A few days later, inside the office of the Captain of the Konoha Military Police Force.
"So you just walked in openly like this?"
Uchiha Jin leaned lazily against the high-backed chair behind his desk, looking far too relaxed for someone at the center of Konoha's political storm.
Across from him, Minato Namikaze pulled over a chair and sat down without ceremony.
"You could say that proves your plan worked," Minato said with a faint smile. "Danzo's recent movements made the Third uneasy."
"I'm here under his orders. Even if someone sees us meeting, it won't raise suspicion."
Jin raised a brow but didn't comment.
The timing was deliberate.
Minato hadn't come immediately after agreeing to Hiruzen's strategy. Instead, he waited.
He waited until Danzo Shimura had spent days touring the clans, publicizing his credentials, and throwing his name into the open.
Danzo had made it loud.
Disciple of the Second Hokage.
Hokage Advisor.
Veteran commander of the First and Second Shinobi Wars.
Hero of Konoha.
He dragged every respectable achievement into the light and wrapped them around himself like medals.
And it worked.
His name was now circulating as a legitimate contender for Fourth Hokage.
At the same time, word of Jin's confrontation with the so-called "Konoha elders" in the Hokage Tower had spread through the village.
Not by accident.
Old stories resurfaced.
That the Uchiha were co-founders of the village.
That much of the land had once been provided by them.
That they had bled in every war.
That their casualties were never small.
Then the narrative shifted.
The Military Police were not cold-blooded tyrants—
they were enforcing outdated laws.
And those outdated laws were the real problem.
By the time the dust settled, public sentiment had tilted. Civilians who once muttered about "arrogant Uchiha" were now questioning village regulations instead.
Calls for legal reform were growing.
Everyone knew whose hand was behind the shift.
But Hiruzen Sarutobi did nothing.
Because stopping it would cost him more than letting it run.
Legal reform was inevitable now. Public opinion only accelerated what could no longer be suppressed.
More importantly—he needed the Uchiha.
Danzo, meanwhile, was too busy fighting for survival in the political arena to waste energy countering Jin.
So while the village factions fought over the Fourth Hokage seat—
The Uchiha quietly completed their transformation.
Jin tapped his fingers lightly against the desk.
"So. What's the old man offering?"
Minato didn't circle around it.
"One captain position in the Interrogation Division. Two ANBU slots. And one battalion commander, two company commanders, plus three squad allocations in the Border Defense Force."
Jin's expression shifted—just slightly.
As expected.
And yet… more generous than anticipated.
Each offer represented a different kind of leverage.
The Interrogation Division captaincy came with real authority—but little profit. It was usually used to placate mid-tier clans.
The two ANBU positions were symbolic. ANBU answered directly to the Hokage. Prestige, yes—but also potential infiltration. If handled poorly, they could become nails driven into the Uchiha from within.
Neither surprised Jin.
The third offer, however—
That was blood.
The Border Defense Force.
Four thousand shinobi stationed across the borders of the Land of Fire, rotating through garrisons and checkpoints.
In wartime, they were folded into combat units.
In peacetime?
It was one of the most comfortable assignments in the village.
Patrols. Routine duty. Solid pay. Low risk.
The positions had long been divided among the major clans.
For Hiruzen to carve out a battalion command, two company commands, and three squads—
He was cutting into entrenched interests.
He was paying.
Jin leaned back again, eyes narrowing thoughtfully.
"So," he said calmly, "the Third is bleeding to keep Danzo from taking the chair."
Minato didn't deny it.
The village's political board had shifted.
And now, everyone was bargaining.
The only question was—
Who would pay the highest price?
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