Chapter 22: Pledging Loyalty to the Security Force

After Kakashi left, Uchiha Touhuan finally picked up the scroll regarding the mission to pursue Orochimaru.

Within the Military Police Force, the Third Hokage clearly intended for Uchiha Touhuan to decide for himself who would participate in this mission. As for the other party jointly executing the mission, the Anbu had dispatched three full Jonin in addition to their team leader, Kakashi.

One of these three Jonin hailed from the Tonbo clan, another from the Inuzuka clan, and the last was a civilian ninja with no clan background.

Furthermore, there were four Tokubetsu Jonin, including the rising stars Gekko Hayate and Uzuki Yugao, who were renowned for their Konoha-style swordsmanship. As for the other two, one came from the Mito-kado clan, while the other was a civilian without any background.

Additionally, for the purpose of reconnaissance, two capable members from the branch house of the Hyuga clan had been requisitioned.

After pondering for a while, Uchiha Touhuan called out to the door, "Sister Keiko, go notify Inabi and Saitō; they will be joining me on the mission the day after tomorrow."

As Uchiha Inabi and Uchiha Saitō were among the first in the clan to clearly and staunchly support Uchiha Touhuan, he naturally did not mind promoting them. Although this operation was dangerous—after all, they would be facing a powerhouse of long-standing fame like Orochimaru—Uchiha Touhuan had no intention of fighting to the death with him this time.

Uchiha Touhuan formed a series of hand seals. After a puff of smoke, a ninja hawk emerged and landed on his shoulder, gently rubbing its cheek against his face. A peculiar red light glinted in the hawk's eyes.

Uchiha Touhuan performed more seals, etching a special technique into the hawk’s body before gently patting its head.

*Skree!*

With a resonant cry, the eagle on Uchiha Touhuan’s shoulder spread its wings and soared into the sky, disappearing into the horizon in the blink of an eye.

...

The next day, after working overtime for two nights, Uchiha Fugaku finally finished assigning tasks to the newly joined civilian ninjas. Starting tomorrow, these recruits would begin their duties. To mark the occasion, Fugaku held a modest induction ceremony and invited Uchiha Touhuan to attend.

The large conference room of the Military Police Force was already packed. It held the original 227 Uchiha clan ninjas alongside the 254 newly recruited civilian ninjas.

When Uchiha Touhuan and Uchiha Fugaku entered the conference room, they surveyed the situation. It was evident that the stigma surrounding the Uchiha clan still lingered in the minds of these civilian ninjas. Although they had mustered the courage to join the force, at this formal gathering, they still chose to sit apart from the Uchiha members. The center row of seats, which was barely enough to accommodate everyone, was left empty, serving as a clear divide between the two groups.

Seeing this, Uchiha Touhuan could not help but shake his head; the task of improving the Uchiha clan's public image still had a long way to go.

After the induction ceremony began, Uchiha Fugaku, despite remaining the captain of the Military Police Force, knew how much importance Touhuan placed on this matter and did not want to steal his spotlight. After the ceremony commenced, he spoke a few brief words and then, citing unfinished work, yielded the floor to Uchiha Touhuan.

Uchiha Touhuan stepped onto the podium, scanned the crowd below, and spoke slowly:

"First, on behalf of the original 227 members of the Military Police Force, I welcome all of you to your new positions. I believe that with your addition, under the guidance of the Will of Fire, the village's Military Police Force will take on a brand-new atmosphere."

Uchiha Inabi, sitting below, took the lead in applauding, and the applause in the room gradually grew enthusiastic.

Once the applause died down, Uchiha Touhuan continued:

"I assume that by choosing to join the Military Police Force, you all have great confidence in the force and the Uchiha clan. Since we are all colleagues now, I see no reason for us to be so distant." Uchiha Touhuan wore a warm smile as he glanced at Uchiha Inabi and Uchiha Saitō in the audience.

However, the two did not seem to understand his intention at that moment and merely stared back at him with clear, blank eyes.

Uchiha Touhuan could not help but sigh inwardly; the emotional intelligence of his clan really did have some issues.

Fortunately, Uchiha Shisui, who had been sitting in the corner, was the first to stand up. He took the initiative to walk toward the newcomers and invited them to come over and sit.

Seeing this, Uchiha Inabi and Uchiha Saitō finally understood the meaning behind Uchiha Touhuan’s gaze, and they followed suit. Driven by their actions, other young members of the clan joined in as well.

After a brief moment of confusion, the clear divide in the conference room vanished, with the original Uchiha ninjas and the new civilian ninjas sitting intermingled.

Seeing this scene, Uchiha Touhuan clapped his hands gently, and warm applause filled the room once more.

"Then, let us work together to make the village we all live in a better place!" As Uchiha Touhuan finished, the applause erupted again.

"Next, let’s talk about the compensation, which I’m sure you are all concerned about." After the applause subsided, Uchiha Touhuan said with a smile, "Captain Fugaku and I have consulted the average income of ninjas in the village and the local cost of living. We have tentatively set your monthly salary at 80,000 ryo. For the senior members already working in the force, their salaries will also be increased by 20 percent based on their original clan stipends."

As Uchiha Touhuan finished speaking, the civilian ninjas below wore expressions of utter disbelief.

They had previously been Genin who lived off village missions. An average D-rank mission paid a little over 10,000 ryo. However, after accounting for the village’s commission and the rule that the team leader takes half with the rest split among the others, they would only take home a little over 1,000 ryo per mission. Completing at most twenty missions a month meant earning about 20,000 to 30,000 ryo—barely enough to save a little after daily expenses to exchange for jutsu.

The rumors they had heard were that the Military Police Force paid at the level of a D-rank mission, and they had assumed it would be about the same. What had really attracted them was the promise of jutsu.

They had never expected that the "D-rank mission pay level" mentioned by the Military Police Force did not count the village’s commission or the usual distribution rules!

As for the original Uchiha members, they were also beaming with joy; their original salary was already around that level, and now it had been increased by 20 percent!

Seeing the atmosphere in the hall turn fervent, Uchiha Touhuan smiled and added more fuel to the fire.

"Additionally, considering that the Military Police Force is located quite far from the village, making the daily commute inconvenient for everyone, there will be a monthly travel allowance of 6,000 ryo issued to all of you."

The civilian ninjas below could hardly stay in their seats. There was more?

"Furthermore, as a slight abuse of my authority, I want to ensure that your strength improves so you can better handle your future duties. The jutsu that were originally scheduled to be distributed after one month of employment will be handed out immediately after this meeting concludes."

As Uchiha Touhuan finished, the atmosphere in the room began to spiral out of control.

At this moment, Uchiha Inabi suddenly stood up and shouted, "Salute to Vice-Captain Touhuan! Loyalty!"

"Loyalty!" Everyone present stood up and raised their right hands.

"For Konoha, loyalty!" Uchiha Touhuan also raised his right hand in a return salute.