Every member of the Police Force was a powerhouse who had awakened the Sharingan.
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But that wasn't what surprised Qiongyue. It was the age at which Ao had awakened his Sharingan.
According to the Uchiha Clan's historical records, those with the talent to awaken the Sharingan did so by the age of fifteen or sixteen at the latest.
Ao was the first person ever to awaken the Sharingan in his twenties!
As for his talent... should they say he was gifted?
Or untalented?
What a freak.
Qiongyue gave Ao a strange look, then curiously opened the mission scroll Ao had just submitted.
After a brief silence.
"Clan Head."
Seeing that Qiongyue had been silent for a long time, Uchiha Ao glanced at the sky and decided to speak plainly:
"Now that I've awakened the Sharingan, I was wondering about the position in the Police Force you promised me..."
"...Before we discuss that."
After a moment's silence, Qiongyue set the scroll on the desk and stared straight at him.
"Can you tell me what intel you learned from Kinkaku and Ginkaku this time?"
"..."
A flicker passed through Ao's eyes. He wasn't sure if Tobirama had stamped his scroll with a red seal, or if the intel he'd submitted matched what was written in it.
Qiongyue had asked on purpose. It was obvious he'd realized that might be the case, and wanted to see whether Ao's account matched the information in the scroll.
With the Uchiha Clan's influence, even if they hadn't found out yet that I went to the Hokage's Office, they'd probably learn about it sooner or later.
Wait, could Tobirama really not have thought of that?
Obviously, he was still testing where I stood, seeing what I'd choose to do. Afterward, he could tell from the clan's recent actions whether I'd leaked the intel.
Qiongyue was clearly testing me a little, too.
Damn it, being stuck between these two scheming bastards was miserable!
Well... better not try any clever tricks in front of people with eyes and ears everywhere. I'd play the sincerity card.
Even if I didn't tell him now, the Uchiha could find out something soon enough, given their influence. If Tobirama blamed me afterward, I could just say the information had come through the clan's intelligence network.
Having made up his mind, Ao honestly told Qiongyue what he'd learned from Kinkaku and Ginkaku. As he reported it, he framed everything in terms of the Uchiha Clan's interests. The old fox Qiongyue listened with repeated nods, his face full of approval.
As for what he was thinking, only heaven knew.
"Hmm... You kept the clan's interests in mind while gathering intel. That's very good! It's something many of the clan's promising young people can't manage."
Qiongyue praised him. "The intel you brought back this time is a great contribution to both the clan and the village."
"By the way."
As he spoke, he seemed to casually change the subject. "What reward did Tobirama give you?"
"...An A-rank Ninjutsu Scroll."
After a moment's silence, Ao answered honestly. "And he restored my position at the Ninja Academy, though I've been demoted to Assistant Teacher. I'll be paid only 50,000 ryo a month."
He chose not to mention his status as a spy. That was a private agreement between him and Tobirama; no one else could know about it.
Besides, when he'd agreed to the request, he hadn't planned on being a real turncoat. He'd just pass along some harmless bits of intel when nothing was going on. Tobirama hadn't asked for much in the first place.
The Cloud Village's invasion was imminent. Even if Tobirama disliked the Uchiha Clan, he wouldn't have Ao do anything out of line for the time being.
Sure enough, Uchiha Qiongyue showed no surprise when Ao mentioned that his position had been restored. The old fox must have known already; he'd just been testing Ao on purpose.
"Good! Ao!"
Seeing that Ao hadn't tried to play any little tricks on him, Qiongyue's smile was clearly more sincere this time. "Since Tobirama was so generous, I can't be stingy either. Here, take these!"
He tossed him a scroll and a thick stack of banknotes, still carrying the scent of fresh ink. They came to 300,000 ryo.
"The scroll is a certificate I issued. Take it to the Police Force, and you can claim a set of Advanced Ninja Tools. Starting tomorrow, you're a member of the Police Force!
"And... your intel was very useful to the clan, too. As Clan Head, I can't be too stingy. After all, I'm the one who raised you."
Qiongyue smiled. "The clan will award you S-rank Merit for this mission. Once you've decided what you want, you can exchange it for any Secret Technique the clan possesses!"
Is he trying to win me over?... Ao was a little surprised, but put on an excited expression.
"S-rank?!
Thank you, Clan Head! From now on, I'll devote myself to the clan and the Clan Head, and serve you until my dying breath!"
He really was a little excited.
After all, S-rank Merit meant he could even exchange it for a life-saving Ninjutsu like Izanagi!
That was the reward his important intel deserved.
Ah, the Clan Head really knew how to take care of his people!
Unlike certain people, who were so miserly...
Yes, I'm talking about you, Tobirama Senju!
Ao didn't rush to redeem his merit, though. At his rank, there was no way he should know about a Secret Technique like that. If he asked for it outright, he might make Qiongyue suspicious.
Then, full of gratitude, Ao went on to tell the Clan Head that he was the sun itself and that he would remain loyal to him. Qiongyue was even more pleased with him.
He told him frankly, "Keep up the good work. You've got a bright future ahead of you!"
At the gates of Konoha.
On the distant horizon, the sun sank in the west, and the evening clouds fluttered like brilliant silk scarves.
A tall man and a boy leaned against the village's massive wooden gate, watching everyone coming and going and drawing plenty of curious stares.
"Gongzhu, are you sure your information's right?" Qingyi Lang asked impatiently.
He'd originally planned to go straight to the school and ask Might Duy in person what had happened.
But when he arrived at the time Gongzhu had given him, the only person at the school was his nephew, wearing that same sleazy grin. There wasn't a single other student in sight.
He asked a teacher who was leaving and learned that school had let out more than twenty minutes ago.
Qingyi Lang wasn't stupid. He immediately realized that the kid was probably in the wrong!
But he'd already agreed to his younger sister's request. Right or wrong, he'd settle this first.
If Gongzhu really was the one at fault and had twisted the facts, then should I take him to task... or pin him down and beat him?
Gongzhu, unaware of what Qingyi Lang was thinking, said excitedly:
"Don't worry, Uncle. My underlings checked it out. That kid practices Ninjutsu not far from the village after school every day. He'll definitely show up today, too.
"By the way, Uncle, why hasn't your friend arrived yet? The sun's almost set."
"Who knows?"
Qingyi Lang shrugged. "That guy's even less reliable than you. He changes his mind every other minute. He might be out somewhere fooling around..."
As he spoke, his expression suddenly changed.
Oh no!
Could that guy have gone to...
That morning, he'd clearly seen his younger sister gazing bashfully at that guy as the two of them stared at each other.
And lately, Qingyi Lang couldn't tell if the guy had finally come to his senses or what.
Though he hated to admit it, ever since the guy stopped walking around with a gloomy expression all day, he'd become pretty cheerful and handsome.
And going by the time, Feilin should have finished work and gone home by now...
No, I have to go back and check!
"Gongzhu, let's wait five more minutes. No, one minute. If that kid still hasn't shown up by then, we're going home!"
Gongzhu immediately panicked. "Come on, Uncle! If you don't help me, how am I supposed to get by at school... I mean, study!"
Qingyi Lang glared at him. "Study my ass. Keep studying and you'll end up with a stepfather!
"Come on, we're going home!"
Whoosh!
A figure wreathed in blue lightning suddenly appeared beside them, his voice teasing.
"What stepfather?
"You bastard, are you trying to give your sister away?"
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