After Hatsuhinode (the first shrine visit of the New Year), the following days were completely devoted to shopping and visiting friends.
During this time, villagers began moving around, exchanging New Year gifts, while elders prepared generous red envelopes, waiting for younger generations to come begging for them.
Red envelopes were usually given until kids came of age, though in Konoha, becoming a ninja — even before adulthood — made it awkward to accept one.
Of course, Aozora was an exception.
Throughout the holiday season, he completely dropped his mature demeanor and played the role of a typical 13-year-old boy, eagerly seeking red envelopes from various elders.
For money? No shame in that.
But no matter how shamelessly Aozora begged, they didn't have many elders to visit, and soon all the greetings were done.
At the Torifu Akimichi household.
Aozora respectfully bowed and sweetly said, "Grandfather Torifu, Happy New Year!"
Torifu wasn't wearing his usual black hat, revealing slightly grayish-white hair. But his chubby face remained wrinkle-free, making him appear younger.
In high spirits from the New Year celebration, Torifu wore a wide smile, looking nothing like his usual gloomy self.
However, instead of handing the fat red envelope directly to Aozora, he slapped it onto the table.
"Hahaha! I told you Aozora has thick skin!" Torifu proudly said to Choza, who had also come to pay a New Year visit.
Choza, holding his plump son Choji in his arms, laughed, "That's good! Thick skin means you'll always get your fill!"
Blushing slightly, Aozora asked, "Grandfather Torifu, are you giving it or not?!"
Torifu chuckled, "Of course I will, but since you've graduated this year, I'm going to test you!"
"Sure!" Aozora readily agreed.
Torifu stretched out his thick arm and said, "Come on! Let's arm wrestle with Grandpa and see whether your strength has improved after graduation!"
Choza blinked in surprise. "Arm wrestling? Come on, who could possibly beat you at that?"
Torifu was best known for his immense strength — in Choza's eyes, even in past years when people called others 'the mighty wind-thunder gods' or referred to Tsunade as 'the monstrous strength kunoichi,' none could match Torifu's physical power.
Granted, Tsunade couldn't go all out — and Torifu never used his clan's secret techniques in these kinds of strength contests either.
As for Aozora, Choza didn't mean to belittle him, but Aozora looked fair-skinned and frail — his arm wasn't even half as thick as Torifu's.
Shisui was also quite surprised too; in his mind, Aozora wasn't skilled in taijutsu, conveniently forgetting that brawny guy in the gambling den who once blocked Wind Blades for him.
"Sure!"
Seeing Torifu in high spirits, Aozora refused no challenge.
Winning or losing didn't matter — Torifu hadn't said anything about withholding money if he lost anyway.
Once Aozora accepted, Torifu immediately cleared the table, rolled up his sleeves, and extended his thick right arm, excitedly shouting, "Come on!"
Suddenly looking twenty years younger, the passionate Torifu now resembled a middle-aged strongman.
Aozora didn't flinch — he placed his hand firmly on the table.
Choza shook his head, then carried Choji to the center of the table to act as referee.
Without any specific rules announced, Choza raised Choji's little hand and declared, "Ready! Begin!"
As Choji's tiny hand came down, both Aozora and Torifu exerted force simultaneously.
Instantly, each felt the tremendous strength surging through their opponent's arm.
Crack!
With a surge of strength, both men drove their elbows into the table, leaving deep grooves behind.
Aozora wasn't holding back. Facing Torifu, he knew he couldn't afford to take it easy.
Sure enough, despite giving it his all from the start, he hadn't achieved the result he wanted—only managing to avoid defeat.
Torifu's face flushed with excitement, his eyes burning with fighting spirit as he said, "Aozora, nice job! I'm getting serious now!"
No sooner had he spoken than Aozora felt wave after wave of force crashing down on his right arm like ocean tides.
Gritting his teeth, Aozora pushed harder. His pale arm tensed, veins faintly visible under his skin, successfully blocking Torifu's assault.
And as he pressed on, Torifu's arm slowly began tilting outward.
Choza couldn't help leaning in to study Aozora's slim arm. He just couldn't figure out how someone so wiry could pack such power.
As the pressure increased, Torifu's face lit up even more. Letting out a soft grunt, he pushed again with renewed effort.
This time, the muscles beneath the thin layer of fat on his thick arm became clearly visible—he was no softie; he was solid muscle.
Aozora had truly run out of counters—his body thrived on defense and regeneration, but brute strength wasn't his specialty.
Peng!
The moment his right arm hit the table, the match was over.
Rubbing his arm, Aozora said sincerely, "Grandfather Torifu, your strength really is unmatched!"
Hearing that, Torifu beamed. He tossed the red envelope to Aozora and said, "You're not too bad yourself…"
He glanced around before adding, "Though you're not quite up to Choza's level yet. Give it a couple more years, when you've filled out—then you'll be the stronger one."
Choza looked Aozora over carefully and muttered, "I really can't tell where your strength is coming from."
After finishing the match, everyone sat down for casual conversation.
Torifu casually asked, "Aozora, I heard your Police Force released a recruitment notice before the New Year. They say they accept anyone, as long as they're Konoha ninja?"
Aozora nodded. "That's right. The recruitment mainly targets patrol officers—pretty safe work, but it comes with a lot of red tape and annoying little tasks.
As you know, our clan has always struggled when dealing with villagers, so the chief decided to recruit some shinobi directly from the village.
One goal is to improve police operations, while the other is to boost communication between our clan members and other ninja in the village."
Given Shikaku's wisdom, it wasn't hard to see through the real purpose behind the Police Force reform, so Aozora had no intention of hiding anything.
Torifu nodded thoughtfully. Back at a previous Ino–Shika–Cho meeting, they had reached almost the same conclusion.
Choza, who had been playing with his son, casually asked upon hearing this, "Can members of our Akimichi Clan apply too?"
"We'd love to have you!"
After saying that, Aozora added, "Patrol work is pretty exhausting—you handle all sorts of petty domestic issues, so without patience, it might not be ideal."
Aozora hoped that having the Akimichi join the Police Force would strengthen ties between their clans. But at the same time, he worried that the Akimichi might not fit the role well, potentially causing tension instead.
"You think every ninja in my clan has a big build?"
Choza shook his head and said, "The reason our clan members are so stout isn't just that we can't control our appetites, but also relates to our clan's secret jutsu. But not everyone's cut out to learn them — some of us just end up regular ninja."
Aozora nodded at his words.
Just like how some Uchiha hadn't awakened their Sharingan, it was only natural that the Ino–Shika–Cho clans also had members unable to master their secret techniques.
Aozora smiled and said, "Then let's invite the senior members from the Akimichi clan to join the Police Force!"
Torifu gave a slight nod at that.
After Danzo defected, the Uchiha became unusually active.
These days, the Uchiha hold considerable influence in Konoha. Whether as a Konoha elder or a senior member of the Akimichi clan, he needed to understand the Uchiha's mindset.
An ordinary clan member joining the Police Force wouldn't attract excessive attention, yet could provide an opportunity to observe the Uchiha and increase communication with them.
Once the New Year visits were done, the Lunar New Year celebrations had largely come to an end.
After the New Year, the Police Force began its selection process in full swing.
The Patrol Officer selection attracted many villagers' attention, while the Uchiha focused on the Flying Tigers' recruitment.
On the fifth day of the new lunar year, the Police Force leadership resumed duties.
On the sixth day, all police officers returned to work.
The seventh, eighth, and ninth days — [Flying Tigers Member Selection Begins]!
On the tenth day, [Flying Tigers Instructor Selection Begins]!
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