Open Your Eyes! Look What This Is

That was exhilarating!

Before this, they had only played at sparring with classmates their own age at school. Tonight, they had run into a spy from an enemy village!

Uchiha Ling raced along the wall beside them, quickly chasing after the spy.

You know, when running along walls, it was easier to keep your balance if you did not swing your arms back and forth, but instead held them thrown behind you—in the ninja running posture.

That spy was a speed-type ninja, with an extremely fast Body Flicker Technique and running speed.

Uchiha Ling suddenly felt that something was off.

There was no way that spy could escape. He would definitely be caught.

Then why was he running so desperately? Was he just afraid of dying and trying to stay alive for as long as he could?

Uchiha Ling had watched police chase recordings from the United States in his previous life. One major reason criminals sped away so desperately was to find an opportunity to throw out evidence like guns and drugs along the way. Another was to buy time for their accomplices to commit their crimes.

Spy missions in ninja villages were exceptionally brutal. Anyone who became a spy had to be prepared to die.

This spy's reckless sprint was likely meant to throw something away. It might have been evidence, or he might have been trying to put some distance between them before secretly dropping intelligence somewhere.

Thinking of this, Uchiha Ling leaped onto a rooftop and watched from above.

He saw the spy—and he also saw a glaring sight.

In a courtyard fifty meters to the left, two Hidden Leaf Village ninja in standard-issue vests stood there. One smoked while the other folded his arms, coldly watching the Uchiha Clan Military Police Force ninja bustle about without any intention of helping.

On the street to the right, a young couple instantly drew kunai into their hands. Even while relaxing, they kept kunai hidden in their sleeves, but when they saw that the pursuers were Uchiha Clan Military Police Force ninja, they sat back down on the bench.

The man even crossed one leg over the other and whispered to the woman, as though they were watching some kind of joke.

The Uchiha Clan Military Police Force had terrible public support.

With Konoha Village's density of ninja, if just two or three people had stepped in to block the way ahead, the spy would not have been able to act so brazenly.

His previous life talked about the police and the people being one family. Here, the relationship between the police and civilians was like that of the United States in his previous life: deeply fractured trust, a vicious cycle of violence, normalized excessive enforcement, and a closed loop of violence from both sides.

Back home, asking a police officer for directions was perfectly normal. In the United States, if you asked an officer for directions, they would reflexively reach for their gun first.

Just like how Military Police Force ninja had stormed into the school to arrest students not long ago, they showed no warmth at all and were extremely rough even with students.

Uchiha Ling withdrew his gaze and continued searching for the spy.

There he was. The spy burst out from around a street corner and turned into another alley.

Uchiha Ling raised an eyebrow, having spotted something unusual.

A small round ball slipped from the spy's sleeve. It was too dark to make out what it was.

With a flick of his toe, the spy kicked the little ball into a gap beneath a nearby trash can.

Just as expected!

He had known there was no point in the spy running around like a madman.

A second later, Uchiha Yashiro and his men turned the street corner, completely failing to notice the spy's movement.

After they had gone farther away, Uchiha Ling jumped down beside the trash can, took out a kunai, and swept the small round ball out from the gap beneath it.

It was a wax-sealed ball, and there should have been a note inside.

This was likely the last piece of intelligence he had left for his contact or handler. It was exceptionally valuable.

Holding the wax-sealed ball, Uchiha Ling hurried after Uchiha Yashiro and the others.

He had only chased them down one street when he saw the spy pinned to the ground.

At school, the spy had swaggered around and beaten down his classmates. Yet before Military Police Force elites like Uchiha Yashiro, he had not even gotten a chance to make a move.

To be honest, Uchiha Ling had just dreamed of defeating the spy as a student and far exceeding Uchiha Yashiro's expectations. What a pity—Uchiha Yashiro gave him no chance.

When Uchiha Tekka saw Uchiha Ling approach, he said, "Why is a little brat like you following so close? Aren't you afraid of delaying the Military Police Force's mission? Or are you not afraid of dying at the hands of a spy?"

Uchiha Yashiro said nothing, but he also felt that Uchiha Ling was unnecessary.

He was too young. Although he had gathered intelligence, performed excellently at the ninja academy, and even received praise from the clan head, he was still so reckless at such a young age. It greatly disappointed Yashiro.

Uchiha Ling said, "Senior Yashiro, can I say a few words to the spy?"

Uchiha Tekka frowned at the side. "Do you think this is some interrogation game for you to play? You think you can get intelligence out of him with just a few words?

If it were that simple, what would the Military Police Force's interrogation division be for?"

Uchiha Ling ignored Tekka and only looked at Uchiha Yashiro.

Uchiha Yashiro remembered Clan Head Fugaku's praise for Uchiha Ling and felt there was no need to clash with a talented junior of the clan over something so trivial.

"Go ahead. But this spy's identity is sensitive, so speak loudly. I need to know what you say to him."

"Speak loudly? Is that really okay? Uh, all right. I'll speak louder."

Uchiha Ling walked over to the spy and shouted, "Which village did you idiot come from? Your village must have had terrible luck to send you here as a spy!

If all your village's spies are like you, how much longer until your village is wiped out?"

Uchiha Yashiro was somewhat speechless. This genius personally approved by the clan head was actually trash-talking an enemy village's spy?

These spies had long been prepared to die. What was the point of trash talk?

He was even considering whether he should humbly ask a Yamanaka Clan ninja to use their mind-reading secret technique to obtain intelligence.

Yashiro thought it over, then dismissed the idea. It would make the Uchiha Clan seem helpless when it came to intelligence.

Uchiha Tekka rolled his eyes, unable to understand why he had lost to such a lunatic.

That night when he had sparred with Uchiha Ling, Uchiha Ling had trashed his defenses with insults. Could this be some sort of special mental illness Uchiha Ling had? Did he just love insulting people?

At that moment, Uchiha Ling pulled out a wax-sealed ball.

"Idiot! Turn your head around! Open your eyes! Look what this is!

Take a look! What is this?

You even kicked the intelligence beneath a trash can. Let me tell you, I was already on guard against that trick of yours.

I—"

Uchiha Ling was just getting started when a large hand covered his mouth.

Uchiha Yashiro hurriedly said, "Shut up! Stop talking! How could you reveal that you discovered the spy's backup plan? We could have used this to do so much more!"

Uchiha Yashiro was so anxious because he had seen the spy's eyes widen, his pupils shrink to the corners of his eyes, his face turn deathly pale, and copious sweat instantly stream down his forehead.

Clearly, the spy was in despair. His defenses had been broken. Uchiha Ling had not been lying—he really had discovered the spy's secret.

If the spy had known nothing, they might even have been able to dig out the spy's handler and contacts.

[A ninja near the host has had their defenses broken. The Defense-Breaking System is activating...]

Uchiha Ling was delighted. Following them around had not been a wasted trip.