Konoha Year 41

Year 41 of the Konoha Era.

Uchiha Clan Compound.

Clan Affairs Hall, conference room.

Uchiha Nara sat at the head of the table, with numerous Uchiha clan ninjas seated below him.

The Uchiha clan and the Police Force were both stable institutions; the number of Uchiha ninjas was gradually increasing, and their strength was steadily growing.

"Clan Leader, the Land of Rain has been extremely dangerous over the past two years. Our Uchiha clan has lost dozens of ninjas there. Whether it was our own Uchiha squads or mixed squads with other Konoha ninjas, those sent to the Land of Rain have basically gone missing," Uchiha Yashiro reported, holding a file.

Uchiha Yashiro was the deputy whom the Uchiha leader relied upon most, assisting in the management of the clan.

"Hmm, I have noticed this situation as well. Notify the clan: no more missions to the Land of Rain are to be accepted."

Uchiha Nara nodded. As he processed various letters, files, and mission reports regarding the successive disappearances of his clansmen in the Land of Rain, he had sensed something strange.

Now, it wasn't just Nara; the clansmen themselves had noticed, and at the clan meeting, Yashiro had raised the issue with Nara solemnly.

Nara frowned slightly and continued:

"Hayata, have the Ninja Cats and intelligence personnel infiltrate the Land of Rain to understand the situation there. This matter reeks of something suspicious."

Uchiha Hayata was an intelligence operative for the Uchiha clan and simultaneously the chief of the Plainclothes Intelligence Division of the Konoha Police Force—one job, two institutions, and two salaries.

Of course, whether his reports were submitted to the clan or the Police Force, they all ultimately reached Nara.

"Yes! Clan Leader, I have already arranged for intelligence personnel and Ninja Cats to infiltrate the Land of Rain. According to the information received, it seems that Konoha Anbu are active there, and our elite Uchiha squads have encountered the Salamander of the Land of Rain. It is suspected to be related to Salamander Hanzo. As for the Konoha Anbu, it is uncertain if they are linked to the disappearances of our clansmen."

"Konoha Anbu, and the Salamander? Heh, so that's how it is."

"Clan Leader, do you know something?"

Nara's calm demeanor and air of being in total control prompted the Uchiha clansmen below to ask one after another.

"Remember, issue a notice telling the clansmen not to go to the Land of Rain. I only have preliminary suspicions and judgments; they are not enough to serve as evidence."

Nara did not answer the clansmen. With the Anbu involved, Nara knew exactly who was pulling the strings without even having to think about it. However, Shimura Danzo was nominally an advisor to the Hokage, and he operated from the shadows and the underground; many Konoha ninjas and villagers didn't even know what specific duties the Hokage advisor Shimura Danzo was responsible for.

"My younger brother went missing in the Land of Rain, Clan Leader! If you know something, please, you must tell me!"

"My son went missing in the Land of Rain, Clan Leader. If you know anything, please speak up!"

The Uchiha clansmen below were not satisfied and pressed for answers.

Nara could not ignore the opinions of his clansmen.

"The Land of Rain dares to bully our Uchiha clan; they truly don't know what death is. I have decided to personally lead a team to the Land of Rain to investigate."

Nara couldn't ignore them, but he couldn't use speculation as evidence either. Without proof, the Hokage's side would only accuse him of slander.

"Clan Leader, I am willing to go with you!"

"I'll go too! I want to find my son!"

"I want to go as well!"

The ninjas below echoed the sentiment, wanting to follow Nara to the Land of Rain to see for themselves.

Nara felt gratified; he was still well-supported within the clan.

"Everyone, Konoha has its rules; we cannot leave the village without cause. Furthermore, if a large number of clansmen take missions to the Land of Rain, the mastermind will surely go into hiding."

"Therefore, I have decided to lead a team of Special Police Force members to accompany me. Rest assured, I will definitely get to the bottom of this in the Land of Rain."

Nara comforted them and refused the clansmen's request to follow. The Special Mobile Force of the Konoha Police Force, also known as the Special Police Force, had little to do while Konoha was peaceful, and they rarely had mission deployments.

They were essentially elite private armed forces of the Uchiha Police Force who were paid by the state to train; only those with great combat power or superior talent could join.

This Special Police Division was a power Nara held firmly in his hands, and he would not allow other ninja clans to join. Over the past two years, he had incorporated the Uzumaki and Kurama clans into the Police Force, but only to have them handle civil administration and public security.

These two departments required the most manpower and were the hardest to earn respect from the villagers for; they were thankless positions. Besides the Uzumaki and Kurama, Nara had also recruited some civilian ninjas and ninjas from small clans.

Nara was determined to transform the civil administration and public security departments from being automatically associated with the Uchiha by the people into purely Konoha-run, dark positions that had little to do with the Uchiha.

After Nara announced that he would take a trip to the Land of Rain, the clansmen settled down. Uchiha Nara's capabilities were plain for all to see.

The situation where the Uchiha were loathed by the villagers had gradually diminished over the past two years, finally giving the Uchiha clansmen the feeling that they, too, were a part of Konoha.

The Uchiha were one of the two founding families of Konoha; Konoha was their home.

Konoha Village had recently been buzzing with hot news.

A peerless genius had emerged from the Hatake family.

The son of the White Fang of Konoha, Hatake Kakashi, had graduated early after only one month at the Ninja Academy. He had passed the genin exam and become a glorious genin.

Uchiha Nara was making a rare patrol around Konoha when he heard numerous villagers discussing the White Fang of Konoha and Hatake Kakashi.

Hatake Kakashi's genius made the villagers of Konoha proud.

"The White Fang of Konoha is a powerful ninja, and now his son is just as outstanding."

"The peace of Konoha Village truly cannot do without the White Fang."

Along the way, the sharp-eared and keen-eyed Nara heard nothing but such remarks.

Nara shook his head and hurried back to the Military Police Building.

Inside the Captain's Secretary Office of the Military Police Force, Fugaku was writing furiously at his desk, issuing various mission orders for the force.

"Fugaku, the White Fang's son, Hatake Kakashi, became a genin at five. A five-year-old genin—is that really so extraordinary?"

Uchiha Nara walked into the secretary's office and asked Uchiha Fugaku, who was busy working.

The captain's office was vast; the finance and logistics departments worked in the main hall, which also contained several smaller rooms marked with signs like Captain's Assistant Office and Captain's Secretary Room.

Fugaku looked up at Nara, set down his pen, and replied:

"For a civilian ninja, becoming a genin at five is indeed the mark of a genius. Within our own clan, those capable of performing ninjutsu at five are also extremely rare."

"Oh, hearing you put it that way, Hatake Kakashi is truly a genius. He is worthy of being the son of the White Fang of Konoha."

Fugaku's words drew a nod of agreement from Nara.

Nara walked toward his own office, a thought flashing through his mind.

It seems Kakashi only gets to enjoy his glory for two years before Hatake Sakumo commits suicide. Should I try to recruit the White Fang?