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The Uchiha of the past were just like this, with the family elders stubbornly holding their ground while Fugaku, the clan leader, remained tight-lipped, saying nothing.
Kazuki began to summarize what had transpired during today's clan meeting.
After listening carefully, Tsunade was quite satisfied.
She saw Kazuki's sincerity—he wasn't just all talk but had taken real action.
"The positions in the police force did have some issues. After reorganization, it will strengthen team unity and cooperation, and clear division of duties. This step was well executed."
The positions and rules of the police force had been based on the framework established at the time of its creation.
That framework had long since become outdated, with many aspects needing reform. Yet the Uchiha hadn't made any changes.
And so, it had dragged on until today.
Even the ANBU had undergone several reforms. How could the police force's structure not be outdated?
"Let's find a place to eat something and chat slowly."
Tsunade didn't want to sit there and talk business on an empty stomach.
'If you want to extort a meal from me, just say it directly—why beat around the bush?' In the end, Tsunade managed to extort a meal from him, and the cost wasn't low either.
Tsunade wanted barbecue and brought along her little assistant, Shizune.
Munching on the barbecue and drinking some sake, Tsunade wore a satisfied expression and kept burping from the alcohol, complaining:
"The old man is such a bother—can't do this, can't do that. And those two stubborn old fools on the council... Oh right, they've always warned me to be cautious of the Uchiha. But don't worry, as long as you keep your promise to me, I won't hold any prejudice against your clan. But you have to understand, some things don't just end because you say so."
Even though Tsunade had become the Fifth Hokage, there were still things that had to be done step by step.
For now, she still needed the assistance of the Third Hokage and the council, so immediately lifting the surveillance on the Uchiha wasn't possible, but reducing the targeted scrutiny was doable. If you manage to break through one barrier, everything that follows will be easier.
To get this far was already Tsunade's best effort.
Removing the surveillance on the Uchiha would only happen if the misunderstanding about the Nine-Tails Night could be cleared up, and with Tsunade acting as a mediator.
Having already filled his stomach, Kazuki had barely eaten any of the barbecue and mostly helped with the grilling.
Holding his chopsticks, quickly flipping the grilled meat, Kazuki gave his assurance:
"As for the mysterious person responsible for the Nine-Tails Night, I will do my best to investigate and uncover this person, to clear Uchiha's name and resolve the misunderstanding between the village and the Uchiha."
"That's the best outcome, but can you really do it?"
Tsunade expressed doubt.
If it were that easy to find out, the ANBU would've done it already. The Nine-Tails Night was a painful memory for Konoha. The Third Hokage and others, while targeting the Uchiha, hadn't given up on investigating who controlled the Nine-Tails, but there had been no leads.
'Just because you couldn't do it doesn't mean I can't.'
"I'll do my best. The person couldn't have just appeared out of thin air. Since they had the Sharingan and were pretending to be Uchiha Madara, I believe we'll eventually find some clues."
"Good enough."
If they could have found out by now, they would have. Tsunade wasn't really expecting Kazuki to find the culprit.
It would be great if he did, clearing the Uchiha of their unjust treatment and resolving the misunderstanding between the Uchiha and the village.
If not, that was fine too—resolving the conflict between the Uchiha and the village step by step would suffice.
But the hardliners in the Uchiha couldn't remain.
That was Tsunade's bottom line.
The hardliners were a ticking time bomb, likely to explode at any time.
Even if they didn't represent all the Uchiha, as long as the hardliners caused trouble, the blame would fall on the Uchiha as a whole, not on the hardliners.
"When everything is arranged on Danzo's side, your people will be able to personally guard the prisoner in the jail. This is to account for the villagers and the daimyo's office. The Uchiha must watch him carefully."
Satisfied and full, Tsunade patted her bulging stomach and, with Shizune's help, left.
Kazuki, staring at the bill, fell into deep thought. 'How did these two women eat so much???!!! Even feeding pigs wouldn't be this extreme.'
"Sir, about the bill..." The barbecue shop staff smiled awkwardly, reminding Kazuki it was time to pay.
Kazuki stood up speechless. "I didn't bring any money. Send the bill to the police department and tell them to put it on Uchiha Kazuki's tab. I'll settle it later."
"Understood, please take care. We look forward to your next visit." As long as he wasn't dodging the bill, sending it to the police department wasn't an issue. They'd get the money, even if it meant running a few errands—no big deal.
Kazuki wasn't trying to give them a hard time, but he really had no money on him. After work, he went home to wash up, then attended the clan meeting at the shrine, carrying just enough for a few bowls of ramen.
Who would've thought Tsunade, this big glutton, would extort a barbecue meal and eat so much?
She ate a lot of meat, and drank a lot of sake.
Aside from sending the bill to the police department, Kazuki wasn't about to make a shadow clone to go back and get money, was he?
After leaving the barbecue restaurant, Tsunade, though drunk, suddenly stood up straight, startling Shizune.
"Lady Tsunade, were you pretending to be drunk?"
Shizune's eyes widened.
Tsunade was so annoyed her face turned red, grumbling:
"Keep it down! I didn't bring any money, so of course I had to extort a meal from that kid Kazuki. Besides, I helped him, didn't I? What's wrong with a little extortion? No need to make it sound so bad. Now go ahead and rest, I still need to head to the Hokage's office to see the old man."
"But..."
'Your house isn't ready to live in. You haven't bought anything. How are you going to stay there?'
"Go on, get some rest."
Tsunade patted her hips and left, leaving Shizune standing on the empty street in the cold night wind, on the verge of tears.
At the Hokage's office, Tsunade recounted her meeting with Kazuki in detail, including the Uchiha clan's plans for reforming the police force.
She also mentioned Kazuki and Fugaku's decisions and guarantees.
After listening carefully, the Third Hokage praised:
"Tsunade, you did very well. Compared to Danzo's aggressive stance, stabilizing the Uchiha is actually more important, and I'm glad you didn't overstep. No matter how you look at it, the Uchiha still have strong suspicions. Unless they can truly uncover the identity of the mysterious person from the Nine-Tails Night."
'Yeah right. Do you think I don't know what you're really thinking? We all know why you've been targeting the Uchiha, so stop with the fake praise, will you? I can't handle it.'
Tsunade didn't even bother pretending to be polite and rolled her eyes directly at the Third Hokage, making sure he saw it clearly.