364. Our Slogan Is: Take Down Danzo!

As it turned out, Danzō's strategy of thoroughly beating the Uchiha clan was quite effective.

That very night, Uchiha Fugaku, the captain of the Konoha Military Police Force and the head of the Uchiha clan, issued a public announcement.

The gist of it was that due to the increasing number of outsiders in Konoha, the management pressure on the Military Police Force had skyrocketed.

Therefore, the force had decided to recruit ambitious and talented professionals to handle the increasingly complex security environment.

In the recruitment notice, Fugaku emphasized that this recruitment drive would not impose any restrictions on the applicants' backgrounds.

In other words, even if you weren't a member of the Uchiha clan, as long as you passed the assessment, you could join the Military Police Force and become one of its members!

This news shocked the other ninja clans.

After all, ever since the Second Hokage handed the Military Police Force over to the Uchiha, they had treated it as their exclusive domain.

Over time, the villagers of Konoha had also come to accept that the force was entirely composed of Uchiha.

Even though this had led to numerous conflicts, the Uchiha had never relinquished this power.

During the tenure of the Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, no one dared to make any changes to this arrangement, fearing it might escalate tensions between the village and the Uchiha.

No one expected Danzō to actually pull this off... How did he do it?

Driven by intense curiosity, the major ninja clans began gathering information. But the news they received left them stunned...

"Elder Danzō went to the Naka Shrine and beat up all the Uchiha in front of their own sacred ground?"

When the Hokage, Minato Namikaze, heard this, he was dumbfounded.

He knew Danzō was decisive and radical, but he never imagined he would go this far!

To storm into the Uchiha's ancestral shrine and beat them up in front of their most sacred place—and to do it to the Uchiha, who valued their pride above all else—was something only Danzō could pull off.

If Madara Uchiha found out, he might just use the Reanimation Jutsu to come back and settle the score.

But if the Second Hokage heard about it, he might just "smile in his grave." And probably even reanimation back to help Danzo bully the Uchiha.

Minato couldn't help but entertain some dark humor in his mind.

Shikaku Nara, who had come to report the news, noticed the expression on Minato's face and also let out a bitter smile.

He rubbed his cheeks and added, "Not only that, but last night Elder Danzō also invited several reporters to the scene to take photos."

"What?" Minato's jaw dropped.

Not only did he humiliate them in their own territory, but he also had it photographed?

Wasn't that going a bit too far?

"Did the Uchiha... not say anything about it?" Minato asked hesitantly, worried that the Uchiha might react with rage and cause further trouble.

Fortunately, Shikaku shook his head, indicating that the situation Minato feared hadn't occurred.

"Not only did they not react with anger, but they've all been keeping their heads down and avoiding any mention of the incident. According to some villagers, the attitude of the Military Police Force during their patrols today has improved significantly."

Hearing this, Minato opened his mouth but could only let out a helpless laugh.

"It seems Elder Danzō really knows how to handle the Uchiha."

Shikaku nodded in agreement.

To be honest, when dealing with a proud clan like the Uchiha, the most important thing was to have a strong enough fist.

The Uchiha might be arrogant and conceited, but they respected strength above all else.

If you could conquer them with power, they would become your most obedient subordinates.

Speaking somewhat out of turn, Shikaku had always felt that the reason the conflict between the Uchiha and the village leadership had been so intense during the Third Hokage's era was largely due to Hiruzen's overly soft approach.

If he had possessed the strength Danzō now had and had been more assertive, the Uchiha issue could have been resolved during his tenure.

Of course, Shikaku only dared to think such things in his heart.

After all, even a confined Hokage was still the Hokage, and the power and resources a Hokage commanded were far beyond what a small clan like the Nara could ever hope to match.

---

Over the next few days, the Hokage's office received significantly fewer complaints about the Konoha Military Police Force.

According to villagers, the force's members had become much calmer during their patrols, and there were far fewer instances of the previous overbearing behavior.

At the same time, after the recruitment announcement was issued, many ninja had already signed up.

What was even more shocking was that the Uchiha actually held the assessments and recruited twenty ninja as the first batch of new members to officially join the Military Police Force!

This was the first time since the Second Hokage's era that villagers had seen non-Uchiha members in the force.

It meant that the village leadership had successfully reclaimed some authority, breaking the Uchiha's monopoly over the Military Police Force!

Naturally, the villagers were pleased with this development.

As for the other ninja clans, they began using their influence to place their own clan members into the force, hoping to get a share of the pie.

The Uchiha, once hailed as the foremost noble clan of the shinobi world, had begun to fall from their pedestal almost overnight.

But in this situation, the number of conflicts between the Uchiha and the villagers unexpectedly began to drop sharply!

Many villagers and even ninja started to understand the difficulties faced by the Military Police Force...

As a village with a population of hundreds of thousands, Konoha had countless incidents occurring every day.

Under such immense pressure, maintaining composure was a true test of one's mental fortitude.

As a result, the Uchiha's reputation actually improved somewhat, even as their prestige plummeted.

It was strange, but it made sense.

After all, a clan that placed itself on a pedestal could never earn the genuine support and recognition of the villagers.

Only by stepping down from that pedestal could they truly connect with others.

Fortunately, the Uchiha clansmen quickly adapted to this change.

With the addition of more personnel to the Military Police Force, the pressure on the Uchiha decreased significantly.

As a result, the proud clan began channeling their remaining energy into training.

Even late at night, you could often hear the sounds of drills coming from the Uchiha compound.

They were all holding their breath, waiting for their moment!

Moreover, Fugaku, the Uchiha clan head, had earned the respect of his clansmen for standing up that night.

This had strengthened the unity of the Uchiha clan like never before.

Everyone was united, working tirelessly toward a common goal.

And what was that goal, you ask?

To beat up Danzō!!