Konoha Military Police Building

Night.

Outside Konoha Village.

Inside a concealed underground base.

Nara manifested five small spheres of chakra in his palm.

"Five Elements Seal Release!"

Hiruko's face twisted in pain, but he made no sound. After a moment, he lowered his lifted clothes.

"Hiruko-kun, the materials have been prepared for you inside. As for the medical equipment, it will be delivered in succession over the coming week."

"Hahaha, excellent. Many thanks, Lord Nara."

Hiruko laughed heartily, clearly in high spirits. From the initial conception of the Chimera Technique to the start of his experiments, he had spent three years in contemplation. He had only just begun to see results when Konoha discovered him.

Now, he could finally experiment without restraint, without fear of exposure, and without the threat of being hunted down.

Having someone above to support and shield him—for Hiruko, there was no better environment.

"No need for such formalities, Hiruko-kun. If you experiment alone, there might be danger should any subjects lose control. I have dispatched an elite ninja squad for you to command. If you need to communicate or request assistance, you can have them send word. Or, if you have trusted subordinates you prefer, you may summon them to replace these men."

Nara was extremely courteous toward Hiruko. This secret base consisted of only five zones, each equipped with dozens of cameras covering every blind spot; it was under heavy surveillance.

"Lord Nara, your suggestion is wise. My Chimera Technique has yet to succeed, and my students may not necessarily follow me. Therefore, I shall leave the security of the base to your men."

As a Konoha jonin, Hiruko led a squad of ninja students. Without sufficient benefits or powerful secret arts, it was indeed difficult to summon them easily; if word leaked, the consequences would be troublesome.

Uchiha Zitie nodded and said indifferently, "Please, Lord Hiruko, there is no need for such courtesy. If there is anything you require, simply give the order."

Uchiha Zitie was the captain of this squad. Possessing the Three-Tomoe Sharingan and mastery over Uchiha Style Fire Release, genjutsu, and shurikenjutsu, he was a formidable force.

He represented the Uchiha's hidden strength, unrecorded in the official Konoha jonin rosters. With Zitie leading three other members, they were more than enough to keep Hiruko in check.

"Hiruko-kun, don't stand on ceremony with them. Treat them as servants."

Hiruko understood this was a surveillance detail, but he didn't mind. It was a mutually beneficial arrangement, and it would have been strange if no such measures were taken.

"Hai!" Hiruko replied respectfully.

"The four of you, even if it costs you your lives, ensure Hiruko-kun's safety. Do you understand!?" Nara addressed Zitie and the others.

"Hai!" X4

Nara nodded and vanished in a puff of smoke.

"The night is late. Zitie-kun, feel free to do as you please or rest. I am impatient to begin my experiments."

Hiruko did not stand on ceremony with the lackeys provided to him, and after giving his instructions, he walked into the cave.

"Hai," Zitie replied respectfully. He signaled with his hand, and the other three guards instantly vanished using Body Flicker, taking up positions to guard the two entrances to prevent any intruders.

The sun was barely peeking over the horizon. The morning light shone down, and the cool air of early autumn, combined with the peaceful village environment, was breathtaking.

Nara set down the sealing scroll in his hand and fell into deep thought.

The Four-Symbols Seal's power depended on the caster; the stronger the caster, the more durable and firm the seal. However, as time passed, the power of the seal would inevitably weaken.

If no one reinforced the seal, once it weakened to a certain point, the sealed target could potentially break free.

The Four-Symbols Seal was a powerful technique, and in the anime, two individuals had improved upon it.

The first was Namikaze Minato's Eight-Trigrams Seal, which was essentially two Four-Symbols Seals stacked together, making the seal durable and firm. Without the intended key, the seal could not be opened.

The second improvement was developed by Shimura Danzo. While a normal Four-Symbols Seal was cast into one's own space, the Reverse Four-Symbols Seal sealed the caster themselves, erasing them directly from the world.

Based on his conversations with Uzumaki Nao, Nara discovered that the Uzumaki Clan seemed to have already developed this concept. It was rumored that when the Land of Whirlpools was destroyed, the leader of the Uzumaki Clan had used the Reverse Four-Symbols Seal to take many invading ninja with him.

Nara had no interest in such suicidal ninjutsu, but as a reference for the advancement of sealing arts, it was certainly necessary.

"Well, my sealing arts can be considered a minor success."

Nara put away the scroll and brushed off the dust. He stood up and headed toward the Military Police Building.

Today was the day of the Konoha Military Police Force assembly. Last night, his father, Uchiha Sanzang, had already coordinated with Nara, preparing to announce the transfer of duties today.

Not that the transfer mattered much; in truth, ever since the Uchiha clan head had joined the police force managed by the Uchiha, anyone with eyes knew what would follow, not to mention that the clan head and the captain were father and son.

Of course, even if they weren't father and son, with the Uchiha clan head entering the police force, power would gradually return to Nara's hands regardless.

During this time, Uchiha Fugaku had been working steadily, seemingly keeping a low profile. Nara had originally thought Fugaku was discouraged and no longer cared about clan affairs or the police force.

Later, he learned that Fugaku had been flirting with Uchiha Mikoto; it turned out he had been busy dating and had even put his work aside. Nara was left speechless by this.

Before long, Nara arrived at the Military Police Building.

Inside the conference room of the Military Police Building.

Uchiha Sanzang sat at the head of the table.

Below him were the squad captains and elite members of the police force.

Seeing that everyone had arrived, Uchiha Sanzang nodded slightly and glanced at Uchiha Nara.

Nara had suppressed the news of the clansmen's deaths and the Hiruko incident, though a few Uchiha insiders, such as veteran power-holders like Uchiha Okura and Sanzang, were aware of some of the details.

Sanzang did not think highly of Nara's support for Hiruko's forbidden experiments. This so-called Chimera Technique was clearly nonsense.

The Uchiha clan's bloodline limit, the Sharingan, was the strongest bloodline limit of all, and Uchiha ninja who possessed the Sharingan were the finest ninja in the shinobi world.

Yet, regarding Nara's stubborn insistence, Uchiha Sanzang could only feel helpless; after all, they were the ones who had backed him to become clan head in the first place.

Three years had passed since Nara took office as clan head, and the Clan Affairs Hall had become the central hub for the Uchiha clan's gathering and administration.

As the one in charge of the Clan Affairs Hall, Uchiha Nara's power had already surpassed both Dazang and Sanzang, and the First Squadron of the Military Police Force under his command was the most outstanding of all the squads.

With other teams constantly looking to the First Squadron for guidance and visiting them more often than they visited their own superiors, there was no point in clinging to his position any longer.

Uchiha Sanzang sighed, deciding to dwell on it no further.

"Silence!"

Uchiha Kosui, captain of the Third Squadron, who had been reading the room, let out a sharp reprimand. The crowd below quickly settled into their seats, eyes fixed on Uchiha Sanzang at the front.

Seeing that order had been restored, Uchiha Sanzang gave a light cough and said calmly:

"Ahem, I have been in charge of the Military Police Force for over twenty years, and I am deeply grateful for the tremendous support from all of you. However, I am now physically and mentally exhausted, and I take this meeting as an opportunity to announce... my retirement!"