Inside the Konoha Military Police Force headquarters, Uchiha Fugaku and Uchiha Yashiro watched everything below with serious expressions.
Tatsuya's combat prowess had exceeded both of their expectations.
Uchiha Hiroaki and Uchiha Yasumasa were both elite Jonin of the clan, yet they had been completely overpowered by Tatsuya in the earlier fight.
While it was true that they had been somewhat careless and hadn't used their full strength, the same could be said for Tatsuya!
"Let's go. Let's welcome our new member of the Police Force!" Uchiha Fugaku said softly to Uchiha Yashiro beside him, upon hearing Tatsuya's loud shout.
With that, both of their figures vanished from the spot.
With a Body Flicker Technique, they reappeared not far from the training grounds.
"The entire Police Force is delighted to have such an outstanding ninja as Jonin Tatsuya join us. They were just a little too excited," Uchiha Fugaku said calmly, walking towards Tatsuya's location.
As he spoke, his gaze swept over the area where Uchiha Hiroaki and Uchiha Yasumasa were. The Uchiha he looked at all obediently lowered their heads.
They weren't worried about being punished for provoking Tatsuya; they were ashamed of their failed attempt.
"Captain Fugaku, Akimichi Tatsuya reporting for duty," Tatsuya said, dispelling his aura and bowing respectfully to Uchiha Fugaku.
It was likely that this man would be his direct superior for a long time to come, so a certain level of outward respect was necessary.
After all, he wasn't genuinely here to cause trouble.
Whether or not he could peacefully slack off in the Police Force depended heavily on Uchiha Fugaku's attitude.
Seeing Tatsuya's sudden "obedience," Uchiha Fugaku's expression turned slightly odd.
"Mm. Jonin Tatsuya, from now on, you're also a member of the Police Force. Let me show you around the headquarters first," Uchiha Fugaku said, nodding after observing Tatsuya closely for a moment.
He didn't sense any hostility from Tatsuya, nor could he discern the young man's true intentions.
Since Tatsuya was willing to talk nicely, Uchiha Fugaku naturally didn't want to create unnecessary complications.
"Please," Tatsuya replied.
Immediately, Uchiha Fugaku began leading Tatsuya towards the Police Force headquarters building.
As he turned, Tatsuya hesitated for a split second, then followed Uchiha Fugaku.
Behind them, Uchiha Yashiro, Sakawa, and Yuuhi Teru quickly followed.
Seeing that their clan leader had personally intervened, the assembled Uchiha knew that the matter was over.
Immediately, the Uchiha all dispersed.
Among the crowd, one Uchiha clansman stared at Tatsuya's departing back, his eyes flashing coldly.
"Captain Fugaku, why isn't Shisui here?" Tatsuya asked casually as he followed Uchiha Fugaku towards the headquarters.
"After the battle in the Land of Hot Springs, Shisui was severely injured. His injuries haven't fully healed yet, so it might be a few more days before he can report for duty," Uchiha Fugaku replied calmly as he walked.
"Oh? Then I should go see him later," Tatsuya said, expressing concern.
Hearing this, Uchiha Fugaku's steps faltered slightly. He then rejected Tatsuya's suggestion: "It's kind of you, Jonin Tatsuya, but a visit isn't necessary. Shisui's injuries are to his eyes, and he shouldn't be exposed to light for the time being. Once he's recovered, he'll naturally report for duty, and you'll be able to see him then."
"Mm. In that case, I'll wait," Tatsuya said, his eyes flashing with understanding. He didn't insist.
While speaking, Tatsuya had been subtly observing Uchiha Fugaku's reaction from the corner of his eye.
From his unnatural expression and response, it was clear that the matter wasn't so simple.
Perhaps there were still disagreements between Shisui and the clan behind this.
Tatsuya didn't delve deeper.
The village's transfer order had already been issued, so Shisui would eventually appear at the Police Force.
Even if something unexpected happened in the end, Tatsuya could always find a way to get out of this mess.
He just needed to play it by ear!
Many details of this world had already been altered by Tatsuya; he could no longer predict the course of many events.
Next, Uchiha Fugaku personally showed Tatsuya around the Konoha Military Police Force's headquarters.
In Konoha, the Police Force was divided into two departments: the Combat Department and the Administrative Department, with a total of around five hundred members, almost all of whom were members of the Uchiha clan.
The Combat Department had four hundred and fifty members, divided into three squads.
The Combat Department usually didn't require all members to be on duty. The three squads took turns patrolling the village for daily security.
Only when major incidents occurred in the village, or when ninja criminals needed to be apprehended, would a large number of Combat Department personnel be deployed.
Shisui and Tatsuya were to be the captain and vice-captain, respectively, of the Third Squad.
The Administrative Department was essentially the clerical staff of the Police Force, responsible for the daily routine tasks, including the logistics of the Police Force, guarding, interrogating, and investigating offenders.
Compared to the Administrative Department, the Combat Department clearly held a higher status.
The captain of the Combat Department's First Squad was Uchiha Fugaku himself, while the captain of the Second Squad was Uchiha Hada.
Uchiha Yashiro and Uchiha Hada, one specializing in administrative affairs and the other in combat, were Uchiha Fugaku's right-hand men.
The Administrative Department was overseen by Uchiha Yashiro.
After spending over half an hour, Tatsuya, guided by Uchiha Fugaku, had toured the entire Police Force.
Tatsuya now had a basic understanding of the Konoha Military Police Force.
Honestly, after learning about the overall strength of the Police Force, Tatsuya was also somewhat tempted by this standing force that operated independently of Konoha's higher-ups.
This was definitely a powerful force, no weaker than the Hokage's direct Anbu Black Ops or Root.
No wonder Konoha's leadership had long been wary of the Uchiha clan.
After touring the various departments of the Police Force, Uchiha Fugaku ordered someone to take Tatsuya and the others to his office and then ignored the three of them.
He didn't mention anything about their duties or assignments.
The position of vice-captain of the Combat Department's Third Squad had a lot of room for maneuver. It seemed like a position of high authority, but it was also the easiest to be completely sidelined.
Tatsuya pretended not to notice any of this and had no intention of asking about it.
Being able to slack off every day while still receiving his salary was the most beneficial situation for Tatsuya at the moment.
"Is this it?" Sakawa asked, looking around the empty office with only three desks and chairs, somewhat incredulous.
"What else did you expect? Did you really think you could seize power from these Uchiha?" Tatsuya shot Sakawa a glance.
"But, did you bring us here just to be idle?" Sakawa felt that things were very different from what he had imagined.
"Isn't that a good thing?" Tatsuya shrugged.
Nearby, Yuuhi Teru seemed to have anticipated this. He had already found a seat and taken out a ninjutsu scroll to study.
Seeing this, Sakawa felt like he was about to shut down.
Tatsuya didn't bother with him and also found a seat, sinking into thought.
Just earlier, as he was leaving with Uchiha Fugaku, Tatsuya had sensed a faint, almost imperceptible, fluctuation of dōjutsu power from among the surrounding Uchiha.
This dōjutsu power gave him an extremely cold and sinister feeling, unlike what a normal three-tomoe Sharingan should possess.
At the very least, the three-tomoe Sharingan of Uchiha Hiroaki and Uchiha Yasumasa, whom Tatsuya had fought, couldn't achieve this.
Thinking of this, Tatsuya's pupils constricted slightly.
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