Police Force Celebration

The sunlight gradually dimmed, and before anyone noticed, the sun slipped below the western horizon until it vanished completely.

The moon rose, its bright light spilling over the stage in front of the Police Force.

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

It had been built using Earth Style 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 formations during the previous "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 find out what new performance the Uchiha Police Force would bring tonight.

Behind the red curtains, over a dozen Military Police Force members hurriedly arranged decorative items.

These people came from different clans. There were Hyuga, members of the Ino-Shika-Cho, and quite a few ninjas from civilian families. Naturally, there were also several Uchiha.

Inabi Uchiha was directing them as they set up the stage.

Once the stage was nearly ready, Inabi Uchiha walked over to Senya.

"Vice Clan Head, the stage and lighting have all been arranged according to your blueprints. We can begin at any time!"

The joy on Inabi Uchiha's face was impossible to conceal, and his heart was brimming with excitement.

This was the Uchiha Police Force's first celebration. He had never expected to be entrusted with organizing it himself. Just thinking that this celebration could further improve the Uchiha clan's reputation in the village filled him with renewed motivation.

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 Inabi Uchiha.

"Understood. You've all worked hard. Leave the rest to Clan Head Fugaku and me. You may step down."

Fugaku walked over from behind, dressed in a completely red suit. His hair had been slicked back into a pompadour.

"Senya, I have to admit, when it comes to clothing, you young people have better taste."

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

"All right, it's time for you, the clan head, to make your entrance. Go on."

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

Only Fugaku remained standing behind the red curtains.

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

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

He tossed 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 the side of the stage, Inabi Uchiha seized the moment and threw several shuriken, popping the balloons above Fugaku's head.

Pop!

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

Multicolored confetti drifted down from above the stage.

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

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

For the villagers of Konoha, when had they ever seen such a spectacle?

Even when a Hokage took office, they merely wore the Hokage's hat before delivering a declaration.

Fugaku's entrance had directly shattered the traditional culture of the Ninja World that had endured for thousands of years.

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

The villagers had no idea how to react. They only knew to cheer with all their might, waving their arms amid the crowd.

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

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

"Mom, look! Father is dressed so strangely, 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 rose to her cheeks.

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

Fugaku looked at the villagers below, then at Mikoto's expression.

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

That Senya, whatever else you might say about him, he really knows how to look cool.

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

Fugaku raised a hand and waved to the crowd below.

"Woooh!"

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

"Teacher Inabi! You're so handsome!"

A young girl's voice rang out, slightly childish yet forceful, even drowning out the villagers' cries.

Inabi, at the side of the stage, looked toward the sound.

Smack!

His palm slapped directly onto his forehead.

He muttered, "Hana really has no sense of occasion. This is so embarrassing. I never thought Jiro and Sakamoto would make such 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 had guessed that their squad leader, Inabi Uchiha, would definitely be involved. After all, as one of the Uchiha's few elite jonin, how could he possibly miss an event like this?

Thus, at Inuzuka Hana's insistence, Aburame Sakamoto and Gekko Jiro had no choice but to wave glow sticks alongside her.

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

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

"All right, all right, I know. I just wanted Teacher Inabi to know that we came."

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

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

Fugaku's greetings with the villagers ended there. Next came the time to display 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, with each division consisting of six squads, and each squad having ten members."

"Next is the question everyone is most concerned about! Exactly how many civilian ninjas are there in the Police Force?"

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

Just as Fugaku was about to continue, someone below the stage suddenly raised an objection.

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

Immediately afterward, quite a few villagers also began voicing their doubts.

"Yeah! You Uchiha are just fooling us. Do you really think we're idiots?! Only one-fifth of them! Do you even know how many civilian ninjas there are in the village?!"

"Yeah, yeah! You Uchiha are just greedy for power. I knew the Uchiha couldn't change! It was all a lie!"

Because those few people took the lead in speaking out, many villagers began following along, believing that the Uchiha's reform this time was nothing more than a perfunctory response to the village.

Suddenly, the villagers' discussion was interrupted.

"Silence!"

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

The villagers turned around.

"It's the Hokage Advisor! You came at just the right time. You have to stand up for us civilians!"