Uchiha Lin!

Konoha's intelligence department was stationed on the border of the Land of Fire, where it collected intelligence on enemy nations. Intelligence was vital to any village, but those responsible for gathering it had no say in Konoha's internal affairs. They were only tasked with collecting information on enemy nations; how to act on it was up to the village. Put kindly, they were intelligence operatives. Put less kindly, they were reconnaissance drones.

The Third Hokage's meaning was clear—at least, it was clear to Li. He wanted to send him away from Konoha. That would both weaken his ties to the Uchiha Clan and keep him far from Konoha's leadership. Even if Li grew stronger, without a reputation, he would be unable to compete for the Hokage Position. The Third Hokage was killing two birds with one stone.

"Thank you for thinking so highly of me, Teacher Sarutobi, but the clan head already assigned me a job yesterday, so I'm afraid..." Li wasn't that foolish. He'd put up with Uchiha Hao ordering him around, but now the Third Hokage wanted to push him around too. Fortunately, Uchiha Hao was there to shield him. If you don't like it, go talk to Uchiha Hao.

Hearing Li's answer, the Third Hokage narrowed his eyes slightly. Clearly, he hadn't expected Li to refuse. As for Uchiha Hao, the Third Hokage wasn't a fool. Li was merely using him as a shield.

What a calculating little brat! The Third Hokage sighed inwardly. A glint of coldness flashed in his eyes. As long as he doesn't do anything to harm Konoha, I'll let it pass. But if he does, he can't expect me to spare him just because I was his teacher!

"Well, if your clan has already made arrangements for you, I won't press the matter. It's getting late, so go home and get some rest." The Third Hokage chuckled, his face warm and gentle.

"Yes, Teacher Sarutobi." Li bowed slightly, then glanced at Orochimaru before turning to leave. No matter how displeased he was, he had to endure it while he lacked the strength to do otherwise.

"Orochimaru, what do you think of that boy, Li?" After Li had left, the Third Hokage's smile disappeared. He looked at Orochimaru thoughtfully and asked.

"Heh. You already know the answer, Teacher Sarutobi. Why ask me?" Orochimaru smiled faintly, his voice hoarse. His eyes stayed fixed on the place where Li had disappeared, and his expression was inscrutable. He could sense that Li, like him, was consumed by a fervent pursuit of power. They were the same kind of person.

"Li, you've become a ninja?"

As soon as he got home, young Uchiha Mikoto—as usual—came straight to the courtyard where Li lived after school. Seeing the Konoha Forehead Protector on his brow, excitement filled her eyes. Every child took pride in becoming a ninja, even those from great clans. The Konoha Forehead Protector proved that its wearer could stand on their own. Every child hoped to leave their parents' protection and prove they could make it on their own.

"If you work hard, you'll become a ninja soon, too!" Li smiled and patted Uchiha Mikoto on the back of the head.

He was only saying that to comfort Uchiha Mikoto. There were only two ways to become a ninja: either you were an exceptional genius, or the village was short on manpower during wartime. Uchiha Mikoto wasn't a genius, and she wasn't even strong enough to be a Genin, so the first possibility was out. As for the second, the Shinobi World War had just ended, so there was no chance the village would let students graduate early. Unless something unexpected happened, Uchiha Mikoto would likely spend all six years at the academy.

"Really?"

"Of course. Mikoto is so clever, you're definitely a genius!"

Not wanting to dampen Uchiha Mikoto's enthusiasm, Li told a little lie. After spending some time with her, the sky gradually darkened, and Uchiha Mikoto reluctantly headed home. Unlike Li, Uchiha Mikoto still had a grandfather, despite her parents having died in the line of duty. He held a high position as the clan's Third Elder. Besides Uchiha Hao, the Uchiha Clan had three elders, and Uchiha Mikoto's grandfather was one of them. As the Third Elder's cherished granddaughter, she had a set time to be home every day. No matter how reluctant she was to leave Li, she wouldn't dare defy her grandfather.

After Uchiha Mikoto left, Li began his usual training.

Early the next morning, Li finished his workout, took a shower, then put on his Forehead Protector and headed to the Military Police Force to report for duty. Konoha's Military Police Force was stationed along the road leading to the Uchiha Clan, not far from it. It was distant from the Hokage Office Building, and could be considered a kind of autonomous district. Of course, that had only been true during the Second Hokage's time, when the Uchiha Clan still had powerful fighters capable of keeping troublemakers in check. Now, the clan's strongest had either died in the First Shinobi World War or withdrawn into the clan grounds and kept out of public affairs. The Military Police Force's authority had diminished greatly. No one dared interfere with it, but it could hardly be called autonomous. At the very least, the Third Hokage could drop by whenever he pleased.

"You're Uchiha Li?"

When Li arrived at the Military Police Force, a thin boy who looked around fifteen or sixteen came to meet him. Uchiha Hao had informed them the day before, so everyone knew a six-year-old Genin would be reporting that day.

"Yeah." Li nodded coolly without saying more. He'd caught a fleeting trace of hostility in the boy's eyes.

"Tch!" Seeing Li's calm demeanor, the boy curled his lip slightly. A trace of arrogance and disdain flashed in his eyes as he lifted his chin and said, "I'm Uchiha Lin, captain of the Military Police Force's Second Squad. You'll work under me from now on, but first, there's one thing you need to remember." Uchiha Lin narrowed his eyes, his voice turning cold. "I don't care what your clan calls you—a genius or anything else. Now that you're under my command, if you dare defy me even once, I'll make sure you regret it!"

Li frowned slightly at Uchiha Lin's words. He didn't think he'd ever met the man before. He rarely interacted with anyone in the clan, so he hadn't made any enemies. Why was this guy being so aggressive? It was almost as if he were deliberately trying to provoke him.

"You... seem to have a real problem with me." Li narrowed his eyes slightly and looked at Uchiha Lin as he spoke. Li wasn't one to take things lying down. If he had no ability to fight back, he might have swallowed his anger. But Uchiha Lin was just an obscure member of the clan, and Li wasn't going to let him walk all over him.