The Police Force, second-floor lounge.
"Naoshu, our night shift's over. How about we go..."
As he spoke, the man tilted his head back and clicked his tongue.
"It's still so early. You already want to go drinking?"
Naoshu, walking beside him, rolled his eyes. "Do you spend every day drowning in booze?"
"Heh... Fine, if you're not going, I'll go by myself."
With that, he took off his uniform, slapped his backside, and left.
"Honestly..."
Naoshu shook his head with a laugh. "He's drunk every day. I have no idea how that guy even awakened his Sharingan."
After taking off his uniform, he wiped the sweat from his sticky neck with a towel and headed downstairs.
Working in this heat was a real slog. Every time he came back, his whole back was soaked.
"A Chakra Blade?!"
As soon as Naoshu reached the ground floor, he heard a startled cry from the Logistics Department.
"You're sure? That's..."
The voice grew quieter until he could no longer make it out.
"What's going on with the people in the Logistics Department? Why are they making such a fuss?"
Naoshu muttered, displeased, "Have they forgotten Article 48 Regulation?
I'd better go take a look."
Looks like it's time to replace this batch of reserve members again.
Inside the room.
"You mean this Chakra Blade is worth seventy percent of the quota for this set of Advanced Ninja Tools?"
Sou stared at the Claw Blade, its entire body pitch-black, its edge glinting coldly. His expression turned strange.
He'd thought it was like a Ninja Sword, just one of the Advanced Ninja Tools they issued. He hadn't expected it to be so valuable.
Looks like anything Young Master Asuma took an interest in really was something special.
And, well, he had good taste in women, too.
Sou looked up and examined the two men. "Can you tell me why this Chakra Blade is so precious?"
Naturally, he couldn't just take the two men's word for it. Besides, before he'd asked for the blade, they hadn't taken any precautions at all. It had just been sitting on the rack, all by itself.
It certainly didn't look like something they treated as special.
The two men exchanged rueful glances, realizing he didn't trust them. Then they explained what the Chakra Blade could do.
Sou's eyes grew brighter as he listened.
It turned out that the blade could not only amplify the output of chakra, making Lightning Release or chakra of other natures as sharp as a famous sword,
but its sharpness could also grow over time in step with its wielder's chakra strength, until it could eventually cut through anything.
It was true that in the original story, the Third Raikage had used nothing but Lightning Release Armor to make his body the sharpest spear and the sturdiest shield. But that was simply the result of his overwhelming stats compared to ordinary people.
Against an opponent of equal strength, having this Chakra Blade would surely make his attacks far more powerful than relying on his body alone.
When it came to life, the most important thing was to keep your wits about you.
It was like having a gun: there was no need to spend ten or twenty years training in some damned martial art.
People, the times have changed!
"Fine, then. Exchange the rest for Silver Taels."
Sou had just looked everything over. Aside from the Kunai, Explosive Tags, and Shuriken, most of the so-called armor was just for show. It couldn't even block a basic Ninjutsu.
After thinking it over, he decided that exchanging everything for Silver Taels would be the easiest way to maximize his gains.
"Hold on!"
Just then, the door to the room suddenly swung open.
A Ninja with spiky hair and a gloomy face walked in.
"Lord Naoshu!"
The two men behind the desk stood bolt upright, like mice who'd spotted a cat, and called out in unison.
Naoshu ignored them. His expressionless gaze went straight to Sou, scrutinizing him.
Sou's mouth twitched under the man's appraising stare.
What was this?
A challenge?
"Hello, Sou."
To Sou's surprise, Naoshu broke into a smile and extended a hand, introducing himself.
"My name is Naoshu. I look forward to working with you."
The Formal Members of the Police Force had received word from the Clan Head last night. A new teammate would soon be joining them, a man named Uchiha Ao.
None of the team members, himself included, could believe that the clan's notorious good-for-nothing had been granted an exception and allowed to join the Police Force.
But the facts were the facts. If the man had managed to join the Police Force in his twenties, he must have had some ability.
So when Naoshu heard who it was outside, he'd come in to make a friendly introduction.
"..."
Sou gave him a strange look, shook his hand, and replied politely.
"Hello. I look forward to working with you, too."
What the hell? This wasn't how it was supposed to go. Shouldn't they have questioned who I was, mocked me, and then watched me return like a Dragon King and slap everyone in the face?
After greeting Sou, Naoshu turned to the two men behind the desk. His expression instantly shifted into a stern glare.
"Get the things Sou asked for ready. Take the usual basic Ninja Tools, except for that Chakra Blade. Deduct anything extra from my merit points.
Sou is now a Formal Member of the Police Force. From now on, you'll address him respectfully. Understood?"
"Yes, yes..."
The two men didn't dare question him. They hurriedly answered, then fled to get everything ready.
After reprimanding them, Naoshu turned to Sou with another smile. "Come on. I'll show you around the Police Force lounge first. Once those two have finished sorting out the rest, you can come down and pick it up."
"...Uh, sure. Thanks."
Sou was completely at a loss. Wasn't this the same Police Force full of lunatics who looked down on everyone?
Maybe that saying really was true:
Once you became strong, everyone around you became a good person.
Meanwhile, at the Hyuga Clan Compound, in a Branch Family courtyard.
"Hah! Hah!"
A woman in a white training uniform was seriously practicing a set of Gentle Fist techniques. With every punch, the two weapons on her chest, straining against the uniform, swayed in a rhythmic motion.
Footsteps sounded.
The woman's Byakugan snapped open, veins bulging around her eyes. The figure approaching from behind appeared in her field of vision at once.
"Uncle Nichirin?"
The woman froze. When she turned around, her chest swayed again.
"What brings you here?"
"What?" Nichirin smiled and teased her. "Can't I come by when I have nothing else to do?"
"No, no..."
The woman's face flushed. She waved her hands hurriedly. "I mean..."
"Haha..."
Nichirin laughed twice. "All right, all right. I'll stop teasing you."
As he spoke, he glanced around the courtyard, frowning.
"Tsubaki, where's your brother Kaita?"
He'd just checked the whole courtyard with his Byakugan, but hadn't seen any sign of Kaita.
Tsubaki explained, "My brother? He just received a summons from the Hokage. I heard he went on a mission. He won't be back for at least a week."
"A week?" Nichirin murmured.
Since Kaita was on a mission for the Hokage, even Nichirin, as a member of the Main Family, couldn't call him back.
Looks like he'd have to find someone else...
"Ah."
Nichirin sighed and turned to leave. "All right, then. I'll come find him another day."
Tsubaki wasn't an option. She'd been promoted to Special Jonin last year, but her Gentle Fist skills still fell a little short of Kaita's.
If she fought a Ninja from a major clan like the Uchiha, it would be hard to guarantee victory.
"Wait."
Tsubaki hurriedly called after him. "Uncle Nichirin, if you really have something important to discuss, you can tell me first. I'll pass it on to my brother when he gets back."
"No."
Nichirin shook his head and refused outright. "This is rather urgent. If Kaita really won't be back for that long, telling him later won't help."
But it wasn't a secret, so he went ahead and told her about the sparring match with Uchiha Sou.
"Uncle Nichirin, let me go!"
Tsubaki patted her soft chest. "If we're talking pure Taijutsu, my technique will absolutely crush him. And even when I spar with my brother, I've managed to beat him a few times."
"...Well..."
Nichirin hesitated. Before he'd left, the Clan Head had given him two plans, one for victory and one for defeat.
But their ultimate goal was to win this match decisively and build up the Hyuga Clan's reputation.
The border had been unstable lately, and most of the clan's available fighters had already been sent out. Aside from Kaita, Tsubaki seemed to be the only member of the Branch Family who could put up a fight.
"All right, then."
Nichirin reluctantly agreed, but added a condition. "When you spar with him, you have to do as I say."
"Mm-hmm."
Tsubaki nodded obediently.
She'd been cooped up in the clan ever since completing a mission a couple of days ago. She was practically rusting away.
There was no way she'd miss out on something this fun.
And it was a Taijutsu match. The advantage was mine!
Nichirin studied Tsubaki's eager expression, deep in thought.
"If we use that method, we should be able to raise our chances of winning to around ninety-eight percent."
Before you continue