Two days later, the transfer orders for Uchiha Shisui, Akimichi Tatsuya, and the others were delivered.
On the morning of the third day, at Tatsuya's home...
Kyoko, her cheeks flushed, stood in front of Tatsuya, carefully adjusting his clothing. He was wearing the uniform of the Konoha Military Police Force, newly provided by the village. Though it was called the Police Force uniform, it was, in fact, the standard attire of the Uchiha clan. The only difference with Tatsuya's uniform was the absence of the Uchiha clan crest.
Kyoko's eyes sparkled as she looked at Tatsuya in his Police Force uniform. It had to be said, when it came to aesthetics, the proud Uchiha were on point. Even the tall and "sturdy" Tatsuya gained an extra touch of handsomeness in this outfit.
"Tatsuya-san! Ganbatte!" Kyoko made small fists, cheering him on after finishing adjusting his clothes.
Tatsuya smiled, gently patting Kyoko's head before heading out.
Behind him, Kyoko pouted slightly, a little dissatisfied with Tatsuya's treating her like a child.
Arriving at the entrance to the Akimichi clan compound, Tatsuya immediately spotted Sakawa and Yuuhi Teru, both wearing sour expressions.
"Sakawa, Teru, morning!" Tatsuya greeted them cheerfully, completely unfazed by their moods.
"A new journey begins! Fight on, young men!" Reaching them, he playfully punched each of them on the arm, trying to pump them up.
Neither of them responded.
Although they were unhappy about Tatsuya dragging them into the Police Force, they had ultimately accepted it. During their time in Squad 31, they had built a foundation of trust. Sakawa and Teru understood that Tatsuya must have his reasons for transferring them to the Police Force.
The three of them soon arrived at the Police Force headquarters. The Konoha Military Police Force was located in what used to be the Uchiha clan compound, closer to the inner part of the village.
In front of the Police Force building, Tatsuya's eyes immediately fell upon the prominent Uchiha clan crest above the entrance. Below the crest were the large characters: "Konoha Military Police Force." In Konoha, the Uchiha clan and the Military Police Force were practically synonymous.
Two members of the Police Force, dressed in Uchiha uniforms, stood guard at the entrance.
Glancing at their uniforms and then at the clothes he and his companions were wearing, Tatsuya had the absurd feeling that he was about to be integrated into the great Uchiha family.
Shaking his head to clear the thought, Tatsuya led Sakawa and Teru towards the building with long strides.
"Halt! This is the Police Force headquarters. Unauthorized personnel are not permitted to enter!"
Seeing Tatsuya and his companions approaching, the two Police Force members at the gate displayed strong hostility. It was clear that both were members of the Uchiha clan and were aware of Tatsuya's and his companions' identities, deliberately choosing to obstruct them. After all, the Police Force uniforms they wore were so conspicuous that anyone with eyes could tell they were either Uchiha clan members or members of the Police Force.
"I am Akimichi Tatsuya. This is the transfer order stamped with the Police Force seal. From now on, we are all colleagues. Please take care of us!" Tatsuya, unfazed by their attempt to provoke him, smiled and produced the transfer order from his pocket, presenting it to them.
Tatsuya had anticipated this kind of scenario before arriving at the Police Force. He wouldn't be bothered by such childish antics. He'd come with the intention of slacking off and laying low; he wouldn't clash with the Uchiha clan over such a trivial matter.
"Wait here. We'll report to the captain first!"
Seeing Tatsuya's cheerful demeanor and his complete lack of the expected bearing of a skilled shinobi, the two Uchiha guards found their prepared lines of harassment stuck in their throats. One of them glanced at the transfer order Tatsuya presented, hesitated for a moment, and then hurried back into the Police Force building.
The remaining guard kept a wary eye on the three of them.
A short time later, the guard who had gone to report returned.
"Follow me," he said coldly, leading Tatsuya and his companions into the building.
Inside the Police Force building, Uchiha Fugaku and Uchiha Yashiro stood in a shadowed corner, observing the scene below.
"Captain, why did you agree to the Third Hokage's request to place him within our Police Force?" Standing behind a glass wall and watching the scene below, Yashiro asked Fugaku in a low voice. Many within the Uchiha clan disapproved of allowing Tatsuya into the Police Force.
Fugaku said, "For Shisui's sake."
Yashiro looked puzzled. "For Shisui?"
Fugaku nodded. "I requested that the Third transfer Shisui back to the Police Force. Ever since Shisui joined ANBU, I've felt his connection to the clan weakening. You saw Shisui's behavior at the clan meeting the other day. He seems to care more about the village's safety than the clan's."
Yashiro pondered this, then agreed. "Shisui's behavior that day was indeed unusual. He has now awakened the Mangekyo Sharingan and is undeniably the strongest member of our clan. It's truly unwise to keep him by the Third's side any longer..."
Fugaku continued, "Not only that, but don't you find something suspicious about Shisui's previous mission?"
Yashiro's eyes flashed. "Captain, are you suggesting that the village leadership deliberately set Shisui up?"
Fugaku sneered. "Afterward, I questioned Shisui thoroughly. The mission the village assigned them was clearly problematic! If it weren't for the fact that Squad 11's strength far exceeded certain people's expectations, they might not have returned at all!"
After a few seconds of silence, Yashiro said, "With Shisui leaving ANBU, the clan's connection to the village leadership will be completely severed. Should we recommend another clan member to join ANBU?"
Fugaku said thoughtfully, "I'll choose someone for that later. The priority right now is to get Shisui out of ANBU."
"Captain, I've noticed Hiroaki, Yasumasa and others have been secretly conferring these past two days. They're likely planning to make things difficult for Akimichi Tatsuya. If they go too far, it might be hard to clean up the mess. Should we intervene?" Yashiro asked, his expression turning serious as he shifted his gaze back downstairs, observing the scene below.
Fugaku shook his head, his expression cold and proud. "No need. Hiroaki and Yasumasa are not reckless individuals. They'll know their limits. This is also a good opportunity for us to see just how capable Akimichi Tatsuya really is."
Yashiro opened his mouth, but ultimately said nothing. He was worried that the situation might spiral out of control.
Passing through the first floor of the Police Force building, the guard led Tatsuya and his companions directly to the back of the building. Ahead of them was a spacious training ground.
On the training ground, a group of Uchiha clan members, all dressed in Police Force uniforms, were already waiting. There were about seventeen or eighteen of them, all ranging in age from seventeen or eighteen to twenty-five or twenty-six. Leading the group were the two men Yashiro had mentioned earlier, Uchiha Hiroaki and Uchiha Yasumasa. Both were elites of the younger generation of the Uchiha clan, having already awakened the three-tomoe Sharingan.
Seeing this, Sakawa and Teru immediately became wary.
Teru leaned closer to Tatsuya and whispered, "Something's not right."
"Don't worry. With me here, nothing will happen," Tatsuya replied with a calm smile, reassuring him softly.
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