"First, I don't want to hear any more talk of rebellion within the cn." Makoto announced solemnly.

  "Ah?" The young Uchiha who had been so fanatical just moments ago was stunned. Meanwhile, Shisui and Itachi breathed a sigh of relief—at least Makoto still had reason and knew the cn couldn’t afford to rebel.

  But their relief was short-lived.

  "This vilge was founded by Lord Madara and Lord Hashirama. As the Uchiha cn, we should be one of its rightful rulers. All we need to do is recim the power that belongs to us."

  "That's right! This vilge should have been under the Uchiha cn's control from the start!" Inabi echoed fervently.

  Makoto ignored the fanaticism in Inabi's voice and continued. "The second matter concerns the Police Force. It is currently understaffed. Starting tomorrow, we will begin recruiting civilian ninjas. Within a week, I want the force’s numbers doubled. The sary for these recruits must be at least equivalent to a C-rank mission payout. Additionally, all ninjutsu reted to the Sharingan, along with the spoils accumuted by the cn over the years, will be made avaible as rewards for those who achieve outstanding results."

  This time, the reaction was even more intense. Even Shisui and Itachi found themselves confused by Makoto's intentions.

  If his earlier words were just a matter of perspective, now he was actively sacrificing the cn’s own resources.

  "Silence!" Makoto commanded as the noise subsided. His gaze swept across the room. "Most of you here serve in the Police Force. You’ve all encountered situations where, despite enforcing the w fairly, the vilgers still view us with hostility. On the surface, we hold authority, but in reality, a wall has been built between the Uchiha and the people. This is the trap set by that naturally wicked old demon, Tobirama Senju!"

  Makoto's voice carried undeniable conviction.

  "We want to recim our power, but the first step is to get closer to the vilgers. The First Hokage once said, 'Being Hokage doesn’t grant you recognition—it’s gaining recognition that allows you to become Hokage!'

  "The Uchiha have been isoted for too long. Now, we must take the initiative to bridge that gap!"

  His words were stirring, even making Shisui question whether he had misunderstood Makoto all along. Wasn't this exactly the approach he himself had wanted to take?

  "It's understandable to recruit civilian ninjas, but isn't offering ninjutsu as rewards too high a cost?" an elder asked.

  "The foundation of our strength is our bloodline. Instead of letting these techniques gather dust in the cn’s archives, we should use them to build a bridge between us and the vilge," Makoto replied firmly.

  "But, Cn head," Fugaku interjected, "have you considered the financial burden? Recruiting so many civilian ninjas at such wages will quickly drain the cn’s funds. The incident six years ago already forced us away from the vilge center, weakening our financial standing."

  "Don't worry about that," Makoto said with an easy smile. "I'll handle the funding."

  Fugaku studied him for a moment before nodding. "If you have a pn, then according to cn tradition, the head of the cn will also serve as the captain of the Police Force—"

  "No," Makoto interrupted before he could finish. "Fugaku, I want you to remain as the captain of the Police Force. I have more important matters to handle."

  "More important matters?" Fugaku frowned slightly.

  "Of course. I need to complete the mission assigned to me by the Third Hokage." Makoto's smile didn't waver.

  "Speaking of which, since you've accepted the task of investigating Danzo and the Root, shouldn't we begin immediately?" an elder asked.

  Makoto chuckled meaningfully. "Not yet. We need to give them some time."

  Time to destroy the evidence.

  "Inabi, Zaito," Makoto continued, turning to two of the Uchiha members who had been following him that day. "Starting tomorrow, you two will assist me in investigating Root."

  "Understood!"

  ...

  At the same time, deep within the Root’s underground base, Yamanaka Fuu and Aburame Ryoma were directing their subordinates to burn through stacks of cssified documents.

  Since Root had long been targeting the Uchiha cn, Danzo had stationed both of them there for a reason. Yamanaka Fuu’s abilities were naturally suppressed by the Uchiha's Sharingan, making him a liability in direct confrontation.

  Meanwhile, Aburame Ryoma had once fought Makoto during the Third Ninja World War, only to suffer a humiliating defeat. His insects were completely disoriented by the electromagnetic field generated by Makoto’s Lightning Release, and he had barely escaped with his life.

  This time, however, things had taken an unexpected turn—Danzo was dead.

  Years of brainwashing ensured that Root operatives functioned like machines. Without hesitation, they continued to incinerate every st sensitive document, reducing cssified intelligence to ashes with Fire Release jutsu.

  After an entire night of frantic work, they had nearly erased all traces of Root’s secrets. But just as they were finishing up, a messenger rushed in.

  "Uchiha Makoto is on his way here!"

  Yamanaka Fuu and Aburame Ryoma exchanged a look. There were still a few remaining documents that hadn't been completely disposed of. Without a word, they silently nodded to each other before stepping out of the base together.

  ---

  Meanwhile, Makoto, Inabi, and Zaito made their way towards Root’s hidden headquarters.

  "This old bastard sure picked a remote hiding spot," Inabi muttered, growing impatient after a long trek through the vilge’s outskirts.

  Makoto smirked but suddenly raised an eyebrow. "They're here."

  As soon as he finished speaking, a surge of blue lightning crackled to life around him.

  A second ter, countless insects emerged from the surrounding vegetation, swarming toward them. But before they could get close, they dropped lifelessly to the ground, their bodies twitching as they were fried by the electromagnetic waves. The pnts beneath them withered on contact with the insects' poisoned remains.

  Inabi and Zaito immediately drew their kunai, their eyes sharp with battle readiness.

  "A member of the Aburame cn?" Makoto said calmly. "Didn’t you learn your lesson st time? Your insects are useless against me."

  In response, a flurry of shuriken shot toward him.

  However, just as they were about to reach Makoto, they suddenly froze mid-air, as if caught in an invisible force field.

  A puff of smoke erupted from one of the hovering shuriken, revealing the hidden form of Aburame Ryoma. With a kunai in hand, he lunged straight for Makoto’s throat.