Read the warnings before reading.

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  Konoha's main distrifolded like a fan, stretg 130 degrees along the eastern mountain range.

  "At its heart stood the iic Hokage Rock, which divided the vilge into southern, northern, aerions. The Ninja Academy, hospital, and Hokage's office stood at its base.

  In trast, the Police Department was situated in the lively market street of the southern district, vely close to the prison in the southern mountains.

  When Naruto was young, he could open his eyes each m and immediately see the huge faces carved into the Hokage Rock. But for Masashi, his window provided a view of the police department building.

  The Hokage Rock? Only its outline could be seen.

  ---

  The warm m sunlight on his face woke him up. He genuinely ehe warmth and took a moment to appreciate the simple pleasure.

  As someone who had been, well... ly dragged, but reinated twito this world, he ko cherish life's small joys. There was o get worked up all the time.

  In his previous life, he had withe patriarch grow into a legendary shinobi, fighting his best friend until he colpsed from exhaustion.

  Later, during the Shinobi World War, Masashi had been thrown into the brutal flid had bee one of its many casualties.

  This time, though, he thought it would end sooner. Yesterday's events made him feel that way. The Hokage had just been repced, and Namikaze Minato was now in charge.

  He had a hunch that this might be his st ce. He didn't know why he'd been given a sed, or even a third, life as an Uchiha.

  At least the knowledge he'd accumuted in his previous life wasn't lost. He'd awakened his Sharingan at ten, reag above-average standards. He'd even been called a genius at one point. Now, at seventeen, he had firmly reached the level of three-tomoe Sharingan.

  While he couldn't pare ties, he wasn't doing too bad either. After all, the Third Great Ninja War had just ended and the shinobi world was still rebuilding.

  Dreaming of mastering the mysteries of the universe seemed out of reach, but striving for a higher perspective wasn't unreasonable.

  After getting out of bed and taking a quick shower, Masashi tidied up, put on his police foriform, a for work.

  There was no o home—both his parents were still around, running a shop.

  ---

  He walked through the 's territory, the sery was monotonous. The housing style in the Uchiha district was quite uniform, and even the clothing of the ninja dispyed the 's strong adhereo tradition.

  Leaving the 's nd, passing through the ercial district, Masashi arrived at the police department. His gaze first fell on the promi emblem atop the building.

  At the ter of the shuriken-shaped emblem was the Uchiha 's symbol, signifying that the Uchiha and the police force were one and the same. This also represehe extent of the Uchiha's authority in the vilge.

  Just as he was about to step through the door, he noticed one of his fellow officers esc a suspect out, looking pretty annoyed.

  "Masashi, early shift today?" the officer asked, his expression softening.

  He nodded. "Yeah, I better get inside. Don't want to be te and lose pay."

  The officer chuckled. "You're right. The Police Force pays well, but they're strict about punctuality. Anyway, have a good shift."

  "Thanks, you too," Masashi replied, heading inside.

  The police force's sary was det, but the dedus were harsh. Of course, there were plenty of other perks on the job.

  The Uchiha in the police force, from top to bottom, weren't shy about making mohey did it openly, but they weren't without principles.

  When a crime occurred, no amount of money could protect the offenders. Everyone would be arrested, no exceptions. Those who deserved detai were detained, and those who deserved prison were imprisoned.

  Training and making money aren't shameful pursuits.

  In this world, to walk the high road, one he bloodline of the Sage of Six Paths. The Uchihas were the purest bloodliill actively w as ninja.

  Indra and Asura embodied the power they ied from the Sage of Six Paths through the extremes of yin and Yang Release teiques.

  But that didn't mean Indra was pletely devoid of the Sage's physical energy.

  All desdants of the Sage had the necessary qualities; the proportions just differed. Fog on one's strengths was only natural.

  The same held true for their desdants.

  While the Uchiha were known for Yin Release, they could also have practiced Yang Release, though not with the same efficy as honing the Sharingan. However, Masashi knew a few tricks that only he could fully appreciate.

  If he'd had any doubts before, the battlefield had dispelled them. He was now firmly vihat this was the right path.

  After clog in at the office, he received his patrol assig for the day—to patrol a few streets in the west district.

  Patrolling this area wasn't sidered a desirable job. While it was a doable task for one person, the district was notorious for its maze-like streets and poor sanitation.

  It was a rural area with forests, rivers, and kes scattered all over.

  The popution there rimarily engaged in agriculture, with small-scale businesses dominating the ercial se.

  Despite beie and ercially underdeveloped, the social anizations here had grown quite robust

  Leaping across rooftops, Masashi gradually approached the west district.

  pared to the orderly south and north ses, the west district was a winding, unevehe part eg it to the south and north formed an upside-down triangle. As it extended into the middle, buildings were sandwiched between rge expanses of farmnd and forest, densely packed together.

  A rge ke formed a curve in the ter, and beyond this narrow stretch, the area opened up again, eg with the city walls at the west gate.

  When he was within his patre, Masashi nded oreet, ready to remain there for three hours. Once his shift was over and a colleague came to relieve him, he could return and log his pleted task.

  During this time, his job was simply to ensure his presence was visible, signaling to the residents that the police were maintaining order.

  Even Konoha, as the rgest autonomous city-state and free-trade zone in the Land of Fire, was not immuo the darker sides of society. Yet, at its core, it remained a military base, and its governance was straightforward.

  Meanwhile, he decided to start his patrol with a bowl of ramen at the newly open shop. Nice fvors. Not bad.

  As an hour flew by, Masashi got a bit bored and decided to treat himself to an ice pop. People bustled around him, going about their daily business.

  The atmosphere around him was full of vitality, positive and wholesome. Occasionally, a suspicious gnce flickered, only to disappear quickly into a dark alley.

  But during the day in Konoha, there had been no darkness. If there had been any, the police would have s out.

  After the sed hour passed, Masashi bought a died fruit stick. He appeared to be quite rexed, and, truthfully, he was.

  The patrol wasn't focused on ordinary citizens, after all.

  After finishing the st fruit oick, he wiped his mouth and tinued wandering the streets.

  ---

  Masashi heard shouting up ahead as he patrolled the street. He jogged over to find two men yelling at each other.

  "You ripped me off!" the first guy spat.

  The sed guy sneered. "Not my fault if you're too dumb"

  "Whoa, break it up. What's the problem?" Masashi cut in, steppiween them.

  The first guy pointed a fi the other. "This guy sold me a fake antique! I paid a fortune for it, and it's worthless!"

  Masashi turo the sed guy. "Is that true?"

  The guy shrugged, looking pretty smug. "I never said it was real. He just assumed that."

  Masashi sighed. "Scamming ers is illegal, no matter how you slice it. We're gonna have to settle this down at the station."

  The seller's smirk vanished. He backed up, hands raised. "Hey, , o get the polivolved."

  Masashi shook his head. "No way. The w is the w."

  He reached out to grab the guy's arm, but he bolted. He shoved past a couple of gawkers and tore down the sidewalk.

  Masashi shook his head as the seller vanished around a er. "Civilians," he muttered. "Always think they outrun a shinobi." What should I eat tonight?

  He blihen yawned. He shook off the daydream and jogged after the fleeing an, more a the interrupted thoughts than the chase itself.

  The guy zigzagged through the busy street, bowling over shoppers and tourists. Masashi burst after him, leaping over a fruit cart and sliding under a passing wagon. He closed the gap in seds.

  The guy looked over his shoulder, scared. He ducked into an alley and knocked some garbage s down behind him.

  Masashi skidded to a halt at the alley entrance. Hmm... that new ramen shop might be open te.

  A half-eaten bowl of ramen tumbled from one of the trash s, noodles spilling across the alley. The sight snapped him back to reality. He grimaced, thinking of the waste and his growling stomach.

  "First, catch the perp," he muttered to himself. "Then, food."

  He ran after the suspect. Even as he gained ground, part of his brain wao what he'd cook for dihe day.

  As they approached a dead-end alley, the guy spun around. His hand dove into his jacket, pulling out a hidden knife. Desperation fueled his movements as he attacked Masashi.

  Masashi's body reacted on instinct. He twisted sideways, the knife barely missed his ribs. The suspect stumbled, thrown off bance by the missed strike.

  He reacted fast, catg the man's wrist. He used the momentum against attacker and shoved him into the alley wall. The thug gasped as he hit the bricks, his knife falling from his grip.

  "Uchiha scum!" the man swore, struggling to break free. He swung a wild punch with his free hand.

  Masashi grabbed the pund smacked the guy's face. The man staggered backward, hand on his stinging cheek.

  "The hell?!" he sputtered, gring at Masashi. "You 't just sp me! That's police brutality!"

  Masashi looked at him ily. "Oh, I wasn't spping you. There was this huge fly buzzing around your head. I was just trying to get it."

  "Liar!" the man snarled. "There's no fly! You're just abusing your power!"

  Masashi shrugged, still pinning the man to the wall. "I swear, it was right there. Nasty thing, too. Probably attracted to all that energy yiving off."

  With his free hand, Masashi produced a crushed fly, its legs stig out at awkward angles.

  The suspect's jaw dropped. "You... but... how...?"

  "See?" Masashi grinned. "Told you it was a big one. Must've been a real nuisance, buzzing around your head like that."

  The suspect thrashed against his iron grip. "Damn Uchihas!" he snarled. "You think you're above the w? With your fancy eyes and your Police Force badge. You're nothing but a bunch of power-hungry thugs!"

  Masashi twisted the man's arm further behind his back, f him to his khe move recise, painful but not damaging.

  As the genjutsu faded unnoticed, he smiled. Sometimes I love these little tricks. Wonder if someone would buy a frog ime?

  "You're under arrest. Fraud and assaulting an officer," he said, clig the handcuffs shut. "And watouth. It'll only get you in deeper trouble."

  As they walked to the station, the man ranted ceaselessly. "You Uchihas think you own this vilge, but you're just a bunch ant jerks! One day, someone will put you in your pce!"

  Masashi tu out, his mind drifting back to food. His silence earned a fused look from the captive.

  At the station, he quickly handed off the susped filed his report. The rest of his shift passed quietly. When his shift ended, he left a shadow e behind for the shift ge and quickly returo base.