The workday had finally ended, and Uchiha Kagami stepped out to head home. As he walked, the Uchiha clan members greeted him, recognizing him as one of the most promising in their ranks.
"Kagami, you're done for the day?"
He ignored the greeting and continued walking, his face expressionless.
"Minister, my son just graduated and has been assigned to the Security Department. Could you..."
Without acknowledging the man, Kagami kept moving forward, silent.
A hushed voice came from behind. "Wasn't it just a luck that one of his teammates became the Hokage…?" The speaker was quickly stopped by his companions.
When Kagami arrived home, he barely registered his wife's concern or his children's calls. Without a word, he walked straight into his study and locked the door behind him.
His wife, Uchiha Sayuri, grew increasingly worried about his condition. She decided to call her father, the Uchiha clan leader, Setsuna. As both the leader of the clan and her father, it was natural for him to check on Kagami.
Upon arriving, Setsuna immediately scooped up his grandson and played with him, refusing to let go. However, he accidentally made the child cry and quickly passed him to Sayuri, who was busy cooking. She rolled her eyes at him in exasperation.
Then, Setsuna approached the study and knocked on the door.
"Sayuri, just let me be alone," came Kagami's weary voice from inside.
"Open the door," Setsuna commanded firmly.
Hearing his father-in-law's voice, Kagami hesitated. He still felt unsettled, but he couldn't ignore him.
With a soft creak, the door opened. As Setsuna took in Kagami's exhausted appearance, he frowned. Stepping inside, he shut the door behind him without another word.
"Tell me, what happened? Why is the Hokage's assistant acting like this?" Setsuna asked bluntly.
"It's nothing, just some work-related issues," Kagami replied evasively.
"Work issues?" Setsuna pressed. "Since when did work make you like this? You were sidelined in the Guard Department before, and you didn't seem this unhappy. And now you have the nerve to blame work? Your comrades entrusted the Guard Department to you, and you let it fall apart!"
"I'm not suited for government affairs," Kagami defended himself. "Besides, the internal disputes within the Guard Department are too deep. No matter how I handled things, problems would still arise. I just didn't see the point in getting involved. Hiruzen only asked me to help him guard the village for five years."
"You think you have the right to just give up?" Setsuna's anger flared. "Where's the courage you had when you tricked me into going to the Land of Iron?"
The more he thought about it, the angrier he became. Kagami had the guts to manipulate his own clan, yet he let other families walk all over him. Wasn't this just showing weakness within the family? The Guard Department had originally belonged to the Uchiha, but when the Hokage insisted it should serve the village as a whole, Setsuna had agreed to the changes—partly because his own son-in-law was made Minister. He had even helped stabilize the internal clan disputes afterward.
And yet, this useless man, who held the title of Minister, let himself be pushed aside and didn't even feel the need to fight back. Instead, he just said he was "too lazy to care". Setsuna could barely restrain himself from slapping Kagami on the spot.
He had no respect for the Hyuga, Aburame, and Inuzuka clans. A Hyuga who acted like nothing more than a corpse guard, an Aburame who used her own body as an insect nest, and an Inuzuka who was nothing more than a dog's companion—how had these three families managed to take control of the Guard Department that rightfully belonged to the Uchiha? If the village itself had taken it, that would be one thing; at least they had the authority to do so. But these three clans? Setsuna found the situation utterly disgraceful.
"How could I just sit back and do nothing? I'm being transferred to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. There has to be a department that suits me, right?" Uchiha Kagami said, a hint of pride in his voice. "The good days for those three families are coming to an end. Hiruzen is about to take action." He felt reassured knowing that his teammate was looking out for him.
Setsuna frowned in confusion. "Ministry of Foreign Affairs? Does the village even have such a department?" He paused for a moment, then scoffed. "So the Hokage finally got tired of your stupidity and decided to handle things himself. Figures. Now tell me, what kind of scheme is Sarutobi planning next?"
Kagami's face flushed at being called stupid. "I'm just not suited for this kind of work," he muttered in defense.
"If you say so," Setsuna said dismissively. "That's your problem. Now, tell me—how exactly is the Hokage planning to take action?" He had no interest in arguing about Kagami's competence. What mattered was making sure the Uchiha didn't suffer another humiliating loss in the eyes of the village.
"Hiruzen wants to restructure the Guard Department," Kagami explained. "He plans to upgrade customs, patrol, and the central district into separate departments. Above them, a new jurisdiction unit called the Defense Division will be established—and you'll be the one in charge. Hiruzen told me about this last month and asked me to convince you to take the position."
After Kagami explained Sarutobi Hiruzen's plan, Setsuna nearly exploded.
"You idiot! I told you about this a month ago, and you're only bringing it up now?" he shouted. "The Jounin meeting is in a week! Do you even understand how important this is?"
Seeing his father-in-law's rising anger, Kagami quickly stood up to calm him down. "Patriarch, please don't be angry. It's my fault. I just didn't know how to bring it up," he admitted. "Besides, you might not even need to bring this up at the Jounin meeting. Hiruzen and Koharu had a huge argument this morning over whether to discuss the Fire Trade Company there. Because of that, Hiruzen even stripped Koharu of her title as Hokage's assistant."
"Fire Trade Company?" Setsuna stroked his chin, deep in thought. Was this a new source of funds the Hokage had secured for the village? He had heard that Konoha was supposed to receive 30% of its profits—a positive change for the village. So what went wrong? Or was there something going on between Koharu and Hiruzen?
Now that he thought about it, some of the smaller clans had mentioned that working in the Fire Trade Company was easy—high pay, little work. Was Koharu exploiting this for her own benefit?
If Hiruzen had gone so far as to strip her of her assistant title, the situation had to be serious.
Noticing Setsuna's silence, Kagami continued explaining everything that had happened that afternoon.
By the time he finished, Setsuna was even more convinced— Koharu was a fool. She had openly opposed the Hokage's decision multiple times. Did she not understand her own position? The title of Hokage's assistant existed at the Hokage's discretion. To use it as leverage against him was sheer arrogance. And she had done it three times.
There was no doubt now—Koharu must have had personal interests tied to the Fire Trade Company. Because of her interference, the share of profits that rightfully belonged to the village had likely been mishandled or lost.
Kagami hesitated before voicing his thoughts. "Chief… do you think Hiruzen has changed? Ever since he became Hokage, he doesn't seem as close to us anymore." He looked to Setsuna, seeking reassurance.
Instead, he got an earful.
"Idiot!" Setsuna snapped. "Have you become so full of yourself just because you're the Hokage's assistant? Can't you see that Koharu was involved in corruption at the Fire Trade Company?, you're still defending her? Do you even realize how important that company is to the village?
This was a test by using a deal Hiruzen made with the Daimyo's Mansion when he took office. It's a part of the political game between the village and the Daimyo. If an individual tries to interfere, they're as good as dead!
Your teammate made a huge mistake, and all she lost was her title as assistant. She should count himself lucky!"