"I understand!"
Riku nodded and said, "I wasn't planning to rush this either!"
"These changes can wait until the time is right."
"But reforming and partially opening the Police Force to outsiders is necessary!"
"My suggestion is only to open up one division of the Police Force;"
"All the others will still strictly follow the principle of non-disclosure and exclusivity."
"This way, the Uchiha can still firmly maintain control over the Police Force's authority."
"At the same time, this open division can fill the gap caused by forming an elite unit;"
"More importantly, we can assign this division the full responsibility of maintaining public order and resolving trivial disputes among villagers."
"This division will handle all the village's civil conflicts."
"In doing so, we Uchiha can fully distance ourselves from these petty matters—tasks that offend others and harm our reputation."
"This will be a major step in improving the Uchiha's image among villagers and other clans."
"And if someone from the Uchiha wants to become Hokage in the future, this step will be essential."
He deliberately threw out the temptation of the Hokage seat to lure in his father.
Because he knew very well how obsessed his father—and the entire Uchiha clan—were with that position.
With this incentive, pushing forward the reform would be much easier.
"Oh?"
Nobuhiko stroked his chin and pondered, "That... actually makes sense."
"At first glance, opening up a division to outsiders seems like a major loss in authority;"
"But if it's only for dealing with public disputes and patrol duties, then the actual authority lost is minimal."
"Especially if the captain of the division can only be an Uchiha."
"The key is that all the unpleasant parts of the job—the poison in the bait—get passed off to someone else, while the Uchiha retain total control of the Police Force."
"And our elite units can then focus solely on what really matters. A win-win situation!"
"My son, this has promise!"
"Anything else?"
What had always troubled him most within the Police Force was handling common villager complaints and public order.
These tasks had little power, almost no benefit, yet were endless in number and extremely offensive.
No wonder the Uchiha couldn't win people's hearts.
He'd wanted to change this for a long time but could never find a good solution.
Riku's proposal finally hit the mark.
The only real challenge now was persuading the rest of the clan to agree.
Not everyone had the same clarity or vision.
"Of course!"
Seeing that his father had listened, Riku smiled with satisfaction and nodded, then continued:
"Thirdly, we can form a new Judicial Division within the Police Force, dedicated to handling crimes in the village."
"A tribunal will be established, and the trials will be conducted publicly with villagers allowed to attend."
"There should also be a large bulletin board set up outside the tribunal;"
"All judgment results and detailed descriptions of the crimes should be posted on it, for 1 to 3 months depending on the severity of the case, so that everyone can see them."
"Of course, any confidential matters related to the village must be excluded."
"From now on, Uchiha members will serve only as impartial judges and will no longer directly handle disputes."
"This allows us to hold onto the judicial power of the Police Force while avoiding direct confrontations with villagers, which could lead to resentment."
"Hoho?"
Nobuhiko squinted, rubbing his chin again. "This one's good too! With the judiciary under our control, the loss of authority from opening the patrol division becomes even less of a concern."
"In the end, that division will be doing all the dirty, tiring, and unrewarding work—yet will hold very little power. Brilliant!"
He was impressed by how cleanly his son divided the authority.
"But this isn't even the ideal state for the Judicial Division," Riku smiled and shook his head.
"My original vision was to have one Uchiha as the captain and three vice-captains—one from the Hokage's circle, one from an allied ninja clan, and one from a civilian jōnin."
"One unit within the division would consist entirely of Uchiha, and the other two units would consist of ninja from allied clans and civilian ninja, respectively."
"This way, the Judicial Division would appear more fair and impartial, leaving no room for criticism."
"It would also enhance the authority and prestige of the Uchiha."
"This was part of my broader plan to construct a Uchiha-centric alliance of interests."
"But considering the Police Force reform is still in its early stages, and the alliance plan hasn't even taken shape, it would be too difficult to push this version now."
"We can save this step for the future when our influence in Konoha is greater."
"I see..."
Nobuhiko nodded in understanding. He did grasp what Riku was aiming for.
Still, he shook his head and said, "It's a great plan, but like you said—too early. We'll wait."
"For now, we can establish the Judicial Division and staff it fully with Uchiha."
"Also, don't forget to tell me more about this Uchiha alliance plan later."
"Anything else? Should we establish a separate division for the Police Force prison too?"
"Yes!"
Riku nodded with a smile. "Exactly! The prison should have its own division."
"But usually, since the number of prisoners is small, this division can have a reduced or even partial roster."
"With that, the Police Force reform should be complete."
"The reformed Police Force would consist of four divisions: the Elite Uchiha Force, the Public Safety Division, the Judicial Division, and the Prison Division. That's the basic framework of my proposal. What do you think, Father?"
If the Police Force could be restructured like this, the Uchiha's situation would change drastically.
As for whether the Third Hokage and his group would approve?
That wasn't even a concern.
They would probably be delighted to see the Uchiha open up the Police Force to outsiders—it would give them an opportunity to insert their own people.
With that, they could gradually erode Uchiha authority and suppress the clan even further.
As for whether this would allow the Uchiha to offload the dirty work and improve their reputation among villagers?
Hiruzen and the others likely wouldn't even notice—or wouldn't care.
Even if they did notice, it still wouldn't matter.
To them, preventing the Uchiha from rising to power was what mattered most.
So what if their reputation improved?
As long as the Uchiha couldn't rise to the top, it was meaningless.
"Very good! You've thought this through thoroughly. I'll do everything I can to carry out your reform plan for the Police Force!"
Nobuhiko looked at Riku with solemn eyes and gave a firm promise.
(End of Chapter)
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