Drop that lecturing tone

By the river in Konoha.

The body in the river was hauled ashore.

The female corpse's skin was pale and swollen all over, with wrinkled skin on her hands and feet, swollen lips turned outward, a deathly pale face, and disheveled hair plastered to her cheeks.

The swelling across her body was not particularly pronounced.

"The deceased was about twenty years old and had been dead for around two days."

Uchiha Xi crouched on the ground, studying the corpse as she carefully analyzed the situation.

"The deceased suffered a heavy blow to the head and died instantly."

Uchiha Jin looked down at the corpse, and detailed information appeared before his eyes.

[Deceased: Miyamoto Nao]

[Cause of death: nerves in the brain shattered by a palm strike two days ago]

[Killer: Hyūga Seigen]

This was an ability he had just exchanged five hundred points for in the system space.

[Death-Tracing Eye]

True to its name, it allowed him to see basic information about the deceased and their killer.

With this, he would not have to go to the trouble of tracking down clues to the murderer.

He could identify his target directly.

A flicker of surprise crossed his eyes when he saw the killer's name.

He had not expected the murderer to be a member of the Hyūga clan.

"Captain, we need to contact the Konoha Military Police Force Troops and have someone post portraits of the deceased so we can find her family to claim her body."

Uchiha Xi rose and looked at Uchiha Jin.

This was standard investigative procedure.

Only after finding the deceased's family could they learn whom she had seen recently and where she had been...

Then they could gradually narrow the scope until they found the murderer.

"No need. I know who the killer is."

Uchiha Jin looked at Uchiha Xuan. "Go ask the clan leader for a search warrant, and tell him what happened here while you're at it."

Uchiha Xuan and Uchiha Xi exchanged looks, each seeing the shock in the other's eyes.

No way!

What had they just heard?

The captain already knew the killer's identity?!

Was he kidding?!

They were all newcomers to the Konoha Military Police Force Troops.

Although his strength and talent had earned him immediate permanent status and a squad captain's position, surely this was taking things too far.

They had not even established the deceased's identity.

Yet their captain had already identified the suspect. How could he be this ridiculous?!

The two police rookies began questioning everything they knew.

They had never imagined the gap between people could be so vast.

Was their captain even human?!

"Yes."

Uchiha Xuan snapped out of his shock, then hurried off to the Konoha Military Police Force Troops.

"Captain, did you really find a trace of the killer?"

Uchiha Xi looked at the corpse on the ground, then at her captain's calm expression.

How on earth had he figured it out?!

She could only determine the cause and time of death. The corpse did not seem to reveal anything else.

Could the deceased have told the captain herself?

In fact, she had wanted to ask ever since Uchiha Jin identified Sarutobi Shōtarō as the murderer.

"My eyes can see evil."

Uchiha Jin's tone was serious, without any hint of a joke.

In truth, he really was not joking.

The title provided by the system allowed him to identify the killer quickly.

He had no need to investigate suspects the way the other clan members did.

The corner of Uchiha Xi's mouth twitched, and she rolled her eyes in exasperation.

"Captain, stop joking. How could eyes possibly see evil?"

She froze halfway through speaking.

Because when Uchiha Jin looked at her, a sudden chill ran down her spine.

It was as though all her little secrets had been discovered.

Fortunately, that feeling soon disappeared.

She looked at Uchiha Jin in disbelief, suddenly realizing that her captain did not seem to be lying.

For that instant, it had felt as though he had seen straight through her!

Uchiha Xi instinctively covered her chest and looked warily at her captain.

Could this guy have some special ability?

"There's no need to cover up that flat chest. Your measurements aren't even as big as my pecs."

Seeing her guarded expression, Uchiha Jin could not resist muttering the remark.

Although children in the Shinobi World matured mentally at an early age, their physical development proceeded at a normal rate.

Being flat-chested at thirteen was very common.

Some things, if absent when development began, were hard to acquire even after development ended.

"Captain!!!"

Uchiha Xi bristled the instant she heard that.

How could this guy comment on someone else's figure with such a straight face?!

What a bastard!

"If my honesty hurt you, I can apologize."

Uchiha Jin's attitude was sincere. He had accidentally spoken his thoughts aloud just now.

"Forget it. There's no need."

Uchiha Xi waved a hand and pouted unhappily.

"You were telling the truth, after all."

"I've heard people say eating more papaya can help with development..."

Uchiha Xi's eyes lit up. "Really?"

"I only heard about it. I haven't verified it."

"Then I'll try it when I get back..."

As the two chatted, Uchiha Xuan arrived with the search warrant, followed by three veteran members of the Konoha Military Police Force Troops.

"Jin, Xuan said you've identified the killer?"

The Uchiha captain leading them was named Sumitsugu. He was a Jonin of the clan and a staunch member of the Pro-Peace Faction.

He had no kind looks for the clan's Hawk Faction.

"Yes."

Uchiha Jin nodded, took the search warrant from Xuan, and prepared to leave.

"Take care of the body. I'm going to arrest the killer."

"Nonsense!"

At this, Uchiha Sumitsugu rebuked him coldly, making no attempt to hide the contempt in his eyes.

"You're a newcomer who only just joined the Konoha Military Police Force Troops. Don't think stumbling into solving one case gives you the right to do whatever you please!"

Uchiha Jin stopped and turned to look at him calmly.

"What if I insist on doing whatever I please?"

The question left Uchiha Sumitsugu at a loss for words.

He had intended to give the boy a proper warning as his senior and tell him to look for evidence when investigating cases.

Rather than resorting to extreme methods to make the killer confess.

After all, this boy was the one who had ruined the Uchiha Clan's reputation lately.

Yet the other party did not take him seriously at all...

It made him feel that his authority had been challenged.

"Boy, do you even know how to respect your seniors?!"

Uchiha Sumitsugu's face turned livid, and he instinctively clenched his fists.

"Law enforcement isn't child's play. Reckless behavior only tarnishes the clan's reputation!"

"How I do things is none of your business."

Uchiha Jin frowned, his expression deeply impatient.

"Drop that lecturing tone. I'm not your subordinate, and you have no right to order me around."

The instant he finished speaking, scarlet replaced the black of his eyes.

"If you interfere with my investigation again, I won't mind making you suffer a little."

Faced with Uchiha Jin's undisguised threat, Uchiha Sumitsugu trembled with rage.

He was an elite Jonin of the Uchiha Clan, yet a wet-behind-the-ears brat had threatened him.

Infuriating!

Of course, this boy had the credentials to be arrogant.

After all, he was an elite Jonin at only eleven years old.

"Hmph. Let's see how you investigate this case..."

Uchiha Sumitsugu wisely said no more. If he truly angered the boy, things would become difficult to resolve.

He was a veteran elite Jonin picking on a child.

Winning would earn him nothing, while losing would ruin him for the rest of his life.

He had examined the corpse just now.

There were no clues pointing to the killer at all.

He refused to believe this boy could find the killer from the corpse alone!

When things went wrong, he would have to lodge a harsh complaint against this boy with the clan leader.