A few minutes later, Danzo and his men left, and the Chakra lingering in the air gradually dissipated.
Shisui let out a long breath, only then realizing that he was soaked from head to toe.
"I'm saved!"
"I thought I was going to die!"
As he thought back over what had just happened, Shisui was overcome with lingering fear.
He knew that relations between the Uchiha Clan and the Konoha High Command, especially Danzo, were tense, but he hadn't realized they were this bad.
One wrong word, and they could break into a fight to the death.
Uchiha Shingen felt the same way, though the experience had affected him far more deeply than it had Shisui.
He'd thought that as long as he slacked off at the Police Force, following the same three-point routine every day and steadily building his strength, he could avoid any potential danger.
But now it seemed he hadn't just been wrong—he'd been spectacularly wrong.
This world was, after all, nothing like the one he'd lived in before. It was constantly torn by war, and it had superhuman beings like ninjas.
In the end, everything came down to the strength in your hands!
Uchiha Shingen couldn't help turning to look at Jiraiya beside him.
If I had that kind of strength, Root wouldn't have dared come after us tonight.
If he wanted to slack off at the Police Force in peace, without a care in the world, he needed the strength to deal with any crisis that might arise.
After all, living however you pleased was a privilege reserved for the strong!
He couldn't waste his free time from now on. He had to make room for special training and cultivation.
Otherwise, if he ran into a situation like that again with his current strength, there might not be another Jiraiya around to save him.
"Scared?"
Jiraiya led the two of them toward the Uchiha Clan Compound. His gaze settled on Uchiha Shingen, and after a moment's thought, he said:
"Come to think of it..."
"I'm partly responsible for what happened. If I'd anticipated this, you might not have found yourselves in such danger."
"Of course you're responsible!"
Now that Uchiha Shingen had thought things through, he shot Jiraiya an annoyed look.
Only then did he realize why Jiraiya had seemed familiar.
He was one of the famed Sannin, a name known throughout the Shinobi World. He was also the most likely candidate to become the Fourth Hokage in Konoha's current era. Even if Shingen had never met him, he might have seen his picture somewhere in an obscure corner.
He just hadn't paid attention at the time.
Besides, Jiraiya was the Third Hokage's student. His private contact with a rising Uchiha prodigy was an extremely sensitive matter, so it was no wonder Danzo had reacted so violently.
Uchiha Shingen held up two fingers and waggled them.
"I want my share of the royalties increased by twenty percent!"
Jiraiya froze. He hadn't expected Uchiha Shingen to still be thinking about that, and immediately refused.
"You're asking for way too much!"
"No!"
"Heh."
Uchiha Shingen gave him a sidelong glance.
"I thought the legendary Sannin Jiraiya would have the same boldness as his reputation. Who would've guessed that the great author known throughout the Shinobi World was just a common man blinded by money?"
Jiraiya's mouth twitched violently.
The Sannin title was one thing. The reason he'd earned it wasn't exactly glorious; in some ways, it could even be considered humiliating.
But he wouldn't tolerate anyone insulting his reputation as an author!
Seeing that Uchiha Shingen still looked at him with contempt, Jiraiya gritted his teeth.
"Ten percent at most!"
"Deal!"
Uchiha Shingen agreed at once, as if afraid Jiraiya might take it back.
As the two of them bickered, the grim, oppressive atmosphere gradually eased.
Only then did Jiraiya turn his attention back to Uchiha Shingen.
"About Konoha and the Uchiha..."
Before he could finish, Uchiha Shingen cut him off.
"That's something important people like you should worry about. I'm just a nobody in the Police Force. All I can do is show up for every shift and do my job."
The air fell silent.
Jiraiya remembered Uchiha Shingen skipping work to talk with him about writing. He couldn't reconcile that scene with the words Shingen had just said.
Shisui looked at Uchiha Shingen as if he wanted to say something, but stopped himself.
So if I want to be like Captain Shingen, having a thick skin is a required skill too?
For a moment, Shisui felt like giving up.
Jiraiya understood Uchiha Shingen's attitude toward the matter. But a lot of the time, you couldn't simply avoid these things just because you wanted to.
Jiraiya remarked pointedly:
"When word of tonight's events gets out, you won't be a nobody anymore."
"A Jonin at thirteen."
"Even Orochimaru wasn't as impressive as you at that age."
Uchiha Shingen didn't respond. He kept his head down and walked, his thoughts in turmoil.
Soon, the gates of the Uchiha Clan Compound came into view.
Fugaku, the clan head, and the other Police Force leaders had already gathered there.
Seeing Jiraiya personally escort Uchiha Shingen and Shisui back, Fugaku Uchiha was somewhat surprised, but still nodded politely at him.
"Thank you."
"Don't mention it."
"Besides, this kid is practically a friend of mine."
Jiraiya patted Uchiha Shingen on the shoulder. Seeing that the situation was fully under control, he immediately turned and left. A few seconds later, he disappeared into the darkness.
Only then did Fugaku Uchiha turn his attention to Uchiha Shingen and Shisui.
When the clan discovered that Uchiha Shingen and Shisui were missing that night, unrest had immediately begun to spread.
After all, one was the most talented Uchiha in decades, while the other was a rising star in the Police Force who had recently been given great expectations.
If anything had happened to them, it would have been a loss for the entire Uchiha Clan.
Fortunately, not long after the incident, Fugaku and the others had learned from the Hokage Direct Anbu that Jiraiya had already stepped in.
Only then had he managed to hold the agitated Police Force members in check.
Now that he saw Uchiha Shingen and Shisui safe and sound, Fugaku Uchiha finally breathed a sigh of relief.
"Come with me."
"I have a few questions for you."
Fugaku spoke calmly.
He then dismissed the Police Force members gathered there and led Uchiha Shingen and Shisui toward the Police Force building.
Bang!
The lights in the Police Force chief's office flickered on, illuminating the entire room.
After briefly getting the details of what had happened, Fugaku Uchiha looked at Uchiha Shingen in surprise.
"You've already awakened the Three-Tomoe Sharingan?!"
"If I remember correctly, you're only thirteen this year..."
As clan head, Fugaku knew exactly how remarkable that was, and he was becoming more and more impressed with Uchiha Shingen.
As the head of the Police Force, it was hard for him not to take notice of Uchiha Shingen.
After all, Uchiha Shingen handled things with a maturity far beyond his years.
But the Uchiha Clan was very different from other ninja clans.
Authority wasn't determined by brains or bloodline, but by strength.
Uchiha Shingen had always been clever and unusually mature for his age, but his lack of strength had kept him from earning the respect of others or becoming a core member of the Police Force.
But now that Uchiha Shingen had demonstrated combat strength on the level of a Jonin, all of that would fall into place.
A new member of the Police Force with a clear head, a methodical approach to handling matters, Jonin-level combat strength, and a future that clearly promised even greater things needed no further explanation.
He was a true pillar of the Uchiha Clan's future!
Of course, that was assuming he was loyal!
Before you continue