Two days later, Saturday.
Fugaku arrived at the meeting room right on time, dressed in standard Police Force attire, accompanied by Kyudai.
As Fugaku stepped into the conference room, all the Captains and Deputy Captains seated neatly inside stood up to greet him.
Fugaku nodded and was about to announce the start of the meeting when suddenly the door opened again.
Everyone turned their surprised gazes toward the entrance.
A man with short hair and a long face, his expression fierce-looking, entered first.
His tall, muscular figure immediately drew attention, so much that nobody noticed Musashi, Sekkou, and others walking in his wake.
Kintai ignored the stares and greetings, directly looking at Fugaku at the head seat and the chair next to him.
Without saying anything, he walked straight over and sat down beside Fugaku.
"Fugaku, you left me a seat?"
He said, settling into the chair with a bit of a squirm. "This spot's too tight though."
Then he glanced around and looked at Kyudai. "Go get me a bigger chair."
Kyudai hesitated, glancing at Fugaku before heading out to find another chair.
Fugaku casually asked, "When did you arrive?"
"Arrived in Konoha late last night," Kintai replied. "I originally wanted a good night's sleep, but when I reached our clan compound, there wasn't even a house left. I stood there blankly for a moment before we all remembered the move happened almost two months ago. And when we got back there, the new compound... I didn't sleep well, so I overslept a bit. Sorry about that everyone."
Fugaku showed no signs of annoyance as he sympathetically replied, "Of course it takes some getting used to in a new environment."
"Yeah, gotta adjust alright! New clan compound, new Police Building, even the entire Police Department feels different now—I almost don't recognize this place anymore..."
Just then, Kyudai re-entered carrying a large and comfortable chair.
Fugaku glanced at Kintai, who now occupied the oversized chair with ease, and announced, "The Police Force meeting will now begin!"
...
The final Police Force meeting of Konoha Year 49 was unusually long. The details were mostly lost to memory, except for one key result—the moment the meeting ended, the Police Force issued one official announcement and two internal notices.
The official announcement concerned recruitment. Compared to previous announcements, this one notably included Uchiha clan members among those eligible to apply.
Regardless of origin, whether an Uchiha or not, anyone confident enough could submit an application.
This recruitment mainly targeted patrol officers; the job was safe and easy, with stable and generous pay, making it extremely attractive to mid- to low-level ninjas.
Though other ninja had previously shown interest, seeing past recruitments only open to non-Uchihas caused concern and hesitation. Now that both were welcome, those concerns faded away.
Therefore, after the notice went public, the Police Force quickly received a flood of applicants.
The two internal notices covered performance evaluations (and dismissals) and the Flying Tigers' selection process.
As the name suggested, from now on, members of the Police Force would undergo evaluations—those who failed would not be retained.
The Flying Tigers recruitment notice stated that as the elite unit of the Police Force, only those with formidable strength could qualify. The re-election would take place after the New Year celebrations—positions would go to the capable and eliminate the weak.
With these two internal announcements, members of the Uchiha clan within the Police Force began to feel anxious.
Regardless of whether regular officers liked their work in the Police Force, being part of the Uchiha division was an honor in itself. Being expelled would be a devastating disgrace—not only for themselves but also for their entire families. Therefore, many started actively inquiring about the exam content and quietly stepping up their training.
Meanwhile, the stronger Uchiha members were eager and ready to sign up for the Flying Tigers selection. Whether it was the position of captain, vice-captain, instructor, squad leader, or even regular member, all attracted keen attention from Uchiha elites.
As the entire Uchiha clan in Konoha sprang into motion, two of them remained outside this whirlwind—far away from Konoha altogether.
In the southern district of Yokohama City, far from the bustling streets, dilapidated houses surrounded the area.
Within these ruined buildings lived many displaced commoners and beggars.
Winter cold was merciless. Without warm clothing, the destitute usually huddled together in straw, waiting for winter to pass.
Yet today, they acted differently. One by one, they emerged from their shanties, heading toward an old estate in the southern district.
Begging and wandering crowds, with unkempt hair and shining eyes, looked at the new plaque above the gate.
It read "Shelter of Compassion."
Some could read the sign; others could not. But all had heard yesterday's news—that someone would be serving rice porridge today.
Before long, the appointed time arrived, and the estate's gates opened.
First came two fierce-looking guards, each wielding a blade. They stood before the courtyard, scaring back the approaching crowd of displaced people.
Afterward, more people came out from the house carrying supplies, quickly setting up a large fire and placing a giant pot upon it.
White rice was poured into the cauldron, sparking glimmers of hope in the eyes of the refugees. Some even displayed a dangerous gleam, rushing forward all at once.
Seeing the sudden surge, the two sword-wielding men immediately drew their blades. "Line up in order for your portion. Anyone who cuts in line or causes trouble will permanently lose eligibility."
Their expressions were savage, and their voices carried a deadly aura, instantly intimidating the crowd.
However, hunger clouded judgment, and madness slowly returned to their eyes. At this moment, another figure stepped out from inside.
The Bald Man emerged. In the bitter cold, he walked bare-chested, proudly displaying his bulging chest muscles and abdomen, an Iron Armor of muscle.
"Silence!"
A powerful, commanding voice clearly reached everyone's ears.
"Today, I am offering this rice porridge, ensuring every person gets a bowl and no one goes hungry. If you maintain order, this Shelter of Compassion may open again tomorrow and the day after.
"But if there's crowding, trampling, cutting in line, or fighting over food, then I will close this Shelter of Compassion for good."
After finishing, he ignored the crowd and returned indoors.
Staring at his decisive departure, the displaced people exchanged glances. Directed by others, they gradually formed a long line.
The first snowfall had just arrived, and desperation had not yet taken hold of them.
Hearing that there might be more rice rations coming up, no one wanted to burn their last bridge.
Returning to the house, a frail middle-aged man approached and said, "Master Li Qing!"
Aozora gave a nod and sat down lazily on a chair, his lips sealed.
After what felt like forever, Aozora finally opened his eyes—just for a flash of excitement to pass through.
Then, he led his tamed right-hand man to a room in the backyard. He pointed at two boxes—one large, one small—and said, "There are two boxes here. The big one holds money for relief efforts, while the small one's yours to keep. Once the big box runs dry, split the small box's cash and get lost. From then on, it's all up to you."
The underboss gasped, "You're leaving all this money with me? You really trust me that much?"
Aozora bent his arm slightly and replied, "If you betray me, next time I'll use this hand to blow your head off."
Instantly recalling yesterday's bloodshed, the underboss trembled as he promised, "No way! I'll carry out the rice rationing exactly as ordered!"
"Good. Remember those words."
As soon as he finished speaking, Aozora instantly vanished from the house using the Body Flicker Technique.
Two days earlier, after finalizing plans with Fugaku, Aozora had taken a leave of absence, claiming he was heading to Kyoto to investigate certain matters.
In truth, Aozora had another purpose.
First, he needed to accumulate Gongde—to accelerate the nurturing of his Soul Division and also to improve the Lightning-Fire Golden Body and [Fire Release: Intelligent Hard Work].
After wiping out two gangs of Mountain Bandits, Aozora found this method too slow and began thinking of alternatives.
Coincidentally, a beggar had approached him for alms, sparking an idea—relief for displaced commoners. Using the Sharingan, he interrogated several bandits and selected a few relatively clean ones, giving them a chance to use the gang's grain and money reserves to aid disaster victims.
He tested the idea today and saw that it worked. Now he planned to replicate the pilot.
However, before proceeding, Aozora had something else to attend to.
"Summoning Technique!"
*Puff!*
With a burst of white smoke, Karasu—the lowest IQ ninja crow—appeared beside Aozora.
*Cawww... Caaaawww...*
Rarely summoned, Karasu circled briefly in the air before landing.
"Aozora, what do you need me for?"
Aozora tossed Karasu a bag of dried meat he liked and asked, "Where is my brother Shisui now?"
Karasu caught the bag with one claw and cheerfully replied, "Don't know. Shisui hasn't used summoning lately."
Aozora fell silent for a moment, then entered a small shop to buy stationery and quickly wrote a letter to Shisui.
He carefully folded the letter, slipped it into an envelope, and handed it to Karasu.
"Deliver this to Shisui and check out his surroundings."
"Got it!"
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