Chapter 59

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At this moment, Toshiro was unaware of the events unfolding in Sunagakure. Instead, he found himself facing the skepticism of his companions.

"Hey, Toshiro! Are you really not going to compete in the next rounds?"

"Yes, I plan to forfeit the next match."

"Forfeit? Why? With your strength, you can easily win it all and get the first place!"

"Why are you giving up all of a sudden?"

Faced with their barrage of questions, Toshiro felt exasperated.

To him, the Chunin exam was never a crucial event. Having already defeated Kakashi and given a solid performance for the invigilators, he lacked motivation to continue. As for the top spot his teammates mentioned, he had no interest in it. Whoever wants it can have it!

He had already drawn enough attention and revealed significant strength in the exam. Continuing would be unnecessary; he couldn't reveal all his cards to the village.

Even though he was currently just a Genin (soon to be promoted to Chunin), exposing his abilities wouldn't cause major problems. However, there's a saying:

'You always need to keep your cards closer to your chest..' This way, one can handle unexpected situations more effectively.

"Anyway, that's what I want to do."

In the end, Toshiro resorted to this tactic to avoid further arguments.

"What! That's such a childish answer! We're not kids anymore! You need to have a proper explanation."

Despite Asuka's dissatisfaction with Toshiro's evasiveness, she had to accept the harsh reality. She couldn't defeat him and, hence, could not convince him. The same went for Kirishima.

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**Time Skip**

Toshiro, already looked to be in his early teens at 10, had benefited from years of eating nutritious food, intense training, and the training of the Yang chakra.

He stood over one hundred and forty centimeters tall, a head taller than his peers, and appeared to be a young boy.

He wore the standard Konoha Shinobi uniform with his chunin vest on top, a comfortable sweatshirt, and chain-mail armor underneath. His lower body was clad in gray cropped pants and ninja sandals. Overall, he looked handsome.

At this moment, he was on his way to the office of the head of the Konoha Police Force. The unique emblem of the polce on his shoulders indicated his membership.

"I never imagined that the civil servant position I couldn't get in my previous life would come so easily in this one," he mused.

This began after the Chunin exam. He and his teammates had successfully earned the title of Chunin. Unfortunately, before they could enjoy the benefits of this achievement, the Third Ninja War broke out.

As the patriarch of the Uchiha clan, Shigeyama had to lead some of the elite clan members to the battlefield. This left a considerable manpower gap in the police force.

Toshiro, newly promoted to Chunin, along with Asuka, Kirishima, and some other clan members, were incorporated into active duty in the force. They patrolled the village daily, handling trivial matters. Occasionally, they dealt with a ninja committing a crime or catching a spy.

Although this job, with its regular hours, was enviable, it felt too leisurely to Toshiro. He realized he needed to prepare for more demanding times, such as when he might go to war.

The Uchiha clan, indeed, took good care of their own, especially the younger members who had not yet fully matured. They provided materials and guidance to further improve our strength. But currently, he has reached a kind of bottleneck caused by his age.

This indirectly led Toshiro to seek out Fugaku during this tense war period.

"Tuk! Tuk! Tuk!" Toshiro knocked on the door.

"Please come in!"

As the door to the captain's office opened, Toshiro saw Uchiha Fugaku sitting behind his desk, looking somewhat haggard. Since the patriarch had gone to the battlefield, Fugaku, the clan heir, had been handling all police affairs. He was busy all day and had little time to visit his newborn child.

Yes, his child! Not long ago, Itachi Uchiha was born! Toshiro, like the rest of the clan, had presented a gift for the newborn. It was a huge celebration for the clan.

"Toshiro! What's the matter?" Fugaku asked without raising his head, his eyes still focused on the document in his hand. Despite the nasolabial folds that made his face appear stern, his attitude remained kind.

"I apologize for the intrusion! There are some matters I need to discuss with you, Fugaku-senpai," Toshiro said, handing over a paper document.

With just a glance, Fugaku's brows furrowed.

At this moment, Fugaku was trying to understand the implications of Toshiro's application. He didn't rush to respond but instead raised his eyes to look at Toshiro, hoping for a satisfactory explanation.

Seeing this, Toshiro, with his pre-prepared rhetoric, calmly explained, "The pressure on the front lines is increasing, and it's only a matter of time before we are sent to the battlefield. To further improve my strength, I can only make this decision. I hope Fugaku-senpai will grant my request."

It turned out that Toshiro had submitted an application to leave the village to find a powerful summoning beast to enhance his combat abilities.

Improving his strength is beneficial for both the clan and the village, but the duration requested was problematic. Toshiro's application specified that he wanted to be away for three months. Given the current manpower shortage, it was impossible for a Chunin to leave the village for such an extended period.

After considering the matter, Fugaku replied, "Three months is impossible. I can grant you a month at most, under the pretext of going out to purchase supplies." Given that Toshiro was a disciple of his uncle, Fugaku was willing to make some concessions. The clan also had a batch of non-urgent materials that needed to be transported to the neutral area to meet with Neko-baasama, which provided a convenient cover.

Without seeking further input, Fugaku explained the situation and then picked up a cup of tea, blowing on it gently.

"Thank you, Fugaku-senpai. I'll take my leave now," Toshiro said, bowing respectfully.

Though he didn't get the three-month leave he desired, he was grateful for the one month granted, knowing it was due to his sensei's influence.

As he walked out of the police HQ and headed home, Toshiro silently prayed for his sensei's safety on the battlefield. His sensei had already joined the front lines with his eldest brother. They were posted on the border of the Land of Wind.

The Uchiha clan had not mobilized a large number of Shinobi yet, as they still needed to manage the policing. Only some of the clan's strong members and older ninjas had joined the main forces on the battlefield.

Since it was still early in the war, various ninja villages had also reserved their strength. Currently, no large scale battles are happening, only skirmishes. However, as the war drags on for a year or two and the village's combat power is continuously depleted, even genin, fresh out of the academy, would eventually be sent to the front lines.

He had heard that the academy was already preparing graduation exams for students in their fourth year, indicating that the village leaders understood the war wouldn't end easily.

He knew he had to plan for himself in advance. In a large-scale ninja war involving tens of thousands of ninjas, even having awakened the Sharingan was not enough.

After arriving home, Toshiro quickly cleaned up and packed some necessities, such as food.

The next day, he received a mission scroll from Fugaku authorizing him to leave the village to purchase supplies. With that in hand, he set out.

The so-called neutral zone was once inhabited by humans. Due to war or other reasons, the buildings there were gradually abandoned. Eventually, a clan of ninja cats took over the area and thrived.

After leaving the village and traveling for most of the day, Toshiro reached the relatively hidden neutral zone via a secret path. He recalled the records left by some elders in his clan.

According to these records, Toshiro knew that the cooperation between the Uchiha clan and the Ninja Cat clan had been long-standing. Even before the establishment of the ninja villages during the Warring States period, both sides had signed a long-term cooperation agreement. The ninja cat clan's excellent ninja equipment and intelligence system complemented the Uchiha clan perfectly.

The Uchiha provided military support, enabling the Ninja Cat clan to survive during the chaotic Warring States era. In return, the ninja cat clan supplied the Uchiha with high-quality ninja equipment and intelligence. The Uchiha, known for their discerning eyes, only accepted top-quality ninja gear. Additionally, the ninja cat clan's role as "pets" gave them significant advantages in intelligence gathering.

While their combat effectiveness was less significant to the Uchiha, their other contributions were invaluable.

As Toshiro walked toward his destination, he noticed two kittens seemingly following him. He took a bottle of special drink and a pack of dried fish from his backpack, items he had purchased at the clan grocery store, and placed them on the ground. To show his friendliness, he also revealed his Sharingan.

"It's an Uchiha!"

Upon seeing Toshiro's sharingan, both of them immediately lowered their guard. Sniffing the air, a cat happily pounced on the snacks offered by Toshiro. The flavor, reminiscent of catnip, had a strong appeal for the cats.

After the two cats had devoured the food, Toshiro asked, "I need to speak with the Neko-baasama. Can you show me the way?"

Licking its paws and whiskers to savor the last bits of the treat, the brown cat lazily responded, "You're looking for my baa-sama? No problem! Kikumaru, take over from here."

The brown cat continued to paw and lick the bottom of the drink bottle, clearly having no intention of leading Toshiro personally. Instead, it delegated the task to a subordinate.

"Follow me, Uchiha" Kikumaru, reluctantly following his boss's orders, agreed to guide Toshiro to the Neko-baasama.