Naruto: Forbidden Arts and an Immortal Agenda

Inside the Police Force headquarters, Saturday's weekly meeting began.

This was Aozora's first time appearing in front of the Police Force leadership.

At the head sat Commander Fugaku Uchiha, with Senior Captain Hachidai seated beside him. The other captains were casually seated, and Aozora and Kyudai had managed to grab seats as well.

Kyudai tried hard to widen his eyes behind his glasses, perked up his ears, and scribbled rapidly in his notebook during the meeting.

Aozora sat ramrod straight, though his eyes looked glazed and distant.

He'd taken a nap, but he was still feeling kinda hazy.

Just then, the Clan Meeting moved on to its last item on the agenda.

"...Now that we've finalized arrangements regarding the relocation of the Clan Compound, let's move on to our final topic—the division of responsibilities for the Police Force.

With our relocation to the village outskirts, we can no longer handle urgent situations within the village, so Anbu will be taking over this portion of the work.

What are everyone's thoughts?"

As soon as Fugaku finished speaking, other captains and squad leaders couldn't help but voice their opinions.

"Commander, The Third's really stepping all over us!"

"Commander, we cannot back down on this—we must protect our authority."

"If we no longer handle patrols and defenses, are we supposed to go chase street vendors instead?"

"Commander, if our responsibility for patrol and defense continues to diminish, how can we maintain our position in Konoha?"

"..."

Kyudai was also indignant and couldn't help wanting to speak, but was immediately silenced by a glare from Hachidai sitting across from him.

Seeing this, Aozora exchanged glances between the two with growing curiosity.

Tsk tsk, the hairstyle, those eyebrows, even the facial features—

They're father and son, right? I'm Aozora, and yeah, I share the surname with Hachidai!

After waiting for quite some time, the room finally quieted down. Just as Fugaku wanted to express his own opinion, he noticed Aozora seemed more alert and said, "Aozora, what do you think?"

"Last time at the clan meeting, your remarks left quite an impression on me."

Upon hearing this, Aozora stood up. With everyone's eyes upon him, he let out a yawn.

Kyudai huffed disapprovingly. How disrespectful—to yawn openly during a department meeting! His opinion of Aozora worsened significantly.

The other senior officers also frowned slightly, clearly displeased with Aozora's lack of respect toward the Police Force.

Aozora first repeated the issue: "Because the Police Force can no longer handle emergencies inside the village, Anbu will take over this responsibility—correct?"

Inabi chimed in with agreement: "That's right!"

Tetsuka cut in: "Aozora, tell us what you think."

Aozora pondered for a moment before asking, "Will the annual budget allocated to the Uchiha from the village decrease?"

Fugaku replied, "That hasn't been mentioned yet."

Aozora asked again, "Has Anbu's takeover of defensive duties been made public?"

Fugaku frowned. "No! Anbu operations require secrecy."

Shrugging slightly, Aozora said, "If nothing's been decided yet, then what exactly are we discussing?

Matters as big as defense and security should require direct approval from the Hokage—not some quiet handover done in secret. They also need to be made public for the people to understand who bears what responsibility.

Otherwise, when problems arise, who takes the blame? Do you expect Anbu to simply walk away while we Uchiha shoulder the disgrace?"

From Aozora's perspective, there was no harm in just abandoning patrol and defense responsibilities altogether.

What use are these responsibilities anyway? Will it give us control over other clans? Will we gain any benefits?

None whatsoever!

The Uchiha were led only by the Uchiha. Even without patrol and defense authority, their military strength remained undiminished.

The only concern was that Hiruzen might use this opportunity to cut funding for the Police Force.

But money? There's always a way.

Everyone in the room was a senior Uchiha—some hot-headed, but not one of them a fool.

After listening to Aozora's two key questions, they all furrowed their brows in deep thought.

They'd been burned by broken relocation promises before—no way were they falling for hollow words again.

"Aozora makes a valid point," Uchiha Hachidai affirmed, giving Aozora an approving glance. "Let's hold off on the funds for now; if we're handing things over, it must be publicly announced. Otherwise, if something happens in the village that isn't under our jurisdiction, and the Anbu fail to protect adequately, they'll just pin everything on us."

"But initially, we shouldn't reveal our bottom line—we need to argue firmly..."

Hachidai had advised two generations of Uchiha leaders. His words carried weight—and Aozora had to admit, wisdom.

Yet he also felt puzzled—how could the Uchiha have fallen into destruction with people like Hachidai around?

"Alright, today's meeting is concluded."

"Hachidai, you'll handle the clan's relocation matters."

"Tetsuka, quickly recruit and select members to form the Fourth Squad."

"Inabi, recently two Police Force members went missing—you investigate, alive or dead, find the body or the person..."

"..."

Fugaku handed out assignments one by one. Only then did the meeting wrap up.

After leaving the office, Aozora patted Kyudai on the shoulder.

"Kyudai, isn't your father the captain, Hachidai?"

Kyudai turned away with a snort and replied, "Even if he is, my position as assistant has nothing to do with him—it's because of my talent and ability."

"I wasn't implying anything like that," Aozora said. "My older brother is Shisui the Teleporting Flash after all! I just wanted to ask why you're called Kyudai?"

Kyudai answered, "Because my dad is Hachidai!"

Aozora hesitated for a moment. "Well then, what are your brothers and sisters called?"

Kyudai turned his head impatiently. "I'm the only child in my family."

Aozora continued, "What about your father's brothers and sisters then?"

Now thoroughly annoyed, Kyudai snapped, "My father doesn't have any siblings!"

Aozora suddenly exclaimed, "Oh! So that's what Kyudai means!"

Kyudai turned his head questioningly. "What do you mean?"

He himself had never understood why his father named him Kyudai.

Aozora explained, "Because you're the ninth in an unbroken line of sole heirs!"

Kyudai stared blankly. "Huh?"

Before Kyudai could say anything else, the two had already walked into the Chief's office.

Fugaku sat down, picked up the prepared notice, and said, "Kyudai, go post this on the bulletin board."

Kyudai cast a proud glance at Aozora and happily took the notice.

Aozora frowned. What was there to be proud of about putting up a notice?

After Kyudai left the office, Fugaku said, "Aozora, sit."

As Aozora sat, Fugaku called out, "Natsuki." Suddenly, a woman appeared inside the office.

She looked to be in her early twenties, with waist-length hair, wearing tight combat attire that combined sensuality and grace.

Aozora glanced curiously at the scene and asked, "Clan Head, what's going on?"

It's too much for me right now—I'm still just a kid!

Why are you pairing me with someone? It'll distract from my training!

Fugaku, unaware of Aozora's thoughts, introduced, "Aozora, this is Natsuki, Mikoto's niece. She's a rare female genius among the Uchiha, extremely powerful despite never officially becoming a ninja."

Now Aozora understood—she was the candidate Fugaku had chosen to participate in the Guardian Ninja Selection.

Aozora praised, "The Clan Head really knows how to plan ahead. Even if her identity were exposed, it wouldn't be a big deal. Still, before making contact with the Daimyo, it's better to stay hidden for now."

Fugaku nodded with a smile. "Exactly. Natsuki isn't even registered as a ninja, plus she possesses advanced Lightning Release techniques. As long as she doesn't use the Sharingan, no one will figure out who she really is."

Turning to Natsuki, Fugaku added, "Aozora is the one who proposed the Kyoto Plan. If you have any questions, feel free to ask him."

Natsuki stepped forward politely. "Please take good care of me, little brother Aozora!"

Hearing her soft voice sent a strange tingle through Aozora. He quickly frowned.

"Big sister Natsuki," he advised, "once you leave the village, you need to be careful with your words and actions."

"If you're pretending to be a rogue ninja, you need to change your tone and act more rugged—otherwise, people will see through you..."

"Also, back then the Daimyo took in many ninja clans. Be sure to investigate their current situations carefully..."

"And don't rush into contacting the Daimyo either. First things first—gain his trust."

Inside the office, Aozora explained everything clearly and confidently.

Natsuki looked at this young clan member with growing surprise.

Noticing her gaze, Aozora coughed pointedly.

"Listen carefully!"

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