"Izumi, you still haven't answered my question from earlier. Why did you sigh?" Uchiha Kotaro asked curiously as he watched Uchiha Izumi happily eating her three-colored dango. He knew his energetic little subordinate well, and it was rare to see her sighing like that.

"It's the missing persons case that Kabuto's been investigating. We don't have any leads yet, and it's starting to get frustrating."

Mentioning this, Uchiha Izumi couldn't help but sigh again. As someone with a strong sense of responsibility, she didn't like feeling so powerless.

"The case about the missing construction workers?"

As the team leader, Uchiha Kotaro had heard about this case when Yakushi Kabuto reported it. He hadn't paid much attention at the time, figuring Kabuto could use this case to get familiar with the police department's work. Based on his experience, missing persons cases involving migrant workers rarely led to any solid results.

"Yeah, we've confirmed four missing people, and there are three more who haven't been missing for over 48 hours yet, so they haven't been officially counted. But I don't think they'll reappear within that time frame."

"Seven people? All disappeared in one week?"

Uchiha Kotaro's expression grew serious.

That's not a small number. Usually, missing persons cases involve one or two people at most, but this many in such a short time… And this is just what Kabuto found, with reports from family or friends. Who knows how many others without close connections may also be missing?

"Within five days," Kabuto corrected.

"Five days?" Kotaro frowned.

Five days might seem only two days shorter than a week, but the implication is that on average, two people have gone missing per day. If this were happening in other parts of the village rather than this new district with its transient population, it would've already caught the attention of the Hokage.

If this continues at the same pace, it's only a matter of time before things blow up.

"Kabuto, head back to the police department and report this," Kotaro said in a low voice. "To be honest, this could turn into a major case. We don't have enough manpower on our team to handle it alongside everything else we're working on. But since you discovered it, if you want to keep pursuing it, I'll request for you to stay on the case."

While the police department usually handled more complex cases by assigning dedicated personnel, Kotaro wasn't sure how things would be arranged now that the department was undergoing restructuring.

"I understand," Kabuto replied without hesitation.

He was genuinely interested in the case—not out of some sense of justice but simply because it intrigued him. He had discovered the case himself, and if possible, he wanted to see it through to the end.

The three of them, along with the thief Izumi had captured, returned to the police department. They reported the thief and the missing persons case, and the reports quickly escalated. The thief was tied to the Kado Corporation and high-ranking officials from the Fire Country's Ministry of Finance. The captain of the Sixth Enforcement Squad felt overwhelmed and forwarded the files to his superior, the Chief of the Department of Public Security, including the missing persons case as well.

After all, Uchiha Ranzan, the Vice-Minister of the Police Department, had personally instructed him to pay extra attention to Kotaro's team.

The Chief of the Department of Public Security was Uchiha Meirei, an experienced and well-respected officer. He also found the case troublesome. The Fire Country had a dual-track system, with the Daimyo officially being the highest authority. Even the appointment of a new Hokage required the Daimyo's approval. The Daimyo also had the power to declare war, so he wasn't just a figurehead.

If that weren't the case, the Wind Country's Daimyo wouldn't have reduced funding to Sunagakure after blaming them for their defeat, forcing the Fourth Kazekage to turn to gold mining to keep the village financially afloat.

Even so, Sunagakure didn't rebel against their Daimyo but instead targeted Konoha, hoping to regain the Daimyo's trust by weakening or even destroying it.

Of course, not every country operated the same way, but the relationship between Konoha and the Fire Daimyo had always been smooth. Konoha had consistently emerged victorious in the major wars, proving its military strength. As a result, the Fire Daimyo never interfered with Konoha's internal affairs, leaving matters like the succession of Hokage alone and simply acting as the village's financial backer.

Given that the Daimyo knew his place, Konoha saw no reason to meddle in the Daimyo's affairs. But cases involving the Daimyo's administration were tricky, even for someone like Meirei.

In the end, the files were passed to Uchiha Sougen's office.

"Impressive! You guys managed to uncover such a big deal just from catching a thief." Uchiha Sougen marveled as he read the freshly prepared report. "The Kado Corporation… Isn't that the company involved in smuggling illegal goods? And they're bribing high-ranking officials in the Ministry of Finance? Interesting."

"Interesting? How do we handle this?" Uchiha Ranzan, visibly frustrated, asked.

This situation was a mess. Mishandling it could create tension with the Daimyo's government, which would be bad for both the village and the Uchiha clan. Honestly, if this hadn't already been reviewed by so many people, Ranzan would've preferred not to touch this hot potato.

"How should we handle it? How can we pass up such a great opportunity to make money? You were just complaining about budget issues the other day. Remember?"

"An opportunity to make money? Sougen, what are you—?"

Ranzan was baffled.

"First, find out if the thief still has the blackmail material. If not, help her 'remember' and recreate it. Then, contact some of the officials in the Ministry of Finance who aren't involved and propose a collaboration. We'll take down the corrupt officials and the Kado Corporation, while they get more power and we get the money. Isn't that perfect?"

Just like that, Sougen outlined a crude but straightforward money-making scheme.

Ranzan's eyelid twitched as he listened, feeling like he had a million things to say but ultimately held back. Keeping a serious expression, he said, "It sounds simple enough, but we don't know much about the Ministry of Finance, and Kado's not an easy target. His company didn't grow to this level without some serious backing."

"So what?" Sougen replied with a sidelong glance. "He's just a black-market merchant who got rich from smuggling. No matter how cunning he is, do you really think he can resist us?"

Ranzan knew that once they had a legitimate reason, taking down a businessman like Kado wouldn't be hard. The real challenge was finding that legitimate excuse without upsetting the entire business community.

And Kado bribing Ministry of Finance officials was the perfect excuse.

"So, who's going to handle this?"

Uchiha Ranzan asked.

Although Sougen's hastily proposed plan for gathering funds was quite rough, it wasn't entirely unworkable. It was worth a shot, but the person in charge would definitely have a hard time.

"… Ranzan?"

Sougen stared directly at Uchiha Ranzan.

"… So, you really are flogging the dead horse, huh?" Ranzan glared back in annoyance.

"Haha! The capable always get more work, right?"

Sougen forced a laugh.

"Even a donkey doesn't grind grain 24 hours a day. I mean… ugh!" Ranzan realized that his metaphor wasn't quite right—how could he compare himself to a donkey? Taking a breath, he decided not to dwell on it anymore. "What about the missing person case? How are we handling that?"

He didn't reject the money-gathering task.

As the vice chief of the police department, second only to Sougen, Ranzan was no lone wolf. He had plenty of people at his disposal, and complaining was just a habit to prevent the workload from piling up even more.

"Whoever discovered it should investigate it."

Sougen's response to the missing persons case was simple and decisive.

He hadn't given the matter much thought. As long as Uchiha Obito wasn't stirring up trouble, there wasn't anyone in the current ninja world that he worried about causing problems in Konoha. Not even Orochimaru, whose strength lay in his seemingly unkillable nature.

Speaking of which, Sougen wondered if Orochimaru had gone to Amegakure to bother Nagato yet.

His mind wandered off again.

Ranzan didn't ask any more questions. He knew what Sougen meant: leave the case to that rookie named Kabuto Yakushi. Sougen clearly had high hopes for him. This case was complicated and troublesome, but solving it could lead to a promotion.

…

And so,

after some twists and turns,

the thief girl was taken away, and the missing persons case was handed over to the second squad of the sixth enforcement unit.

"Torajiro, this construction worker's disappearance is now your squad's responsibility. From today onward, focus solely on investigating this case. Patrol duties will be temporarily reassigned to other squads. Keep up the good work, both the chief and vice chief are watching!"

The squad leader patted Uchiha Torajiro on the shoulder as he said this, even pointing his index finger up at the ceiling.

Although Torajiro found the squad leader's wording odd, as if both the chief and vice chief had already passed away, he only mulled over it internally. He wouldn't dare comment on his superior's strange phrasing.

Once he left the squad leader's office,

Torajiro quickly returned to his squad's office to relay the message to his two subordinates.

"… Kabuto, Izumi, did you get all that?"

"Yes," Kabuto nodded lightly.

"I thought for sure this case would be taken by the Special Countermeasures Division!" Uchiha Izumi's eyes widened in excitement.

The police department had been reorganized into several different divisions. The main role of the Security Division was patrolling and maintaining order around the village, dealing with minor cases as they arose. However, for major, serious, or complex cases that required more time, the new department regulations dictated that they be transferred to the Special Countermeasures Division.

Unlike the Security Division, which was mainly composed of lower and mid-level ninjas, the Special Countermeasures Division reported directly to the chief and was an elite unit made up mostly of jōnin, special jōnin, and some seasoned chūnin.

"The Special Countermeasures Division probably isn't interested in our case. I've heard they don't have many people, so they're likely busy with more important matters…" Torajiro speculated. "But whatever, Izumi, stop thinking too much. The case is in our hands now. What's our next move?"

This is where Uchiha Torajiro stood out as a rare and valuable leader.

The police department had plenty of Uchihas who ruled with an iron fist, but few, like Torajiro, bothered to consult their subordinates.

"… Investigate the scene? No, we don't even know where the person disappeared…" Izumi racked her brain, looking visibly troubled.

Though she had joined the police department before Kabuto, her primary job had been patrolling, mediating disputes, and catching petty thieves. This was her first time dealing with such a complex case.

Torajiro shifted his gaze from the pondering Izumi to Kabuto.

"I don't have any solid leads yet either. I've been conducting investigations these past two days, but unfortunately, I haven't uncovered any useful clues. Now that we can focus on this case, though, expanding the search area should yield some results."

Kabuto answered calmly.

"That's too vague. Can you be more specific? What exactly do you plan to do?"

Torajiro pressed.

"Hmm, based on the current investigation, it seems that the missing people disappear after sunset. They've all been seen at some point during the day, and someone has gone missing every night for the past few days. So, I think we could try lying in wait tonight. With some luck, we might catch a break. What do you think, Captain?"

"Not bad!"

Torajiro nodded with a smile, showing his approval.

"Lying in wait? Really? Will it be that easy?" Izumi asked, confused.

"Izumi, don't think of criminals as being as smart as those in detective novels. While there are some clever thieves out there, in my experience, most criminals aren't all that bright. Besides, it's worth a shot. Right now, we have no leads at all, and using a basic method is better than having none!"

Torajiro shared his experience with his subordinates.