In a quiet woodland clearing, Uchiha Itachi sat cross-legged at the center of an open space.
A gentle breeze swept through, scattering fallen leaves in spirals.
Suddenly—
A figure flickered into the clearing.
It was Uchiha Shisui.
Shisui's brows drew together slightly.
All around the clearing, kunai and shuriken were embedded chaotically into the ground and trees.
More strikingly—
Many kunai had completely missed the bullseye, landing scattered around the targets instead of striking true.
What happened? Itachi's throws shouldn't miss by this much.
A trace of worry flickered through Shisui's eyes.
Itachi sat silently, expression heavy and solemn. His brows were tightly knit, and faint fluctuations in his chakra betrayed inner turbulence.
Shisui said nothing.
Instead, he quietly observed the pattern of the scattered kunai, thoughtful.
He used more force than usual.
From the marks alone, Shisui deduced the cause of the inaccuracy. Itachi had increased the throwing power—but lost precision.
Inside Itachi's Mind
Within his mental world, a fierce battle was unfolding.
A single figure moved fluidly under the siege of eight opponents, effortlessly evading attacks from all directions.
It was a reconstruction of yesterday's battle—
Uchiha Yuan against the eight squad captains.
Itachi's consciousness inhabited one of the attackers, personally experiencing the clash against Yuan.
Time slipped by.
One by one, the eight figures vanished, leaving only Itachi's projection standing before the simulated Yuan.
He replayed the battle repeatedly—
cycling through each captain's perspective, calculating Yuan's movements, angles, force output, timing.
At last, Itachi materialized his own projection to confront Yuan in a one-on-one duel.
He lost.
Back in reality—
Shisui felt a shift in Itachi's chakra and turned just as Itachi slowly opened his eyes.
Fatigue was unmistakable on the young boy's face. A dark heaviness lingered between his brows.
"Itachi," Shisui said gently, "what happened? Your heart is unsettled. You've lost your usual composure."
Itachi was still half-submerged in the mental battlefield.
He had lost.
And in the instant he opened his eyes, he hadn't even noticed Shisui's presence.
Such a lapse—such loss of control—had never happened before.
"Shisui… you're back."
He regained himself and spoke slowly.
Shisui, having just returned from an ANBU mission outside the village, was unaware of yesterday's events within the Police Force.
After hearing the full account from Itachi, he exhaled softly.
"So that's what happened…"
"Becoming a squad captain… Yuan must be pleased," Shisui mused. "I didn't expect the clan head to value him this highly. I thought he'd start as a mere team leader."
Itachi nodded, expression complicated.
"Father truly values him."
He already knew that his aunt—his mother's younger sister, Uchiha Tsukine—had been informally promised to Yuan by the clan.
If nothing unexpected occurred, Yuan would one day be his uncle by marriage.
Shisui glanced again at the scattered weapons.
"These throws… why did none of them hit the center?"
"I was training to throw with greater force," Itachi replied calmly.
"If I want to affect Uchiha Yuan, ordinary strength won't suffice."
He then shared his full analysis of Yuan's abilities.
After listening, Shisui said quietly,
"Itachi… let me see yesterday's battle."
Itachi hesitated, then nodded.
His eyes shifted—
Three tomoe spun into existence.
Sharingan.
With a subtle application of genjutsu, Itachi drew Shisui into an illusionary space, recreating the battle exactly as he remembered it.
"Genjutsu—Release."
Shisui stepped free from the illusion.
Though the replay inside the genjutsu seemed long, in reality it lasted no more than a moment of eye contact.
"What do you think of his strength?" Itachi asked.
Shisui was silent for a while before answering.
"Yuan is stronger than I imagined. I suddenly feel… his entering the Police Force may not be a good thing."
He continued quietly:
"With his forceful nature, he may intensify the conflict between the clan and the village. If that day comes… who could stop him?"
Itachi's voice turned low.
"I share that concern. Yuan is domineering and uncompromising outside the clan. The Police Force already faces criticism within the village. If someone provokes him… conflict is inevitable."
Police Force Headquarters
Elsewhere, at the Police Force compound—
Uchiha Kawa and the other five walked proudly down a corridor, eyes full of admiration for the figure ahead of them.
Yesterday's battle had shattered all doubt.
They had witnessed Uchiha Yuan single-handedly overpower eight squad captains.
Their faith in him had reached its peak.
That night, word spread among the younger Uchiha in the underground training base. Morale soared. Training intensity increased.
Under strict orders from the three unit commanders, news of the battle was sealed within the Police Force. No word was to leak.
The wider clan—and the village—knew nothing.
"Lord Yuan."
Several officers approached from ahead. Seeing him, they immediately stopped and bowed respectfully.
Yuan's strength had earned the respect of the entire Police Force.
Cold and aloof, Yuan walked past without slowing.
He entered the First Unit's administrative hall.
Inside the wide hall, the First and Second Squads were already out on patrol. Only members of the Third Squad remained—standing or sitting in uneasy silence.
"T-Tonghu… what do you think the Captain will do to us?" Ichigen asked nervously.
Zhiyong also looked toward the entrance, anxious.
Tonghu sat between them, arms folded, eyes closed, silent.
Then suddenly—
His eyes snapped open.
"He's here."
At once, Ichigen and Zhiyong stood upright.
"Captain!"
With Ichigen's loud call, all Third Squad members straightened sharply and saluted.
Yuan responded with a faint acknowledgment.
His gaze swept across the hall—
Then settled on Tonghu.
Among everyone present—
Only Tonghu remained seated.
To read advanced Chapters, head over to p@treon:
patreon.com/nani_kaito