In the afternoon, after finishing his patrol duties and returning to the Police Force headquarters, Inaho headed straight toward Uchiha Hachidai's office with a plan in mind.
Inside, the short brown–haired Hachidai was busy handling the complaints of villagers.
At this moment, he was extremely irritated. Clearly, he had already instructed his subordinates to act according to the Public Security Regulations, yet there were always people unwilling to accept the outcome.
Just like the case of a child who had stolen goods from a merchant—the Uchiha Police naturally arrested him and locked him up in jail. But the boy's parents refused to accept it, even bringing their complaint all the way to Hachidai himself.
Of course, he directly rejected their petition and insisted the boy stay in jail.
In his eyes, breaking the law was breaking the law.
Now the boy's parents had even joined forces with the shop owner, filing an appeal together. Yet Hachidai still rejected it.
In his eyes, the law would not be bent simply because of age. Otherwise, what kind of precedent would that set?
Only by handling it this way could the child learn a proper lesson.
This matter had been settled—the parents' complaint was dismissed.
But now another person had arrived in his office to plead.
A middle-aged man stood before his desk, arguing shamelessly.
"Hachidai-sama, even if my father stole something, he's already so old. Can't you just let him off?"
This man hated working, preferring to take advantage of others and live an easy life. It was even at his urging that his father went out to steal.
Usually, if the theft was discovered by the shop owner, they would let it slide out of pity for the old man's age.
And if the owner insisted, the son would simply go make a scene at the shop until the matter was dropped.
But this time the Uchiha Police had caught his father in the act, and the old man was now jailed for theft.
This cut off half his income.
Hachidai glared coldly at the man, his expression stern.
"Breaking the law means you'll be caught. Even a child knows this. You're a grown man—don't tell me you don't understand?"
"Your father committed a crime, and as his son, you also bear guilt. I ought to lock you up alongside him."
The man's face darkened. He knew that if the Uchiha clan discovered the truth, they really might throw him in prison too.
But he still couldn't bear the loss of his father's stolen income, so he continued trying.
"Hachidai-sama, my father is so old. If something were to happen to him in your jail, wouldn't that damage the Police Force's reputation? Shouldn't you be responsible? Wouldn't it be better if you just released him into my care?"
His words carried a veiled threat.
If something happened to the old man in prison, the Uchiha Police would be held accountable.
But Hachidai wasn't buying it.
"If your father suffers in prison, what does that have to do with the Uchiha clan?"
"If anything, the responsibility lies with his old age—and even more so with you as his son."
"This matter is non-negotiable. According to Article 2 of the Public Security Regulations, theft carries a mandatory two-week sentence in the Police Force prison."
"If you have nothing further to say, leave."
The middle-aged man hadn't expected the Uchiha to be so stubborn, immune to both persuasion and threats.
His hatred for them grew. Without the old man's theft, his quality of life would plummet.
Damn Uchiha. Just as the other villagers said—making such a fuss over trivial matters.
At this moment, Inaho entered the office.
He happened to see the middle-aged man storming out with an ugly look on his face, while Elder Hachidai sat behind his desk still scowling.
Inaho chuckled and asked:
"Elder, what happened? What's got you in such a foul mood again?"
Hachidai recounted the incident. The villagers' endless attempts to interfere with Uchiha law enforcement truly exasperated him.
If you broke the Police Force's laws, whether young or old, you would be punished. Age was no excuse.
Inaho agreed.
"I stand with Elder. If we let him off just because of old age, he'd only become a repeat offender. That would be far worse."
Seeing his clansman support him reassured Hachidai, confirming he had done the right thing. His mood improved somewhat.
"You brat, what are you doing here instead of patrolling? Don't tell me you're slacking off."
Inaho quickly waved his hands.
"Of course not. I actually came to recommend someone from the clan. If we could bring him into our radical faction, it would greatly strengthen our push to restore the Uchiha's honor."
Now Hachidai's interest was piqued. The clan's standing in the village was in decline, and the elders could clearly feel the hostility and rejection from the Konoha leadership.
But the clan head continued compromising with them. To Hachidai, this was unbearable.
Only by rallying ambitious youth within the clan and pressuring the clan head to stop yielding could they revive the Uchiha's glory.
Of course, he had no intention of seizing power himself.
The clan head, Uchiha Fugaku, was far too powerful, and Hachidai respected his strength. He himself lacked the ability to stand alone, let alone lead the entire clan.
"So, who is it you're recommending?"
Inaho smiled.
"The Grand Elder's grandson—Uchiha Ryosuke."
"If we can recruit him, we might even sway the Grand Elder himself to our side."
"With their support, we could finally pressure the clan head to confront the Konoha leadership with the true pride of the Uchiha."
At the name, Hachidai fell silent in thought.
He didn't particularly like this youth. Ryosuke was a member of the Police Force but had shown little commitment to the work.
Hachidai had even complained about him to Fugaku.
But Fugaku had told him to let it go.
After all, Ryosuke's grandfather was the Grand Elder—the most senior figure in the clan.
Even Fugaku had to give him face. How could Hachidai do otherwise?
"So why him? Did he show signs of opposing the Konoha leadership or of wanting to revive the Uchiha?"
Inaho lowered his voice.
"That I don't know. What I do know is this—Ryosuke is a true genius. Not only did he defeat me in taijutsu, but he also awakened the three-tomoe Sharingan. And though he just awakened it, his ocular power is already stronger than mine."
"You know as well as I do that the only young geniuses capable of carrying the clan's banner are Uchiha Shisui and Uchiha Itachi. But both of them are in the Hokage's ANBU. They can't be trusted anymore."
"Ryosuke might just be the third young man capable of carrying that banner."
Hachidai was shocked. He hadn't expected this boy to be hiding such power.
Sixteen years old, already stronger than twenty-year-old Inaho, and possessing the three-tomoe Sharingan—this truly placed him among the top-tier geniuses.