Police Force Celebration

The sunlight gradually dimmed, and the sun slipped below the western horizon without anyone noticing, until it vanished from sight.

The moon rose, its bright light spilling over the stage before the Police Force headquarters.

The stage was over twenty meters long, around ten meters wide, and one meter above the ground.

It had been constructed with Earth Release ninjutsu, though a layer of light brown wooden boards had been laid over its surface for appearance's sake.

The stage was now concealed behind red curtains. Though the villagers gathered below had no idea what lay behind them, the Police Force's marching formation during its last "parade" had left a tremendous impression on them.

It was precisely because of that previous event that they were now filled with anticipation, eager to see what new performance the Uchiha Police Force would bring tonight.

Behind the red curtains, over a dozen members of the Military Police Force hurriedly arranged decorations.

These people came from different clans. There were Hyuga, members of the Ino-Shika-Cho, plenty of shinobi from civilian families, and naturally, several Uchiha as well.

Uchiha Inohibi was directing them as they set up the scene.

Seeing that the stage was nearly finished, Uchiha Inohibi walked over to Senya.

"Deputy Clan Head, the stage and lighting have been set up according to your blueprints. We can begin whenever you're ready!"

The joy on Uchiha Inohibi's face was impossible to conceal. At that moment, his heart was overflowing with excitement.

This was the Uchiha Police Force's first celebration. He had never expected to be personally entrusted with organizing it. The thought that this celebration could further improve the Uchiha clan's reputation in the village filled him with even more drive.

Senya tied the red necktie around his collar, his movements somewhat awkward.

Dressed in a black suit, Senya felt a little uncomfortable. He turned to Uchiha Inohibi.

"Got it. You've all worked hard. Leave the rest to Clan Head Fugaku and me. You may stand down."

Fugaku walked up from behind, dressed in an entirely red suit, his hair slicked back into a pompadour.

"Senya, I have to admit, when it comes to clothing, a young man like you has better taste."

Standing together, Senya and Fugaku formed a stark contrast with the nearby Police Force members, as though they came from entirely different worlds.

"All right, it's time for you, Clan Head, to take the stage. Go on."

Senya turned and left, taking the other Police Force members who had finished their work on the stage with him.

That left Fugaku standing alone behind the red curtains.

"I wonder what Mikoto thinks of this look..."

Fugaku sighed to himself, lamenting Senya's act of selling out his teammate.

He flicked a kunai from his sleeve, cutting the rope above the red curtains.

The curtains immediately slid apart from the middle toward either side of the stage.

At one side of the stage, Uchiha Inohibi seized the moment and threw several shuriken, popping the balloons above Fugaku's head.

Bang!

As the balloons burst at once, the villagers below all looked up toward the stage.

Multicolored confetti drifted down from above.

Fugaku slowly walked to the center of the stage, unconsciously straightening his chest.

Fugaku's attire and the celebratory confetti constantly stimulated the audience's visual senses, drawing cheers from the villagers.

When had Konoha's villagers ever seen such a spectacle?

Even when a Hokage took office, they merely put on the Hokage's hat and delivered a declaration.

Fugaku's entrance directly shattered traditions that had existed in the ninja world for thousands of years.

A flashy entrance, paired with clothes the villagers had never seen before.

The villagers had yet to process anything. All they knew was to cheer with all their might, waving their arms amid the crowd.

Uchiha Mikoto was standing in the very front row, holding Sasuke's little hand.

Young Sasuke raised his small hand and pointed at his father on the stage.

"Mom, look! Father's clothes are so strange, and his hair looks strange too. But he looks much better than when he always had that worried expression."

Mikoto looked at her husband onstage, and a faint wine-red flush appeared on her cheeks.

"Yes, your father really is much more handsome than usual today..."

Fugaku looked at the scene below, as well as Mikoto's expression.

After a brief surge of excitement, he quickly came back to himself. He was even more satisfied with Senya's arrangement.

That Senya, whatever else may be said, he really knows how to look cool.

"Everyone! Welcome to the Police Force celebration today!"

Fugaku raised a hand and waved it toward the crowd below.

"Ooooh!"

The noisy response made it impossible for Fugaku to hear what they were saying, but he could see the villagers waving their arms back at him. Some were even holding glow sticks and cheering below.

"Inohibi-sensei! You're so handsome!"

A young female voice rang out, slightly childish yet forceful enough to drown out even the villagers' cheers.

Inohibi, standing at the edge of the stage, looked over at the sound.

Slap!

His palm smacked directly against his forehead.

He muttered, "Hana really has no sense of occasion. This is so embarrassing. I can't believe even Jiro and Sakamoto are making a fuss with her."

That was right. The three little ones waving glow sticks were Inuzuka Hana, Aburame Sakamoto, and Gekko Jiro.

After learning that the Uchiha Police Force would be holding a celebration, the three guessed that their squad leader, Uchiha Inohibi, would definitely be involved. As one of the Uchiha's few elite jonin, how could he possibly miss an event like this?

Thus, under Inuzuka Hana's forceful insistence, Aburame Sakamoto and Gekko Jiro had no choice but to wave glow sticks along with her.

Seeing how excited Inuzuka Hana was, Gekko Jiro could not help speaking up.

"Enough, Hana. The star of this event is Uchiha Fugaku, commander of the Military Police Force. You're the only one shouting our teacher's name. That's enough."

"All right, all right, I get it. I just wanted Inohibi-sensei to know we came."

Inuzuka Hana's little cheeks, painted with red face paint, looked crimson beneath the moonlight and stage lights. It was unclear whether that was because she had shouted too loudly and gotten too excited, or for some other reason.

Of course, Inuzuka Hana's actions were only a minor interlude.

Fugaku's greeting with the villagers had come to an end. Next came the time to showcase the Police Force's recent achievements.

"Everyone, the Police Force's reorganization has recently been completed. The Police Force is now divided into five divisions, each consisting of six squads, with ten members in every squad."

"Next is the question everyone cares about most! Exactly how many civilian shinobi are in the Police Force?"

"According to the current statistics, a total of fifty civilian shinobi have joined the Police Force squads."

Just as Fugaku was about to continue, someone in the crowd suddenly voiced an objection.

"What kind of reform is this?! Out of three hundred positions, only fifty civilian shinobi joined the Police Force squads. What kind of reform is that?!"

Immediately afterward, many more villagers joined in with their doubts.

"Yeah! You Uchiha are just stringing us along. Do you really take us for fools?! Only one-fifth of the positions! Don't you know how many civilian shinobi there are in the village?!"

"That's right, that's right! You Uchiha only care about power. I knew the Uchiha couldn't change! It was all a lie!"

Because those few people had taken the lead, quite a few villagers began echoing them, believing that the Uchiha's reform was merely a perfunctory gesture toward the village.

Suddenly, the villagers' discussions were interrupted.

"Silence!"

At that moment, a low, slightly hoarse voice sounded from behind the crowd.

The villagers turned around.

"That's the Hokage's Assistant! You came at the right time. You have to stand up for us civilians!"