As for the Inuzuka Clan, they were fired up.
"Hey! You lot!"
Inuzuka Tsume planted one foot on a wooden post in the training ground, the fur of the Fierce Wind Wolfdog behind her whipping in the morning breeze. Her sharp gaze swept across the clan's elite, and her booming voice nearly shook the dew from the treetops.
"Is there anyone in all of Konoha better suited for the Police Force than us ninja hound handlers?"
"No!!" The Inuzuka clansmen roared in unison, their voices scattering the birds through the forest. More than thirty ninja hounds threw back their heads and howled, their barks rising and falling like a battle hymn.
Inuzuka Tsume grinned, revealing sharp canine teeth. She yanked the short blade from her waist, its gleaming edge drawing a silver arc beneath the rising sun. "Then remember this—from today onward, we will become the strongest police division!"
"Certain victory!!!"
"Woof! Woof woof!"
The sleek-furred ninja hounds clawed excitedly at the ground, while veins bulged in the Inuzuka clansmen's necks. The entire training ground was filled with an almost tangible fighting spirit, so fervent that even the morning mist was driven away.
"Move out! Let's take over our territory!"
With a broad wave of Inuzuka Tsume's hand, the Inuzuka clansmen surged toward Police Force headquarters like a wolf pack. The agile forms of the ninja hounds raced alongside their masters, their paws thundering across the stone streets.
At the same time, the Kurama Clan's gathering place was shrouded in an entirely different kind of grim air.
Kurama Tianya stood before the ancestral hall, leaning on his snake-headed staff. Thirty-six clansmen—from Haku-haired elders to newly graduated Genin—stood in neat formation. Every forehead protector had been polished to a shine, and their eyes were frighteningly resolute.
"Listen carefully." The old clan