The next day.
"Open the door!"
A violent pounding on the door accompanied by shouts could be heard clearly by Shinji even from the second-floor window.
Reluctantly, he pushed himself up, stretched, and yawned. Just as he was about to head downstairs, he suddenly remembered something and quickly retrieved an item from his inventory.
Amid the incessant knocking and urging from outside, he finally leisurely pushed open the front door.
"Stop making so much noise. Quit rushing me."
After opening the door, Shinji squinted his eyes. Standing before him were four members of the Uchiha clan.
Uchiha Inahibi, Uchiha Tekka, and two unfamiliar faces from the Police Force.
All of them were victims from the previous night.
Especially Inahibi, with the large bump on his head, and the two behind him with severely swollen eyes—they looked particularly ridiculous.
Seeing this, Shinji couldn't help but cover his mouth and let out a low chuckle.
"Kukuku..."
Watching Shinji appear as if he had just woken up, disheveled and snickering behind his hand, the four of them instantly darkened their expressions.
Inahibi gritted his teeth and stepped forward. "We have questions for you. Where were you last night, and what did you do?"
"We're here under the orders of the elders, conducting a routine inquiry for the Police Force."
He deliberately added this, clearly using the higher-ups to pressure him.
Shinji shrugged indifferently. "I was resting at home all night. I don't know why, but there was suddenly a commotion outside. After a lot of noise, I saw an extremely blinding flash of light."
"It took me a long time to fall back asleep."
Feigning ignorance, he put on a clueless expression. "What exactly happened last night?"
Inahibi frowned, briefly explaining the incident that occurred in the clan's territory the previous night, then asked with a hint of accusation, "When the incident happened last night, why didn't you go help?"
"I'm not a member of the Police Force. I took a distant look and saw dozens of your people there. I thought for sure you'd be able to capture whoever it was."
Shinji narrowed his eyes slightly, his tone casual. "Looks like you failed, huh."
Standing nearby, Tekka finally couldn't hold back and angrily spoke up:
"Everyone who didn't participate in the pursuit last night but has awakened the Sharingan is under serious suspicion."
His sharp gaze fell directly on Shinji.
"You are one of our primary suspects."
Tekka clenched his fist, his eyes filled with hostility.
He had recently joined the Police Force, thinking he could make a name for himself. Hearing about Shinji's rising reputation, he already disliked him.
On top of that, last night, despite being responsible for guarding the Naka Shrine with Inahibi, someone still managed to infiltrate it. Afterward, they were severely reprimanded by Elder Yashiro, who ordered them to make up for their failure by catching the culprit.
With pent-up anger and nowhere to vent it, he now directed it all at Shinji.
"We're searching your room. Move aside!"
Tekka grabbed Shinji by the collar, trying to force his way in.
Shinji was slightly taken aback, not expecting the higher-ups to be in such a hurry this time that they'd directly search a clan member's residence.
Didn't they consider that I might have already hidden the items outside?
Perhaps this is just a formality, checking for anything out of the ordinary?
He knew well that he hadn't shown himself in front of everyone last night and possessed the Sharingan, making him a prime suspect.
Shinji looked at Inabi and the other two, deliberately asking in a cold voice:
"Are you sure you want to do this?"
"This is my home, filled with personal privacy."
Tekka increased the force in his hand, his Sharingan suddenly activating, his tone full of threat:
"If you don't let us search, then the criminal who infiltrated the shrine yesterday is you."
The others merely watched Shinji indifferently, their attitude making it clear—they had to search.
Shinji frowned slightly.
He really wanted to tell them directly: This time, you've actually caught the right person.
Seeing Shinji remain silent, Tekka felt even more contempt, assuming the other was simply afraid.
What rising star Uchiha Shinji—just a spineless coward.
But the moment this thought surfaced, an intense pain suddenly invaded his mind, his entire body instantly stiffening, unable to move.
Genjutsu!?
The next second, he was sent flying like a cannonball, crashing heavily against the opposite wall, spitting out a mouthful of blood.
Shinji used Body Flicker to appear before Tekka in an instant, grabbing his neck with one hand and lifting him off the ground.
Inabi reacted swiftly, throwing a punch straight at Shinji in an attempt to rescue Tekka.
But Shinji's figure flickered, and over a dozen illusions instantly spread out, surrounding the three of them.
"What are you doing! Let go of Tekka!"
"Are you trying to rebel?"
"Is this a challenge to the Police Force?!"
With the illusions using Body Flicker to restrain them, the Police Force members couldn't grasp Shinji's true form at all.
The atmosphere grew tense and hostile.
Neighbors nearby were startled by the commotion and came out of their homes. Seeing the situation, they quickly hid to the side, watching cautiously.
Shinji never intended to escalate things, knowing when to stop.
He just wanted to make his stance clear, to suppress their arrogance so they wouldn't dare act so unreasonably again. This would make him appear guilt-free and conveniently reduce suspicion.
He glanced at Tekka struggling in his hand and casually tossed him to the ground like trash.
"Tekka!" Inabi hurried forward to help him up.
Tekka coughed violently, clutching his neck, glaring venomously at Shinji: "You!"
Shinji's tone remained calm:
"Don't slander people without evidence."
He pointed toward his own door.
"If you want to search, go ahead. Just don't mess up my home, or else…"
He left the second half unsaid, merely sweeping a cold glance over them, the threat clear.
Facing a Police Force search, he couldn't refuse.
But that didn't mean he had to endure it quietly.
It was like a gamble, but he was bluffing.
He was betting that the Police Force had no solid evidence at the moment, and even if they were furious, they wouldn't dare push him too far and create an uncontrollable situation.
Inabi gave Shinji a deep look, patted Tekka's shoulder, and said in a low voice:
"Let's complete the task the elders assigned first."
Tekka unwillingly punched the ground, unable to hide his shock.
Just now, he had been completely suppressed in an instant, without even a chance to fight back.
Shinji had taken on three opponents alone and still firmly held the upper hand—this level of strength far exceeded his expectations.
The group exchanged glances and walked into Shinji's home together.
The neighbors immediately gathered around, asking questions all at once.
"Shinji, what happened?"
"Are you okay?"
"Is it related to yesterday's incident?"
Shinji quickly reassured everyone, saying it was just a routine inspection.
In the crowd, he also saw Uncle Jukai.
Jukai quietly moved closer, lowering his voice: "Is everything okay? Why is the Police Force here?"
Shinji shook his head and smiled. "It's nothing, just going through the motions."
He didn't offer any further explanation. After a few brief pleasantries, he turned and walked inside.
For the next half hour, Shinji sat quietly on the living room sofa, calmly flipping through Chiyo's Medical Notes. Only occasionally would he glance up, his eyes casually sweeping over the four people rummaging through the place.
A few more minutes passed before the group finally stopped and gathered in the center of the living room. They exchanged glances, each giving a slight shake of their head.
They had found nothing.
Tekka, filled with resentment, noticed the notebook in Shinji's hands and sneered, his voice dripping with mockery. "A proper Uchiha not training his Sharingan, but instead reading up on Medical Ninjutsu. What a disgrace to the Uchiha name."
Without even looking up, Shinji waved a dismissive hand in their direction, as if shooing them away. "You'd be better off figuring out how you're going to report back. Hurry up and leave. Don't ruin my good mood for the day."
Their expressions instantly turned ugly. Inabi stepped forward, his face dark. "Let's go!"
Watching the four figures leave in a huff, Shinji quietly breathed a sigh of relief in his heart.