You are Uchiha Shisui?

He took the bowl, sat down next to Uchiha Zongye, and picked up his chopsticks to stir the noodles.

"I'll have the keys duplicated for you tomorrow," he sighed, "but could you please stop climbing through the window? If the neighbors see you, they'll think my house has been robbed."

"What's there to be afraid of?" Uchiha Zongxin said, slurping his noodles and speaking indistinctly, "We're from the Military Police Force; we're the ones who catch the thieves."

Naoki shook his head and lowered his head to eat.

The noodles were a simple soy sauce base with a few greens and an egg, but on this night, having just endured the chaos of war, they felt exceptionally warm.

While eating, Naoki asked, "By the way, what have you both been busy with today? There was hardly anyone at the Military Police Force."

"We've had our hands full." Uchiha Zongxin served himself another bowl of noodles and stirred it, "We spent the whole day helping homeless villagers set up temporary housing."

Glancing at the heavy rain outside the window, he added, "It's a good thing we finished most of it before the rain started, otherwise so many villagers would have ended up like drowned rats."

Uchiha Zongye set down his chopsticks, his expression turning serious: "Have you heard the results of today's high-level meeting? The Third Hokage personally stepped forward to clear our name, stating that the Sharingan seen in the Nine-Tails' eyes was a deliberate frame-up."

Naoki nodded: "My uncle told me. This is a good thing, but we shouldn't let our guard down too much."

"I know." Uchiha Zongye sighed, "But at the meeting today, the attitude Akimichi Choza took... even though the Third Hokage suppressed it, many people still hold a grudge."

Naoki didn't speak again. The three of them ate in silence for a while, the sound of the rain outside becoming the only background noise.

"By the way, I haven't congratulated you on your promotion yet."

Uchiha Zongye pulled a small bottle of sake from somewhere, poured a little into a cup, and handed it to Naoki before taking a large swig himself.

Wiping his mouth, he said, "Congratulations."

Naoki downed the sake in one gulp. The spicy sensation immediately filled his nasal cavity, and he quickly took a few bites of noodles to dull the burn.

"So, Naoki, you won't be going on missions with us anymore?" Uchiha Zongxin asked.

"That's right."

"By the way, everyone knows you got promoted, but where did you go? It feels very mysterious." Uchiha Zongxin asked again.

"Internal Affairs Bureau, Inspection Division!"

Naoki spat out the six words, causing the Uchiha Zongye brothers to startle instantly.

"You actually got transferred to the Internal Affairs Bureau!" Uchiha Zongye found it hard to believe.

Uchiha Zongye's shock was well-founded.

The Military Police Force consisted of three major bureaus.

There was the First Bureau, the General Affairs Bureau, which managed finances, personnel, and archives; followed by the Second Bureau, the Operations Bureau, which had the largest number of personnel and was responsible for patrols and various odd jobs; and finally, the Third Bureau, the Internal Affairs Bureau, which held the most power and was dedicated to internal matters, monitoring all members of the Military Police Force.

Among these, the directors of the First and Second Bureaus were held by high-ranking members of the Uchiha clan—for instance, Uchiha Yashiro was the director of the General Affairs Bureau—while the Third Bureau was special, as it was personally overseen by Uchiha Fugaku.

In the already powerful Third Bureau, mid-level cadres reported directly to Uchiha Fugaku, so there was no need to mention how much their power had expanded. Naoki leaping from a regular member of the Military Police Force to a mid-level cadre in the Third Bureau reporting directly to Uchiha Fugaku was a massive jump, and it was no wonder Uchiha Zongye was surprised.

Uchiha Zongye said quietly, "It seems that Lord Fugaku really thinks highly of you."

"I've been working hard in the Military Police Force since I was eight. Now that I'm twenty-seven, I'm still just a squad leader, not even a division chief..."

"Don't be discouraged." Naoki patted Uchiha Zongye on the shoulder, "Zongxin has great talent. Even if you don't become a division chief, he will be able to sit in that chair one day."

"Hey, Uchiha Naoki, don't look down on people. I'm not just going to be a division chief; I'm going to be the director of the Operations Bureau, and maybe even become the deputy commander, serving as Lord Fugaku's right-hand man!"

"Alright, alright." Naoki chuckled, "Fantasy time has begun~"

On this stormy night, Konoha was quiet and peaceful after the disaster, but far away on the southern coastal battlefield, twelve Konoha ninja were chasing eight Kirigakure ninja through the rain. The leader of the Konoha ninja was none other than Shisui, who had recently risen to fame on the battlefield.

Rain poured like a waterfall onto the coastline of the southern Land of Fire. Twelve figures sped through the mud, their footsteps almost completely swallowed by the thunder and rain.

Shisui charged at the front, his Three-Tomoe Sharingan glowing with a faint red light in the rainy night.

"Flank them from the left, don't let them escape into the sea!" Shisui's voice was calm and clear, piercing through the curtain of rain to reach every team member's ears.

The eight Kirigakure ninja were clearly at the end of their rope. Their chakra had been almost exhausted in the previous battle, but the instinct to survive kept them struggling.

One of the Kirigakure jonin suddenly turned and stopped, forming hand seals.

"Water Style: Water Dragon Bullet Technique!"

With the aid of the surrounding environment, a massive water dragon rose from the sea, wrapping itself in rain as it lunged toward the Konoha ninja.

Shisui's figure flashed, closing in on the Kirigakure jonin like a ghost.

"Genjutsu."

With just a single glance, the Kirigakure jonin's movements froze, and confusion flashed in his eyes.

The next second, Shisui's short blade had pierced his chest.

"Captain!"

The remaining Kirigakure ninja cried out, but it was too late.

Seeing this, the other Konoha ninja swarmed forward, intending to kill all these Kirigakure ninja.

Suddenly, a "boom" exploded from the sea.

Shisui frowned, walking to the shore and looking at the churning water.

"What's going on over there?" Shisui's childhood friend and close companion walked up and asked.

"Not sure, be careful."

However, no sooner had Shisui finished speaking than a deafening blast erupted from the sea, as if it were tearing the heavens and earth asunder!

Shisui's pupils constricted, his Three-Tomoe staring unblinkingly through the rain at the churning ocean surface.

It felt as though a massive amount of chakra was rising from the deep sea...

"All units, fall back!"

He suddenly turned and roared at his comrades, but his shout was nearly drowned out by the crashing waves.

It was already too late.

The surging waves rose higher and higher, instantly forming walls of water dozens, if not hundreds, of meters tall.

At the same time, as if by some invisible force, the massive waves were neatly parted down the middle, and a short figure stepped out from the surf.

It was a man of small stature yet imposing presence, his pale green short hair unmoved by the torrential rain, holding a uniquely shaped hooked staff... and most chilling of all were his emotionless, pale purple pupils, like ice from the deep sea.

"Karatachi Yagura?" The ninja beside Shisui's voice trembled. "How could he be here?!"

"Forget about that, hurry, get out of here, I'll handle this," Shisui shouted at his companions.

"No, you can't hold him off by yourself!"

Just as the two were arguing, Karatachi Yagura, backed by the towering waves, had already arrived nearby.

"That red-eyed brat, are you Uchiha Shisui?"