The conversation outside the door continued.
Uchiha Hikari lowered her voice, sounding all too eager to stir things up.
"Captain, why are your palms sweating?"
"When you came out of Root yesterday, you told the whole squad you'd personally thank the deputy captain today."
Yashiro's heavy breathing was audible even through the door.
"I know I'm here to thank him. Do you have to remind me?"
"All right, all right, you're thanking him. Then open the door and go in."
"Shut up. Let me catch my breath."
Standing outside the door, Yashiro felt as though his legs were weighed down with lead.
He was a renowned elite jonin of the Uchiha Clan.
With his Three-Tomoe Sharingan activated, he was a fearsome presence on the battlefield.
Yet now he had to bow his head to a seventeen-year-old genin who could barely use the Great Fireball properly.
That hurdle stood in his heart, and he simply couldn't get over it.
But what had happened in the Root Dungeon yesterday was etched into his mind like knife cuts.
Two Anbu who served directly under the Hokage had charged into the dungeon with the Hokage's written order and freed him from the torture rack.
They had told Yashiro that Chikage had argued his case in the Hokage's Office, forcing the Hokage to order his release and even making Danzo sign a payment receipt for 350,000 Ryo.
That was an enormous debt of gratitude.
So enormous that if Yashiro didn't come to thank him, he would never be able to hold his head high in the clan again.
Outside the door, Uchiha Hikari gave him another shove.
Yashiro took a deep breath, gritted his teeth, and pushed the deputy captain's office door open hard.
The door struck the wall with a dull thud.
Yashiro strode inside, his expression as stiff as stone.
He had assumed Chikage would seize this opportunity to throw his weight around as deputy captain.
After all, back in the Konoha Military Police Force, he had often used Chikage's lack of strength to put him in his place.
Now that the tables had turned, anyone would have taken the chance to mock him a little.
But when he reached the desk, he froze.
Chikage wasn't even looking at him.
The newly appointed deputy captain had his legs propped comfortably on the edge of his desk.
Holding a copy of the Konoha Daily, he hadn't even glanced at the front-page news. Instead, he was engrossed in the shop discounts printed on the back.
Only at the sound of the door opening did Chikage slowly lower the newspaper a little, revealing his eyes.
"If you break that door, the repairs are coming out of your pay."
Chikage's voice was lazy, completely lacking the smugness and arrogance Yashiro had expected.
Yashiro's face flushed red, his hands pressed tightly against the seams of his trousers.
He looked at the young man before him, more than a decade his junior.
The image of Chikage leading the squad to the Hokage Building yesterday flashed through his mind.
This perpetual genin had accomplished something that even he, an elite jonin, wouldn't have dared dream of.
Yashiro snapped his feet together and straightened his back.
Then he bent sharply forward, delivering a full ninety-degree bow.
"Deputy captain!"
Yashiro's voice boomed like thunder, making the office windows rattle.
"Thank you for saving me from Root yesterday!"
"I, Uchiha Yashiro, owe you my life!"
"I misjudged you before and failed to recognize your abilities. Punish me however you see fit for any offense I caused!"
Once he had shouted those words, Yashiro finally felt the weight lift from his heart.
He closed his eyes and waited for Chikage's mockery or reprimand.
But he waited for a long while without hearing a sound in the office.
Yashiro secretly raised his head and saw that Chikage had already taken his legs off the desk.
Chikage tossed the newspaper aside, stood up, and walked over to the tea cabinet.
He picked up the teapot and poured a cup of hot tea.
Then he carried the cup over to Yashiro and offered it to him.
"All right, shouting that loudly, aren't you worried you'll wreck your voice?"
Chikage pressed the cup into Yashiro's hands.
Holding the warm cup, Yashiro stood utterly stunned.
This was nothing like what he had expected.
Chikage returned to his desk and sat down again.
"Captain Yashiro, did you think I'd take this opportunity to knock you down a peg or two to establish my authority?"
Yashiro said nothing, but his expression said it all.
Chikage shook his head and took a sip from his own cup.
"You've underestimated me, and you've underestimated the rules of our police force."
"You're part of my Second Squad."
"If you get arrested while carrying out your duties and I, your deputy captain, don't say a damn word, who's going to dare work under me afterward?"
"I didn't take people to the Hokage Building to show off what I could do."
"I went to tell the higher-ups that they can't just arrest our police officers whenever they feel like it."
Chikage looked Yashiro in the eye, his tone turning serious.
"We're both Uchiha, and we're in the same squad. We're family, so there's no need to stand on ceremony."
"Following the rules and protecting our colleagues is what we're supposed to do."
"If you really feel you owe me something, do a better job handling fieldwork from now on."
"Don't bother me with petty nonsense and keep me from getting off work on time."
Yashiro held his cup, his fingers trembling slightly.
As he looked at Chikage's young face, emotions surged through him.
The Uchiha Clan had always believed that strength reigned supreme.
Whoever had the strongest fists was right.
But no matter how strong those fists were, could they overpower the Hokage's authority? Could they guard against Root's treachery?
For all these years, the Uchiha had suffered indignities throughout the village because they only knew how to solve problems with their fists.
Instead, that had given the higher-ups leverage against them, driving them step by step toward the edge of a cliff.
And what about Chikage?
He had never displayed powerful chakra, nor had he awakened his Sharingan.
But he understood the rules.
He knew how to use the village's own rules to slap the higher-ups in the face.
That kind of vision, that kind of skill, was more effective than a hundred Great Fireballs.
Yashiro set his cup on the desk, took half a step back, and stood straight.
This time, he didn't bow. Instead, he raised his right hand and struck it firmly against the left side of his chest.
This was the police force's solemn gesture of trust and respect.
"Deputy captain!"
Yashiro's voice was no longer the strained shout it had been before, but carried a heartfelt resolve.
"From today onward, the Second Squad's field personnel are yours to command!"
"As long as an order is issued in accordance with the law, I, Yashiro, will be the first to carry it out!"
"If anyone dares bother you with nonsense after hours, I'll make them complete the proper procedures first!"
The office door had never been fully closed.
The police officers outside, who had been listening intently all along, could no longer contain themselves.
Uchiha Hikari was the first to push the door open and squeeze inside.
"Deputy captain, count us in too!"
"From now on, everyone in the Second Squad will follow your rules!"
More than a dozen police officers crowded into the doorway, saluting in unison as they pledged their support.
If Fugaku had seen this, his eyes probably would have popped out of his head.
The mighty Second Squad, one of the Uchiha Clan's most elite police units.
And just like that, a perpetual genin had won their hearts.
Watching his fired-up clansmen, Chikage rubbed his temples with a slight headache.
"All right, all right, enough pledges."
"Get back to work."
"Hikari, go check the compensation breakdowns for those shops on South Street again."
"Yashiro, your injuries haven't healed yet. Stay in the main hall and send the patrol teams out onto the streets. Don't let anyone from the Shimura Clan cause trouble again."
"Dismissed. Get on with your jobs."
Everyone answered in unison and left the office in high spirits.
Yashiro was the last to leave, carefully closing the door for Chikage.
The office fell quiet again.
Chikage let out a long breath.
He had finally managed to settle those hardliners down.
With that promise from Yashiro, he wouldn't have to worry about fieldwork anymore.
He could sit in his office in peace, drinking tea and reading the newspaper, clocking in on time every day to earn points.
Chikage propped his legs back on the desk.
He picked up the Konoha Daily and resumed studying the discount promotion at the dango shop on South Street.
Buy three, get one free. That's a pretty good deal.
I'll buy four boxes after work, eat two myself, and bring the other two to Itachi and Sasuke.
Perfect.
Just as Chikage was planning his wonderful life after work...
A sudden, violent commotion erupted outside the main hall.
It was even louder than Yashiro and the others had been while pledging their support.
He could faintly hear a few angry curses being muttered.
Chikage lowered the newspaper and raised an eyebrow slightly.
These guys just said they'd never bother me with nonsense. How are they already kicking up a fuss after only a few minutes?
The office door was flung open.
A young police officer hurried inside.
He was running so fast that he nearly tripped over the threshold and fell flat on his face.
"Deputy captain! Something's happened!"
The young officer's face was filled with anger, his chest heaving so hard that he couldn't catch his breath.
Chikage lowered his legs and took a sip of tea.
"If the sky falls, the Hokage can hold it up. What are you panicking for?"
"Speak properly. Get your tongue untangled first."
The young officer swallowed and pointed toward the area outside the main hall.
"It's Shisui!"
"Shisui's here!"
Before you continue