Thanks to Gojo Kaigetsu's influence, the Uchiha were now largely accepted by the Konoha villagers. Only a small faction of old-timers, still loyal to the Second Hokage's ideology, held onto their deep-seated prejudice against the clan.

To manage the increasing influx of "green card" holders into Konoha-individuals granted permission to reside within the village but not full citizenship-Fugaku, amidst this changing social landscape, led the Uchiha clan forward with a bold move: expansion! The Konoha Military Police Force would now openly recruit and select members from within the village.

Previously, the Uchiha viewed the Police Force as their central seat of power, a political foothold from which to challenge the Hokage's faction.

Now, however, the Police Force was to become a bridge for peaceful interaction between the Uchiha and the rest of the village. The goal was to integrate more normal ninja, allowing them to experience the Uchiha's prowess firsthand and essentially binding them to the Uchiha bandwagon.

Any Konoha ninja who had graduated from the Academy and possessed a clean record was eligible to apply. Those who passed the selection process would secure a position within the Police Force, essentially landing an iron-clad job within Konoha.

In just a few days, the Uchiha received hundreds of applications from civilian ninja, members of smaller clans, and others. Being a ninja, after all, was just a profession-one earned by undertaking dangerous missions in exchange for payment.

Many ninja within Konoha yearned for a peaceful life. Securing a position within the Police Force essentially meant disengaging from constant danger.

After all, how dangerous could it be within the village itself? It wasn't as if a tailed beast would run rampant or a rice tycoon launch an attack. Powerful ninja entering Konoha were handled by the ANBU, and if the sky were falling, the Hokage would hold it up. The Police Force simply maintained basic order, and that was that.

Fugaku Uchiha paused mid-sip, his teacup hovering in the air. It took him a moment to fully digest the implications of Gojo Kaigetsu's words, and he shook his head with a chuckle.

"Gojo-kun… your art of speech is becoming more scary."

"However, I doubt you came to me simply to advocate for someone's placement within the Police Force, did you?"

"Of course, Fugaku-kun, you understand me."

Mentioning his promise to Kakashi was just an aside. Gojo Kaigetsu's true purpose for visiting the Uchiha compound was to gauge Fugaku's strength. While he knew from the increase in Prosperity Points that Fugaku had awakened the Mangekyo Sharingan and ascended to Kage-level, he needed to confirm the specifics himself.

To Make Konoha Great Again, he needed to know exactly what cards he held.

Gojo Kaigetsu set down his teacup, his tone becoming cryptic and deep. "Fugaku-kun… is there something you haven't told me?"

Fugaku Uchiha's eyes narrowed, his expression unreadable as he countered, "I wonder what Gojo-kun is referring to? Please enlighten me."

Gojo Kaigetsu raised a hand, tapping the corner of his eye through the dark fabric covering it. "Your eyes, your eyes~"

"Don't underestimate my information network, Fugaku. You've awakened the legendary Mangekyo Sharingan, haven't you?"

Nanii-!!

Fugaku Uchiha's pupils constricted sharply.

How did Gojo-kun know? He had only revealed these eyes to his wife, Mikoto, and at the clan meeting to quell the elders' dissent.

Beyond that, Fugaku was confident in his secrecy. Even his colleagues in the Police Force and his eldest son, Itachi, were unaware.

While he had intended to tell Gojo Kaigetsu eventually, the fact that Gojo-kun had brought it up first changed everything.

He didn't suspect the clan elders or his wife, Mikoto. They were all completely trustworthy. However, revealing the clan's greatest trump card to an outsider without permission, even to Advisor Gojo, was practically an act of betrayal.

How did Gojo Kaigetsu learn of this?!

He didn't mean to underestimate Advisor Gojo, but if even a Chunin had discovered his secret, wouldn't the Hyuga clan with their Byakugan also know? And if the Hyuga knew, wouldn't Danzo Shimura know as well?

A cold sweat dampened Fugaku's back.

'I… I've been too careless!'

"Ah… Fugaku-kun, you seem tense. It's alright, relax. I'm the only one who knows."

Gojo Kaigetsu broke the silence, seeing how startled Fugaku was. The man's chakra had become erratic.

Fugaku recovered, forcing a laugh. "I never imagined Gojo-kun would discover such a well-kept secret."

"I'm curious, how did you find out?"

"It's a secret, a secret~"

Gojo Kaigetsu wiggled his index finger, smiling enigmatically. Even with steadfast allies, it was best to maintain an air of mystery and a certain distance. He couldn't reveal everything.

After all, absence makes the heart grow fonder.

He nudged Fugaku with his elbow. "So, how is it? The Mangekyo Sharingan, not bad, right?"

"Tell me, what's your Mangekyo ability?"

Fugaku remained expressionless. "That's a secret."

"Tsk, fine, be that way." Gojo Kaigetsu shrugged. "Since you're hesitant to disclose that, I'll ask something else."

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His tone turned serious. "Hypothetically… if a jinchuriki were standing before you, or if a tailed beast were fully unleashed in your presence, Fugaku, could you control them?"

Gojo Kaigetsu, after all, was an outsider, not a Mangekyo Sharingan wielder.

Judging by Madara and Obito's performance as "pilots," the Mangekyo Sharingan should possess inherent control over tailed beasts. Even the scary Nine-Tails couldn't break free from its genjutsu.

This was also why Gojo Kaigetsu was happy to welcome Yagura into the Private Hospital-it was essentially the Three-Tails retrieval plan.

But he needed to be absolutely certain. There was another theory regarding Mangekyo control: that Madara himself developed the beast-controlling genjutsu and later passed it on to Obito. What if… the ability to control tailed beasts wasn't an inherent Mangekyo power? That would complicate matters.

They could extract the Three-Tails from Yagura using sealing jutsu and reseal it, but that would damage their relations. Regardless of the prior honeymoon period between Konoha and Kirigakure, extracting the Three-Tails from Yagura would undoubtedly spark another Shinobi World War the very next day.

Alternatively, they could wait a decade or so for Shisui's Kotoamatsukami to forcibly control Yagura, but using such a powerful genjutsu would remove its threat. Holding onto it was the safest course of action.

Therefore, a living Yagura under genjutsu control was the most valuable option.

"Jinchuriki? A fully manifested tailed beast?" Fugaku murmured these forbidden words in any village possessing a "nuclear" deterrent, his gaze becoming complex as he looked at Gojo Kaigetsu.

Considering the relationship between Gojo and Minato… were these topics he should be discussing so casually?

'Could it be that Advisor Gojo intends to…'

Fugaku set down his cup, his expression grave. "Gojo-kun, I advise you to abandon such thoughts. Personally, a friend's wife is off-limits. Officially, I cannot manipulate the village's ultimate weapon. While you are my friend and the Uchiha's Savior, I am also a part of this village and cannot assist you in such an endeavor."

What a joke! Gojo Kaigetsu was backed by Minato Namikaze. It was this very connection that initially gave Fugaku hope for peaceful coexistence between the clan and the village.

Now, he was suggesting targeting the Hokage's wife, his own wife's close friend? If even a whisper of this got out, the Uchiha clan would be annihilated without hesitation by the village's formidable forces.

This had nothing to do with personal relationships; it was an absolute taboo.

"?"

Wait a minute, what was Fugaku even talking about?

"Hold on, Fugaku, how did you connect this to Kushina?"

"Huh? Isn't that what you meant?"

"Do I, Gojo Kaigetsu, look like that kind of dangerous person?"

"…My apologies, I misunderstood. But Gojo-kun, why are you asking such a question?"

"Kirigakure's Fourth Mizukage fell into a coma during their internal conflict and has been secretly transferred to our Konoha Hospital for treatment. So now, Fugaku, tell me, can you do it?!"

The Fourth Mizukage!

Understanding dawned on Fugaku. The sudden alliance between Konoha and Kirigakure now made sense. The Fourth Mizukage's coma must have been the catalyst.

Controlling the Mizukage… controlling Kirigakure's highest authority. Could he do it?!

"Heh-Gojo-kun, since you've proposed This bold and audacious plan, I shall answer you directly."

Fugaku Uchiha slowly rose to his feet, his chakra surging, radiating a cold and potent energy. He widened his eyes, the tomoe in his Sharingan spinning rapidly, connecting and evolving into the distinct pattern of the Mangekyo Sharingan:

"Such a feat… in the entire shinobi world, I, Fugaku Uchiha, am perhaps the only one capable of accomplishing it!"

"While I'm unsure how Gojo-kun learned of the power these eyes hold, I can assure you, I can control the Three-Tails. I can control the Three-Tails jinchuriki, Yagura Karatachi!"

A declaration brimming with confidence.

Seeing his unwavering certainty, Gojo Kaigetsu felt reassured. Kirigakure was truly finished now.

Under Madara and Obito's control, they'd endure a few years of the Bloody Mist. But under his, Gojo-sama's, control… the village would become nothing more than Konoha's seaside resort and a source of funding.

"Then… I'll leave it to you, Fugaku-kun."

"I'll contact you when Kirigakure starts to get suspicious. I'll revive Yagura, and the task of being the Fourth Mizukage's 'pilot' will fall to you."

"From now on, Kirigakure belongs to Konoha! From now on, the Mizukage belongs to Konoha!"

Excitement surged through Fugaku Uchiha. This was Gojo Kaigetsu's way of thinking! With just a few words, he had secured Kirigakure's tax revenue for decades to come.

If it were him, the most he would have considered was using the Mangekyo Sharingan as a trump card, revealing it during war or persecution to obliterate his opponents!

But Gojo Kaigetsu? He intended to use these eyes to manipulate the internal affairs of another village, effectively holding an entire village hostage as his trump card, a foreign aid!

With this strategy, the Uchiha clan was invincible. He could even manipulate Yagura into negotiating with Konoha: Kirigakure's eternal subservience in exchange for Danzo Shimura's death!

The thought was exhilarating.

However… it remained just a thought. Within their small Konoha group, Gojo Kaigetsu was the mastermind, while he, Fugaku, and Minato were the blades.

While the Mizukage would be under his control, the specific instructions would come from Gojo Kaigetsu to maximize their gains.

Completely lost in his future fantasies, Fugaku deactivated his Mangekyo Sharingan and called out to his wife, Mikoto, bustling in the kitchen:

"Mikoto, prepare a few extra dishes tonight, and make a batch of dumplings. Tonight, Advisor Gojo and I will drink until we drop!"

On the other side of the Uchiha compound, Guy was deep in self-doubt.

Were all Uchiha children this extraordinary? He learned through introductions that this Academy student before him, Uchiha Shisui, was only eight years old!

During their just-concluded youthful competition, they had chosen a contest of leg strength, something both could participate in.

The result? In terms of pure speed, the eight-year-old Shisui was evenly matched with Guy in his base form.

This dealt another heavy blow to Guy's already battered ninja way.

This future colleague seemed even more exceptional than Kakashi, a true genius…

It took Guy a while to recover from his self-doubt. Geniuses only fueled his fighting spirit; they couldn't defeat him! Feeling pressured by a genius seven years his junior meant he needed to double his training.

Having met his best friend and the Uchiha prodigy, Guy felt the soreness in his muscles vanish, replaced by a rapid recovery.

He flashed a brilliant smile at the three young Uchiha. "What a youthful display!"

"But I won't give up! Since my hand is injured, I'll focus on leg training tomorrow! Then, Shisui, I'll challenge you to another speed duel!"

Shisui Uchiha wiped the sweat from his brow. His greatest pride, his speed, was matched by normal taijutsu user.

It seemed he had been slacking off lately.

He replied, "Anytime! When it comes to speed, I won't lose!"

Five-year-old Itachi observed Guy silently, a question forming in his mind.

In his still-developing worldview, Advisor Gojo's recruitment of him, Shisui, and Izumi as his personal guard was a gesture of goodwill, perhaps recognizing their potential as ninja.

But… what was the deal with this strange man in green spandex?

He showed no signs of ninjutsu prowess, and his taijutsu, while impressive, was just that-impressive, not superior to Shisui's. Once Itachi started his ninjutsu training seriously, he wouldn't be any slower than Might Guy.

So, was there a deeper meaning behind Advisor Gojo forming this guard unit?

'Or am I underestimating Guy-san's strength?'

Big questions swirled in Itachi's small head. Despite being only five, he was already contemplating the shinobi world from his own perspective.