"The Anbu... is it?"
Yashiro Uchiha's voice was low, carrying a hint of suppressed aversion. Fugaku did not answer, merely nodding slightly with an unchanging expression.
"Our Police Force and the Anbu have already had more than one conflict regarding the security of the village."
Yashiro's tone carried undisguised dissatisfaction.
"I know, but an Uchiha must be able to join the Anbu. Now is the best opportunity."
Fugaku cut him off, his tone steady yet carrying a faint, hard-to-detect pressure.
The maintenance of public security in the Hidden Leaf Village was led by the Uchiha clan's "Leaf Military Police Force." As the current captain, Fugaku worked day and night to maintain order in the village, handling crimes large and small, and maintaining stability between shinobi and civilians. In other words, the Police Force was the police agency of the Hidden Leaf.
However, the village had another special unit directly under the Hokage—the Anbu. Because there were many subdivisions within the Anbu, such as Root being a type of Anbu, though it was not directly subordinate to the Hokage.
Anbu members were all elite shinobi who performed more secretive and high-risk missions. Not only were they active outside the village, but they would also directly intervene once a major case occurred within the village.
The problem lay in the fact that there had never been a clear boundary defining which cases fell under the jurisdiction of the Police Force and which were for the Anbu to investigate. Everything was ultimately decided by the Hokage.
This meant that every time the Police Force launched an investigation, there was a possibility of friction with the Anbu due to "unclear responsibilities." Negotiations, arguments, conflicts... all of this had long been commonplace.
As the leader of the Police Force, Fugaku had to stand on the front lines time and again to negotiate with the Hokage and the Anbu, defending the Uchiha's power while maintaining the village's order.
Precisely because of this, no one knew better than he did the extent to which the contradiction between the Police Force and the Anbu had reached.
Had it not been for the arrival of the war and the importance of the big picture, those frictions might have continued to intensify.
"Hey, Kiyoshi, this matter is indeed a bit difficult."
Tekka Uchiha whispered privately to the standing Kiyoshi. Was he crazy? Kiyoshi and he were from the same year. No matter how strong Kiyoshi was, how strong could he be?
The full name of the Anbu was the Answer Strategy and Tactical Special Forces! Most missions involved the assassination of targets, and their hands would be covered in blood. It was equivalent to performing C-rank missions and above at all times!
"Does this guy really have some kind of ability?"
Hazuki Uchiha muttered in a low voice. She believed in Kiyoshi's talent, but no matter how genius one was, they still needed time to grow.
Kiyoshi did not pay any attention to Tekka. He simply crossed his arms, his index finger tapping lightly. Chakra was continuously refined within Kiyoshi's body, and a ripple spread outward with him as the center.
"Lord Yashiro, I believe that age is not a criterion for measuring a person."
Kiyoshi's long black hair moved without wind, like a burning black flame. Beneath the flickering shadows, Kiyoshi's figure seemed to become even taller. Simultaneously, there was an oppressive "presence."
[Uchiha Power (Blue)]
The weaker someone was compared to Kiyoshi, the more they could feel this "presence." Most of the people gathered here were Genin and Chunin. The Jonin and Elite Jonin were still stationed on the front lines to prevent sudden attacks from enemy nations.
Facing Kiyoshi directly, Yashiro Uchiha could instantly feel the "presence" on Kiyoshi's body. This was originally a vague concept, but now it physically weighed upon him. Yashiro's expression changed slightly. Kiyoshi's eyes remained black, yet they gave Yashiro a sense of pressure.
"What kind of technique is this?" Yashiro wondered inwardly.
Hazuki Uchiha, located not far from Kiyoshi, felt it most deeply! Her chakra volume was not particularly large, and she relied on seniority to become a Chunin. Immediately, she felt an invisible giant hand choking her throat, making it almost impossible to breathe; her fair face turned flushed.
The others weren't faring any better. It was like a tiger dropped into a flock of sheep; even if it did nothing, the surrounding sheep would feel terrified.
"Such a chakra volume..."
Fugaku frowned. Was it because of the lineage of the Yotsuki clan on the other side? A ninja's chakra would expand until the age of thirty. After that, the blood and qi would gradually deplete, organs would age, and their energy would be far less than before, gradually going downhill as chakra volume diminished.
Kiyoshi was still so young, yet he already possessed such vast chakra. His future could be said to be limitless! Back then, at Kiyoshi's age, he did not have such chakra.
Kiyoshi quietly scanned the room, looking for anyone who dared to have an opinion of him.
"My heart..."
Obito clutched his heart, which was thumping as if it were about to jump out. He was among the weakest of the group, and even though he was somewhat distant from Kiyoshi, he felt a massive pressure.
"No way."
Obito panted heavily, clenching his fists. In his mind, he thought of Rin Nohara. And... the scenes of Rin often going to find Kiyoshi to exchange ideas. This feeling of helplessness and jealousy, along with past frustrations, caused Obito's stubborn personality to flare up to the extreme at this moment.
In the dim firelight, a glint of crimson flashed in Obito's eyes. A single tomoe adorned his pupils.
"Has he awakened them?"
Kiyoshi was slightly surprised. Obito's single-tomoe Sharingan had actually been awakened because he couldn't withstand the pressure Kiyoshi exerted. Was the difference in strength simply too great?
Soon, Kiyoshi understood the reason. In the original story, Obito's desire to protect Kakashi caused his eyes to evolve directly from normal pupils to two-tomoe Sharingan. Normal people evolved one tomoe at a time; even Itachi was like that.
Only Obito had skipped a grade. The underlying meaning was that his pressure resistance was low, and a little stimulation would easily cause his eyes to open.
"The Kannabi Bridge won't take much longer."
Kiyoshi shook his head inwardly. Whether his eyes were open or not, Obito's fate remained the same. This bit of strength wouldn't change anything.
"Alright, Kiyoshi," Fugaku finally spoke. "Silence!"
It was normal for Kiyoshi to be questioned; he was far too young. Now, Kiyoshi had used his strength to prove himself. Only then did Kiyoshi release his chakra, letting that viscous "presence" pressing on everyone's hearts vanish.
The secret chamber returned to its original state. It was as if no change had occurred at all. However, no one would question Kiyoshi's strength anymore. This power had completely reached the Jonin level.
Not the kind of newly promoted Jonin, but the kind of Jonin who had been through the mill for many years! The chakra volumes of the two could not be compared.
"A youth of promise, a youth of promise."
A sharp light flashed in the cloudy old eyes of Setsuna Uchiha. Among the younger generation, there was likely no figure more talented than Kiyoshi.
"In my view, Kiyoshi is the best candidate this time."
Setsuna's aged voice slowly rang out. Immediately, there were waves of agreement echoing throughout the secret chamber. Fugaku Uchiha had only been Clan Leader for a few years, but Setsuna was a ninja with terrifyingly high seniority.