The Secret to Being Number One in Positive Reviews

Uchiha Shingen had no intention of deliberately catering to Shisui, but he at least didn't want to be on bad terms with someone who clearly had such a promising future.

He took small, distracted bites of the rice ball in his hand, his thoughts gradually drifting.

Speaking of geniuses...

What was the name of the clan head's eldest son again?

Itachi?

No, no, it should be Itachi, right?!

Last time he caught a glimpse from afar, that kid threw kunai more accurately than he did...

Are you telling me this is a three-year-old?!

In any case, after that time, Uchiha Shingen had gained a profound understanding of the geniuses in this world.

It only further solidified his resolve to slack off in the Police Force.

Are you kidding me?

If he really went to the battlefield, who could guarantee that the enemy wouldn't suddenly spawn freaks just like those two?!

It wasn't that he couldn't beat them if he really went all out, it was just too much of a hassle.

Staying safely in the rear as a patrol officer, free and easy—wasn't that better?!

"Senior Shingen!"

A youthful voice interrupted Uchiha Shingen's thoughts.

He looked down.

A little boy with a button nose stood stiffly before him.

Compared to the cold, hard facial features of most Uchiha clansmen, this boy's features were much softer.

Rather than an Uchiha, he looked more like a member of the Senju clan.

"Shisui?!"

Uchiha Shingen asked tentatively.

"New recruit Uchiha Shisui reporting for duty!"

"Please take care of me!"

As Uchiha Shingen sized up Shisui, Shisui was also sizing him up.

As a unique flower blooming in the Konoha Police Force, Uchiha Shingen's reputation was far more widespread than he himself realized.

Since joining, he had held the top spot on the Konoha Police Force's popularity rankings, and remained there to this day.

The entire Uchiha clan had benefited as a result, with their reputation in the village showing faint signs of turning around.

It was also for this reason that Uchiha Shingen had been promoted to squad leader shortly after joining the Police Force.

After graduating from the Konoha Ninja Academy, Shisui had originally intended to accept the Third Hokage's invitation to join the Anbu directly under the Hokage.

But the existence of Uchiha Shingen made him abandon that idea.

Perhaps in this senior, who was a few years his elder and not particularly gifted, yet capable of single-handedly raising the reputation of the Police Force, he could find a way to resolve the conflict between the village and the Uchiha.

Uchiha Shingen was not concerned with Shisui's thoughts.

As long as it didn't affect his slacking off in the Konoha Police Force, nothing else mattered to him.

Uchiha Shingen pointed casually at his subordinates who were huddled together chatting, and said:

"Tezaku, you go explain our rules to him..."

Noticing the look of anticipation on Shisui's face, Uchiha Shingen immediately changed his mind:

"Forget it, I'll do it myself."

Uchiha Shingen looked down at the time.

It was already past 8:50, and the members of the Second Division responsible for the night patrol of the South Fourth District were returning to the Police Force one after another.

After handing over their work to Uchiha Shingen's squad, they yawned and headed back to their own quarters.

"We'll talk as we walk."

Uchiha Shingen immediately led the group toward the South Fourth District.

There wasn't much time left, so he instinctively picked up the pace.

The veterans in the squad struggled to keep up, while Shisui, the youngest, was the most relaxed.

He wasn't even winded.

He followed closely behind Uchiha Shingen, maintaining a steady position half a step behind.

Uchiha Shingen had expected this, and his expression remained unchanged.

Along the way, he slowly explained to Shisui many of the Police Force's regulations and the precautions to take when carrying out missions.

Seeing that Shisui was listening intently, he added another sentence:

"The rules of the Police Force are about as I've told you. Now, let me tell you about the rules of our squad."

"There is only one."

Shisui perked up, his footsteps faltering for a moment before he quickly caught up to Uchiha Shingen after realizing what had happened.

What he heard, however, was an answer that left him stunned.

"Mind your own business."

"What?!"

Shisui almost thought he had misheard.

When he looked up and met Uchiha Shingen's lazy gaze, he realized he hadn't misheard at all.

What kind of rule was this?!

From childhood to the present, whether within the Uchiha clan, at the Konoha Ninja Academy, or through the constant exhortations of the Third Hokage.

What he heard most often was how to train, how to strive to become a ninja, and even how to become a tool for the village.

To call Uchiha Shingen's answer unconventional would be an understatement.

"Captain, isn't this a bit... inappropriate?!"

Shisui spoke very tactfully.

Uchiha Shingen naturally understood, but he did not respond, simply choosing to say nothing more.

For geniuses in the ninja world who generally mature early, changing their ingrained perceptions is a very difficult task.

Uchiha Shingen did not believe he could do it, nor did he have any interest in doing such a thing.

People cannot teach people; experience teaches them in an instant.

Tezaku noticed the unpleasantness between the two and immediately spoke up to smooth things over:

"You'll understand later, Shisui."

"The rules set by the Captain are good for both the village and the Uchiha."

Shisui lowered his head and said nothing more.

He only felt a bit of regret for his decision to give up the Anbu and transfer to the Konoha Police Force.

If this was Uchiha Shingen's answer, he could not accept it.

Soon.

Uchiha Shingen and his party arrived at the South Fourth District.

After a simple division of labor, everyone headed off to patrol their assigned streets, except for Shisui, whom Uchiha Shingen kept by his side.

Shisui was looking forward to his mission, only to see Uchiha Shingen turn and walk into a bookstore.

When he came out, Uchiha Shingen had an extra magazine in his hand, and he leaned quite lazily against a shaded spot to flip through it.

From Shisui's height, he could barely make out the title, and he read it out word for word:

"Make-Out Hell?!"

"What? Interested?!"

A hint of mischievous amusement appeared on Uchiha Shingen's face.

In his eyes, the book was written quite mediocrely.

It lacked tension and it lacked emotion.

But it won out with its exquisite and realistic illustrations.

Uchiha Shingen casually flipped to a vivid illustration and waved it in front of Shisui.

The little bean Shisui's face turned red in an instant, and he hurriedly turned his head away, stammering, unable to even speak clearly.

"Still a pure-hearted one."

"You should flip through this book; you might just find the secret to becoming Hokage."

Uchiha Shingen teased with a smile, finding it quite amusing to poke fun at this precocious little bean to pass the time.

The sun gradually rose.

The crowds on the streets became denser, and the shops along the way opened one after another.

The surroundings became increasingly crowded, and the atmosphere of daily life grew stronger.

The previous joke had passed, and Shisui switched into work mode, scanning the crowd meticulously.

Even without activating the Sharingan, the eyesight of the Uchiha clan was still beyond the reach of ordinary ninjas, and Shisui was a rare genius even within the Uchiha clan.

Though young, his insight as a ninja was already far superior to that of an average shinobi.

Soon.

Shisui made a discovery.

A short, thin thief was weaving through the crowd.

He nimbly picked wallets from one civilian after another, extracted the cash, and then tucked the wallets back into place.

Everything happened so quickly that ordinary people could barely react.

"Don't meddle."

Before Shisui could act, Uchiha Shingen's languid voice reached him first:

"Our mission is to maintain order, not to catch thieves."

Shisui turned his head to look.

Uchiha Shingen remained with his head bowed, flipping through the copy of Make-Out Hell in his hands, yet he was fully aware of what was happening in the distance.

For the first time, Shisui felt that this seemingly unremarkable small squad leader of the Police Force—who looked more like a member of the Nara clan than an Uchiha—was far less simple than he appeared.

Shisui forcibly suppressed the urge to intervene, wanting to see what exactly Uchiha Shingen was up to.