บท 217: 216
Haruto wiped the sweat from his brow as the sun rose higher, casting long shadows over the village. Another productive training session had come to an end. Daichi and Sakumo had already headed off, but Shisui lingered, packing up his gear and getting ready to head home. Haruto saw the opportunity and quickly caught up with him as they started walking back toward the Uchiha district.
"Shisui," Haruto said, falling into step beside his teammate, "I've been working on something. It's about your clan."
Shisui glanced at him, a little curious but cautious. "My clan? What do you mean?"
Haruto pulled a neatly folded parchment from his pouch and handed it to Shisui. "It's an essay. About the Uchiha Police Force. I've been thinking about it for a while, and I wanted to get your opinion. Maybe, if you think it's worth it, you could pass it on to Fugaku?"
Shisui raised an eyebrow. "Fugaku? Why him?" His confusion was clear—while Fugaku had a presence in the Uchiha, it wasn't common for outsiders to suggest things to him so easily.
Haruto shrugged lightly. "You're gaining a lot of respect within your clan, and I figured you'd know best how to handle something like this. Fugaku has a lot of influence, right? I thought he might want to see it."
Shisui studied Haruto for a moment, then glanced at the parchment in his hand. "I'll read it and see," he said after a pause, his curiosity growing. He slid the paper into his pouch and nodded. "I'll let you know."
Haruto smiled, relieved. "Thanks, Shisui. I appreciate it."
With that, Haruto jogged off, leaving Shisui alone with the essay and more than a few questions swirling in his mind.
As Shisui continued his walk toward the Uchiha district, his curiosity grew. He knew Haruto was sharp, and while they had worked together often, he hadn't expected something like this—an essay about the Uchiha Police Force? What exactly did Haruto have to say that was worth passing on to someone like Fugaku?
Shisui paused after a few minutes, finding a quiet spot near the road. He leaned against a tree and unfolded the parchment, his eyes quickly moving over the title: "Reconsidering the Role of the Uchiha Police Force: A Path Toward a Stronger Konoha."
He began to read, intrigued.
The essay was thoughtful and subtle. Haruto wasn't directly criticizing the Uchiha or the Police Force, but he was raising questions—questions that Shisui realized had been hovering in his own mind for a while now. The Uchiha Police Force was an important institution, no doubt about it. It gave the clan influence within Konoha, a role to play in maintaining peace and order. But as Haruto pointed out, that role might also be limiting the Uchiha in other ways.
Shisui frowned slightly. Haruto was suggesting that while the Uchiha held power through the Police Force, they were also confined by it. The essay argued that this singular focus on law enforcement kept the Uchiha from being more involved in the village's broader leadership. Haruto wasn't saying it outright, but the message was clear: The Uchiha were being respected for their strength, but their influence was restricted.
As Shisui read on, he found himself agreeing with some of Haruto's points. It was something that had crossed his mind before—how the clan's responsibilities kept them somewhat isolated from the rest of Konoha's affairs. The village relied on the Uchiha to enforce the law, but when it came to making the larger decisions, other clans and leaders seemed to take the lead.
The idea that the responsibility of law enforcement should be shared across other clans was bold. Haruto suggested that if the burden was shared, the Uchiha could have the opportunity to take on new roles within the village, perhaps even expand their influence beyond policing. Shisui wasn't sure how the rest of the clan would feel about that, especially Fugaku, who took great pride in the Uchiha's role as enforcers of Konoha's peace.
But at the same time, Shisui couldn't deny that Fugaku was a rising figure in the clan—respected, powerful, and already gaining influence beyond just his standing within the Uchiha. People in the village had started to notice him, not just as a formidable shinobi but as someone with real political weight. He wasn't the official head of the clan, but his voice was increasingly important in both Uchiha and Konoha matters.
Shisui knew this essay could spark some important conversations. Haruto's words were a quiet challenge to the current structure, but one that was presented with enough tact that it might actually lead to change if handled carefully. Fugaku, with his growing influence, would certainly have thoughts on the essay—whether he would support the idea or dismiss it was another matter entirely.
Shisui refolded the parchment, his expression thoughtful. This was no simple reflection. Haruto had struck a nerve—whether intentionally or not—by raising these questions about the Uchiha's place in Konoha. Shisui wasn't one for village politics, but even he could see that the essay was asking tough questions that the clan might not be ready to answer. Still, it was something worth sharing.
With a final glance at the Uchiha district ahead, Shisui slipped the essay back into his pouch and continued walking. Fugaku would definitely want to read this, and Shisui knew the conversation that followed would be an interesting one.
Whatever happened next, Haruto had given them something important to think about.
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