When Kiri Sazahara heard his name called, his body paused—but not because of the girl's voice.
It was because of what he saw.
Hovering above the girl's head was a faint, glowing white ring.
"Shallow Bond Detected."
For a split second, his heart skipped a beat.
After a full day of nothing, it finally happened.
A heartstring reaction!
"Finally..."
"Ahem."
"Captain Yayoi."
Before the girl could say anything more, another female shinobi—slightly older—stepped in with a quiet reminder, gently tugging on her sleeve.
Only then did Uchiha Yayoi snap back to her senses. Realizing she was still in the middle of an official mission, she stiffened her expression and subtly turned her face, seemingly trying to hide the piercing intensity of her Sharingan from him.
Her tone returned to its earlier cold, composed professionalism, though there was a subtle, unnatural pause when she spoke:
"Your inspection... is complete."
"If we require further cooperation, please report to the Uchiha Police Department when summoned for follow-up questioning."
The words were official—but not too official.
There was a faint tinge of... something else underneath. Emotion, maybe. Something unspoken.
"—Captain Yayoi?"
The other kunoichi standing beside her slightly sharpened her tone.
It was painfully obvious: You barely looked at him before calling it done, didn't you?
At the same time, she shot Kiri a warning glare with her active Sharingan—intense and sharp enough to make most people sweat.
Yayoi turned away slightly and pouted in secret, but still sighed in defeat. Under the scrutiny of her second-in-command, she returned to Kiri's side and gave him a longer, proper inspection with her dojutsu.
After a few moments, she finally said—somewhat reluctantly:
"Alright."
"Thank you for your cooperation. You may return to work now."
Kiri glanced around at the still-smoldering scorch marks, the blackened corpses, the pools of blood soaking the floor…
Even if he was desperate for more Heartstring Points, this was not the time or place for small talk.
And besides—
Out of the corner of his eye, he could see that a twenty-something kunoichi standing next to Yayoi was watching him like a hawk—alert and ready to attack at a moment's notice, as if she'd leap on him and shout "Eliminate the threat!" if he so much as sneezed wrong.
"Well then… thanks for the hard work?"
"Mm."
Yayoi maintained her cool, official façade, barely nodding in acknowledgment.
But just as they brushed past each other—
"Next time… I'll treat you to a meal," Yayoi whispered near his ear.
Kiri offered a casual smile, pretending not to care. He gave one last glance at the soft halo floating over her head before turning to leave, ignoring the burning glare of the other kunoichi behind her.
As soon as he disappeared down the stairwell, Kiri subtly glanced down the hall, the corners of his mouth twitching slightly with amusement.
'Little Kojima' was already gone the moment that fire jutsu hit…
Fast reflexes.
Watching Kiri disappear, Uchiha Yayoi finally let out a quiet sigh of relief.
But when her gaze fell back to the scorch marks she'd created with her earlier Fire Style technique, she bit her lip in frustration.
Damn it!
Isn't Kiri's office on the second floor?!
She had originally felt so cool making that dramatic entrance wrapped in dragonfire, but now?
Now she just realized he saw the whole thing—her big, flashy performance.
And it made her face heat up in a way that had nothing to do with the flames.
All those years she spent carefully crafting her image while they were on the same genin squad… all down the drain!
A dark cloud metaphorically formed over Yayoi's head, her yin chakra swelling. Even her Sharingan seemed to spin faster, reacting to her turmoil.
Uchiha Yayoi, age 15.
Elite Chūnin, Fire Style specialist.
Captain of Squad 3, First Company, Uchiha Police Force.
Known by Sazahara Yukie as "the sneaky cat."
Just two years ago, she had been a genin teammate of Kiri's.
For three years, she'd diligently maintained her image as a cheerful, sweet, easygoing support-type ninja.
Creak—
Somebody's molars ground together quietly. It was hard to tell whose.
But what's done was done. No use getting mad now.
"Huff…"
Yayoi took a long breath, then spun on her heel. Snapping back into full command mode, her Sharingan swept across the crowd and locked onto a ninja at the end, trying to sneak away.
"Who said you could leave?!"
"Everyone, line up. Take out all scrolls and equipment pouches—nothing hidden."
"Direct ANBU operatives, you're dismissed. Report to Lord Third."
"Rin, Gen! Inspect the rest. Tekka, Yuna! You're with me—we're checking for evidence."
"Yes, ma'am!"
A chorus of groans rippled through the hall.
After all, the Intelligence Bureau wasn't the only department working overtime these days. Everyone's workload had been heavy, and now, this inspection meant they wouldn't get home until even later.
Unfortunately, the other Uchiha officers were nowhere near as easygoing as Yayoi was with people she knew. Once those Sharingan lit up, their natural yin chakra pressure made even seasoned ninja nervous.
Still, it was necessary.
Noticing the situation de-escalating, Minato Namikaze finally relaxed.
Even the Uchiha Police Force didn't have jurisdiction to inspect ANBU. But due to… complicated tensions between the upper echelons, friction between these forces wasn't uncommon.
So the fact that today ended without conflict was a relief.
Still, as he turned to leave, Minato's eyes drifted toward the corpses.
His hand gripped the hilt of his trident-shaped kunai more tightly.
Something felt… off.
Even for suicide attackers, these Iwagakure nin had put up less of a fight than expected.
And he wasn't the only one who sensed it.
Yayoi crouched next to one of the bodies, her Sharingan scanning for residual chakra traces, brows furrowed tightly.
"The real target hasn't shown itself yet, has it…?"
Later that afternoon, by the banks of the Utagawa River.
Kiri Sazahara leaned against the railing, having just finished his lunch. His empty bento and disposable chopsticks sat beside him while he stared out across the river that divided the Nara clan compound from Konoha's central district.
He casually flicked rice grains mixed with scraps of paper into the water.
To any bystander, he looked like just another bored salaryman feeding fish during a lunch break.
But those fish were specially trained summoning animals.
Only three of the messages were real: carefully encrypted and written in code. The rest were decoy messages—useless teenage diary entries, angsty poems, or embarrassing rambles he'd never want anyone else to read.
Double encryption.
Just like that, the intel he'd stolen from the Sealed Archive Room was delivered—without a trace—to his superior.
But that wasn't what was on his mind.
Kiri leaned forward, eyes closed, seemingly resting… but his Six Eyes were open, tracking the disguised 'Kojima' as he slipped away from the Hokage Tower, having changed outfits several times.
"As I said—if I want to gain more Heartstring Points, I can't keep hiding in the shadows."
Whether it was to build deeper bonds, escape the daily grind of intel work, or secure greater autonomy, he needed to begin showcasing his true power.
Kiri had understood this long ago:
In this brutal, ninja-centric world, nothing is more important than strength.
With enough power, even a fool could become Hokage… could control a nation… could make absurd dreams reality.
But for someone working inside the Intelligence Bureau—as just another mid-rank chūnin—even with overwhelming strength, caution was key.
Any wrong move could reveal the other side of his identity.
He needed the right opportunity.
Something—or someone—he could use.
Like 'Kojima'. Yeah, you'll make a fine villain for this act.
Let's hope you're worth more than I estimated...
Kiri thought to himself, a quiet smirk forming.