"First," Uchiha Dohan declared sternly, "from now on, I don't want to hear any talk of rebellion within the clan."
"Eh?"
The younger Uchiha who had been brimming with zeal just moments ago froze in confusion. Shisui and Itachi, on the other hand, both quietly exhaled in relief—at least Dohan still had the sense to understand that the clan must not rebel.
But the relief didn't last long.
"This village was founded by Lord Madara and the First Hokage. In a way, we Uchiha should be considered one of the rightful masters of Konoha. What we must do is simply reclaim the authority that should've been ours all along."
"That's right!" Inabi said fervently. "This village belongs to the Uchiha too!"
"Second," Dohan continued, "the Police Force is understaffed. Starting tomorrow, we'll begin recruiting civilian shinobi. Within one week, I want the number of personnel doubled. Their pay must be at least on par with what D-rank missions provide. Additionally, all clan resources unrelated to the Sharingan—including accumulated jutsu scrolls and spoils of war—are to be offered as performance rewards to outstanding recruits."
This time, the uproar was even greater. Even Shisui and Itachi were baffled. If Dohan's earlier orders were just ideological, this one was a direct blow to the clan's resources.
"Silence."
Dohan waited until the noise reached its peak before standing and speaking again.
"Most of you here serve in the Police Force. You should know this better than anyone—no matter how fairly we enforce the law, many villagers still resent us. On paper, the Police Force holds status and power, but in reality, it has built a wall between the Uchiha and the rest of the village. That wall… was the trap set for us by that senile ghost of the Senju."
"If we're to reclaim what's ours, the first step is to break down that wall and rebuild trust. The First Hokage once said, 'It's not that becoming Hokage earns you recognition—it's earning recognition that makes you worthy of being Hokage.'"
"The Uchiha have been cut off from the villagers for far too long. It's time we reached out and embraced them."
Dohan's speech was powerful and magnetic. Even Shisui began to question whether he'd misjudged him. Wasn't this exactly what he had always dreamed of doing?
"It's understandable to recruit civilian shinobi," one elder finally spoke, "but aren't the jutsu techniques far too valuable to be handed out so freely?"
"The foundation of our clan's strength lies in our bloodline limit. Those jutsu, rather than gathering dust in a vault, can serve as a bridge between us and the village," Dohan replied.
"But Dohan," Fugaku interjected, "have you considered the cost? Bringing in this many civilians and paying them D-rank wages will quickly drain the clan's funds. Ever since we were relocated out of the village center six years ago, resources have been tight."
"There's no need to worry, Elder Fugaku," Dohan said with a smile. "I'll get the money."
"…As long as you have a plan," Fugaku nodded. "Then according to tradition, the clan head should also serve as Captain of the Police Force—"
"No, no," Dohan cut him off. "Elder Fugaku, please continue to serve as Captain. I have more important matters to attend to."
"More important matters?" Fugaku asked, puzzled.
"Of course. I've been entrusted with a task by Lord Third himself," Dohan replied cheerfully.
"Oh, right," another elder recalled. "You accepted the mission to investigate Danzō and Root. Shouldn't we start that investigation immediately?"
"How could we start now?"
Dohan chuckled meaningfully.
"We've got to give them a little time, don't we?"
Time… to destroy evidence.
"Inabi. Yashiro," Dohan called out, turning to the two Uchiha who had been by his side all day.
"Starting tomorrow, you're with me. We'll lead the investigation into Root."
"Understood!"
"Understood!"
---
At that same time, deep within Root's base, Yamanaka Fū and Aburame Ryōma were working nonstop, overseeing the destruction of classified documents. Because Root's latest operations targeted Uchiha shinobi—who naturally countered their abilities—Danzō had kept both Fū and Ryōma at headquarters.
Fū's mind-type jutsu was ineffective against the Sharingan. As for Ryōma, years ago during the Third Great Ninja War, Danzō had ordered him to assassinate Dohan, who had already started making a name for himself. But Ryōma's insects were disrupted by Dohan's lightning-style chakra field and rendered useless. He barely escaped with his life.
Thus, both were kept in the base this time. But even they hadn't expected to receive news that Danzō was already dead.
Under years of Danzō's conditioning, the few Root operatives that remained worked like machines, gathering confidential materials and burning them all with Fire Style ninjutsu.
By dawn, most of the evidence had been erased.
And that was when they received word—Uchiha Dohan and his team were approaching the Root base.
The two men exchanged a look, then glanced at a few remaining documents yet to be destroyed. With a silent nod, they turned and headed toward the entrance.
---
Meanwhile, Uchiha Dohan, accompanied by Inabi and Yashiro, was strolling toward the Root facility at a deliberate pace.
"Damn… this bastard's hideout is really out of the way," Inabi grumbled.
Dohan chuckled, then raised an eyebrow.
"Speak of the devil…"
As he finished speaking, streaks of blue lightning burst from his body. Swarms of insects began dropping from the air all around them—revealing their presence and falling to the ground with crisp, sizzling sounds. The plants at their feet withered instantly upon contact.
Inabi and Yashiro immediately drew their kunai and took battle stances.
"Aburame Ryōma… didn't I teach you last time that these little bugs of yours don't work on me?"
Dohan called out loudly.
In response, a volley of shuriken whistled through the air.
But as the shuriken neared Dohan—just a foot away—they abruptly froze, suspended mid-air as if caught by invisible threads.
Boom!
One of the shuriken exploded in smoke.
Ryōma appeared from within the cloud, kunai in hand—aiming directly for Uchiha Dohan's throat.