On his way back, the snow was falling harder, but Genya couldn't help smiling. He admired the snowflakes but felt a mix of emotions that made him walk faster.
When he reached a corner, he paused briefly, activated his Dual Pupil, and scanned his surroundings.
Genya walked calmly, unaware of anything amiss.
With his Dual Pupil, Genya could see everything within a kilometer around him without any blind spots. He noticed two chakra signatures hidden behind him, keeping a close watch on him.
As Genya continued walking, the two figures followed and then concealed themselves in another spot.
Genya smiled and kept walking, thinking, "Are these ninjas from the Root or Anbu?"
He wondered what he had done recently that had attracted their attention. He shrugged it off, thinking everything would become clear in time. For now, he decided to go home and get some rest.
When he arrived home, his parents were waiting for him and looked a bit worried since he was so late. They were relieved to see him back safely and told him to go to bed.
The next morning, Genya got up early and went for a run with Might Guy. He was also heading to the clan training ground that day. After running ten laps around the village, he went back home to eat and prepare for training.
At dinner, his father, Uchiha Kinya, told him, "You don't have to go to the training ground today. Just rest at home."
"Uh? Not going to the training ground?" Genya was surprised. He asked, "Is something wrong? Did you get me a new teacher?"
Uchiha Kinya looked at him, a bit speechless, and explained, "The Uchiha clan is having a meeting tonight. Uchiha Zentaro and others will attend, and they're busy preparing for it. They don't have time to teach you today."
"Clan meeting?" Genya raised his eyebrows, surprised by the unexpected meeting.
"Are they discussing the coup?" he wondered.
"Dad, can I go to the clan meeting tonight?" Genya asked eagerly, curious about what was going on.
"You? What would a kid like you do there?" Uchiha Kinya shook his head. Although it wouldn't be a big deal to bring Genya along, he didn't see much value in it since Genya wasn't considered important in the clan.
"Dad, I really want to go and see the other Uchiha uncles!" Genya pouted, insisting on attending the meeting.
A clan meeting at this time was unusual. With four years to go before the Uchiha clan's massacre, what could be so urgent?
Genya was also interested in seeing where the Uchiha clan stood—between the conservatives and the radicals. Plus, he hoped to meet Itachi, who had recently joined the Hokage's faction, and Uchiha Shisui.
A month ago, Itachi had been called by the Third Hokage and was now part of his camp, though he hadn't joined Anbu yet and was still following the Third Hokage, ready for orders.
With Itachi's new position, Shisui had been visiting the Uchiha clan more often. It was unclear if the Third Hokage had asked Shisui to keep an eye on the Uchiha clan or if he was deliberately keeping Shisui and Itachi apart to influence Itachi's views.
The Third Hokage likely wanted Shisui to monitor the Uchiha clan and limit his interactions with Itachi, hoping to shape Itachi's beliefs for future use.
In the evening, Genya's father came home early from the Chamber of Commerce, dressed in Uchiha clan attire, and took Genya to the clan territory.
As they arrived, someone called out to them, "Brother Kinya, over here!"
He saw Uchiha Kai waving at him. A group of Uchiha ninjas had just arrived at the Chamber of Commerce. Except for Uchiha Omura, who was on a mission, and two veteran ninjas, all the Uchiha members who joined the Chamber of Commerce were present.
Once they joined, Uchiha Kinya became their key supporter.
"Uchiha Kai, don't forget that Brother Kinya has a seat among the elders!" said a Chamber of Commerce ninja to Uchiha Kai, then gestured for Uchiha Kinya to sit.
"Brother Kinya should sit with the elders!" Uchiha Kai agreed.
"I'm just a businessman. It doesn't matter if I take the seat or not!" Uchiha Kinya replied with a smile and took a seat with the other Chamber of Commerce ninjas alongside Genya.
During the Third World War, Uchiha Kinya had provided a lot of money and supplies to the Uchiha clan. Because of this, the clan gave him the title of elder. However, it was a mere formality, and he was never actually notified about meetings.
Now, with these ninjas gathered, they had formed a small force.
After Uchiha Kinya sat down, he looked around and asked, "Kai, why did you think this clan meeting was held today?"
"I heard it's because of complaints from the villagers about the Konoha Police Force, and the Third Hokage might be involved. The situation seems serious!" Uchiha Kai explained, with Genya listening beside him.
Complaints about the Konoha Police Force from the villagers? The Third Hokage involved?
Could the Third Hokage be trying to undermine the Uchiha Clan's foundation, the Konoha Police Force?
Uchiha Kinya frowned and asked, "Why are the villagers complaining about the Police Force? Did something happen?"
Seeing Uchiha Kinya's confused expression, Uchiha Kai continued, "One of my cousins is a team leader in the Police Force. He said many villagers recently complained about the Police Force's harsh enforcement. They all complained to the Hokage's office, so the Third Hokage is asking the Uchiha clan to explain."
"Harsh enforcement? The Police Force beating people? We're having a clan meeting because of this?" Uchiha Kinya was puzzled. If it were just complaints about harsh enforcement, it didn't seem like enough reason to call such a large meeting.
There are other issues as well. In the past, the Uchiha clan was arrogant and harmed villagers, but they would usually just apologize.
"It's not just about physical fights. Recently, the Uchiha clan has faced more suppression from the village, and the reputation of the Police Force has been declining too. When the Police Force tries to maintain order, some people refuse to cooperate. Some even insult the Uchiha clan members. The Police Force has to use force to stop them, which leads to conflicts!" Uchiha Kai said with a hint of disappointment.
"In the past week, there have been several provocation incidents against the Police Forces. The Police Forces dealt with them, but these actions were seen as violent law enforcement!"
In the Uchiha clan's prime, their mere presence would command respect. But now, they are met with growing disdain.
Everyone frowned as they listened to Uchiha Kai. It was true that the Uchiha clan's prestige in Konoha was waning, and the Police Force members were losing their authority. Some civilians even wanted to challenge the Police Force's authority.
But was the Third Hokage holding the clan accountable for this situation?
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