belong to the Uchiha was indeed a hard statement to make.

Sougen wasn't in a hurry.

He patiently waited, knowing that the Uchiha in the room were not fools. They would understand what decisions to make, but they needed time to convince themselves. Fortunately, Sougen had plenty of time!

As the seconds ticked by,

"Isn't it a good thing to have someone share the burden? I've been so busy lately that I haven't even had time for some self-care. I'd really like to take a break."

Uchiha Yachou said with a smile, the first to yield to the Clan Leader's wishes.

With the first, there came a second.

"We could recruit some sensory ninja for the prison to make managing those criminals easier," Uchiha Meishin suggested earnestly.

One after another, except for the pale-faced trio of Uchiha Hachidai, everyone else eventually expressed support for Sougen's plan. They couldn't oppose the Clan Leader; they knew very well how much influence Sougen held within the clan.

Unless the Clan Leader fell into a situation as dire as Madara's back in the day,

They had no chance of challenging his authority! Look at Uchiha Hachidai and his two companions now—dispirited, like walking corpses. They couldn't accept this outcome, but they also understood there was no way to resist the Clan Leader's decision, hence their despair.

"I understand that some of you may still be dissatisfied. However, the Police Force must undergo changes now. Didn't you all mention before how overwhelming the pressure was? You also know that there aren't enough clan members available to support the Police Force."

Sougen spoke slowly.

What he said was the undeniable truth. The Uchiha Clan had no extra members to assign to the Police Force. Many clan members had died in the war with the Cloud Village, and most of the able-bodied men were already in the Police Force. The only ones left in the clan were children, elders, and non-ninja members.

This shortage was one of the reasons the Police Force was under such strain.

To add personnel, there was no other option but to recruit non-Uchiha ninja.

"Relying solely on our clan is almost impossible to maintain such a large organization like the Police Force unless we are willing to give up some power and let the Anbu help." Sougen continued, looking at the others, "Would you be willing to let the Anbu divide our authority?"

Without waiting for a response, Sougen shook his head, "I am not."

"And I never said the Police Force would no longer be our Uchiha's! Are you afraid of being pushed out by outsiders? Do you have so little confidence in yourselves? If that happens, it will only prove that we deserve it, that the weak deserve to be trampled underfoot!"

"That's all I have to say. This matter is decided. Lanshan, distribute the documents." Sougen tapped the table, signaling that he had said enough. If they could come to terms with it, great; if not, it didn't matter, as long as they didn't cause trouble and honestly carried out his orders. He wouldn't go around checking who sincerely supported the reform.

Actions speak louder than thoughts; judging thoughts is impossible.

There is wisdom in that saying.

"Yes, Clan Leader."

Uchiha Lanshan stood up, holding the already-prepared documents, and handed them out to everyone in the room, including Uchiha Hachidai and his companions.