Urgent News from the Front, Jonin Meeting Convened

In the room, Shisui looked at Hayato, then at Itachi.

Hayato, in turn, watched Itachi. He could sense the confusion radiating from the boy.

Never mind. He's just a brat who hasn't even awakened his Sharingan yet. The original timeline is one thing, but if he still turns out like that under my guidance...

Then I'll deal with him myself.

"Uchiha Itachi." Hayato's voice rang through the room. "When are you graduating?"

"I've already submitted my application. I should graduate sometime this week." Itachi nodded at once.

"Good. After you graduate, join the Police Force. If I get a mission, I'll take you out of the village with me." Hayato looked Uchiha Itachi in the eye, then rose to his feet.

Shisui stood up as well. As they reached the doorway, Hayato stopped and turned to him. "Have a good talk with Itachi. Things probably won't stay quiet for long."

"Uh, all right." Shisui nodded.

Hayato said no more and left Fugaku's Dojo.

As he strolled along Konoha's streets, Hayato occasionally smiled and nodded to the villagers passing by. Many of them visibly froze for a moment before nodding back and moving on.

It would take a little more time.

Hayato understood that the villagers were still adjusting to the changes within the Uchiha Clan.

It took time to wear away at a stone.

Looking toward the Hokage Building in the distance, Hayato couldn't help thinking about another matter.

The village's sudden push for the Uchiha to nominate several jonin was probably because of mounting pressure at the border, but that wasn't the main issue.

If Danzo was the one who'd proposed it, then it was worth considering the matter from another angle.

Perhaps he wanted to seize Sharingan at the border?

"Let's wait and see," Hayato murmured. Konoha's ranks had been left depleted after the incident with Orochimaru's laboratory, and Kakashi was in Anbu.

If the village really intended to send the Uchiha to the front this time, then this would be his chance.

A chance to change people's minds about the Uchiha.

How had the Fourth Hokage become Hokage?

He'd built a fearsome reputation on the battlefield with a series of high-profile victories.

A great war might break out soon. It was the Uchiha Clan's biggest opportunity. In this war, Hayato needed to leave the shinobi in the village with a different impression of the Uchiha.

At the very least, the clan's image needed to change. And while he was at it, he'd see if Uchiha Itachi could become someone different from the Itachi in the original story.

Three weeks passed in the blink of an eye.

Hayato and Shisui became jonin as they'd hoped, and Uchiha Itachi graduated and joined the Police Force. He'd spent the past few weeks patrolling with Shisui.

Hayato had been waiting the whole time, but no news from the front had arrived. Given the Uchiha Clan's unusual position, even some of the village's other clans had no way to inquire about it.

Shisui and Itachi, walking behind Hayato, could both sense his inexplicable anxiety.

"Shisui, what's wrong with our teacher?" Uchiha Itachi asked quietly.

Over the past few weeks, he'd realized that Shisui was no ordinary shinobi. Shisui seemed unusually close to their teacher, and often went to train with him alone.

"I don't know either." Shisui shook his head.

Hayato hadn't told anyone about it, so Shisui had no idea what was going on.

Itachi nodded and continued greeting the villagers around them. It stirred a strange feeling in his heart.

The clan seemed to have changed a great deal.

Even the senior members of the Police Force no longer looked as bitter and resentful as before.

Sometimes, he saw senior officers patrolling and maintaining order. They calmly explained to the villagers what the people they were about to arrest had done, and only acted after they'd finished explaining.

It was hard for him to believe.

Screee!

Just as they were heading toward the Police Force Building, a cry rang out from the sky.

Hayato stopped and looked up at the Ninja Hawk already flying away. A smile spread across his face.

That wasn't the hawk sent to summon the jonin to a meeting. It had come from the border.

The news had arrived.

Not long after Hayato entered the Police Force Building, Tekka approached him.

"Vice... Hayato, a jonin meeting has been called. We need to go over." Tekka had started to call him Vice Clan Head, but after Hayato stopped him, he corrected himself.

Hayato had instructed him to do so. Vice Clan Head was just a position Fugaku had proposed, and there was no need to inform the village.

So Hayato had told the clan to keep calling him by his name.

After all, it was only a title.

"Good. Let's go." Hayato nodded, then turned to Uchiha Itachi behind him. "Itachi, wait here at the Police Force Building. If they need help, lend a hand to the senior officers."

"Yes, teacher."

Itachi bowed, then watched Hayato and the others leave the building.

"Vice...?" After they were gone, a hint of confusion appeared on Itachi's face.

When they entered the Hokage Building, the ever-present stares were nowhere to be seen. Hayato led the others quickly into the jonin meeting room.

The spacious conference room was already crowded. Hayato spotted members of the Hyuga, Nara, and other clans.

But a few hostile gazes were directed their way.

Hayato turned and saw a middle-aged man staring at them with an arrogant expression.

"Hayato, come over here."

As Hayato wondered who the man was, Fugaku called out to him.

He turned and saw Fugaku sitting nearby with the clan's other jonin. And beside him... Shikaku?

"Clan Head, Shikaku," Hayato said, hurrying over to greet them.

"Fugaku, are these the jonin who were just promoted?" Shikaku asked, his gaze moving between Hayato and Shisui.

"Yes. They still needed some training, but an opportunity came up recently, so I promoted them," Fugaku replied with a nod.

Shikaku nodded in response, then fell silent.

Hayato occasionally glanced at Shikaku and wondered if he was already the Jonin Commander at this point.

But looking at Shikaku, who seemed about the same age as Fugaku, Hayato understood.

It was probably just a matter of age.

The sound of footsteps rang out, and the noisy meeting room fell silent at once.

Sarutobi Hiruzen led the way. Danzo followed a little behind him, but still ahead of the other two elders.

He couldn't even hold back for something like this.

Hayato scoffed inwardly, keeping his expression neutral.

"Everyone, I've called this jonin meeting because... we've received urgent news from the front. Kumogakure has recently deployed a large force to the border of the Land of Fire."