"Next, I must congratulate Tarō Uchiha, Jirō Uchiha... starting from today, you will join the Hidden Leaf Village Police Force."
In the dimly lit secret room, Hazuki's visible discomfort and Kiyoshi's smile went largely unnoticed.
Fugaku Uchiha began congratulating the clan members who were joining the Hidden Leaf Village Police Force.
The clan members whose names were called immediately stood up, their faces brimming with excitement.
Watching the clan members get excited about joining the Hidden Leaf Village Police Force, Kiyoshi's smile became more playful.
The Uchiha were, after all, part of the Hidden Leaf Village, and were inevitably influenced by the village's Will of Fire.
Fugaku had even proposed a bloodless revolution.
But unfortunately, the Hidden Leaf Village Police Force was a cage from beginning to end!
By setting up the Police Force and the prison in the same location under the guise of monitoring criminals, the Uchiha were overtly pushed to the corners of the village.
Furthermore, the position of an enforcer easily offended others and drew resentment.
In the Kakashi Anbu Arc of the anime, the Uchiha merely arrested a man causing trouble while drunk, but the surrounding bystanders turned around and called the Uchiha too harsh.
They completely ignored the potential consequences if the drunkard were allowed to continue his antics.
Despite this, the Uchiha viewed this post as an honor.
They spent their days managing public order and dealing with trivial matters such as children drawing graffiti or villagers arguing.
By undergoing this mental exhaustion over such petty issues, the Uchiha clan's extraordinary talent was simply wasted.
"Congratulations, congratulations."
"Haha, thank you all for your support."
The clan members newly inducted into the Hidden Leaf Village Police Force were all smiles.
"The Uchiha clan is thriving."
Fugaku sighed with emotion. The clan recently had quite a few talented people, including a genius in Medical Ninjutsu like Kiyoshi.
How could the Uchiha not rise?
Thinking this, Fugaku cast his gaze toward Kiyoshi.
Seeing Kiyoshi's brilliant smile, he couldn't help but nod.
It seemed this child possessed a strong sense of collective honor and felt joy when fellow clan members joined the Police Force.
***
The next day.
Kiyoshi went to complete the paperwork for his graduation certificate.
His Jonin squad leader had not yet been assigned, and he was told he would meet his squad members in a few days.
So Kiyoshi followed Mikoto to the clan to receive the Fire Style: Great Fireball Technique.
The Fire Style: Great Fireball Technique was the signature Ninjutsu of the Uchiha clan, used by the vast majority of Uchiha ninjas.
This time, Uchiha's attitude was noticeably better.
The Uchiha clan was a clan that prioritized strength.
Before, Kiyoshi was just a newcomer to the clan, with only one Sharingan eye.
Now, he had transformed into a prodigious youth who graduated early, had no weaknesses in Ninjutsu, Taijutsu, or Genjutsu, and was valued by Nonō Yakushi, the captain of the Medical Squad.
No one wanted to offend a genius like that.
"Here it is. It seems we Uchiha have produced a genius."
Library Uchiha found a scroll, took it out, dusted it off, and turned to look at the two people behind him.
The scars on his face were stacked together, making his smile look quite ugly.
"Yes, indeed."
Mikoto nodded.
Her black hair was simply tied back with a white ribbon, falling over her lower back. Two thin strands of hair framed her exquisite, flawless face, giving her a more capable look than when she was a young matron.
She was also quite surprised that Kiyoshi could graduate in such a short time.
After all, Kiyoshi had not received any preparatory training or education.
Many Uchiha clan members' families would take their children hunting or teach them Ninjutsu before they even enrolled in the Academy.
Kiyoshi had none of that.
"You flatter me."
Kiyoshi smiled calmly, taking the orange-yellow scroll in his hand.
The shift from being cold-shouldered to being overly respectful was, he had to admit, amusing.
"Sister Mikoto, where is the Ninja Cat Clan located?"
After getting the scroll, Kiyoshi wanted to obtain his own ninja sword as quickly as possible.
"I'll take you there. The place looks dilapidated, but there's much more to it on the inside..."
The two of them left the room and walked out of the Uchiha compound.
As they walked, Mikoto introduced Kiyoshi to the Ninja Cat Clan.
The Ninja Cat Clan was not truly a clan, but rather the summoned ninja beasts kept and raised by Granny Cat.
Granny Cat was the owner of the weapon shop.
The scale of this shop was considered top-tier, even among the Five Great Nations.
***
Before long, as night approached, Mikoto and Kiyoshi arrived at a place filled with ruins.
As long as they had a pass and stated their intention, they could leave the village.
The village itself didn't restrict its ninjas too tightly.
The Uchiha clan purchased virtually all their ninja tools from Granny Cat's shop.
Therefore, the Ninja Cat Clan and the Uchiha clan had a very close relationship. They treated the Uchiha clan as honored guests and even provided them with much intelligence, serving as one of the Uchiha's intelligence sources.
"It really is desolate."
Kiyoshi looked at the area.
It was clear that this place had once been prosperous.
For some unknown reason, it had declined and become the ruins it was today.
Compared to the prosperity of the Hidden Leaf Village, this place could be described as deserted.
Mikoto nodded in agreement.
She had felt the same way as Kiyoshi on her first visit.
She then led Kiyoshi further ahead, occasionally spotting broken walls and mice scurrying out of nowhere.
After walking for about ten minutes, they reached a rather impressive area.
It had a worn plaque above it, on which the characters for "Empty District" were vaguely discernible.
"This is it."
Upon entering, they found a maze of dazzling underground passages.
However, Mikoto had clearly been here many times. She skillfully led Kiyoshi, turning left and right, and before long, they saw two ninja cats wearing clothes.
"It's Mikoto. Is that person behind you the new Uchiha you often talk about?"
"He looks like there isn't much difference from the other Uchiha, meow."
One of the ninja cats carefully observed Kiyoshi, only noticing that he was slightly more robust than the average Uchiha.
"Take us to see Granny Cat."
Mikoto communicated with the two ninja cats, giving them a few boxes of Matatabi drinks. The two ninja cats then began to lead the way.
This drink was a favorite of the ninja cats.
A short while later, they arrived at a spacious and tidy area.
The walls were covered with ceramic jars and ninja tools.
Mikoto walked up to an old woman, who was smoking a pipe and wearing a dark gray cat-ear decoration on her head. That was Granny Cat.
Kiyoshi did not see any sign of a young girl near Granny Cat.
He figured her granddaughter, Tamaki, had not been born yet.
Tamaki was also quite pretty. In Boruto, Kiba Inuzuka and she became lovers.
However, they never married even after more than ten years of dating.
"What kind of ninja sword do you want?"
Granny Cat turned her head to ask Kiyoshi, puffing on her pipe.
Her nose was brown-black, whether from paint or something else.
"Preferably a metal with good chakra conductivity and good hardness. I don't have many requirements for the style, just that it's a bit long."
Kiyoshi began listing his requirements.
Since the Uchiha clan was paying for it, Kiyoshi naturally asked for the best.