Naruto Birdcage

The sky darkened gradually.

Fugaku walked out of the Hokage Building, his mind unsettled as he gazed at the reddening horizon.

"Captain!" Hachidai and Inaka, who had been waiting outside, immediately approached.

"Captain, how did it go?" Uchiha Hachidai asked.

After a moment of silence, Fugaku slowly said,

"Let's go back. Tonight, gather the clan members for a meeting."

He turned his gaze back to the Hokage Building, reflecting on the unpredictable nature of the world.

Who would have thought that someone from the Hyuga clan could suddenly rise to such a position, and at such a young age?

Was this the result of betting on the right horse?

Following Orochimaru had indeed raised his status.

But Fugaku also clearly remembered that Hyuga Hiashi had once been quite close to Minato.

Most of the clan families, including the Jonin leader Nara Shikaku, were supporters of Minato.

The root cause of all this was not just the Third Hokage's intentions, as Sarutobi Hiruzen had clearly planned to push Minato into the Hokage position, with no room for dissent.

In Fugaku's view, it was Hiruzen's one wrong move that had led the Uchiha clan into this difficult predicament.

Inaka asked again, "Captain, are we really going to let members of Root join our Uchiha police force?"

Fugaku, slightly irritated, replied, "That's the Hokage's decision."

Once home, his young son Itachi ran up excitedly,

"Tou-sama, when can we practice shuriken together?"

Looking at his son, Fugaku felt a sense of relief.

He reached out and ruffled Itachi's soft hair, smiling,

"Maybe tomorrow, it's too late today."

Mikoto came out from the kitchen, tying her apron, and said with a smile,

"Dinner will be ready soon, just wait a little longer."

Later that night, at the Uchiha clan meeting in the Naka Uchiha Shrine.

The clan members were all fired up, voicing their objections to outsiders joining the Uchiha police force, asking Fugaku to convince the Hokage to revoke the order.

Fugaku, however, stated, "The Uchiha clan is no longer in a position to support the entire police force. This is a matter of village security, and for that reason, we Uchiha should make a compromise."

Fugaku's words carried weight, and as soon as he spoke, the opposition fell silent.

However, the expressions on the clan members' faces still revealed their dissatisfaction with the decision.

He sighed inwardly and then spoke a few words of reassurance to calm the crowd.

Afterward, he issued a few directives.

In the future, those responsible for security patrols must refrain from using force for enforcement and must wear the Uchiha armbands.

He also instructed the clan members to take the initiative to help the villagers, even with the smallest tasks, and to do so with dedication.

He hoped this would help distinguish the Uchiha from Root in the eyes of the villagers and gradually improve the Uchiha's image.

For now, this was the only solution he could think of.

Fugaku wanted to free the Uchiha from the constraints of public opinion surrounding the police force, but the biggest obstacle wasn't from the outside—it was from the clan members themselves.

......

Makoto saw the children selected from the orphanage; they were all quite bright in their daily behavior, around twenty in total.

These children were simply those with potential for development, not necessarily the final candidates.

One by one, the children looked at Makoto, who was standing next to Nonou, with curious eyes, wondering who this unfamiliar big brother was.

Among the children, Makoto also spotted Kabuto.

Kabuto was originally more introverted and had an average performance, so he wasn't included in the initial selection, but Makoto specifically brought him up.

Makoto didn't say much, simply instructing Nonou to tell the children that they would receive an education and become ninjas to serve the village.

One of the children asked if they could return to the orphanage in the future.

Nonou replied, "You were chosen from the orphanage because of your intelligence. If you perform well in the future, you can go back."

The children didn't fully understand Nonou's words and weren't sure what their future lives would be like.

They just knew they had to listen to the Mother.

The living conditions offered to these children were far better than those in the orphanage, and they quickly cheered and ran off to choose their rooms.

"You seem worried," Makoto noticed Nonou's troubled expression and asked.

"The children from the orphanage will inevitably have many who become ninjas. The process is just being changed a bit. Although the village will be stricter with them, it's because they want to make them elite," Nonou said.

Makoto remained silent upon hearing this.

Makoto spoke, "You're worried I'll turn them into ninjas like those from Root? Don't worry, I have my own methods. After all, I'm not a devil."

Nonou indeed had this concern.

Root was officially the covert division, but in reality, it was an extremely ruthless and brutal organization, essentially Danzo's private army.

Makoto did need a force of his own, but a group of tools was far less useful than a group of followers.

These children would need time to grow, and Makoto was in no rush—he was still young himself.

He then looked over the report from the first negotiations with Kirigakure.

After some back-and-forth, Kirigakure agreed to pay a hefty price to retrieve their seven ninja swords.

Makoto looked at the documents enclosed in the envelope, and they were within his acceptable range.

The people from Kirigakure probably understood that the swords wouldn't be returned without some blood being shed.

If it were just a war, Kirigakure could have easily withdrawn their troops and returned to the Land of Water without the need to sign any agreement with Konoha.

The vast ocean separates them, and Konoha had to cross the seas to fight them.

However, now that their property had fallen into Konoha's hands, they had no choice but to negotiate.

Kirigakure also wanted to buy back the Three-Tails but were refused.

In addition to official matters, Makoto received a letter personally written by Minato.

It was a thank-you note for helping Rin remove the curse seal, and he promised to visit and personally express his gratitude once he returned to the village.

Makoto then wrote a letter in response, instructing Kakashi, Minato, and the others to decline Kirigakure's offer, prepare for a second round of negotiations, and raise the price for the seven ninja swords.

He also told them to inform Kirigakure that if they couldn't accept the new terms, Konoha could always cultivate its own group of seven ninja sword wielders, and perhaps they would meet again on the battlefield.

Konoha was not lacking in money, and the Land of Fire wasn't either.

The damages Konoha sustained in the war couldn't be repaired with money, but if Kirigakure was willing to offer more, Konoha might consider selling the ninja swords to them.

Makoto was busy every day handling various matters—within the village, outside the village, and even matters within the Hyuga clan.

In the afternoons, he still found time to read and continue researching his use of chakra.

These busy and fulfilling days made him feel as though he was back in his previous life, working hard for his career.

The unfortunate part was that there was no one around to share his joys and sorrows with.

Orochimaru's research had finally made progress, and he eagerly called Makoto over to share the results.

In the research lab, Makoto saw a glass dish with a floating arm inside.

The arm's skin was pale and appeared somewhat strange.

"This is..." Makoto already had an answer in his mind but still asked.

Orochimaru replied, "This is a product combining the body of White Zetsu and the cells of the First Hokage."

Makoto then asked, "Is this for Obito?"

Orochimaru responded, "He is a very good test subject."

Orochimaru's research on the cells of Hashirama Senju had progressed much faster than in the original story, mainly because he had White Zetsu at his disposal.

Orochimaru had tried experimenting on small animals, but without exception, they all died.

Obito would be the first human test subject.

Makoto couldn't help but twitch his mouth.

So, you haven't had a single successful case, yet you're eager to use a human for the experiment?

He couldn't resist saying, "Aren't you afraid Obito will die too?"

Orochimaru replied, "He already has the cells of the First Hokage in him, and there hasn't been any rejection."

"I suspect that non-human organisms simply can't handle Hashirama's cells."

Makoto was speechless at Orochimaru's "rigorous" scientific attitude.

"So you're planning to take a shortcut, skipping over many steps, right?"

Orochimaru answered confidently,

"Obito is an exception. There are no suitable substitutes for him as a test subject. It has to be this way."

He assured him, "Don't worry, theoretically, there's no issue. I won't let him die."

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