Chapter 140: Rain‑Clad Brocade, Captain of the Fifth Squad

"Who are you? How did you get in? Stop them!"

The West River Road, located in the western part of the Fire Country, borders the River Country and the Rain Country; although ninja troops are stationed there, factions intertwine, all sorts of people mingle, and civilian life is hard.

Boom— Evening, though it is already December, the climate here is rather odd; a downpour that has been brewing for days pours down in sheets, the world is a murky black, and only occasional thunder and lightning allow anything to be seen.

In the rain, within a manor covering more than twenty acres, Shan Qizhuo Da watches the two figures slowly walking out of the courtyard, a flash of fear crossing his eyes.

He sees two people wearing conical hats, their garments red and black interwoven, indistinct in the rain.

When the two draw near, stepping into the light, Shan Qizhuo Da finally notices their faces are covered by a black cloth, and even their eyes are hidden behind special glasses.

The red‑black attire is of a very unusual style, never seen before.

Mantis legs, hornet waist, flying‑fish robe, embroidered spring sword.

The two, ignoring Shan Qizhuo Da's cries for help, calmly walk into the hall, rainwater continuously dripping down their conical hats.

"Ninja?"

Seeing their bizarre attire, Shan Qizhuo Da guesses their identity and feels a little reassured.

This place is indeed chaotic and survival is difficult, but that is only true for ordinary civilians.

Wars between ninja rarely affect the aristocracy, even enemy‑nation ninja are the same; this is almost an unwritten rule of the ninja world.

"Hmph, I don't care who you are; daring to trespass my domain will cost you. Men!"

Although Shan Qizhuo Da is only a middling noble, he does employ some ninja, and is not afraid of the two; after a harsh rebuke, he continues ordering his men to drive the two out.

However, after three shouts, silence falls, and the entire manor seems to contain only three people.

Tick— Rainwater drips from the edge of the hats as the two step forward, slowly approaching Shan Qizhuo Da without footfall; the hall is filled only with the continual patter of rain.

A silent pressure bears down on him; cold sweat streams down Shan Qizhuo Da's forehead, and his inner fear can no longer be concealed.

"Is someone paying you to kill me? I'll pay double just to have you leave, and I'm a relative of the great name, a noble; if you act against me, the great name and Konoha won't let you off the hook!"

Seeing the two approach, he instinctively steps back, but years of pampered living have drained his youthful vigor; faced with unknown fear his legs go weak, his body fails to obey his mind, and he collapses to the ground, trembling slightly, only able to watch helplessly as the two come before him.

"It's fine, it'll be quick, it won't hurt."

A deep voice reaches his ears; one of them slowly draws a long sword, its silver blade reflecting a terrified face.

He opens his mouth, but no sound comes out.

A flash of silver passes, without any pain; before darkness engulfs the surroundings, Shan Qizhuo Da faintly sees two pairs of blood‑red eyes.

Swoosh— the sound of the blade draws echoes in his ears, the scene before him shifts instantly; Shan Qizhuo Da jolts all over, then collapses to the ground, gasping desperately.

"A nightmare?" Shan Qizhuo Da says instinctively, then realizes something is wrong—he is truly in the hall!

Looking around, he sees several guards beside him, all ninja and samurai he hired; they stand with blank faces, holding katana, staring at the courtyard, unresponsive no matter how he shouts.

From the corner of his eye, a flash of light suddenly rises, illuminating the heavens and earth.

Boom— then thunder roars, sending Shan Qizhuo Da's heart plummeting to the abyss.

In his field of view, two figures stand calmly in the rain, looking at him; their appearance is almost identical to that in his dream.

The difference is that the two do not cover their eyes; those blood‑red eyes instantly make Shan Qizhuo Da think of their identity.

"Uchiha"

"Huh? The Police Department is actually recruiting publicly? Is that for real?"

"No way, after living in Konoha this long, it's the first time I've seen this."

"They say the Uchiha have run the Police Department for fifty years, and they've never recruited from outside before."

"Who said that, last time..."

"The last restructuring, the temporary missions issued don't count!"

"Uchiha, are there no more of you? Did they all go to war?"

In Konoha, whether the outskirts, interior, or core district, each announcement draws a crowd; they watch the posted content and keep debating.

Some people even pull lingering Police Department members into a noisy chorus of questions.

"Are the Police Department's recruitment requirements high? I'm just a Genin; can I apply?"

"What are you Genin doing here, causing a fuss? The Police Department has never taken Genin, let me say, I'm a Chunin."

Everyone seems to dislike the Police Department, but once the recruitment news went out, the vast majority of Konoha's ninja got excited.

Scold as they may, it's the Police Department! High rank, great authority, imposing, high salary, good benefits, and its members don't have to leave the village for missions, so there's almost no danger.

Few duties, lots of money, close to home, safe and prestigious—who wouldn't raise their hand?

As for the criticism?

It's just a bit of harsh words, that's all.

Once the news spread, the sharper ninja immediately ran to the Police Department to ask for details; however, almost all who came were civilians. All ninja clans know the Police Department's situation has always been poor, so they are watching.

Yan Shifan had prepared early, writing the recruitment regulations and posting them in front of the Police Department so that arrivals could see them at a glance.

"This recruitment will last seven days; special Jonin and Jonin are exempt from skill tests, needing only to pass a thought examination—those who hold Konoha in their hearts and comprehend the Will of Fire may join the Police Department."

"Chunin and Genin must first undergo a skill test, battling a Police Department Chunin; upon passing the rating and the thought examination, they may join the Police Department."

Someone recited the recruitment rules, and the crowd was taken aback; the rules are easy to understand, but... "Genin can also enter the Police Department?"

"How can Genin protect Konoha's villagers? No, the rules must change!"

"It's not that simple; we all must undergo a skill test, and the Police Department's Chunin are, after all, members of the Uchiha family.

Even though they're only Chunin, being able to join the Police Department likely means they're elite even within the Uchiha clan! How could a Genin possibly pass?"

There aren't many Chunin in the Police Department, but if you're not a Chunin, others can't tell; they don't wear any badge on their chest.

Yan Shifan uses this method to assess Chunin and Genin solely to scout talented ninja.

The Uchiha bloodline is powerful, but there are too few of them; to grow stronger, absorbing outsiders is unavoidable.

As for the thought assessment, its impact is even greater.

"Lord Shisui, three assistants request that you go to the Hokage Tower to discuss important matters."

While the crowd was discussing, several ANBU members suddenly appeared at the Police Department entrance, shouting.

As they arrived, the people in the hall gradually fell silent.

Shisui, who was inside the Police Department, stopped when he heard it; he knew someone would come, but he hadn't expected the ANBU to speak so politely. Shisui didn't delay, stepped outside, and said gently to the few men, "Thank you for your effort; I'll go right away."

The three were stunned and didn't dare to address him.

In fact, the assistants' original words were neither so courteous nor so gentle.

However, they were all drawn into the ANBU by Tuan Zang before his downfall, and now they are not valued in the ANBU.

They knew they would eventually leave the ANBU, so they didn't want to offend the Uchiha on behalf of the two assistants, which is why they altered their words.

Soon, Shisui arrived at the Hokage Building accompanied by three guards and three ANBU members.

Then Shisui entered the Hokage's Office alone; as soon as he stepped in, Zhuan Qin Xiaochun launched into a tirade: "Uchiha Shisui, what does this Uchiha business mean? Expanding without our permission—what are you trying to do? Don't you know the Village is at war with the Land of Lightning? Where did the money to expand the Police Department come from? Take those notices down at once!"

In theory, the decision to expand the Police Department lies with the Uchiha clan head, but the funds are controlled by the Hokage; you may expand, and he may withhold the money.

With the Uchiha restrained and without approval from the Leaf Village higher-ups, the Uchiha have hardly any money to expand the Police Department.

Now the Leaf Village's finances are overseen by Shuihu Men Yan, who is steadier than Zhuan Qin Xiaochun, and he said calmly, "Shisui, we know many things have happened in the Village lately, and the Police Department's workload has increased, but the situation is far from optimistic; I hope you can understand."

Shisui remained calm, offered no argument, and took a document from his chest, placing it before the three.

Zhuan Qin Xiaochun was startled; his aged eyelids lifted slightly, his expression puzzled, and he hurriedly took the document to read.

"Tuan Zang, you..."

In just a moment, Zhuan Qin Xiaochun set the document down, looking at Tuan Zang with disbelief, his voice trembling.

Shuihu Men Yan's heart skipped a beat; he also picked up the document to glance through, then cast a similarly complex look at Tuan Zang and Shisui.

These two must be thinking, "What am I looking at? I asked you, didn't you both agree to the Police Department's reform?"

Tuan Zang's light explanation instantly extinguished the anger that had just flared in Zhuan Qin Xiaochun.

The two were speechless; they had indeed agreed, but no one expected this kind of reform, nor that Tuan Zang, who constantly talked about suppressing and eliminating the Uchiha, would suddenly turn against them.

Zhuan Qin Xiaochun, feeling unreasonable, said outright, "Anyway, the Village has no money now; the expansion of the Police Department must stop!"

Shuihu Men Yan also nodded and replied, "Shisui, please understand the Village's situation; I will discuss this with Rizhan, and when the Fifth is chosen, we will help you."

Tuan Zang leaned back, uninvolved; after all, he had already fulfilled his promise to the Uchiha, and the Village's lack of funds was none of his concern.

"For the Village's safety, the expansion of the Police Department is urgent; even without funds, it will proceed.

However, the three assistants need not worry; this year the Village faces difficulties, and the Police Department's budget will be allocated as before."

Shisui never expected the three to provide money; following procedure was merely to bring the matter into the open.

Moreover, not giving money may not be a bad thing.

The two's faces darkened; Shisui refused the money, leaving them with nothing to say.

Zhuan Qin Xiaochun thought for a moment, still wanting to struggle, but saw Shisui pull out another document—one the three were familiar with, originally drafted by the Second, concerning the Uchiha's authority over the Police Department.

When the document appeared, Zhuan Qin Xiaochun's fury was forced to stay bottled up, and he let Shisui leave promptly.

"The Uchiha expanding now shows blatant wolfish ambition; Tuan Zang, cooperating with him, you will surely regret it!"

Zhuan Qin Xiaochun looked at Tuan Zang with disappointment, not expecting Tuan Zang to tolerate the Uchiha for this position.

Tuan Zang snorted, stood up, and said seriously, "When did I cooperate with the Uchiha? That document clearly shows the two of you agreed, and now you try to blame me."

Furthermore, the Village's condition is your fault, you only chase power and profit, neglecting the Village's interests, allowing idle bodies to stay in the ANBU, leading to frequent incidents.

"While I have been handling the Village's affairs day after day, where were you? Now you tell me this—it's too late!"

After speaking, Tuan Zang stood up and left, leaving the two to stare at each other.

"Go find Rizhan and let him see: one is his trusted friend, the other his favored subordinate; see what kind of people he has chosen!"

Zhuan Qin Xiaochun, furious, rose immediately to go to the Sarutobi Clan's territory to consult the Third.

Shuihu Men Yan held her back, then summoned a few ANBU, gave some orders, and only then set off.

Back at the Police Department, Shisui promptly ordered that the Leaf Village's higher-ups' approval of the expansion be announced.

Thus, over three days, more than 800 ninja had signed up, but the vast majority were mid- and lower-rank, not young, and of little cultivation value; Yan Shifan glanced at them and instantly dismissed them in his mind.

Jonin and Special Jonin together numbered fewer than forty, all awaiting the Police Department's second round of testing.

Shisui looked at the data in his hand, frowned slightly, and sighed, "Almost no ninja have signed up; it seems the Leaf Village's higher-ups did something."

Yan Shifan sipped his tea, exhaled a breath of relief at the words, and was indifferent.

"No problem; the Police Department is not the Root, they aren't that united, and we hold official authority. As long as we apply reasonable pressure and incentives, we can dismantle them one by one; they will soon concede."

"Reasonable pressure and incentives?"

Shisui's mouth twitched; official authority, reasonable, pressure and incentives—none of those fit together.

"Hahaha, not bad, but before that we need to set them a goal."

Yan Shifan raised his hand, pointing at a name in the Jonin (including Special Jonin) list, and said, "That's him."

Shisui leaned forward to look, suddenly realizing.

The next day, at the Uman Clan's territory.

Uman An Zhai saw Uchiha Tie Huo arrive early in the morning, and his rice bowl nearly fell from his hands.

Since Clan Leader Shisui helped them rid the Root's threat, the Uman clan once again went all‑in on the Uchiha clan.

When the Police Department's announcement came out, he immediately sent the clan's only Special Jonin, aside from himself, over.

The Uchiha did not disappoint him, and results came within days.

"Lord Tie Huo, your visit today—has there been a result regarding Cong Yun?"

Although he already knew, he still asked.

Tie Huo nodded, set aside his clothing, and explained, "This is Cong Yun's uniform; Lord Shisui has appointed Cong Yun as captain of the Police Force's Fifth Squad, and he can report to the Police Department today."

"Captain?!"

Uman An Zhai was startled; the report came too quickly, leaving him a bit unsettled.

Anma Congyun was standing nearby at that moment, and upon hearing it asked with some confusion, "Aren't we still supposed to conduct the Will of Fire's ideological test?"

"."

Upon hearing this, the two were stunned; after a brief glance at each other, they looked at Anma Congyun with incredulous expressions.

Hmm? (End of chapter)