"Catch... catch someone in the act?"
Kushina instantly woke up, her eyes wide open. "Catch who in the act?"
"Of course, Fugaku."
Though Mikoto seemed to be smiling, her tone betrayed her turbulent emotions.
Only then did Kushina notice that Mikoto, who was supposed to be on vacation today, was fully armed. Her heart tightened as she exclaimed in surprise, "Mikoto, is there some misunderstanding? You and Fugaku have known each other since childhood. How could he do such a thing?"
Mikoto's smile turned bitter.
"If it weren't the case, then why is Fugaku, who eats breakfast at home every day, sending a shadow clone to buy breakfast from this shop? Who is it for?"
Kushina scratched her head hesitantly, "Maybe he's just eating it as a snack."
"After all, this shop is quite famous. Even Natsuhiko has been eating the pancakes from this shop every day recently."
Mikoto shook her head lightly, "I originally thought so, too. But after days of observation, I'm sure the shadow clone never heads to Fugaku's office at the Police Department after buying breakfast."
"And I've inquired around. Fugaku's colleagues have never seen him with snacks, nor are there any packaging bags from this shop in his office trash bin. So I'm sure he isn't eating it himself."
"Moreover, I've subtly mentioned this bakery several times, but Fugaku never brought it up and often changed the subject."
"He used to never keep things from me, so he must be seeing someone else!"
Are you investigating an affair or solving a case?
She truly is a ninja who worked in the Police Department.
Kushina thought to herself, starting to feel suspicious as well.
After all, though there was no concrete evidence, Fugaku's behaviour was indeed odd.
Mikoto continued, "These days, I've been secretly following him, but I kept my distance to avoid being discovered, so I lost him each time."
"But I roughly know the area he heads to, so today, we should be able to see who he's delivering breakfast to."
Kushina was about to speak but saw Mikoto raise a finger, signalling her to be quiet.
"Shh, the target has appeared!"
Kushina covered her mouth, crouching behind the wall with Mikoto to observe secretly.
Sure enough, she soon saw Fugaku appear at the street corner. Then, she walked into the bakery and, shortly after, emerged with a brown paper bag.
Next, he looked around before slipping into a small alley.
"That guy buys breakfast quickly. He must be a regular."
Kushina tapped her chin, analysing, "Mikoto, what do we do next? Do we follow him directly?"
Mikoto shook her head slightly, "No, I have a shadow clone ambushing ahead on his route. We can follow slowly from behind."
"Professional." Kushina couldn't help but give a thumbs-up.
...
Using the memories from the shadow clone after it dispersed, Mikoto and Kushina could follow Fugaku from a distance without being noticed.
They weaved through Konoha's streets and soon arrived at a secluded residential area in the southeast of the village.
"The last shadow clone returned. Fugaku is knocking on a house's door. We need to hurry."
Mikoto and Kushina quickened their pace, finding a hidden spot to observe Fugaku from behind the wall.
After a moment, the door slowly opened, and a slender, fair hand reached out, taking the bread bag from Fugaku.
Just as I thought...
Mikoto's heart sank as she resisted the urge to storm off and continued watching.
Then the door fully opened, revealing a young man with silver curly hair yawning.
"A man... a man!?"
Σ(っ°Д°;)っ
Mikoto was petrified.
"Isn't that Natsuhiko!?"
Kushina was equally shocked, her eyes nearly popping out.
What on earth are her best friend's boyfriend and her boss doing?
...
On the other side, Natsuhiko, holding the breakfast, yawned and said, "Fugaku, it's Saturday. Why so early?"
"Today's the first day we're using the body cameras. I'm a bit nervous, so I came early," Fugaku replied with a smile.
Who wouldn't be nervous? After all, those body cameras cost him a fortune.
The custom-made tool belts Natsuhiko ordered arrived a few days ago, so the first batch of body cameras was completed.
Originally, Fugaku wanted Natsuhiko to explain to the Police Department how to use them personally, but Natsuhiko politely declined.
After all, that's Uchiha Madara's territory. Who knows if he'll cause trouble?
Such scenes of being mocked and then showing off aren't to Natsuhiko's taste.
So, after teaching Fugaku how to use them, Natsuhiko handed over the body camera belts along with detailed instructions.
Today was the day the body cameras were officially put into use.
To be safe, Fugaku invited Natsuhiko to help with the test.
Considering the potential future orders from the Police Department, Natsuhiko decided to provide good after-sales service and agreed to Fugaku's request.
"Come in and sit for a while. I need to wash up and change clothes." Natsuhiko waved him in.
"Then I won't be polite."
Fugaku walked in and said, "By the way, my belt's functions have been acting up since yesterday. Can you check it for me?"
"No problem. Take it off, and I'll look at it later."
Natsuhiko casually replied, closing the door behind him.
So, from the outside, the last thing visible was Fugaku taking off his belt...
Mikoto: "..."
Kushina: "..."
They awkwardly turned their stiff necks to look at each other.
They confirmed from each other's shocked expressions that they hadn't seen wrong.
Though they couldn't hear the conversation due to the distance, they couldn't find a reasonable explanation for the last scene unless...
Mikoto's smile finally disappeared.
Because she realised, she might have lost to a man...
...
Moments later.
"Mikoto, don't be impulsive! It must be a misunderstanding!"
Kushina desperately held Mikoto back, stopping her from storming in.
"And Natsuhiko is a sealing jutsu ninja. It's dangerous to barge into his house!"
Having been caught in a sealing trap and hung in mid-air for half a day, Kushina felt her words were quite persuasive.
Unfortunately, though gentle and kind, Mikoto also had Uchiha blood.
Once blinded by anger, she became reckless.
Despite being good friends, Mikoto was four years older than Kushina and stronger.
Soon, Kushina felt she couldn't hold Mikoto back and panicked.
Just then, Natsuhiko's door opened again.
So fast, not even five minutes had passed!
Mikoto and Kushina exchanged surprised glances and quickly hid again to observe.
They saw Natsuhiko in new clothes and Fugaku adjusting his belt and walking out.
Mikoto: "..."
Kushina: "..."
...
"The problem with the belt was just a loose rune component. I've fixed it for you, so there shouldn't be any issues now."
After closing the door to his house, Natsuhiko said to Fugaku, "So, what should we do next?"
"Next, I'll need your help patrolling. I also want to see how the body camera performs," Fugaku explained.
Natsuhiko shrugged, indicating he had no objections.
So, he followed Fugaku and began his first day as a patrol officer.
The two started from Natsuhiko's house and walked along Konoha East Street.
Although Natsuhiko noticed two small tails following them on his minimap, he decided to ignore them.
Several years had passed since the Second Ninja War, and even the friction at the border between the Land of Lightning and the Land of Fire had gradually subsided. It's rumoured that Kumogakure is preparing to send a delegation to Konoha to discuss peace.
Therefore, Konoha appeared exceptionally peaceful and prosperous lately.
As a super homebody who usually only commuted between home, school, and the tavern, Natsuhiko now walked on streets he usually wouldn't visit, observing the passersby and the vendors along the way, and couldn't help but smile.
As they patrolled, they chatted.
"I heard you've been teaching Obito the Great Fireball Technique recently?" Natsuhiko asked.
"Yes," Fugaku explained. "Previously, Obito defeated a young genius from the Hyuga clan, which earned some face for our Uchiha clan. Naturally, the clan is paying more attention to him now.
"To avoid any complications, I took over guiding Obito myself.
"By the way, I was right before. Having you guide Obito has genuinely been his blessing.
"Though I didn't expect results so quickly.
"So, I'm only giving him some pointers as his clan brother. I don't intend to compete with you for a disciple."
No, no, I don't dare to be his master.
Natsuhiko thought to himself and then mentioned the projection version of the Great Fireball Technique, suggesting that Fugaku adjust the training focus.
"Hand sign speed and fireball flight speed? Got it," Fugaku nodded.
Fugaku also showed some interest in the projection version of the Great Fireball Technique and discussed its usage with Natsuhiko.
With his high proficiency in Fire Release techniques, Fugaku offered many suggestions that Natsuhiko found very beneficial.
Moreover, Fugaku occasionally used the radio to communicate with his subordinates and check on their patrol status.
The radio wasn't Natsuhiko's invention, but it was a tool he had recommended Fugaku to purchase.
It must be said that the technology in this world is skewed. Despite having radios and basic computers, many areas still need to be fixed.
Although the current radios are expensive, bulky, and have limited communication range, they are very suitable tools for police officers maintaining Konoha's security.
The radio also reminded Natsuhiko of some memories from the original work.
He remembered the now little Shizune, who would later perform an autopsy on Pain's body during Nagato's attack on Konoha. She would deduce that the black rods on the body were actually "radio" devices that could transmit and receive chakra waves.
The spread of radios enhances the understanding of chakra in the ninja world, showing that chakra is not just particles but also waves.
Natsuhiko's more profound understanding of chakras' nature started with studying sensory formation, which is similar to radar but replaces electromagnetic waves with chakra waves.
His short-distance puppet control technique, Shadow Puppet Technique, also mimics Pain's Six Paths using sensory formation principles.
Unfortunately, due to material limitations, the transmission and release of chakra waves were mediocre, resulting in a limited range.
Initially, Natsuhiko thought of convincing Nagato to give him some black rods to upgrade his knockoff Pain Six Paths and sensory formation to extend the control distance.
But the radio gave him a new idea.
Just like how radio waves can use relay stations for long-distance communication, he didn't need to achieve everything at once. He could establish chakra wave relay stations to achieve long-distance chakra transmission.
This might allow him to skip the wired chakra network stage and directly enter the wireless chakra network era.
Finally, Natsuhiko found a way to use the billion he had recently acquired...
The time passed.
Reality wasn't as convenient as in stories. Despite Fugaku's plan to test the body camera, they couldn't find any incidents after walking half the day.
However, Natsuhiko noticed that Fugaku was quite popular among young girls, even being asked for autographs!
This caused Natsuhiko's minimap to show high-energy reactions behind them, leaving him frequently speechless.
For some reason, every girl glanced at him and Fugaku with a strange look before leaving.
This prompted Natsuhiko to ask about it.
Fugaku was surprised, "Natsuhiko, don't you remember?
"To restore Uchiha Madara's reputation, I hired some writers to write novels, but the response was mediocre. Didn't I ask for your advice?"
"Then, following your suggestion, I hired female writers. Their delicate writing style focused on the friendship between Uchiha Madara and Senju Hashirama, and it became trendy!
"Interestingly, even though these novels describe male friendship, they are trendy among girls..."
"..."
Natsuhiko's expression turned strange. He remembered jokingly suggesting that but didn't expect Fugaku actually to follow through.
One dares to say; the other dares to believe.
Remembering the girls' earlier looks, Natsuhiko shivered and quickly distanced himself from Fugaku.
Fugaku, not noticing Natsuhiko's subtle actions, continued, "I provided those female writers with a lot of secret information as material, and they credited me as a co-author. That's why girls ask for my autograph."
Natsuhiko looked at Fugaku, who was unaware that his reputation was being damaged and didn't know what to say.
Fugaku had sacrificed too much for the Uchiha clan's revival...
Half the day passed, but neither Fugaku nor his team members found any opportunity to use the body cameras.
Just when Natsuhiko and Fugaku thought the day might end uneventfully, an incident happened unexpectedly.
A team member's urgent voice came through the radio:
"Captain Fugaku, we've got a situation near Alley 3 on South Street. She has been surrounded and needs backup."
Natsuhiko raised an eyebrow upon hearing this.
I almost forgot Uchiha Sho is also one of Fugaku's subordinates.
"We're on our way," Fugaku responded via the radio, then exchanged a glance with Natsuhiko and started running towards South Street.
(Chapter ends)
Chapter 127 is up on my Patreon.
Kushina and Natsuhiko finally have some development now!! So make sure to check the advance chapters out on my Patreon.
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