The Mission Is Not Right

"Is there something you need?"

Hayato walked over to the shade of a nearby tree and looked at Uchiha Shisui, who stood before him.

"I am here to apologize for my words yesterday."

As he spoke, Shisui bowed toward Hayato.

Seeing this, Hayato stepped aside to dodge the gesture.

He was joking, right? He was living his life just fine and didn't want to be on the receiving end of something like that.

Besides, Shisui was openly acknowledged as a genius of the Uchiha, while he was just an invisible background character; he didn't need the trouble that would inevitably follow.

"It's nothing. I only said what I wanted to say."

Hayato waved his hand dismissively. He had already obtained the "Bitter Fruit" entry, and he wasn't sure if he could fleece the system for another one anytime soon.

Seeing that Hayato didn't seem particularly moved by his apology, Shisui's expression dimmed.

The conversation from yesterday had only deepened the rift between him and the other members of the Police Force.

"Hayato, I have always wanted to become an Uchiha like my grandfather!" Shisui's gaze was resolute, as if he were making a promise to Hayato.

"Your grandfather?" Hayato looked at Shisui with a puzzled expression before realizing he was referring to Uchiha Kagami.

"Lord Uchiha Kagami is a man worthy of respect." Hayato didn't think he had the audacity to criticize a predecessor who had sacrificed so much for the Uchiha.

Besides, he had only ever heard of Uchiha Kagami through the clan members.

It was precisely for this reason that Shisui was regarded as a role model by some of the younger generation in the Uchiha.

And that wasn't just because of his own strength.

Hearing Hayato say this, a smile appeared on Shisui's face.

"Thank you." Shisui bowed slightly to Hayato once more, with great solemnity, before pulling a manual from his person.

"These are some of my training insights from the past. They aren't entirely mine, but I have added some things to them." Shisui looked at Hayato's face. "I just observed your breathing while you were running."

"Your physical fitness is excellent, and your potential is quite good. I hope this can be of help to you."

With that, Shisui turned and walked away.

Hayato looked at the manual in his hand and blinked. What was this supposed to be?

Still, he tucked the manual away. A genius's training notes were, at the very least, a good reference.

Hayato turned and walked toward Seiichi and Rin, who had been waiting for a long time.

"What was that about, Hayato?" Seiichi was the first to ask, unable to contain his curiosity.

"He said he was apologizing for yesterday, but I refused," Hayato explained with a wave of his hand.

"Oh, right. He gave me a training manual. Do you two need it?"

Hayato pulled out the manual and asked.

Since it had been given to him, it was his to decide what to do with it, and the two people before him were partners he would likely be working with for a long time to come.

Every little bit of strength helped.

"I don't need it," Seiichi refused flatly.

Rin, who had been about to say yes, fell silent when she saw Seiichi's reaction.

"I'll keep it with me. If you want to take a look, just ask." Hayato could see that Seiichi was being insincere, but he didn't press the issue.

The group then moved on to their other training exercises, parting ways only when lunchtime arrived.

On the way back, Hayato pondered his training plan and how to maximize the benefits of the system's entries.

The Uchiha were currently a part of Konoha, so if Orochimaru were to defect, would he be able to gain an entry from that event?

After thinking it over carefully, Hayato realized that the possibility was actually quite high.

With this idea in mind, Hayato began to consider how he could maximize the system's rewards during that incident.

It wasn't until he returned home that he snapped out of it and tapped his forehead. "The system is one thing, but I need to work hard on my own training as well."

If he were to abandon his personal progress just because of the system, that wouldn't be a mature choice.

"Let's start by taking a look at this genius's training manual."

When the night was as dark as ink, Hayato finally put down the manual.

"I have to say, he really is a genius."

Some of the insights into genjutsu and the Body Flicker Technique gave Hayato a lot to think about. As for Fire Style ninjutsu?

Don't even think about it. Although the Uchiha clan was famous for Fire Style, ordinary clan members still had to make significant contributions to obtain them, or rely on what had been left behind by their own families.

Even if Shisui were generous, he wouldn't write those techniques down.

Since joining the Police Force a few years ago, Hayato had acquired a few Fire Style techniques, but most were C-rank, and they were far inferior to the ones his father had left behind.

While they weren't particularly powerful, they were still much better than what some of the civilian ninjas in Konoha had.

For the next half month, Hayato maintained his usual rhythm of life. Without the urge to escape, his life felt significantly more relaxed.

Perhaps this was what they called a clear state of mind; previously, even though he had thought about running, he felt that he shouldn't do so.

There were people here he cared about, but with a blade hanging over his head, he had been forced to make a choice.

"This trait system is too difficult to trigger."

For over half a month, he had barely triggered the Bitter Fruit trait, as if all movements behind the scenes had come to a halt.

The calm before the storm?

A thought couldn't help but surface in his mind, and Hayato secretly grew vigilant.

Upon arriving at the Police Force building, just as he was thinking about changing into his gear, a figure hurried over.

"Hayato, Seiichi..."

After reeling off several names, the squad leader finally spoke: "Everyone, go prepare. There have been small-scale raids at the border, and the Hokage has issued a decree for the Uchiha Police Force to depart and assist."

Hearing this, Hayato and the others exchanged glances.

"What are you standing there for? Get moving!"

Seeing everyone dazed, the squad leader couldn't help but raise his voice.

Only then did everyone turn and head toward the locker room; they couldn't wear their Police Force uniforms while executing missions outside the village.

"What's the situation?"

Rin asked while changing her clothes.

Hayato didn't respond, but he felt a sense of unease in his heart.

The Uchiha clan did not accept Konoha missions during non-combat periods; this was the tone set by the Second Hokage back in the day.

Now that they had summoned two squads directly, it was hard to say...

Thinking of this, Hayato whispered, "Everyone be careful. This mission feels a bit off."

After changing his clothes, Hayato followed the two of them to collect the mission scroll.

Upon opening it, he saw that their squad's target location was in the border region between the Land of Fire and the Land of Rain.

"Let's go."

With that, Hayato headed straight toward the village gate.

The description in the mission was far too simple; it merely asked them to assist in dealing with bandits harassing the border.

However, it provided no accurate number of enemies, only the most rudimentary location.

Furthermore, this mission was only classified as C-rank, yet those who dared to harass the border could hardly be mere mountain bandits.

The three of them sped along the main road. Being able to join the Police Force meant they had passed the examinations, even though Hayato and the others had not yet awakened their eyes on the surface.

They had all been Chunin for several years, and even Rin, the weakest among them, had been one for nearly two years.

"Stop!"

A few hours after the team set out, Hayato suddenly raised his hand, and Seiichi and Rin stopped instantly.

On the main road not far ahead, a broken log as thick as a bowl lay across the path.

This was common in the dense forest, but Hayato noticed that the cut had been deliberately fashioned to look like a broken log.

"On guard!"