Let the Kunai Fly for a While

Unexpectedly, Shisui waited for a long time, but Uchiha Shingen didn't even raise an eyelid. He simply continued flipping through the magazine.

He seemed to have no intention of making a move at all...

Why?!

In the distance.

The thief in the crowd grew more and more brazen, even repeatedly glancing over at Shisui.

He was practically taunting him in broad daylight!

Shisui finally couldn't hold back. In a flash, he rushed forward and pinned the pickpocket to the ground.

He was just about to speak.

The thief beneath him opened his mouth and coughed up a large mouthful of blood. His face instantly turned deathly pale, and he looked utterly wretched.

"The Uchiha are killing people!"

A cry of alarm erupted from the crowd around them.

"The Police Force is bullying a gravely ill man who's about to die. What's happened to Konoha..."

In an instant, the civilians nearby crowded around them.

No one dared to attack an Uchiha ninja directly.

But the angry, disgusted looks in their eyes stabbed into Shisui like knives.

"I didn't! This guy was stealing!"

Desperate to clear his name, Shisui roughly pulled open the man's clothes.

But all he saw was a gaunt body covered in scars. The money the thief had just stolen had vanished without a trace.

A Summoning Technique?

He had an accomplice!

Shisui thought grimly.

There were countless Konoha ninja who had retired from the front lines because of injuries. Many lost their source of income and ended up taking a similar path.

Even the Police Force found people like this extremely difficult to deal with.

Shisui could figure it out, but that didn't mean the ordinary people around him could.

Or rather, they were more willing to believe a story about an Uchiha bullying the weak. After all, they'd seen that kind of scene play out countless times in Konoha.

That would only deepen the rift between the village and the Uchiha!

But before Shisui could explain, the man he'd apprehended began wailing his accusations.

"Me, stealing?!"

"I went to war for Konoha. I fought enemies at the brink of death countless times, and this is what I have to show for it. And now you're slandering me..."

"I should've died by the enemy's blade back then!"

He grew more agitated with every word.

Every word was drenched in grief, every cry choked with tears.

He cut a picture of a man who'd given everything for Konoha, only to be persecuted by the Konoha Military Police Force.

Only the flicker of slyness in his eyes betrayed what he was really thinking.

Clearly, this had been planned in advance—or perhaps it was nothing but a frame-up targeting the Uchiha.

"I..."

Shisui stood amid the crowd, feeling as if he'd fallen into an icy abyss.

Someone noticed their money was missing, but the surrounding cries of condemnation swept them up, and they didn't make a sound.

The commotion grew louder and louder, drawing more people from every direction.

If things kept escalating and caught the attention of Konoha High Command—or even the Third Hokage—there'd be no way to resolve it!

As Shisui panicked, a familiar voice came from behind him.

"Sorry."

"This was our mistake. The Konoha Military Police Force will take responsibility."

Uchiha Shingen pushed his way in from the edge of the crowd. First, he glared at Shisui in irritation.

"I told you before, don't rush into things!"

"You can't even tell right from wrong. Acting so impulsively will only bring shame on the Police Force!"

"Three days' confinement when we get back!"

Shisui was about to say something, but Tezaku, who'd hurried over after hearing the commotion, grabbed him.

Tezaku gave him a meaningful look, and Shisui fell silent.

Seeing that the situation was under control,

Uchiha Shingen took a wad of banknotes from his pocket and, in full view of everyone, pressed it into the thief's hand. Then he reassured him:

"Consider this my personal compensation. If anything like this happens again, you can come to me."

With that, Uchiha Shingen faced the crowd, his voice calm and firm.

"The Police Force won't let a single bad person go, but we won't wrong an innocent person either."

"We made a mistake, and we won't deny it!"

The thief shot Shisui a taunting look, clenched the banknotes in his hand, and stood up with an aggrieved expression. He squeezed through the crowd and hurried away.

He waved the money in his hand, unable to hide the smug look in his eyes.

So what if they were Uchiha? Faced with something like this, they still had no choice but to give in!

When the crowd saw Uchiha Shingen, many who recognized him immediately relaxed. One voice of praise after another rang out.

"Just as I thought. Only Shingen-kun truly understands what we're going through!"

"He's different from the other Uchiha. He isn't arrogant, and he can empathize with other people's pain."

"If only everyone in the Konoha Military Police Force were like Shingen-kun!"

"Still, he's one of the Uchiha. No matter how well he acts, it's all fake!"

The crowd gradually dispersed. Their chatter was noisy, but every word rang crystal clear in Shisui's ears.

He finally understood why Uchiha Shingen topped Konoha Military Police Force's list of public approval. His quick thinking and way of handling things were far better than those of his fellow clan members.

But there was something about the world he couldn't understand.

Why was it that he'd devoted himself to doing the right thing, yet ended up as a thorn in everyone's side, while Uchiha Shingen hadn't even been willing to make a move at first and still ended up with everyone's gratitude?

This wasn't what they taught at the Konoha Ninja Academy!

"Can't make sense of it?"

Tezaku glanced at him and saw right through him.

Shisui nodded and couldn't help looking ahead.

Uchiha Shingen had gone back to his relaxed demeanor.

He listlessly flipped through the magazine in his hands, as if he hadn't just dealt with an unexpected incident.

His whole demeanor was terrifyingly relaxed.

Shisui took a deep breath. Recalling everything that had just happened, he put aside his disdain and felt a little more grateful toward Uchiha Shingen.

"Captain, thank you."

Uchiha Shingen didn't even raise an eyelid. He nodded in acknowledgment and reminded him:

"Forget the confinement. I only said that for the crowd. Next time you make a move, think about the consequences and the impact first."

"Mm."

Shisui replied, unable to resist asking:

"Captain, I don't understand. Why did it turn out like this? I was clearly trying to help him."

"I'll accept whatever punishment I'm given, but I want to know why."

Uchiha Shingen closed the magazine in his hands and looked at Shisui, somewhat surprised.

Most Uchiha were proud and stubborn. Even when they knew they were wrong, they weren't necessarily willing to admit it. It was common for them to dig in their heels.

Shisui was clearly different from them. At least, his attitude was decent enough.

That only strengthened Uchiha Shingen's conviction that Shisui was an indispensable figure in the story's plotline, possibly even the protagonist.

Besides, when a squad member asked so humbly for advice, it would seem rather cold-hearted of Uchiha Shingen not to offer some guidance as captain.

Uchiha Shingen paused, then asked:

"You made a move just now. Did it solve the problem?"

Shisui shook his head, and Uchiha Shingen asked again:

"Did it have a positive or negative effect on the relationship between the village and the Uchiha?"

"Negative."

"Did it protect the Uchiha's pride?"

"No."

"Was the criminal punished?"

"No."

"Did Konoha's order get better or worse?"

"Worse..."

Shisui's head sank lower and lower, and his voice dwindled to a whisper. He looked rather like a child ashamed of doing something wrong.

Seeing that the time was right, Uchiha Shingen said:

"So, you see."

"You tried, but you solved nothing, and things went in the worst possible direction. You might as well have done nothing in the first place."

"But..."

Shisui raised his head, instinctively wanting to argue.

But when he met Uchiha Shingen's calm gaze, he couldn't get another word out.

Uchiha Shingen finished the thought for him:

"Were you about to say that this was dereliction of duty?"

"Yes!"

Shisui replied stubbornly.

Uchiha Shingen shook his head and continued feeding him his own brand of wisdom:

"Whether it's dereliction of duty isn't for us to decide. It's for your superiors, the civilians of Konoha, and Lord Hokage to judge."

"What matters isn't how much you did, but how much they think you did."

"So, looking at it this way, do you think we were derelict in our duties, or did we defuse a serious incident that could have ended up in front of Lord Hokage?"

Shisui lowered his head and fell silent, but inside, he was torn between two sides.

The lessons he'd received all his life told him Uchiha Shingen was wrong, but the outcome of the incident proved Uchiha Shingen right at every turn.

Besides, this way of doing things didn't feel like the Uchiha at all.

The awkward feeling lodged in Shisui's throat like a thorn. He lifted his chin and challenged him:

"Is this how the Konoha Military Police Force operates?!"

Uchiha Shingen shook his head.

"This is how I operate."

Shisui pressed him:

"So we're just going to let those pickpockets go?"

"Who said that?!"

Uchiha Shingen's lips curved into a grin.

"I worked hard to save up that money. They're not getting away with taking it."

"Let the kunai fly for a while!"