Uchiha Jin

[Let me put up a disclaimer: the protagonist fights violence with violence when arresting criminals. If that is not your thing, feel free to scroll past.]

After all, killing ordinary people was easier than killing chickens for ninja, and they were practically certain to leave no evidence of their crimes.]

[If you investigated the scene through conventional means, finding the killer would be impossible.]

[It is not like today, with surveillance cameras everywhere, fingerprint searches, and DNA testing. If I really wrote this logically, finding the killer would be impossible...]

Year 49 of Konoha.

The Third Shinobi World War had only recently ended.

The brutality of war had cost many ninja families their members.

The Uchiha Konoha Military Police Force.

Although the Uchiha Clan did not normally need to carry out missions, they all had to go to the battlefield and fight the enemy during wartime.

After the war ended, many positions stood vacant.

So today, they were recruiting new members to maintain order in the village.

"Just thinking about those two geniuses coming here is putting more and more pressure on me."

A young Uchiha Clan member around twenty gave a bitter smile.

He considered himself fairly talented within the clan, having become a jonin before twenty-five.

But he was nothing compared to true geniuses!

"I hope they won't be too difficult to get along with."

Another Uchiha Clan woman murmured softly.

In the Uchiha Clan, strength meant everything, and the weak had no say before the strong.

Never mind that they had served in the Konoha Military Police Force Troops for nearly ten years.

Seniority counted for little in the face of strength.

Those two geniuses, for instance, did not even need to start at the bottom when they joined. They would be squad leaders at the very least!

"Shisui Uchiha should be pretty easy to get along with."

The Uchiha Clan jonin who had spoken earlier responded with a smile.

"I've seen him in the clan compound before."

Shisui Uchiha was one of the clan's recognized geniuses and had gone to the battlefield at eight.

With his self-created Phantom Body Flicker Technique, he had swept across the battlefield, earning the title Body Flicker Shisui, recognized throughout the Shinobi World!

His Body Flicker Technique was faster than that of every ninja of his generation, and he excelled at silent surprise attacks, rescues behind enemy lines, and single-handedly cutting off enemy supply lines.

He had routed Kirigakure's elite forces and intimidated its leadership. When facing the Kirigakure jonin Ao, he had taken down two of his subordinates with long-range genjutsu, and Ao had only barely escaped thanks to his Byakugan.

At a young age, he had completed numerous high-ranked solo missions, greatly reducing the village's casualties.

A genius like that was the clan's pride!

And there were two such geniuses...

As the Uchiha Clan members discussed them in hushed voices, Uchiha Fugaku entered the hall with the newly recruited clan members.

The room instantly fell silent.

Everyone's gaze passed over their composed, imposing clan head in unison and settled on the boy behind him.

The boy was not yet twelve, but he stood a full 1.7 meters tall. His frame was lean and trim, and he had completely shed his childish immaturity.

His standard black Uchiha Clan high-collared uniform set off his fair skin. His features were calm and indifferent, his eyes a deep, inky black, concealing composure and shrewdness far beyond his peers.

Most striking of all was the fat, pure-black cat draped lazily over his shoulder.

The black cat's fur was fluffy and glossy, its body round. Its amber, slit-pupiled eyes were narrowed, and a vicious scar marked its left eye. It lounged there, ignoring the gazes directed its way.

Boy and cat stood quietly. The boy remained silent, his eyes lowered, as an air of cool detachment quietly spread.

"So that's Uchiha Jin?"

The members of the Uchiha Konoha Military Police Force stared at the boy and whispered among themselves, completely ignoring the twenty or thirty newly recruited clan members behind him.

"Ahem."

Uchiha Fugaku cleared his throat softly, and the murmurs in the room instantly vanished.

"We have new members joining today, so I'll say a few words."

With that, he walked to the center of the hall and explained the Konoha Military Police Force Troops' rules and duties to the newcomers.

Uchiha Jin listened to Fugaku's explanation, while the clanspeople around him dared not stand too close.

Founded by the Second Hokage Tobirama Senju and placed entirely under the Uchiha Clan's control, the Konoha Military Police Force Troops was Konoha's sole designated law-and-order agency.

It was something like the ninja village's "criminal investigation unit plus city defense brigade."

One had to acknowledge the Second Hokage's political acumen.

Putting the Uchiha Clan in charge of the Konoha Military Police Force Troops ostensibly acknowledged the clan's combat strength, granted its members law-enforcement authority within the village, and eased tensions between the two groups.

In reality, this confined the Uchiha Clan to internal public-security affairs and cut it off from the core of military and political power.

The Uchiha Clan members did not need to leave the village on missions, while their movements could all be monitored in one place to prevent another rebellion like Madara Uchiha's.

The work itself was also quite simple.

The most basic duties were daily patrols throughout the village and stopping fights between ninja and disputes among civilians.

At a more advanced level, they arrested criminals and infiltrating spies within the village, while also guarding Konoha Prison and interrogating ordinary ninja involved in cases.

One could say the Uchiha Clan held considerable power within the village!

They possessed the authority to conduct warrantless patrols and arrests, priority in law enforcement, the right to conduct searches within the village, and the privilege of internal clan autonomy: selection, promotion, and punishment of members were decided entirely within the Uchiha Clan, and neither the Hokage nor the leadership had the authority to interfere in its internal affairs.

The Konoha Military Police Force Troops' commander was nominated directly by the clan, requiring no approval from the Hokage or the leadership.

They had an independent police headquarters, dedicated training grounds, cells for holding criminals, and a separate public-security budget allocated by the village each year.

It could be called a secure livelihood in Konoha reserved exclusively for the Uchiha Clan members.

"Jin, come with me."

After finishing his speech, Uchiha Fugaku took Uchiha Jin to his office.

"Clan head, what did you need me for?"

Facing one of the clan's rare geniuses, Uchiha Fugaku no longer wore his earlier stern expression. Instead, a rare gentleness appeared on his face.

"I intend to let you skip the probationary period and become a full police officer directly, with the rank of squad leader."

The Konoha Military Police Force Troops was divided into trainee patrol officers and full police officers.

The ranks of full police officers, from lowest to highest, were member, squad leader, platoon leader, company commander, deputy commander, and commander.

A squad leader could lead two trainees.

"Fine."

Uchiha Jin nodded at that, able to tell that the clan head was trying to win him over.

"If there's nothing else, clan head, I'll be going."

As he spoke, he prepared to turn and leave, feeling no stir at all over being promoted from trainee to full officer.

"Wait..."

Just then, Uchiha Fugaku suddenly stopped him. After a moment of silence, he asked a question.

"Why were you unwilling to join the Anbu?"

After the Third Shinobi World War ended, the Third Hokage had taken notice of their talents.

He had therefore approached Shisui and Jin, inviting them to join the Anbu.

This was a good thing for the Uchiha Clan. Joining the Anbu meant being recognized by the leadership!

Breaking out of the Konoha Military Police Force Troops' closed circle would give them access to Konoha's core power.

After all, the Konoha Military Police Force Troops handled only the village's public security and could never gain access to border warfare, diplomacy, or the leadership's secrets.

The Anbu, however, served directly under the Hokage. Its members could participate in national missions, interact with the village's leadership, and learn its secret intelligence, no longer merely "law enforcers guarding the gates."

Through clan members who joined the Anbu, the clan could learn the latest intelligence about the village.

But unexpectedly, Uchiha Jin had actually refused.

Neither the Uchiha Clan nor the Konoha High Command could understand it...

Uchiha Jin stopped without turning to look at Fugaku and simply left him with one calm remark.

"There's no particular reason. If I had to give one, would being part of the Uchiha Clan count?"

With those words, he strode out of the commander's office.

Uchiha Fugaku watched the boy's departing back, a rare smile appearing on his usually stern face.

"The Uchiha Clan, huh..."