The 52nd year sihe founding of Konoha was drawing to a close.

  When it came taniziings, Minato wasn't the most effit, aill hadn't given Masashi a definite update.

  Masashi wasn't particurly anxious about it, though he did have ret: this year's Uchiha Id Snow Festival wouldn't happen.

  The ceasefire between Kumo and Konoha had yet to culminate in a formal agreement, leaving the borders of the Land of Fire less than fully stabilized.

  During this period, he took the opportunity to thhly assess the ret developments within the Uchiha . Perhaps they had indeed e around. The Uchiha expahe Police Force, assigning all members to the First Unit.

  On this basis, the first outsiders to join were members of the Hyūga .

  In truth, the Police Force should have been expanded long ago.

  Over the decades, Konoha had been steadily growing. The popution of the Uchiha hadn't increased mupared to the vilge's founding, and the number of active ninja had actually deed. From a practical standpoint, the Police Force alone was insuffit to meet the vilge's needs.

  This was one of the main reasons why the ANBU, during the Third Hokage's tenure, had been involved in some police funs that teically fell outside their jurisdi.

  Although the Uchiha ever ceded administrative authority over the Police Force, they had indeed rexed their trol over its structure. The Hyūga tributed ninja to form the Sed Unit, whided up slightly rger than the First Unit. The Police Force's overall performaiceably improved.

  To be fair, the Hyūga outperformed the Uchiha in patrol duties.

  Their Byakugan activation rate was simply too high. The Byakugan's insight was, frankly, almost unfair. A single Hyūga ninja could patrol an area equivalent to that of two Uchiha of the same level, with slightly better performance.

  All of this was aplished with the support aion of the Fourth Hokage.

  However, Masashi was no longer a Police Forinja, so he didn't have the opportunity to personally experiehe expanded Police Force's mosphere.

  As a member of the jonin corps, and with tensions among the Land of Fire, Lightning, ah far from settled, he couldn't accept missioher.

  Thus, training had bee his main daily focus.

  On another early m, he woke up, washed up, and headed to the kit by himself. While his parents were still asleep, he prepared breakfast for the whole family.

  As he ate breakfast alone, he g the dar. It was the 28th—just three more days until the end of the year.

  After eating, he set aside his parents' breakfast, keeping it warm, and headed to the training grounds for his m practice.

  He trained punctually until 9 a.m.

  The focus was on cirg, and trolling chakra. Bck Zetsu's guidance was clear, but how far he could go depended on himself.

  After finishing his m practice, he headed to the Hokage Building.

  As one of the vilge's S-rank ninja, Masashi was expected to make a daily appeara the Hokage Building whenever he was in the vilge.

  The jonin corps had an office there.

  As one of Konoha's most promi jonin, he was widely reized at the Hokage Building. Staff members greeted him warmly with, "Good m, Masashi-sama."

  "M," he o a guard who had been statiohere since his Police Force days.

  It was a nice feeling.

  Far better than before, when simply approag the Hokage Buildi being surrounded and monitored by ANBU as if he were a thief.

  These days, there weren't as many ANBU at the Hokage Building. Their internal responsibilities had been fully transferred to the Police Force, leaving their only fun within the vilge to protect the Hokage and his family.

  This setup was somewhat awkward in Minato's case. Kushina, being a perfect jinchūriki of the ails, could easily take down ten ANBU without breaking a sweat.

  Calling it "prote" was a stretch; it was more about following protocol.

  So, the ANBU's actual job was essentially babysitting Naruto, who at this stage could only babble ily.

  The jonin corps' office was located between the Hokage Building and the main ninja academy.

  Jonin ofte-lectured at the Academy.

  Within the vilge, the students at the Academy received direct prote from the Hokage Building.

  When he arrived at the office, only one person was there.

  Though called an office, it was more like a lounge, as the jonin corps didn't actually o do any paperwork. They simply needed a daily presen the building.

  A man with a scarred face was dozing on the sofa—Shikaku, the current corps leader.

  Despite his somewhat intimidating appearance, he was actually quite amiable with family and friends.

  The Nara 's rise to prominence began with him, and in the inal timeline, his son Shikamaru earhe trust of Kakashi and Naruto.

  "Captain, you're early today," Masashi greeted him.

  "M, Masashi," Shikaku said, opening his eyes. "Always so diligent with your training. I envy you…"

  He meant it. Most people trained merely to maintain their skills. Masashi, oher hand, always seemed to make progress.

  "Just reaping the bes of steady effort," Masashi replied with a smile, uanding the se.

  "That alone is impressive," Shikaku remarked. "Most lose that drive after a while. What keeps you going?"

  "There's always somethio learn," Masashi said. "The sed you think you've hit your peak is when you start sliding downhill."

  Shikaku had watched too many ninja lose heart after hitting walls, their fire for training dying out until they were just going through the motions.

  Masashi, however, remaihusiastic about his growth.

  Of course, Shikaku knew Masashi was only 20. Whether he could maintain this drive iure was another question. Everyo their limits eventually; it was just a matter of time.

  "Minato mentioned you agaierday," Shikaku informed him, "but it doesn't look like there'll be time for a meeting soon. So many messy things this year."

  Sihe outbreak of the Third Great Ninja eace had been elusive for the vilge.

  He longed for the old days of tranquility.

  Minato worked te every night, not because he hoarded power but simply due to the sheer workload. The old Third Hokage-era cil had rgely disbanded.

  "It's fine. As long as you know, it's just a matter of announg the oute to avoid unnecessary specution."

  "The vilge needs stability now more than ever," Shikaku sighed.

  "Stability doesn't mean stagnation. ge is iable," Masashi replied.

  "Please uand, Masashi," Shikaku sighed. "People grow nostalgic as they age. Those they once disliked bee old acquaintances, and they hope food endings. Everyone was grateful when you released the Edo Tensei."

  "I uand."

  "Let's not dwell on it," Shikaku said, adjusting his hair. "When the war ended, I thought we'd finally get some peace, but the chaos hasn't stopped. Things are tenser now than during the war."

  He thought about the most pressing issue.

  The Fourth Hokage's administration still hadn't fully taken shape.

  Following Konoha's victory over Kumo, Hiruzen, who had served as an advisor since Minato became Hokage, officially announced his retirement.

  He moved back to his 's estate, abandoning all duties except for an honorary advisory title.

  The Hokage advisory position was now vat.

  The two elder advisors had also shown signs of stepping back retly.

  Disagreements over Police Force reforms had id bare the rifts in the cil, and the same was happening within the advisory team.

  The main cause was Minato greatly expanding the size of the advisory team, leading to a ck of unity.

  As Fugaku put it, "The arrival of the Fourth Hokage era is marked by the Hokage's office lights staying on past midnight and endless squabbles in the advisory meetings."

  This was beyond what the elder advisors, with their experiend prestige, could maheir ination to step back was uandable.

  No one wao tarnish their legacy.

  Danzō was a cautionary tale.

  "Masashi, does the Uchiha have any thoughts on this? Don't tell me you don't know."

  "Even if they did, they wouldn't tell me," Masashi said. "I don't think so. The Police Force reforms are just beginning. Holy, I thiiring on time is perfectly fine."

  Once you're old, you retire. What's the big deal?

  But this was a ninja vilge, not a retirement home.

  Moreover, major ninja vilges provided pensions and numerous subsidies for retired leaders. In the past, people would have fought for such a deal.

  "It's not that simple…" Shikaku sighed.

  Sighing or not, css still had to go on.

  After Minato took office as Hokage, the series of ges in the vilge were all witnessed by Shikaku. There were naturally many good things, but accumuted risks were just as many.

  Whatever ohought of the Third Hokage's governance philosophy, his efforts to maintain stability were undeniable.

  In his view, the first priority was still stability.

  The Nara Konoha never o pick a side. As long as the vilge was stable, the Nara could rely on their 's secret teiques and medial busio live fortably.

  If it wasn't stable, that would be a different story.

  Standing before him was Masashi, someone quite the opposite—a beneficiary of "instability."

  He was also one of the driving forces of that instability.

  Shikaku wao subtly suggest to this young man: Could you perhaps ease up a little?

  But judging by Masashi's response, either he didn't grasp the hint or he retending not to hear it.

  Either way, it was very Uchiha.

  As for Masashi's cim of ignorance, Shikaku didn't believe a single word.

  Decisions among the ninja s were always finalized in meetings, requiring a collective vote by the jonin of the . All ninja s followed this procedure.

  Konoha's deaking meism was gradually developed from such a framework.

  For someone of Masashi's rank, even if he was out of the vilge, he would still have ample access to information.

  "Care to join me for a visit to the Academy?" Shikaku extended an invitation to Masashi.

  Perhaps it was better to talk in a pce that made it easier to build rapport.

  "Sure," Masashi nodded.

  The two left the jonin offid headed for the Ninja Academy building.

  In December, Konoha was in the peak of its cold season. It had even snowed a few days ago, but this hadn't affected the Academy's csses.

  In December, Konoha was in the peak of its cold season. It had even snowed a few days ago, but this hadn't affected the Academy's csses. While civilians huddled in their warm homes, the ninja world tinued without pause.

  When Shikaku and Masashi arrived at the edge of the training ground, the students were in the middle of simuted team battles uheir teacher's guidance.

  They both spotted children from their respective s.

  The children clearly reflected the positions of their families within Konoha's ninja forces.

  The Uchiha children were always at the forefront, while the Nara children preferred the fnks—just like how their 's adults behaved otlefield.

  "Speaking of which, your student has already graduated, hasn't he?" Shikaku observed one of his 's children, who was teamed up with a member from the Yamanaka d one from the Akimichi , following the tradition of the three s.

  "Itachi was never my student; I only served as a home tutor for a while," Masashi crified.

  To be ho, he hadn't even taught Itachi any ninja teiques. He simply didn't have the time.

  The one who had been sistently teag Itachi was Shisui.

  "That kid's a genius—graduated in just one year."

  "Well, that's how the process works." When you're born with talent and power, why pretend otherwise?

  Shikaku was momentarily at a loss for words but knew Masashi was telling the truth.

  Every had sudividuals who essentially just went through the motions at the academy.

  Take Itachi, for example. He definitely didn't o learn basic teiques like the Three Basic Jutsu and could simply take elective courses aligned with his chosen development path.

  For children from ninja s, the academy's main purpose was more about f bonds.

  But even so, graduating in a year was still remarkably fast, even for someone just going through the motions.

  Masashi observed the Ino-Shika-Chō team in a. A young Nara successfully trapped an oppo in his shadow while his Yamanaka teammate prepared a mind traeique.

  The Sarutobi, Nara, Yamanaka, and Akimichi s were famously united in Konoha, often giving the impression that the Ino-Shika-Chō trio were loyal vassals of the Sarutobi.

  Iy, however, the Nara and Yamanaka s were somewhat forced into this alig.

  The Akimichi was the real close ally of the Sarutobi, bound by an oath taken long ago. The Akimichi took such oaths seriously, always standing by the Sarutobi.

  As a result, the Nara and Yamanaka s had little choice but to align with the Sarutobi as well. Their bond with the Akimichi wasn't just an allia akin to brotherhood. If the Akimichi took a, so did they.

  Moreover, Hiruzeed the Nara and Yamanaka s with the same fondness, which led to them being aced to the arra over time.

  But it was merely an aced habit.

  When dealing with Danzō, the Akimichi hesitated due to their bond with Hiruzen, but the Nara and Yamanaka s showed no such restraint.

  They had long found Danzō troublesome.

  Shikaku g Masashi, atg with great i and had already shifted his attention to the Uchiha children.

  He decided to speak more bluntly.

  Masashi was young, which made it all the more important not to uimate him.

  To other ninja s, the Uchiha were the hot-headed ones who never backed down.

  "It hasn't been easy for the vilge to reach this point," Shikaku began, choosing his words carefully. "Could you perhaps persuade Fugaku to hold off on running for the position of Hokage Advisor? The other s are already uneasy with the Uchiha trolling the Police Force. Adding advisor influence could damage the delicate bance we've maintained. A bright future could easily be ruined."

  "A bright future?" Masashi withdrew his gaze. "Shikaku, are you being deceived? That doesn't sound like you."

  ving Fugaku to relinquish trol of the Police Force wasn't about pying nice.

  Ninja flicts always moved forward; there was reat.

  The same applied to power struggles—everything was about mutual be.

  Giving up a crete be in exge for a vague sense of camaraderie? No ninja would do such a thing. Those that had tried were long gone.

  "Masashi, if things tihis way, the vilge will desd into chaos…"

  "Look over there," Masashi gestured toward the training ground.

  Following his dire, Shikaku saw an Uchiha child paired with two civilian ninja children. The Uchiha child charged fgressively, leading his team, yelling his heart out.

  But their teamwork paled in parison to the Ino-Shika-Chō trio on the opposing side.

  As a result, while the Uchiha child suppressed the Akimichi child, his teammates were outmaneuvered by the Nara and Yamanaka children.

  If not for the Uchiha child's strong individual performaheir team would've already lost.

  Actually, they had lost.

  The teacher was already sg their performances, and in team battles, scores were based on overall teamwork.

  "Shikaku, our isn't like yours. We don't have brother s to support us," Masashi remarked pointedly, his eyes never leaving the training ground. "Whatever happens, we carry the weight ourselves and earn our own respect. This 'bright future' wasn't gifted to us."

  "That's a bit much," Shikaku frowned. Masashi had been frank with him, but the attitude revealed was even more ing than anticipated.

  "Before the Sarutobi ever set foot in the vilge, the Uchiha stood side by side with the Senju to protect it. Those old grievances should be left in the past. Why bring them up now?" Masashi asked.

  "You're overthinking. These are just my personal views," Shikaku replied, raising his hands in a pg gesture.

  "Shikaku, I'm not a fool, and you're no Danzō. There's o bear someone else's bme," Masashi sighed and said no more.

  He resolved to stir things up in the Uchiha , pressuring Fugaku to run for Hokage Advisor.

  He'd almost fotten about it—thankfully, this versation served as a reminder.