"Indeed, I was a bit worried at first—after all, your mission target was none other than Orochimaru, one of the famed Legendary Sannin," Uchiha Fugaku remarked with a smile.
At that moment, Uchiha Miyuki produced the mission scroll he'd obtained from Lord Yamamoto and laid it neatly on the desk.
"Miyuki, what's this?" Fugaku asked, his curiosity piqued. Miyuki merely shot him a meaningful glance, silently urging him to read it for himself.
Fugaku picked up one of the scrolls and, after channeling a touch of chakra into it, couldn't help but fidget. Glancing up at Miyuki, he asked, "These… all add up to what exactly?"
"In total, they amount to 1.5 billion ryo," Miyuki replied coolly. "Had we not been pressed for time—and if we hadn't brought so few sealing scrolls—there'd likely be even more."
Fugaku's eyes lit up with admiration. "Impressive work, Miyuki! You must know, for our Uchiha clan, even after subtracting the expenses for essential ninja tools, it would take years to amass such wealth. Yet you managed to bring back this staggering sum in just one mission—and from your tone, it's only the beginning."
"Tomorrow, dispatch two Jonin from our clan to Tanzaku Town. This will be a long-term bodyguard assignment with a handsome reward," Miyuki ordered.
"Understood," Fugaku replied with a nod.
"By the way," Miyuki continued, "how is the Security Division faring in my absence?"
Fugaku responded, "Things are going fairly well. Thanks to the work manual you left behind, the newly recruited ninja have picked up their duties quickly—they're now patrolling and performing their assignments normally. However…" He hesitated, then added, "Lately, the number of complaints about our patrols and duty personnel has skyrocketed—several times more than before. And all these complaints target the new civilian-level ninja. Not one complaint has been filed against our established clan ninjas."
"Is that so?" Miyuki chuckled softly. "Could it be that these new recruits are neglecting their 'smile enforcement' duties?"
Fugaku shook his head, rubbing his temples in frustration. "How could that be? The Security Division now comprises four brigades and twenty-eight squads. Before every patrol, each squad leader repeatedly stresses the importance of enforcing with a smile. Just yesterday, the entire Security Division held a meeting to emphasize this, yet the complaints have only multiplied. Miyuki, I hope this doesn't jeopardize your plan to integrate our clan within the village."
"Don't worry, Elder Fugaku. I'll handle it tomorrow." Miyuki's tone remained as calm as ever; he had anticipated such issues from the start. After all, he knew all too well the troublesome nature of the villagers. When the Security Division was staffed solely by Uchiha, they might have held themselves in check under our clan's formidable reputation. But now, with civilian ninjas in the mix, all bets are off. This situation perfectly encapsulates the mindset of those incorrigible villagers—if you can't afford to offend the Uchiha, then you certainly can't afford to offend them.
In fact, Miyuki welcomed the development. With these civilian ninjas taking the brunt of public ire, our clan's reputation in the village will improve dramatically. Moreover, these civilian enforcers—who, despite enforcing the law impartially, are being maligned through malicious complaints—will undoubtedly accumulate considerable resentment. When the time comes for them to strike back against the troublemaking villagers, their newfound resolve might just give their enforcement an extra kick.
Fugaku then shifted the conversation. "If you can manage that, then that's splendid. Aside from this matter, however, there's a personal issue I'd like to discuss."
"Please, Elder Fugaku, go ahead," Miyuki urged.
"I'd like to request that you become the teacher for Sasuke."
Miyuki raised an intrigued eyebrow. "Oh? What has prompted this sudden thought, Elder Fugaku?"
Fugaku explained, "Sasuke has now reached the age where he can formally begin training in ninjutsu. Just the day before yesterday, I taught him our clan's official introductory technique—the Great Fireball Jutsu. However, his performance pales in comparison to that of his older brother."
Miyuki couldn't help but smile as he recalled his own days in the clan's private school. Out of twenty-eight Uchiha children learning that technique, he had ranked twenty-seventh—a fact that once made him doubt whether he was even cut out to be a ninja.
"But," Fugaku continued, "given that our clan has you as a precedent, I decided to test Sasuke's chakra nature. It turns out his affinity is for both fire and lightning. I even had him experiment with Lightning Release, and his natural aptitude for it far surpasses his proficiency in Fire Release."
Fugaku sighed ruefully. "Sasuke's talent in Lightning Release rivals even Itachi's finesse in Fire Release. With the Lightning Release: Thunder Ball technique, he can produce a thunderball nearly a meter in diameter after just a couple of demonstrations. However, our family is renowned for our mastery of Fire Release. Even though Mikoto's chakra carries a hint of lightning, her research in that area is shallow at best. So, training Sasuke has proven to be quite the challenge."
"Fortunately," Fugaku added, "there's someone in our clan whose early struggles were not unlike Sasuke's. As the former clan leader, I'm well aware of your background, Miyuki. When you were at the Ninja Academy, despite our clan's natural talent, your performance was fairly ordinary. In our private school where Fire Release and genjutsu were the main focus, your grades were dismal. The clan was on the verge of giving up on you—until you managed to persuade an experienced elder in charge of the ninja arsenal to teach you your first Lightning Release technique. That moment marked the beginning of your true potential."
"Thus, considering Sasuke's current situation, it only makes sense that you should take him on as your pupil," Fugaku concluded. "Moreover, you know well that I'm not adept at educating children. After all, Itachi has already strayed from the right path. I trust you to guide Sasuke properly."
Miyuki smiled warmly. "Understood. From now on, let Sasuke come to me after class."
"Thank you, Miyuki," Fugaku said solemnly. "This is a father's heartfelt request. Please take special care of Sasuke."
"I will," Miyuki replied with firm determination.
"Then I won't keep you any longer," Fugaku said, rising to take his leave. Miyuki escorted him to the door.
After Fugaku departed, Miyuki finished tending to his sword before retiring for the night.
The next day, upon arriving at his office within the Security Division, Miyuki surveyed the space his subordinates had redecorated during his absence. Satisfied with their work, he nodded approvingly.