Hyuga Aokawa walked through the crowded school gates and onto the main street.
A sudden shout rang out from ahead.
"Who told you that you could set up a stall here?"
He looked toward the sound.
He saw two Ninjas with the Uchiha clan crest embroidered on their clothes standing in front of a small stall.
The leader of the two had a face full of arrogance.
He was looking down at the vendor, shouting loudly.
"Setting up a stall in violation of regulations—according to the Public Security Management Regulations, you are fined 1,000 Ryo."
"Ninja Lord, please have mercy. I really didn't know I couldn't set up a stall here. I don't even earn 1,000 Ryo in a whole day."
Seeing the heavy fine, the vendor clasped his hands and kept pleading.
However, that arrogant Uchiha didn't care at all.
"So you're refusing to pay the fine, then?"
"According to the Public Security Management Regulations, refusal to pay a fine results in the confiscation of stall equipment."
As he spoke, he turned to his companion.
"Yuji, pack up all his things and take them away."
"Ah?" The vendor quickly threw himself over the stall, protecting his goods.
He looked at them with a face full of disbelief. "Ninja Lord, I rely entirely on these things to survive. If you take them away, how will I eat?"
Uchiha Yuji looked a bit conflicted upon seeing this.
"Brother Shimizu, do we really have to take everything away?"
"Nonsense!"
Uchiha Shimizu was not soft-hearted in the slightest.
"Did you forget how badly we were complained about last month when we relaxed our management?"
"Confiscate it. From now on, we follow the regulations strictly. No one will be able to find any fault."
He then gave a cold snort, his gaze turning fierce as he looked at the vendor protecting his goods.
"Obstructing law enforcement—then you'll be taken back to the Garrison Command Headquarters."
"Lord, I won't do it again! I'll pay the fine!"
Seeing that Uchiha Shimizu was serious and the punishment was escalating, the vendor's face was filled with terror.
"Too late!"
Uchiha Shimizu grabbed the vendor with one hand and then looked back.
"Yuji, pack up his things and bring them back."
After saying that, he began to drag the vendor toward the Garrison Command Headquarters.
"Lord, I really won't do it again."
The vendor desperately pulled at Uchiha Shimizu.
"I'll pay the fine, and you can take the goods. I beg you, just don't take me to the Garrison Command Headquarters."
"Let's talk once we're at the Garrison Command Headquarters."
Seeing that Uchiha Shimizu was unmoved, the vendor began to name-drop, bringing up his family connections.
"Lord, my relative's son-in-law is also a Ninja. He works in the Hokage's office building."
"His name is Takayuki Sarutobi. I don't know if you know him."
"I don't care if his name is Takayuki or whatever-yuki. It won't work no matter who comes."
"If you violate the regulations, the law must be enforced according to the regulations."
Uchiha Shimizu didn't acknowledge the connection at all. Seeing the vendor still struggling...
He grabbed the vendor by the back of the collar and lifted him up like a little chick, walking away with him.
Seeing many people gathered around to watch the spectacle, he suddenly shouted.
"What are you looking at? If you keep looking, I'll take you away for obstructing law enforcement too!"
The crowd scattered in terror.
Hyuga Aokawa was also greatly shocked from not far away.
Now even urban management was under the jurisdiction of the Garrison Command Headquarters.
Whose brilliant idea was this?
For these vendors, if the law was enforced strictly...
...then they would have no way to survive at all.
But if the management was too lax, they would take an inch and want a mile.
All sorts of illegal road blockages and messy stalls would appear.
The balance between enforcement and empathy in this was something that could only be understood, not explained in words.
It couldn't be clearly laid out on paper; one could only rely on constantly accumulating experience on the job to grasp the proper measure.
Letting the single-minded heads of the Uchiha manage these affairs that required the most nuance...
Weren't they afraid of causing chaos?
He shook his head. This was likely Danzo's handiwork again.
With such an arrangement, before long...
...the Uchiha would probably make enemies of the whole world... Time passed quickly.
In a flash, more than a week had gone by.
During this time, Hyuga Aokawa followed Hyuga Fū to perform another C-Rank Mission near the Village.
Only this time, the energy crystals amounted to a measly 20.
"It's not even as much as I got for studying hard last time?"
He had originally wanted to grind C-Rank Missions to get more energy crystals.
Now it seemed that the way to obtain Favor wasn't that simple.
Since that was the case, he would follow his own pace for now.
Saturday morning.
Hyuga Aokawa arrived at the Hospital on time to report.
At the registration area on the third floor of Konoha Hospital, quite a few people were already waiting.
He didn't see Hinata Ayane; she probably hadn't arrived yet.
However, he actually saw someone wearing a black robe.
The Aburame Clan?
Do those who raise bugs also come to be Medical Ninjas?
He scanned the crowd. Most were students like him, but there were people from other age groups as well.
It seemed that personnel were not only recruited from the school, but also through other channels.
"Quiet, everyone line up in an orderly fashion."
A woman dressed in medical staff clothing stood at the front and spoke loudly.
The floor quickly became quiet.
She continued:
"I am the person in charge of this test. My name is Chiba Yuune."
"Test? What test?"
The people below were very confused.
"I didn't hear about a test before coming here!"
"Yeah, didn't we already pass?"
The crowd began to raise questions.
"This time is to screen for people in the Village suitable to be trained as Medical Ninjas."
"You are all people who have passed tests through other channels, but that's not enough."
"There is another test today."
Seeing that everyone had quieted down after a brief commotion...
Chiba Yuune continued:
"Everyone has a certain foundation of medical knowledge and knows the importance of Chakra control for a Medical Ninja."
"Therefore, today's test is to examine your Chakra control ability."
She turned slightly and pointed to a piece of equipment behind her.
"This is the equipment for testing the Chakra control of newcomers today."
Everyone followed her gaze.
They saw a whiteboard covered with transparent glass behind her, with a fish drawn on it.
A long wire on the left side of the glass was connected to a nearby computer.
The bottom of the glass was connected to a metal rod that led to a handle on the table in front.
"The content of today's test is to trace the fish on the whiteboard behind the glass plate."
"The glass is specially made. Chakra will remain on it longer than on ordinary glass, but it will still dissipate."
"Therefore, you need to draw this picture before the first stroke of Chakra disappears."
She pointed to each component of the equipment in turn:
"During the test, everyone hold this handle on the table and input Chakra."
"Control your Chakra to trace the shape of the fish on this glass plate."
"The more the Chakra tracing overlaps with the fish pattern on the whiteboard, the higher the score."
"If the score is higher than 40 points, you pass this test."
Hearing that they only needed a score of 40 to pass, everyone immediately relaxed.
Chiba Yuune saw the confidence of the people below, and the corners of her mouth couldn't help but curl up slightly.
"Next, when your name is called, come up in order."
"Each person has 3 chances. The final grade will be the highest score."