Hearing the voice, Chiya turned to look.
The pretty young girl in front of him was looking at Chiya with a face full of delight. The classic Uchiha look, black hair, long and straight.
Who else could it be but Uchiha Mikoto!
"Mikoto, why did you come to the police force?"
Chiya looked at the police force uniform she was wearing and did not quite register it at first.
Mikoto's face turned red.
She grabbed Chiya's arm and pulled him to one side.
"Chiya-nii, did you not say before that you wanted me to be your... secretary?"
Hearing this, Chiya suddenly remembered.
Damn, he had actually forgotten what he himself had said.
Chiya looked Mikoto over again.
That outfit actually suited her quite well.
"So I told Grandfather about it. He did not agree to let me come here at first."
Chiya smiled at hearing this.
"Mikoto, just stay by my side from now on."
Mikoto's eyes curved into a smile as she looked at Chiya happily.
"Yes! Clan Head!"
Her soft and playful voice put Chiya in a very good mood.
"It is almost noon, Chiya-nii. I brought you a bento!"
'A bento?'
How did she know he was coming back today?
No, she did not know.
Then there was probably only one other possibility.
She did not know when he would return, but she had been making him a bento every single day.
Just so that when he came back, there would be something ready for him to eat.
Chiya's odd look made Uchiha Mikoto lower her head shyly, as if he had seen right through her thoughts.
Chiya glanced around and, seeing no one nearby, reached out and ruffled her hair.
"Mikoto is really too cute."
"Oh, Chiya-nii, if you keep rubbing my head I will stop growing taller!"
Hearing Uchiha Mikoto's playful complaint, Chiya's smile grew even wider.
"Chiya-nii, let us eat."
Mikoto picked up the bento from the table nearby and took the tri-color dango out of Chiya's hands.
"Save the dango for after the meal."
Mikoto spoke in a gentle and quiet voice.
Chiya took the bento. Its satisfying weight was filled with Mikoto's care and affection.
"Mikoto, have you been waiting for me every day?"
Chiya asked, already knowing the answer.
Mikoto's cheeks flushed. She lowered her head and murmured softly.
"Yes. I wanted Chiya-nii to be able to eat a home-cooked meal the moment he came back."
A warm feeling rose in Chiya's heart. He gently took Mikoto's hand.
"You have worked hard, Mikoto. I received your feelings."
"Chiya-nii, you are always so formal."
Mikoto felt all the tiredness and effort from before sweep away at once. A playful glint passed through her eyes.
"Do we really need to say thank you to each other?"
Chiya smiled slightly.
"You are right, we do not need to say thank you to each other. But your feelings are something I must treasure."
The two smiled at each other. Chiya took Mikoto's hand and led her to a bench nearby to sit down, ready to enjoy the warm midday meal together.
He opened the bento. The aroma hit him right away. Mikoto carefully picked out pieces for Chiya.
"Chiya-nii, try this one!"
Chiya did not forget to feed Mikoto in return. The two of them were warm and easy with each other.
"Chiya-nii, this is your favorite fish."
Mikoto picked up a piece of fish and held it out to Chiya's mouth.
Chiya smiled and opened his mouth, taking the fish in, chewing for a moment before saying in praise.
"Mikoto's cooking keeps getting better."
A bright smile bloomed on Mikoto's face. She leaned gently against Chiya's side as the two of them enjoyed the warm meal together.
They fed each other, and every small touch made Mikoto's heart beat faster. A happy flush stayed on her face the whole time.
Chiya looked at Mikoto's shy expression and could not help but feel warmly.
'What a gentle and sweet girl.'
After the meal ended, Chiya brought Mikoto around to get her familiar with her duties as secretary.
He guided her patiently and tried to make the work feel easy and enjoyable for her.
But Mikoto saw through what Chiya was doing.
"Chiya-nii, I came here to help you. Please do not worry about me. I have the ability and I will work hard to do my job well."
Chiya looked at Mikoto's serious face and realized he had been a bit too overprotective.
"Since Mikoto insists, then I will be counting on Secretary Mikoto to look after things."
After saying this, he brought Uchiha Mikoto into the records room.
He began to explain the various duties related to the secretary role.
"Chiya-nii, how should this document be handled?"
Mikoto held up a file, a small look of confusion in her eyes.
Chiya took the file and looked it over carefully.
"This file is about the police force's training plan for next month.
You just need to arrange the time and location according to the requirements listed, then notify the relevant people."
"Understood."
Mikoto nodded and carefully wrote down Chiya's instructions.
Chiya looked at Mikoto's serious expression.
He knew that Mikoto genuinely wanted to help him.
At around three in the afternoon, an ANBU ninja suddenly appeared.
"Uchiha Chiya, Clan Head!"
"The Hokage requests your presence."
Chiya nodded.
"Understood. I will go right away."
The moment his words fell, the ANBU ninja disappeared.
After Chiya finished arranging the afternoon duties for the police force, he prepared to leave.
He said goodbye to everyone in the force, especially Mikoto.
After all, it was the first time he had given her a work assignment.
"Mikoto, I need to go to the Hokage Building. Wait here for me to return."
"Chiya-nii, go ahead. I will handle the work here."
Chiya smiled and nodded, then headed to the Hokage's office.
When he walked into the office, he found that Hiruzen Sarutobi, Homura Mitokado, Koharu Utatane, and Danzo were all already there.
'Well, the Konoha big four were all present.'
'Quite the gathering of important figures.'
Danzo saw Chiya enter and a flicker of displeasure crossed his eyes. He gave a cold snort and quickly returned to a calm expression.
Hiruzen Sarutobi saw Chiya and a warm smile appeared on his face.
"Chiya, you are here. There are some things we need to discuss with you."
"Yes, please speak, Hokage-sama."
His expression was respectful, but inwardly he was quietly on guard.
'He knew this meeting was probably not going to be simple.'
'What kind of matter could bring all four of them together?'
The atmosphere in the room was heavy. Hiruzen's voice broke the silence.
"Chiya, some things have been happening in the village recently. We need your opinion."
Chiya sat up straight.
"Hokage-sama, what matter is this?"
Hiruzen considered for a moment, then spoke slowly.
"Recently, there have been some unusual movements in the village.
We suspect that an outside force is operating in the shadows, and it may pose a threat to the village's safety."
Chiya's brow furrowed slightly. 'What did this mean?'
'Had spies from another village entered Konoha?'
'Was this not the kind of task normally handled by the ANBU and Root?'
"Hokage-sama, what do you need me to do?"
Hiruzen looked at Chiya, and a trace of appreciation flashed in his eyes.
"Chiya, we need you to lead the Uchiha clan to strengthen the village's defenses, and at the same time quietly investigate the movements of these outside forces."
Chiya nodded.
"Understood, Hokage-sama. I will act immediately to ensure the village's safety."
Hiruzen nodded with satisfaction.
"Good, Chiya. I trust you to handle this matter well."
After the meeting ended, Chiya walked out of the Hokage's office, but felt something was off.
From the expressions of those four, this mission was very important, and it did not seem to be fabricated.
But for something as ordinary as spies, it was clearly not likely that all four of them would be mobilized.
Back at the police force, Chiya saw Mikoto still busy at work.
He walked over and spoke quietly.
"Mikoto."
Mikoto looked up, saw Chiya, and smiled.
"Chiya-nii, you are back?"
Chiya smiled slightly and said.
"Mikoto, you have worked hard today. Head home and rest early."
Mikoto shook her head and said firmly.
"Chiya-nii, I am not tired yet. I want to finish this work together with you."
Chiya looked at the firm resolve in Mikoto's eyes and did not refuse.
"All right, Mikoto. Let us work at it together."
Chiya said with a smile, then pointed toward the records room.
"Mikoto, bring me all the documents recording events that happened in the village over the past month or two."
"Yes!"
A look of happiness appeared on Mikoto's face.
She stepped quickly into the records room to search for the files.
In less than three minutes, Mikoto came back carrying a thick stack of documents.
"Chiya-nii, it is all in here."
"Do you need me to sort it for you?"
"Yes."
"..."
The two continued working until night fell.
Inside the room, Chiya closed the last document and leaned back against his chair.
A sharp light flashed through his eyes, and a cold smile tugged at the corner of his mouth.
'So it is because of her.'
'Spies, what spies. It is nothing but a cover.'
'All of it, just to guard against the Uchiha.'