Police Force Meeting Convened

"Alright, that's all for today's lecture."

As the moon overhead grew brighter, Hayato stood up and spoke.

The crowd gathered there began to disperse, with children running toward their respective parents.

These people had arrived during the gaps in Hayato's lecture; it was originally intended for the children, but as Hayato continued his explanation, some of the adults had joined in as well.

Before leaving, everyone offered Hayato a slight, grateful nod.

"Hayato, you really are amazing."

Shisui had walked over, his face showing admiration. "What you said—I didn't even have a vague inkling of it until after I graduated and went out into the world."

Hayato waved his hand, dismissing the matter.

This knowledge had come to him along with the five-element chakra attributes; if he wasn't mistaken, these were the personal insights of Sarutobi Hiruzen.

It had to be said, the title of "Professor of Ninjutsu" was no empty boast.

Perhaps this was the reason the Sannin were so renowned?

One had to realize that those three possessed immense chakra; if they hadn't received such meticulous guidance in their youth, they would have wasted far too much time trying to figure it all out on their own.

"Let's go."

Hayato and Shisui headed toward their homes; it was clear that Shisui still had much he wanted to discuss.

Inside the dojo, Fugaku appeared, accompanied by several clan elders.

"Clan Leader, Hayato's teaching is excellent." Yashiro looked very pleased; this was the first time he had seen so many people come to listen to a lecture within the clan.

Fugaku, however, was focused more on his own son, who seemed to have been watching Hayato the entire time.

Perhaps... it would be better to have Hayato lead Itachi once he graduated.

"Well then, see you tomorrow, Hayato."

Upon reaching Hayato's doorstep, Shisui spoke up.

"Not coming in?" Seeing they were already at his door, Hayato offered an invitation.

"Not today, there's always tomorrow." Shisui smiled, waved his hand, and headed toward his own home.

Hayato watched Shisui walk away before entering his house. He couldn't wait to open his system panel, looking at the Uchiha Guardian Aura in his passives, which was now glowing brilliantly.

It had evolved into [Guardian Aura: Connection]. The double-reward effect remained, but it had gained something new: (Effect: The more your clansmen trust and rely on you, the more your will to protect can be converted into true strength.)

Could it be that this is the true purpose of the Guardian Aura?

As the aura leveled up, Hayato felt parts of himself slowly improving.

His thoughts were becoming increasingly clear; it felt as if a dilapidated old car had suddenly been fitted with a state-of-the-art engine.

"Guardian..."

Hayato murmured the word. If there was one thing constantly emphasized in the Ninja World, it was bonds.

And now, this passive Guardian Aura of his seemed to have been materialized; the stronger his bond with his clansmen, the more he could leverage it to improve himself.

To have such a good thing happen—he absolutely loved it.

Early the next morning, Hayato and Shisui finished their morning training and headed toward the Police Force together.

On the way, they occasionally saw other members of the Police Force pass by, offering Hayato warm smiles.

Even Shisui was a bit confused.

"What's going on?"

"They are the parents of the children who came to listen to the lecture last night," Hayato said softly.

"It seems you are being recognized by the clansmen, Hayato," Shisui said with a smile. Although it wasn't him, he felt happy that Hayato was being acknowledged.

"Still need to work harder."

Hayato said calmly. He meant it; Guardian Aura: Connection was only the second stage. If he could evolve it again, the effects would likely be even better.

If he just followed the status quo, he might never reach the top, and if he wanted to prevent the Uchiha clan from being wiped out, Hayato needed to act as a leader.

To borrow a saying from the Ninja World: it isn't that you become the Hokage because others recognize you, but rather that you can only become the Hokage once others have recognized you.

The position of Uchiha Clan Leader was the same; Fugaku only became leader after leading the Uchiha clan to achieve results during the Third Ninja World War, which allowed him to be recommended for the role.

Given Hayato's current status, he still had a long way to go.

Having become a squad leader, Hayato no longer needed to patrol the streets every day; instead, he was responsible for handling various Police Force matters alongside the other squad leaders.

By noon, as Hayato and Shisui were discussing some techniques regarding genjutsu, Tekka walked over quickly.

Hayato looked up and saw that Tekka's expression was grim.

"What's wrong, Tekka?"

Shisui asked, puzzled.

"Hayato, Shisui, an emergency meeting of the Police Force has been called." Tekka didn't explain further, simply stating this before hurrying away, clearly needing to notify others.

Hayato and Shisui exchanged glances upon hearing this, then both stood up and headed quickly toward the conference room.

They arrived neither early nor late; several squad leaders and members of the Police Force were already present in the room.

Hayato led Shisui to the seats reserved for their squad leaders and sat down, greeting the few squad leaders nearby.

"Senior Yakumi, is something the matter?"

Hayato looked toward Yakumi at his side and asked, as the atmosphere in the entire conference room was far from friendly.

Even the Police Force members behind them looked incredibly grim at this moment.

Yakumi glanced back at his clansmen, then leaned in and whispered into Hayato's ear, "A lot of rumors have suddenly appeared in the village."

Hayato pondered for a moment before saying, "They're about our clan."

"Yes." Yakumi's expression was ghastly as he nodded.

Just as the two of them wanted to learn more, the doors to the conference room were pushed open, and Fugaku walked in accompanied by the clan elders.

Fugaku took his seat at the head of the table and looked out at everyone in the room, while Tekka checked the attendance and nodded toward Fugaku.

He was signaling that everyone had arrived.

"The meeting begins," Fugaku said in a deep voice.

As those words were spoken, the conference room gradually quieted down, and Fugaku stated the purpose of calling this meeting.

"Starting this morning, rumors about our clan have begun to circulate in the village," Fugaku said, a cold glint appearing in his eyes.

Following this statement, the room, which had just quieted down, became noisy once again.

The reactions of the ordinary Police Force members in the back were particularly exaggerated, their anger almost impossible to suppress.

"Quiet!"

Fugaku tapped the table; his voice was not loud, but it was enough to resound throughout the entire conference room.

"Hmph! The village is trying to drive us into a corner!" Uchiha Yashiro, sitting to the side, said, unable to contain his rage.