"Hello, I'd like to join the Police Force."
"...Eh? For real? Are you sure?"
"Is there a problem? Am I not meeting the recruitment requirements?"
Kabuto Yakushi glanced down at his outfit: a white long-sleeved shirt, a black vest, and black pants. As far as he remembered, the recruitment notice didn't specify any particular dress code. The requirements were simple: it didn't matter if you were a lower or middle-level ninja, as long as you had experience in C-rank missions, gender didn't matter, age could range from twelve to forty-five, and you needed to be in good health. Nothing special or complicated.
"No, no, there's no problem at all. No problem."
Uchiha Kiri, sitting behind the long table, shook her head vigorously.
"It's just... surprising. Um, I didn't think anyone would actually come. Ah... sorry! Sorry, I didn't mean that! Please don't take it the wrong way," the girl hurriedly explained, clearly flustered. Despite being a Uchiha, she didn't carry the usual Uchiha arrogance. Instead, she was quick to apologize for her inappropriate words.
At that moment, Kabuto Yakushi was surprised for a second, but a guess formed in his mind.
This girl was likely one of the 'chosen talents' selected by the Uchiha clan. If it were any of those haughty types, the kind with their noses in the air, they'd probably scare away nine out of ten applicants. The last one standing would likely end up in a fight.
Kabuto's guess wasn't far from the truth.
Uchiha Kiri was indeed an oddball in the Uchiha clan. She was the older sister of Uchiha Futaba, but unlike her brave and combative sister, Kiri was kind and gentle. Even though she had good talent and had already awakened her Sharingan, she disliked fighting.
And she had a little quirk.
To put it simply, Kiri was a bit of a chatterbox.
It was precisely because of her personality that she was assigned to this job.
"Sir, are you really sure you want to join the Police Force? You must think it over carefully. Once you pass the assessment and get accepted, it's very hard to leave without facing punishment," Kiri asked again, clearly concerned that this guy might regret his decision and cause trouble later.
Kabuto smiled wryly and nodded again, "I'm sure."
"Then... wait a moment!" Kiri hurriedly fumbled through a pile of papers on the table and handed a registration form to Kabuto. "Please fill out your name, age, and address here. Just follow the example at the top. But make sure not to give false information—if you're caught, you'll be fined a large sum. If you have any questions, feel free to ask me... Oh, by the way, did you bring your application form?"
Kabuto looked at the overly talkative Kiri and silently accepted the form. After glancing at it for a few seconds, he quickly filled out his information, then pulled out his application form from his bag. Pointing to the "work experience" section, he asked, "I brought it, but there's a problem. Some of my past work involves classified information, so I'm not sure how to fill this out."
Even though he wasn't a spy anymore, his past experiences were still classified.
Kiri paused for a moment, then took his application and scanned it for a few seconds before returning it to him. "Wait a minute, let me check something."
She pulled out a thin booklet titled The Temporary Recruitment Handbook for the Police Force (First Edition) and quickly flipped through it. After finding the answer, she replied, "Mr. Yakushi, if your past work is confidential, you can simply write 'classified' in that section. But keep in mind, while most people wouldn't be able to access that information, those confidentiality measures won't work in front of the clan leader. So, like I said before, don't try to deceive anyone. If the clan leader discovers any issues with your identity, you'll be responsible for the consequences."
Kabuto smiled as he wrote the word "classified" in the work experience section and handed the form back to Kiri. He asked, "Is this okay?"
Kiri carefully checked it, then rolled up the application and placed it in a cylinder on the back of a gray cat sitting on the table. "No problem. Now, please proceed inside for the assessment. Once you pass, you'll be part of the Police Force."
Kabuto thanked her and followed Kiri's directions into the building.
Since this was the Uchiha clan's first time recruiting from outside the family, they had no prior experience to draw on, so they kept the scale small. They rented a property from the Kurama clan in the busiest part of the village—the area between the main gate and the Hokage Tower—as a temporary recruitment station.
It wasn't that the Uchiha clan lacked the money to buy property here. As one of the main suppliers of explosive tags, they were quite wealthy. However, in the past, the Uchiha were confined to the outskirts of the village and couldn't purchase property in the central areas. Even now, these prime locations were almost impossible to buy.
At first glance, the recruitment point didn't seem out of the ordinary. But if you looked closely, you'd notice quite a few people lingering around, walking back and forth. They'd loop around and return, their eyes constantly watching the recruitment desk and Kiri behind it. Nᴇw novel chapters are publɪshed on novᴇlfire.net
When Kabuto stepped forward, it immediately caught the attention of the crowd. They watched him talk for a while, hand in his application, and then confidently stride into the building. The atmosphere on the street shifted noticeably.
"Does anyone know who that is?"
"Not sure. I've never seen him before."
"I don't know him either."
With a population of several hundred thousand, and over ten thousand ninjas in the village, it wasn't unusual for people to be unfamiliar with one another. Even the group gathered outside didn't all know each other directly. It was more like someone knew someone who knew someone else, and eventually, they could all have a conversation.
"I've seen him. Last week, I went with my girlfriend to food to an orphanage, and I saw that guy. I think he works there. His name was... Kabuto Yakushi?" Finally, someone recognized Kabuto.
Soon, others confirmed his identity. After a few more people chimed in, they pieced together the basic information about Kabuto.
Though they didn't know if Kabuto was a plant by the Uchiha clan, he was a real person, not someone disguised by transformation jutsu. He was the first person to "take the plunge," and the crowd's interest grew. They waited eagerly to see how things turned out for Kabuto. As long as the outcome wasn't bad, they'd have nothing to worry about.
After entering the house, he followed Uchiha Kiriha's instructions to head to the backyard for the assessment. The specific content of the assessment would only be revealed upon arrival... Wait a minute!
"It's already started!"
Kabuto Yakushi stopped in his tracks and looked at the corridor ahead. It had been twenty seconds since he entered, and this was no castle. In half a minute, he should have already crossed the relatively short hallway and reached the backyard, but he was still in the corridor, unable to even see the exit.
He immediately made the judgment. To be honest, he wasn't satisfied with his reaction time. Returning to the village and being back with his mother had indeed dulled his alertness and reflexes. A peaceful life can easily erode one's will... Fortunately, this was just an assessment, not a real battlefield.
He wondered what kind of evaluation his response time would earn him.
Standing still, Kabuto formed the seals with his hands. His ninjutsu and genjutsu came from "Root," and the quality was decent, not ordinary. As he performed the release technique, the illusion before him shattered instantly. He was still in the corridor, but he now faced a wall. He had likely been wandering in circles here.
"Is this a 'Tsukuyomi'? Or the 'Fox's Heart Technique'?"
Kabuto analyzed the technique that had trapped him. "It's probably the latter, right?"
The so-called Fox's Heart Technique is a genjutsu that makes one feel as if they're in a maze, causing the affected person to unconsciously wander around, like being tricked by a fox.
"But using it in this setting... The difficulty of this assessment isn't very high."
The Fox's Heart Technique relies heavily on the environment. In places like forests or deserts, where the scenery is similar, it can confuse the enemy for a long time, causing them to run in circles and wear themselves out. It can even be used on multiple targets within a certain range simultaneously.
However, in an indoor setting, the technique is easier to see through. The house is only so big; how could the hallway be endlessly long? Given time, anyone would realize something was off.
Was this an assessment of reaction speed and genjutsu-breaking ability? Kabuto pondered the intent of the test while walking down the corridor, eventually arriving at the backyard, which had been transformed into a training ground. He didn't know what it looked like originally, but now it was filled with many wooden training posts.
"The second assessment: shurikenjutsu."
The speaker was a young man wearing a standard uniform of the police force, looking serious and composed, without any of the frivolousness typical of someone his age. At his waist, he carried four swords, two on each side. He was Uchiha Inaho, a prodigy of the Uchiha clan, known for his mastery of the Four-Sword Style and his formidable skills.
He and his younger brother, Uchiha Tetsuka, were selected as examiners, responsible for overseeing the shurikenjutsu and taijutsu assessments.
"See those white lines? Stand behind them and throw the shuriken in sequence, from nearest to farthest. Three throws each time," Uchiha Inaho said coldly. He was a stark contrast to the talkative Uchiha Kiriha, fitting the common perception of the Uchiha clan's reserved nature.
Kabuto had only heard about the Uchiha clan in stories. In his childhood, he wandered the outside world before being taken in by Nonō Yakushi. However, after a brief period of happiness, he was recruited by Danzo into "Root." After completing his training, he was sent to various countries for espionage missions, so his understanding of Konoha—and of the Uchiha—was limited.
He wasn't bothered by Inaho's aloof attitude. Instead, he silently accepted the equipment bag handed to him by Uchiha Tetsuka. It was heavy; judging by the weight, there were about fifteen shuriken inside.
Five lines, fifteen shuriken, three per line—it was all carefully calculated. The training ground had ten wooden posts, each with five lines marked in front, meaning up to ten people could be assessed simultaneously.
Kabuto walked over and took his position at the first line.
"Should I start now, or wait for ten participants?"
"No need, start now. Waiting would be a waste of time. If you perform well, you might set an example and encourage others to join all at once," Uchiha Inaho replied, not rebuking Kabuto for his question but instead answering it directly, making Kabuto realize that perhaps Inaho wasn't as cold or unapproachable as he seemed.
Moreover, he was quite perceptive, able to grasp the situation clearly.
"I won't disappoint you."
Kabuto was confident.
As a former spy who had walked the edge of a blade, surviving countless dangerous encounters and engaging in life-or-death struggles, he trusted in his own abilities. Besides, the recruitment drive of the police force seemed to target mainly lower- to mid-level ninja, given the simplicity of the tests. Jonin exams would never be this easy.
"Begin, then, Mr. Yakushi."
Uchiha Inaho spoke, holding Kabuto's application form.
The gray cat must have delivered it while he was trapped in the genjutsu, Kabuto thought, as he took three shuriken from the bag and casually threw them at the wooden post. His movements appeared relaxed, almost careless.
All three shuriken landed precisely in the center of the target marked on the post.
Uchiha Inaho's red Sharingan eyes tracked Kabuto's every move. After observing this round, he understood that Kabuto was highly skilled, likely an Anbu member, judging by his techniques.
Moreover, the "Confidential" stamp on his application's work history confirmed it.
Whatever Kabuto's past identity was, it didn't concern Inaho. His task was to carry out the assessments, leaving other matters to the clan leader and elders.
"Did I forget to ask whether to throw them one at a time or all at once?" Kabuto asked, turning his head.
"It doesn't matter. I only care about the final result."
Inaho recorded Kabuto's scores on a thick document in his hand, while Uchiha Tetsuka retrieved the shuriken from the post for the next round.
The assessment continued,
With each line increasing the distance.
Yet, Kabuto's performance remained consistent. The shuriken seemed magnetically drawn to the target's center, with not a single throw missing. His skill was so refined that Uchiha Tetsuka was itching to challenge him.
If it weren't for the setting and his older brother's presence,
He would've likely already rushed up to request a sparring match.