Fugaku returned to the clan and immediately called a clan meeting.
In the Uchiha Meeting Hall, Fugaku sat cross-legged in the center, with the clan's administrators in front of him.
As a young man, he imitated his Uncle and put on a serious face, but he still looked a bit green.
"Today, The Third Lord summoned me. He wants to interfere with our Uchiha Security Force."
"What do you think about this?"
Not only Fugaku himself, but most Uchihas had regarded the Security Force as their own private domain.
They would never allow outsiders to interfere. Otherwise, Fugaku wouldn't have reacted so strongly at that time.
Now that he had been convinced by Kawaki, he wanted to see how the clan members would react.
It was better to clarify things. Sometimes, using force blindly could have the opposite effect.
This was what his Uncle had taught him.
"I oppose it."
An elder spoke up indignantly, unable to hide the excitement on his face.
"I also disagree."
"Disagree."
...
Led by two elders, most clan members expressed their opposition, while only a few remained silent.
"Quiet!"
Fugaku roared, and his gloomy gaze swept across the crowd. The hall immediately fell silent.
This made Fugaku quite satisfied. Prestige was built up day by day.
"I also disagree. But why do you oppose it?"
Fugaku first stated his stance. He was on the same side as the clan members.
"Since The Second Lord, our Uchiha clan has been in sole command of the Security Force."
"Now, with just a single word, he wants to insert his people. I'm not convinced."
This guy was stupid, just instinctively feeling unhappy.
"The Security Force is the last privilege of our Uchiha clan."
"If it's further encroached upon, what status will our Uchiha clan have in the village's power structure?"
This person was a bit more sensible, but not by much.
...
Fugaku listened patiently for a round, but didn't hear any far-sighted words.
He sighed. No wonder his Uncle had worked so hard for so long but couldn't lead them forward.
"After all these years of leading the Security Force, what status do we have?"
As soon as Fugaku said this, someone immediately wanted to refute. They opened their mouths but said nothing, as if they had realized something.
The Uchiha clan had never been at the core of the village's power structure.
"No more to say?"
"We've been funding the Uchiha Security Force with our own money. What real benefits have we got over the years?"
Fugaku's second question left the clan members all confused.
They looked at each other.
Over the years, the Uchiha Security Force had only been a money-pit.
"Still no words?"
"If we allow him to insert his people, I can ask for an allowance."
"Let his people do the dirty and tiring work. Wouldn't that be a good thing?"
Fugaku finally stated his ultimate goal and then calmly watched the clan members' reactions.
This time, the crowd below exploded.
All this was within Fugaku's expectation. For such a major event, it would be strange if there wasn't such a scene.
The arguing became more and more intense, and the crowd clearly split into two camps.
One camp was dead set against letting The Third interfere with the Security Force, while the other camp had agreed with Fugaku's view and thought it might be a good thing for the Uchiha clan.
"Stop."
Fugaku saw that the arguing had reached a peak and was getting out of hand, and he promptly stepped in to stop it. He was truly terrified that they'd end up brawling if it went on any longer.
In an instant, the hall fell deathly silent again. The last time Fugaku had brandished his Mangekyou Sharingan[b]Mangekyou Sharingan[/b] to intimidate everyone, it had worked like a charm.
"Enough of the blabber. The minority is subordinate to the majority."
"Those in favor, stand on the right. Those against, stand on the left."
A sly smile curled Fugaku's lips. He'd already done a rough headcount just a moment ago.
He was just going through the motions. If there were more naysayers, he'd have to pull rank as the clan leader.
The Uchiha clan members sprang to their feet and quickly split into two neat lines, one on the left and one on the right.
You didn't even need to count to tell that there were way more on the right.
"No need for more words."
Fugaku cut off a clan member on the left who was about to pipe up.
"It's a done deal. Replace all the core members with smart and capable ones."
"I'll hold you guys accountable for any screw-ups."
After all, it was a clan team, so there were bound to be some who'd weaseled their way in through connections. Fugaku was just seizing this opportunity to let the talented ones take the reins.
"Yes, Clan Leader."
"Alright, everyone, scatter."
Fugaku got up and strolled away at a leisurely pace. He had no intention of heading straight to Hiruzen Sarutobi.
He had to drag it out until they came to urge him so that he could gain more benefits.
Back at his residence, Fugaku sent someone to fetch Ao.
He'd been keeping a close eye on the matter Kawaki had told him about.
"How's the progress coming?"
Fugaku fixed his gaze on Ao as he approached and fired the question right away.
"We've sent folks in disguise to spread the word, just like you ordered."
"But to avoid raising too many eyebrows, we didn't send a lot of people, so it'll take some time to see results."
Ao bowed respectfully in front of Fugaku. He was one of the elite left behind by the previous clan leader.
"Keep it on the down - low. You've been working your socks off."
Fugaku stood up and gave Ao a friendly pat on the shoulder. If this thing got found out, it'd all be for nothing.
Once the word was spread far and wide, Hiruzen wouldn't be able to sweep it under the rug.
"It's all part of the job."
Ao replied in a deep, gruff voice and then turned on his heel and left.
Fugaku sauntered into the courtyard and glanced up at the sky. It was as if his Uncle was smiling down at him.
He was determined not to let his Uncle down.
...
In Konoha Village, there was an unassuming fruit shop.
The shopkeeper was a scrawny, wiry man who'd just seen off a few regular customers.
He turned around, walked into the shop, and made his way to the back hall.
Three burly, dark - skinned men were sitting there, tucking into their meals.
"Gentlemen, this is her route home from school."
The shopkeeper said as he handed over a map of Konoha Village with a clearly marked route from the Ninja Academy to the Senju mansion.
If Kushina saw it, she'd instantly recognize it as her way home from school.
[In the original plot, they ambushed in Kushina's house. I've made a change here.]
"Great work. You should find a way to get out of here ASAP."
"We're gearing up to make our move."
One of the burly men snatched the map, gave it a quick once - over, and then stuffed it into his pocket.
These three were the three ninjas dispatched by Kumogakure. They'd come to Konoha with one mission: to kidnap Kushina.
"For the sake of the village, my safety is a drop in the bucket."
The shopkeeper flashed a calm smile. No wonder he'd managed to lie low in Konoha for so many years.
His dedication is really remarkable!
"Take care."
The three Cloud Ninjas got up and left. The longer the time drags on, the more disadvantageous it will be for them.
The shopkeeper watched them leave, then came back to the stall with a smile to attract customers.
It was as if nothing had happened.
At the Ninja Academy, Kushina sat quietly in the classroom.
She lay on the desk, bored, and occasionally played with her long red hair.
On the podium, the teacher was explaining some key points of Ninjutsu. All these students would face the graduation exam this year.
"Kushina, aren't you listening again?"
A piece of chalk hit Kushina's head precisely.
"Ouch!"
"Teacher, I already know everything you're saying."
Kushina covered her head and looked up, glaring at the teacher angrily.
"If you're so good, why don't you graduate early like Minato? He's even been to the battlefield."
The teacher knew it was useless to compare others with her, only Minato could make her speechless.
"Fine, I'll listen."
A faint smile appeared on Kushina's lips, looking rather proud.
She didn't feel the slightest bit of shame for being scolded by the teacher.
"That's better."
The teacher continued the class contentedly, thinking "I can't handle you, you little girl?"
...
As the bell rang, today's classes were over.
Kushina skipped out of the classroom cheerfully.
Because she had earned the nickname "The Red-Hot Habanero" at school, no one walked home with her after school.
Kushina walked home alone, unaware that danger had quietly enveloped her.
The three Cloud Ninjas had been lying in ambush on her way home for a long time.
She was still thinking about which barbecue restaurant she would go to with Minato and the others, and whether Minato would look even more handsome today than yesterday.
She had walked this road for many years and could walk it with her eyes closed.
There was a deep alley in the middle. Minato used to secretly follow her here, worried that she might encounter danger.
This was a little secret he had revealed after confessing his love to her.
Now, whenever Kushina walked through this alley, she would wear a sincere smile.
"Get ready to move. The target is coming."
The three Cloud Ninjas endured their impatience, waiting to take Kushina down instantly as she passed by.
They tried to make as little noise as possible. After all, this was in Konoha. If they were discovered, they would be doomed.
"Okay." x2
Kushina had no idea what was about to happen and walked through the alley without any defense.
She hopped along like a cute little red rabbit.
"Go."
By the time Kushina heard this word, it was already too late to react.
Her strength was nothing compared to the three Jonin.
She only saw three dark shadows approaching.
Then, she felt a sharp pain in the back of her neck and lost consciousness.
"Let's go."
One of the Cloud Ninjas caught Kushina, and then the three figures left the alley.
There were no traces of the fight left at the scene.
Following the pre - planned escape route, the three of them immediately entered the forest and headed out of Konoha Village.
Meanwhile, Minato and the other two were still chatting and laughing at the Senju mansion, completely unaware of what had happened.
"Why hasn't Kushina come back yet?"
"I'm starving."
Nawaki looked at the sky color (or the time by the sky's appearance). Around this time, Kushina usually would have gotten home.
"Should be soon."
Minato wasn't quite sure either, after all, he didn't live in the Senju mansion.
He wasn't as well - informed about the time as Nawaki.
"How about we go pick her up and then go straight to the barbecue restaurant?"
At this moment, Misaki thought for a moment and suggested.
"Okay." x2
Nawaki and Minato agreed. The three of them left the Senju mansion and headed towards the school.
When walking through the alley, Minato was very happy.
"Back in school, I was afraid that Kushina would be bullied by her classmates on the way back, so I would always follow her."
"I saw her fight with her classmates many times and she never lost."
Minato didn't want to fight his classmates, so he just watched and never helped.
After he told Kushina about this, he caught quite a few beatings from her.
"If anyone dares to beat Misaki, I'll beat them to death."
Nawaki obviously didn't have such a good temper. These words made Misaki's heart flutter.
"I was so stupid back then. I never helped her. If it were now, I'd definitely step in."
Minato also thought he was so thick - headed before. He scratched his head awkwardly.
By the time they were almost at the school, they still hadn't met Kushina.
Only then did they feel that something was wrong.
"Could something have happened to Kushina?"
Nawaki really couldn't fathom that someone would dare to carry out a kidnapping in broad daylight in Konoha Village.
"I should have left a Flying Thunder God marks[b]Flying Thunder God marks[/b] on her."
Minato looked ugly and pounded his thigh in frustration.
"Go find the teacher quickly."
Nawaki didn't dare to leave Misaki by herself. He told Minato to go look for Kawaki first.
He took Misaki to the hospital to find Tsunade.
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