"It will work, right?"
A young lady of around twenty years was lying naked on the stone in the Hall of Sealings.
She had a slender frame, average height, brown, pupil-less eyes, and her hair was dirty violet.
Right now, she was anxiously looking at the Lady of the Uzumaki Clan, who had several scrolls open and was reading the symbols on them.
"Yes, but it will be very painful until you master both these seals. I am quite impressed that he managed to get his hands on the DNA of a Demonic Clan and was also able to create and infuse the DNA-altering enzymes in your Cursed Seal of Heaven."
"Please, it almost sounds like you admire him." Anko angrily looked away.
"He may be evil, but there is no denying that he is a genius. I only admire his genius," Kushina lightly smiled, then looked at the young lady. "You will not betray me, right?"
"Not as long as you don't harm me," the Chunin answered straightforwardly, and flinched when Kushina gently stroked her head.
"I will trust you," the Uzumaki gently said, then sighed. "It will hurt, and I mean hurt a lot. He managed to get his hands on the Seal of Heaven and the Seal of Earth, but he probably did not find the third seal, the Seal of Harmony. In fact, all three of these seals are supposed to be used as one complete Seal of Senjutsu, but he has unknowingly managed to take them a step further."
"The Seal of Harmony?"
"Yes. The third seal is what prevents you from completely losing your mind. I am sure you know what pain and overwhelming emotions can do to a person, and when you are using Senjutsu, those emotions are heightened to the extreme. So, if a person is not careful, there is a risk that they will completely lose their mind. It's a failsafe. And with the Demonic Sage DNA that he has infused in this Cursed Mark, it's even more important that the Seal of Harmony is planted together with it. The Seal of Harmony is also what allows you to have both Heaven and Earth Seals..." She explained the details to the girl, who attentively listened to her.
"I will become a Sage?"
"It's not that easy. The original seal is only supposed to help you master Sage Art, and once mastered, to help you efficiently use it. You will still have to work hard. And there's no guarantee that you will succeed."
She lightly said and smiled when Anko furrowed her brows.
"The good thing is that he gave you a Summoning Contract to the Ryuchi Cave. You will find a Snake Sage there, and if they agree to teach you, you will be able to master the Snake Sage Art if you work hard enough. However, until you have mastered it, the Cursed Seal will still help you enter a Demonic State, which will allow you to use Senjutsu, and the pain you will suffer from going through that transformation will only lessen or completely go away after you have truly become a Sage. Another benefit of this complete Senjutsu Seal is that it will help you grow your chakra pool. Usually, only enough to grow it to the level where you can enter Sage Mode..."
"To become a Sage, you need high chakra reserves?" she asked, surprised.
"Yes. Very high chakra reserves. Much higher than what the Third Hokage or his student Jiraiya have."
"Oh..."
"And after what Orochimaru has done, it will help your chakra pool grow even more. Your chakra will eventually surpass the levels of normal people and enter the Uzumaki and Senju category. Maybe even a Tailed Beast category."
"Which Tailed Beast?"
Kushina giggled at her curious question.
"You have no idea how big the chakra reserves of Tailed Beasts are. Even if your pool is only equivalent to Shukaku, you will still have eight times more chakra than the Hokage."
"How much do you have?" she asked, and Kushina grinned at her question.
"Several times more than Shukaku," she said mysteriously, and Anko's eyes widened in dismay. "Also, when someone becomes a Perfect Sage, their chakra pool keeps growing until they reach their prime. And then it starts shrinking with old age. The First Hokage was believed to possess chakra about four to five times that of Shukaku, and it's not just because of his Senju heritage. It was because he had become a Sage at a very early age. For context, Kyubi supposedly has ten times the chakra of Shukaku. However, you should also keep something very important in mind. The size of the chakra is not everything. The quality of chakra matters a lot. A person can possess the size of chakra comparable to that of a Tailed Beast, but it might not be as potent. And the potency is what enables you to use less to do more. The Uzumaki and Senju are both known to possess very potent chakra, and so do the Hyuga and Uchiha, even though their chakra pools are not as big."
Anko's eyes quivered at all the information, and then she furrowed her brows.
"You have told me too much. The Hokage will have my mind read before I return to service." She sighed but became curious when she heard Kushina giggle.
"Don't worry about it. You see, another benefit of this seal is that it enables you to control your dreams even when you are asleep. You will never truly lose consciousness until all the strength in your body has left you. When they try to read your mind, just imagine what you want to show them, and they will think it's the truth. As long as you concentrate, the Yamanaka will not be able to read your true memories without your permission. Their Hidden Jutsu for Mind Reading is not perfect."
Anko's eyes widened at her words, and then she nodded her head.
"Ready?"
"Yes," she nodded her head and bit on the soft wood that Kushina offered her.
Even though she had prepared herself, the moment the Uzumaki started planting the Cursed Seal of Earth on her, she felt as if her soul was leaving her body.
The process did not take more than ten minutes, and yet she felt as if an eternity had passed.
When the pain finally subsided, she groaned as she felt a sense of relief wash over her. It was almost as if she could now breathe through the Cursed Mark on her neck, and it was a feeling that was hard to describe.
Only a short while later, she was brimming with strength, and when she sat up and jumped off the stone bed, she was surprised at how light and in tune she felt with her limbs.
"Get dressed. We are leaving for the Hokage Tower," Kushina said to her, and Anko quickly started to wear the clothes that she had taken off an hour ago.
She then put on her shoes and shin guards, donned her tan overcoat, and then took a snake-fang pendant and wore it around her neck.
"Remember your promises to me."
She froze at Kushina's words, and then quickly nodded her head.
A few minutes later, Anko followed the Uzumaki out of the Hall of Sealings and passed by an inner courtyard, where Uzumaki Enma was sparring against his little sister.
The two kids glanced her way, even though only one of them could see her, and she was quite curious about the sharp senses of the blindfolded boy.
As soon as they came out of the compound, two Uzumaki guards were waiting for them there, and she knew them.
One was Uzumaki Kenji, and the other was Uzumaki Misa, who had both joined the Ninja Academy, graduated as Genins, passed the Chunin Exams, and then retired to serve their clan.
Both were wearing their Konoha Forehead Protectors, and on their jackets, both on the front and the back, was the Uzumaki Spiral.
As soon as they exited the District and the Barrier that protected it, they all used the Body Flicker Technique and rushed out of the forest. A few minutes later, they landed in front of the Hokage Tower, where a Chunin was waiting for them to lead them to the Council Room.
When they entered the room, they bowed to the Hokage, who was already in his seat with his two advisors.
"Ah, Anko-chan. It's good to see you again." Hiruzen smiled at her, and then an Anbu appeared at the Hokage's signal. "Zou, please lead Anko-chan to the guest who is waiting for her."
The man with the elephant mask bowed to the Hokage before leading the Chunin out of the room.
Kushina did not care what was happening and just calmly took the seat with the Uzumaki symbol on it.
Adjacent to her, Hazuki was already occupying the Uchiha seat, and the two smiled at each other and nodded in greeting.
"What's the topic of discussion for today's meeting, Hokage-sama?" Nara Shikaku asked, and Hiruzen cleared his throat and nodded before looking at everyone.
"It's about the Konoha Police Force."
Instinctively, a lot of eyes glanced in Hazuki's direction, and she too seemed surprised as she looked at the Hokage.
"As you all know, with the tragedy that struck the Uchiha Clan, the Konoha Police Force is now inactive. The law and order in the village require a Police Force, and the civilians have been very restless after what happened six months ago. So, I would like to hear your opinions on what should be done to solve this issue."
All the Clan Heads glanced around, except for Hiashi, who kept his eyes closed.
"I think we need to recreate the Konoha Police Force with all the major clans of the village, who can spare some members, participating in it," Yamanaka Inoichi expressed his thoughts, and his Akimichi friend nodded his head.
"I agree with Yamanaka-san's proposal, and I would like to add to it." Kushina suddenly spoke, and everyone turned to look at her.
"Yes?" Hiruzen too looked at her with interest.
"To effectively keep order in the village, we need a Police Force of at least a hundred Shinobi. The Uzumaki Clan is willing to offer ten Shinobi to the Police Force, and two more, who will be the Senior Officers. And each clan that wishes to have their people in the Police Force can either enlist five members, which would give them a reserved seat for one Senior Officer, or they can enlist ten members, which will give them reserved seats for two Senior Officers. That should be the limit for all the clans, except for the Uchiha." She looked at Hazuki. "Even though they lack the numbers now, the Police Force was an honour bestowed to them by the Second Hokage. It would be inappropriate to take it away from them after the tragedy that has struck them."
She stopped and glanced around the table.
"The Chief of the Police Force should always be a Uchiha, and additionally, they shall have four reserved seats for the Senior Officers. When they have enough numbers in the future, the Uchiha will enlist a maximum of twenty officers in the Force, and for now, they will enlist five officers, two Senior Officers, and a Chief. Additionally, if a clan has two reserved seats for Senior Officer, then one must be a male Senior Officer, and the other shall be a female Senior Officer. There are places in the village where males cannot enter." She stopped and glanced around the table once again. "The Uzumaki Clan will refuse to offer their members to the Police Force if the Uchiha Clan is going to be dishonoured here today." She finished strongly, and the advisors of the Hokage frowned at her stance.
However, before anyone could express their own proposals, try to add other details or open discussion, Hyuga Hiashi announced his stand.
"I agree with Inoichi-san and Uzumaki-san's proposals. The Hyuga are ready to offer ten Shinobi to the Police Force and will take the two reserved seats for the Senior Officers."
There was silence after his words, but only for a few moments as Yamanaka Inoichi nodded and spoke as well.
"The Yamanaka are fine with the arrangement as well. We will offer ten Shinobi and take the two reserved seats of the Senior Officers."
"Akimichi Clan will also offer ten Shinobi and take the two reserved seats of the Senior Officers."
"Nara Clan agrees to offer ten Shinobi..."
"Fuma Clan also agrees to offer ten Shinobi..."
"Aburame Clan will also offer ten Shinobi..."
"Inuzuka Clan agrees to offer ten Shinobi..."
"Kurama Clan will offer five Shinobi and take one reserved seat for the Senior Officer..."
"Suzumeno Clan will also offer five Shinobi and take one reserved seat for..."
When everyone agreed, they all looked at the Hokage, who was puffing on his pipe.
"The Sarutobi Clan will offer ten Shinobi and take two reserved seats for the Senior Officers." He spoke as the head of the Sarutobi Clan, and then as Hokage. "There will also be positions in the Police Force for people who do not belong to any clans. For starters, we will have ten such positions, with no more than two members from the same family allowed in the Force. They can apply for the positions at the Headquarters, and the Police Chief will approve of them."
Everyone nodded at his words, and then Hiruzen looked at Uchiha Hazuki.
"Hazuki-san, the Police Chief will report to the Hokage every three days, and when you have decided who it will be, send them to my office to discuss the funding of the new Police Force."
"Yes, Hokage-sama." She bowed her head and also took part in the following discussion.
An hour later, the new Konoha Police Force had been designed, and a starting force of 105 officers, 22 Senior Officers, and a Chief was agreed upon. These did not include the future 15 reserved officer seats and two more reserved Senior Officer seats for the Uchiha Clan, as well as the ten open seats for officers for those who did not belong to any clan.
Even though it looked like the Uzumaki Clan Head had protected the Uchiha Clan, some also felt that she had intelligently diluted the control of the Police Force, preventing any single clan from holding absolute power over the organisation.
This was the reason why Hiruzen had agreed to what was proposed by Kushina, and also why his advisors had kept quiet during the meeting.
The Hokage already liked the new Uzumaki Clan Head far more than the old one.