Fugaku's Ambitions

Yūto was deeply disappointed.

Because claiming the compensation required him to give it his all, Yūto had been forced to do everything he could to hide himself while gathering material last night.

He had originally muttered to himself that he was only a Genin, so the female ninja would surely notice his clumsy concealment.

Yet, to his surprise, he had gathered material late into the night, until the bathhouse closed, without a single person discovering him.

He had thus been forced to acquire a great deal of material.

With his head full of memories of pale flesh, Yūto lay speechless on his little bed.

How annoying. Another day of failing to die.

He muttered to himself, reviewing the recent incidents in which he could have died but hadn't.

"Lightning strike: left a step too early and ended up alive and kicking."

"Coup: the Hawk Faction chickened out. All that effort for nothing."

"Assassination: pure overthinking. That one doesn't count."

"Spy: the guy was utterly useless. No challenge at all."

"Gathering material: the female ninja had thrown their vigilance out the window. Another failure."

Yūto felt that his life was a little hopeless. In just two short days, he had tried five times to fraudulently claim compensation, yet not one attempt had succeeded.

The closest he had come to success had actually been the least reliable option: an accident.

"If only a Shinobi World War would break out right now. On the battlefield, I'd surely be able to die without a hitch..."

The Konoha Military Police Force.

Seated at his desk, Fugaku studied the report his secretary had brought him, his brows drawn tight and his fingers unconsciously tapping the desktop.

The report before him listed the number of spies discovered by patrol teams over the past few days, roughly dozens of times the usual number.

That did not even include the spies from other villages who had successfully concealed themselves.

In fact, the spies who had been discovered were all small fry, generally at Chunin strength. Their skills were lacking, so naturally, they would not cause much damage to the village.

The real trouble lay with the spies who had successfully hidden themselves. Their strength varied, but they were proficient in disguise, concealment, and intelligence gathering. Once they put down roots in Konoha, they would definitely cause serious trouble!

Every member of the Military Police Force had already been sent out on patrol, leaving them stretched thin.

There were hardly any members available to capture spies now, and looking at the report gave Fugaku a terrible headache.

"Who should I send to capture the spies...?"

Fugaku took out the Uchiha Clan's member roster. After some careful thought, he turned to Yūto's page.

"Sigh, Yūto. Looks like I'll have to trouble you again."

"Still, Yūto's strength is a little lacking. I'll have to assign him two reliable teammates."

"Shisui can be one. That boy is very dependable. Having him accompany Yūto would work."

"As for the other one, who should I choose...?"

Just then, a knock came at the office door. After receiving Fugaku's permission, a long-haired Uchiha girl pushed it open and entered.

She stood respectfully before his desk. "Clan Leader, my grandfather sent me to help out at the Military Police Force."

Hearing her mention her grandfather, Fugaku raised his head in puzzlement, shifting his gaze from the roster to the Uchiha girl.

Once he recognized his visitor, he felt somewhat suspicious.

Wasn't Uchiha Tsukimi the Elder's granddaughter? Why would she join the Military Police Force?

Allowing some members of the Hawk Faction to join the Military Police Force had already been that old man's limit. Why was he throwing his own granddaughter into it now?

Tsukimi did not particularly want to join the Military Police Force either. With her strength, she could earn more by taking missions outside the village. Joining the Military Police Force meant receiving only a meager salary instead.

But who knew what her grandfather had been thinking lately? He had suddenly taken it into his head to have her join the Military Police Force, and had even spent all of last night trying to talk her into it.

Unable to win against her grandfather, she had no choice but to agree.

One thing in particular bothered her: last night, her grandfather had told her to get closer to Yūto.

She had no desire to get close to him now. She had kindly cooked him dinner that day, yet not only had he been ungrateful, he had even described their relationship as merely being acquainted.

That guy was far too ungrateful.

After all, she had kindly helped him make dinner. He ought to have properly thanked her. Even treating her as a good friend would have been fine.

What was that "merely acquainted" nonsense? Stupid Yūto!

Looking at Uchiha Tsukimi before him, Fugaku suddenly had a bold idea.

Could he convert this granddaughter of the Hawk Faction's leader into a member of the Dove Faction too?

As it happened, Yūto's squad consisted of only Shisui and himself. Adding a woman would make it a three-person squad.

Fugaku felt that, with Shisui's abilities, looking after two people should be more than manageable.

Moreover, Shisui and Yūto were very loyal to the village. He believed that after the three spent a long time together, Tsukimi would change her views as well.

At that thought, Fugaku's stern expression softened into a gentle smile. "Tsukimi, do you have any preferences regarding your specific duties?"

Tsukimi thought it over. Work in the Military Police Force was probably less dangerous than the missions she could take, so she could likely handle any assignment.

"Clan Leader, anything is fine with me."

"Good, then..."

A calculating smile curled Fugaku's lips.

Tsukimi accepted the appointment letter Fugaku handed her. After giving it a quick scan, her expression grew somewhat awkward.

She had not expected him to assign her to the same squad as Yūto. She had only just given Yūto the cold shoulder a couple of days ago. How was she supposed to get along with him now?

The squad's atmosphere would surely be awful.

With an awful atmosphere, work would be difficult too. If she could only drag herself to work every day, she would be better off doing missions on her own.

Life was hard. Tsukimi sighed.

Noticing Tsukimi's shifting expressions, Fugaku felt puzzled.

What was wrong with this girl? Ever since receiving the appointment letter, she had looked conflicted.

"What's wrong, Tsukimi? Are you unhappy with this arrangement?"

Tsukimi hurriedly shook her head. She had just said any assignment would be fine. If she changed her tune now, wouldn't that make her someone who talked big?

The Uchiha Clan had always been proud. As the Elder's granddaughter, she had even less room to act inconsistently.

Otherwise, if word got out, who knew what people would say behind her back?

Tsukimi sighed. "It's nothing, Clan Leader. This assignment is quite good..."

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

Fugaku nodded. Tsukimi put away the appointment letter and left the Military Police Force.

Walking down the road, Tsukimi looked up at the sky, her brain working so fast it was nearly overheating.

"What am I supposed to do about this...?"

"This is all Grandpa's fault. Taking missions and earning money was perfectly fine. Why did he have to throw me into the hellhole that is the Military Police Force?!"