Tsunade stood with her arms crossed, brow tightly knit, staring at the map on the table. It was marked with the location of the family whose child had gone missing.
And the locations of other families with children.
Outside the window, the last light of the setting sun slowly faded. The sky took on a deep shade of blue.
"From two in the afternoon until now, not a single sign of anything."
She rubbed her temples in frustration.
"Could our judgment have been wrong?"
Chiya stood by the window, his gaze calm and steady as he watched the lights gradually coming on along the street below. He did not respond immediately.
A Uchiha Military Police Force member pushed open the door and reported respectfully.
"Clan Head, no suspicious individuals have been detected at any of the surveillance points."
Tsunade let out a sigh.
Chiya spoke in an even tone.
"Keep watching. Hold out for one more hour."
"Yes."
After the member withdrew, Tsunade looked toward Chiya, a trace of weariness in her voice.
"Maybe nothing is going to happen today."
Chiya remembered that dozens of children from Konoha had once been taken away by Root's people.
Looking at the situation now, this was only the very first one.
Root's next moves would certainly continue.
Chiya's voice was low but firm.
"Starting today, I will have the Military Police Force patrol day and night. After all, this falls within our responsibilities."
Tsunade studied his profile and thought she caught a glimpse of something crimson.
'Is that the Sharingan?'
Tsunade wanted to say something, but then felt she was probably overthinking it.
In the end she only let out a quiet sound.
The sky went fully dark. Foot traffic on Konoha's streets thinned out.
"It seems today we can only leave it at this."
Tsunade stood and worked the stiffness out of her shoulders.
"I am going to check in at the hospital. Contact me immediately if anything comes up."
Chiya nodded.
"Understood."
After watching Tsunade leave.
Chiya returned to Military Police Force headquarters.
"Have all Military Police Force personnel come to headquarters for a meeting."
Seeing the serious look on Chiya's face, the members standing in the hall could not help but feel tense.
"Yes, Clan Head."
The words were barely out before they scattered to carry out the order.
Chiya's gaze moved to the door of the rest room.
The Great Elder came walking out just then, his expression dark as he looked at Chiya.
"Clan Head Chiya, regarding today's matter, I expect a satisfactory explanation from you."
Chiya's gaze swept over to him. A subtle change passed through his dark pupils.
The crimson Sharingan appeared and turned toward the Great Elder.
"Great Elder, what would you have me do?"
The Great Elder's eyes met Chiya's Sharingan and his chest jolted.
'The pressure from this Sharingan feels far, far stronger than that of any of the other elders.'
'Could it be...'
The Great Elder's heart dropped. Cold sweat was already forming on his back.
"A child has gone missing inside the village, and you concealed it without reporting it. Do you think this is something trivial?"
Chiya's voice came out cold.
The Great Elder felt as though he had fallen into a pit of ice. Chiya's Sharingan made it impossible to hold his gaze, and he lowered his head without meaning to.
'What is this?'
'Uchiha Chiya actually possesses dojutsu power like this?'
Seeing that the Great Elder had quieted down, Chiya paid him no further attention.
'I have only awakened the three-tomoe Sharingan.'
'But the overwhelming pressure this eye power carries is simply not something a normal Sharingan can stand against.'
Footsteps approached.
All Military Police Force personnel had gathered in the plaza outside the main hall.
Everyone felt the faint but unmistakable pressure radiating from Chiya's Sharingan. Their hearts all tightened.
Chiya's gaze swept across them. He gave a small nod.
Everyone was present.
"Everyone. What is the duty of our Military Police Force?"
Hearing this question, a young Uchiha stepped forward.
"To maintain the peace and stability of the village."
Hearing the answer, Chiya gave him a nod.
"Well said. It is to maintain the peace and stability of the village. Is there a more specific answer?"
Hearing this, everyone was mildly puzzled.
'More specific? Is that answer not specific enough?'
Seeing the puzzled looks on their faces, Chiya did not keep them waiting.
"It comes down to one single word. People."
"Every day you call out about protecting Konoha, protecting the clan. What you are protecting in the end is people."
"People believe the Senju clan places love above jutsu as their source of strength, while in contrast, we Uchiha put the power of jutsu first. But is that truly how things are?"
Hearing this, some of the older Uchiha fell into thought.
"I am telling you today. It is not."
Chiya said it without hesitation. His crimson Sharingan rotated slowly.
"No clan's love runs deeper than ours, the Uchiha."
At these words, the Uchiha standing before him widened their eyes.
Then a scoffing sound came from the ranks.
"Clan Head Chiya, stop trying to cloud people's thinking here."
"We Uchiha have always pursued powerful strength. Who would go chasing after something as pitiful as love?"
"If you called us all here just to say this, you might as well give us the day off."
"We Uchiha, for the sake of love? What love? Where is there so much love in this world?"
"Only the power of jutsu is something real and solid."
"..."
As one voice after another spoke up, the other Uchiha also looked at Chiya with uncertainty.
In their minds, since when had the Uchiha started valuing love the way the Senju did?
Not far behind Chiya, the Great Elder watched Chiya's back with a flickering gaze.
He had not said a single word until now.
The pressure the Sharingan had imposed on him just now had been far too strong. It seemed to remind him of someone the Uchiha clan once had.
Chiya suddenly laughed.
That laugh made the entire plaza fall silent in an instant. Even the evening breeze seemed to freeze.
He raised his right hand slowly. His fingertips caught a cold gleam in the moonlight.
Boom.
An icy surge of eye power spread outward from Chiya's Sharingan in all directions. The three-tomoe Sharingan, already imposing on its own, began spinning wildly.
The three tomoe twisted rapidly and transformed into a pattern of six crimson spider lily petals.
The terrifying eye power sent the nearest Uchiha clan members stumbling back several steps.
Looking at the pattern in Chiya's eyes, everyone froze where they stood.
"You say powerful strength is what matters?"
Chiya looked toward the Uchiha who had been the loudest in their objections just now.
"Then let me ask you."
"Eye power like mine. Do you recognize it?"
The cold, suffocating Mangekyo Sharingan was like a hand closing around everyone's throats. It brought with it a feeling of looking directly at death.
Everyone's hearts lurched violently.
"Do you know why the situation of our Uchiha has still not changed, why our position in the village has only grown more difficult?"
"Where exactly has all this strength you pursue actually shown itself?"
"The war just ended. How many of our Uchiha went to the front lines? Did the elders stop you from going?"
"No. You simply did not want to go and die out there. You were afraid."
"Our Uchiha clan controls the Military Police Force. Once you enter the Military Police Force, you have secured a comfortable life for yourself."
"Put plainly, you have all grown used to the easy life here in the village. Why bother going to the front lines to die?"
"Is that not what you have been thinking?"
"Answer me."
"..."
Faces flushed red. They wanted to say something, but could not find a way to argue back.
They had given up outside missions, had clawed and pushed their way into the Military Police Force, all for exactly this comfortable life.
The plaza fell into complete silence. Only the soft rustle of leaves in the night wind remained.
Chiya's Mangekyo Sharingan gave off a strange glow in the darkness. He scanned the crowd slowly, his voice low and steady.
"Strength? Have you all fallen so far that you think awakening the three-tomoe Sharingan is the final destination?"
"This comfortable life has been slowly grinding away the fire of our Uchiha."
He let out a cold laugh.
"Look at yourselves. Right now you cannot even carry out the most basic duties of the Military Police Force. And you still speak of protecting the clan?"
A young Uchiha clan member could not hold back.
"Clan Head, we have always fulfilled our duties and never been negligent."
"Is that so?"
"Then why did a child from the Senju clan go missing without the Military Police Force noticing anything at all?"
"Why did the Great Elder specifically instruct people to avoid patrolling near the Senju clan's area?"
Every gaze in the plaza snapped toward the Great Elder. His face had gone a pale, iron gray, and he did not dare meet Chiya's eyes.
Chiya continued.
"The reason the Uchiha clan has declined is not because of a lack of strength. It is because we have lost our original purpose."
"The capacity of this clan is too small now."
"Look at the Senju clan, whom we call our rivals. Ask yourselves honestly. Are any of you still worthy of being compared to them?"
Chiya swept his gaze across everyone and spoke with conviction.
"Starting today, the Military Police Force will undergo a complete overhaul."
"Every area will have a designated person responsible for it. All unusual situations must be reported immediately without exception, and that includes the Senju clan's area."
He turned and looked at the Great Elder.
"As for certain individuals concealing information, I will personally investigate it thoroughly. If the problem turns out to be internal..."
A flash of red light passed through Chiya's Sharingan.
"I have no objection to cleaning house."
The Great Elder's whole body trembled. He finally lowered his head.
"As you command, Clan Head."
Chiya gave a single nod and swept his gaze across every person present.
"Remember. The Uchiha's honor was not earned by dominating the weak. It was earned by protecting others."
"Starting tomorrow, all Military Police Force personnel are required to train for one hour after their shift ends."
"The war may be over, but the conflicts of the ninja world have only just begun."
"I want to see a different Military Police Force. One that can take the field at any moment."
"Yes, Clan Head."
Everyone answered in unison. Their voices carried a degree of awe and a heat that had been absent for a long time.
After reprimanding the Military Police Force members, Chiya walked slowly along the outer perimeter of the village, his gaze sweeping across every corner.
He was not impatient. The transformation of the Uchiha clan was absolutely not something that could be accomplished overnight.
It had to be advanced gradually, one step at a time.
As for the destabilizing elements within the Uchiha clan, Chiya would naturally remove them one by one.
After walking for about ten minutes.
Chiya's attention settled on the homes of families with children.
Root's people were without question among Konoha's finest.
Because Root was an organization focused on conducting covert operations externally, when they set out to take a child, they would use the most reliable and cautious method to carry out the plan.
Identifying the best route in and out was one step.
The taking itself was another step.
Getting away with the child was yet another step.
Breaking each of these steps apart and examining them one by one, as long as they continued to act, they would eventually leave behind traces.
Chiya made his way to the edge of the forest on the southeast side of Konoha. This area was near a weak point in the barrier and was rarely passed through by villagers.
Suddenly, his footsteps stopped.
On the ground were two strands of red hair, standing out strikingly in the moonlight.
Chiya crouched down. His fingertips gently pinched the strands. They were soft and resilient, with a slight curl at the ends.
It was hair.
His eyes sharpened instantly. The Sharingan activated without a sound. His crimson pupils gave off a cold gleam in the darkness.
Within his field of vision, there were also several faint drag marks on the ground.
Chiya rose slowly to his feet, his gaze following the marks toward the depths of the forest.
'Not stealing a child. This looks like they were going to steal a person.'
He formed a hand seal with one hand. Two shadow clones appeared and moved swiftly in the directions of the Military Police Force and Tsunade to deliver the news.
The original body then slipped silently into the forest and began tracking along the trail.
In the distance, a blond-haired boy watched the departing figure of Uchiha Chiya, and the tension on his face eased a little.
"The Military Police Force really is impressive. He found the hair too."
"If it is this person, then there should be no danger."
The boy turned and walked away. The two strands of red hair he had been holding in his fist loosened and fell, drifting away on the wind.
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