First Entry into the Military Police Force

Hearing the +3000 Gratitude Points chime in his mind, Yu felt a surge of joy in his heart.

He turned to look at Itachi and Uchiha Lieyang, who were both staring in stunned silence, and a faint smile tugged at the corner of his mouth. "Let's go! It's time to head home."

The two of them finally snapped out of their daze and nodded.

"Yu, aren't you going to say anything else to me?" Shisui asked hurriedly as he watched Yu turn to leave.

Yu looked back at Shisui. "Actually, there isn't much to say. Brother Shisui, just keep doing what you've been doing, and try your best to earn the trust of the Third Hokage and the others. Just pass me some information occasionally, that's all."

"Fine! So you're making me a double agent within the village," Shisui said with a bitter smile.

"Haha, Brother Shisui, you're joking. In reality, what you're doing is the same as before; it's just that your heart is now with your clansmen. Isn't this, in itself, a bridge between the village and the clan? The only difference is that the ones being sacrificed are no longer our Uchiha clansmen, but the rotting sludge of Konoha!"

Shisui stood rooted to the spot for a long time, only shaking his head helplessly once Yu and the others had completely disappeared.

Yu, is this your truest thought? It's truly cruel. But if it really is as you say, and we can excise a piece of Konoha's rot, perhaps it is a form of rebirth.

Shisui shook his head with a bitter smile. He suddenly felt that he had been too naive in the past; political struggle had always been a matter of life and death.

Yet, there remained a sliver of softness in his heart. Third Hokage, I hope you are not what Yu described. With that, Shisui's figure vanished from the chaotic battlefield.

Upon returning home, Yu found his mother and father sitting at the dining table, quietly waiting for him and Itachi to return.

Seeing Yu and Itachi, Mikoto's face lit up. "It seems the two brothers have made up!"

"Itachi! Yu, come and eat," Mikoto said gently.

Fugaku remained silent, merely nodding quietly at the two brothers.

Sasuke, on the other hand, crawled out of his playpen and came giggling toward the brothers, grabbing Yu's clothes and trying to climb into his arms.

Seeing this, Yu quickly picked Sasuke up.

"Bwudder! W-welcome home!" the little one stammered.

Yu teased little Sasuke with his finger. It seemed like in a few months, Sasuke would be three years old; time really did fly.

Yu sighed inwardly, then handed little Sasuke over to the expectant Itachi.

Itachi acted like a mother hen, holding little Sasuke and gently rocking him as he sat down at the dining table.

Seeing this scene, a faint smile couldn't help but appear on Yu's lips.

Soon, the family finished their dinner in a peaceful atmosphere.

After helping his mother clear the dishes as usual, Yu was called into Fugaku's room.

"Yu, why did you return so late tonight?" Fugaku asked in a deep voice.

Yu was stunned for a moment before realizing what he meant. "It's nothing, I just taught a lesson to the guy who's always trying to lead Itachi astray."

Fugaku's expression twitched, and it took him a few seconds to realize who Yu was talking about!

"You mean you fought with Shisui?"

Yu looked at his father in surprise. It seemed this father wasn't as indifferent to their social circles as he had imagined; he understood the moment it was mentioned.

"Yes," Yu nodded lightly.

"Is it because of Itachi? Your mother told me about the two of you today. Although Itachi's thinking is a bit extreme, you, as his older brother, should be patient," Fugaku said, his expression softening slightly.

Yu rolled his eyes at Fugaku. "While such extreme thinking has everything to do with Shisui, you, as his father, aren't much better!"

Fugaku looked embarrassed and quickly coughed twice. "Ahem! Anyway, remember to report to the Military Police Force on time tomorrow. Go to sleep now."

Yu nodded, said nothing more, and walked straight toward his room.

There had been quite a lot of events today, but the harvest was substantial.

Just today alone, he had gained nearly sixty thousand Gratitude Points. This exaggerated number made Yu wish he could be this busy every day, but he knew this was only the beginning. Once the initial excitement and gratitude faded, the clansmen's emotions would stabilize.

The daily harvest would likely be around ten thousand on a good day, and hover in the thousands on a bad one. Besides, Yu couldn't possibly meet every grateful clansman every day; he could only manage targeted harvesting.

Yu checked his data panel and, without hesitation, added all his Gratitude Points to his cultivation.

Instantly, a formless spiritual energy began to surge toward Yu. He felt his entire body relax, and his previously weary spirit was instantly replenished.

As expected, immortal cultivation was the most enjoyable.

Yu watched as the "Spirit Refining Chapter" of the Azure Underworld Art in his skill bar jumped from Yellow-tier +2 to Earth-tier. His heart raced with excitement. If he had a few more bursts like this, could he break through to the Refining Spirit to Void stage directly?

However, Yu also knew that such opportunities were rare and could not be forced.

The next day, Yu followed Fugaku to the Military Police Force early in the morning, having sent one of his clones to accompany Itachi and Izumi to the Ninja Academy.

His other clones began working on refining Elixirs and heading to the private meeting place with Uchiha Lieyang to start setting up the Formation Technique.

Everything was proceeding in an orderly fashion.

If not for obtaining the External Incarnation technique, Yu would never have dared to spread his operations so thin.

Passing through several streets, Yu saw a silly-looking building from afar.

It was earthy yellow in its entirety, shaped like a round, yellow cat's head.

On the left and right were semi-circular blue glass windows, resembling a cat's eyes, while the slightly protruding middle section looked like a cat's nose, and the two doors below served as the cat's mouth.

The building looked aged overall, though it had to be said that the Konoha Military Police Force headquarters was built in a surprisingly cute style.

However, as Yu followed Fugaku into the structure, he felt a sense of oppression.

Although the clansmen greeted Fugaku and Yu from time to time, almost all of them wore deadpan expressions.

In the first-floor office, everyone wore an arrogant look that seemed to say, "Don't bother me with your problems; it's useless to ask me," projecting a coldness that kept others at a distance.

Seeing this, Yu sighed slightly. He could understand the clansmen's feelings; in a Military Police Force, there was only one captain, at most a vice-captain, and six main or deputy squad leaders—a total of only about a dozen cadres.

Yet, the Uchiha clan had twenty or thirty Jonin, and the positions simply weren't enough to go around. To make a living, some Jonin had to lead teams on street patrols or stand guard at the police headquarters.

How could this not breed resentment among the clansmen? One had to realize that in some small ninja villages, a Jonin would either be the Kage or the second-in-command under the Kage.

But in Konoha, they could only serve as ordinary street patrollers or guards—tasks usually reserved for Genin and Chunin. It was like using a butcher's knife to slaughter a chicken.

Even that might have been tolerable, but they were also expected to bow and scrape before civilians. How could that be possible? It would be a miracle if they were happy.