Upon entering the Land of Hot Water, Fumori Masaki and his group were subjected to a border patrol inspection. Due to the ongoing "Purification Campaign," the Land of Hot Water had implemented strict checks on all travelers. While the strongholds of the Evil God cultists had been destroyed, there was no guarantee that some might not have escaped.
"So, the sudden strict border checks in the Land of Hot Water are because of this," Hyuga Kei remarked.
"Yes, I suspected the Land of Hot Water would eventually take such action, but I didn't expect it to be so soon. Tobirama-sensei truly acts with swiftness and decision, and the Land of Hot Water's rapid response was quite unexpected," Fumori Masaki nodded.
"It seems the Land of Hot Water is indeed very concerned about the Evil God cultists," Kana subtly turned her head away, avoiding the sight of the gruesome corpses hanging by the city wall.
Rumor had it that these were Evil God cultists who had attempted to sneak out, only to be discovered by the border guards, killed on the spot, and hung by the city as a warning to others. The horrific state of their bodies clearly showed the guards' hatred for them.
"With this level of scrutiny, it's practically impossible for the Evil God cultists to escape this country," Yamanaka Takuma said. "However, it's not good for us either. We need to be careful not to be mistaken for cultists."
Out of their professional ninja ethics, Fumori Masaki and the others were secretly heading to the Land of Demons and did not have official travel documents. Moreover, they appeared to be highly skilled, and the Land of Hot Water's guards might very well mistake them for hidden Evil God cultists—it was no secret that cultists were lurking in the Hot Water Ninja Village. Knowing that Evil God cultists could be ninjas made the Land of Hot Water's reaction even more tense.
"Don't worry, we have documents from the Land of Demons and proof that we are Leaf ninjas. With both, they shouldn't mistake us," Fumori Masaki said with a smile.
Soon, it was Fumori Masaki's group's turn. The Hot Water guards, upon seeing them, immediately sensed they were not ordinary people, secretly ordered their subordinates to be vigilant, and then stepped forward to inquire, asking them to present their identification.
Fumori Masaki calmly handed over the documents, as well as proof of their affiliation with the Leaf Ninja Village. After verification, the guard's attitude immediately changed. He said, "I'm very sorry, but due to some internal matters, we have to thoroughly inspect everyone."
"It's nothing, this is a sign of diligence and shouldn't be criticized," Fumori Masaki smiled faintly, retrieved his items, and asked, "How is your country's operation against the Evil God cultists proceeding?"
"Very smoothly! Because the mole lurking in the Hot Water Ninja Village was dealt with, the Evil God cultists in other areas were caught off guard and rounded up. Although a considerable price was paid, it was well worth it. These scoundrels have caused us so much trouble!" the guard said with a smile.
"That's truly excellent. I believe your country will usher in a period of peace," Fumori Masaki said. "An organization like the Evil God should not exist. If the purpose of a religion is not to guide people towards good, then it has no reason to exist."
"What you said is absolutely true!" the guard nodded repeatedly. "You are indeed ninjas from the Leaf Ninja Village. During the Ninja World War, only your Leaf Ninja Village was willing to maintain order for us smaller countries."
"This is the First Hokage-sama's wish, and as Leaf ninjas, we should continue it," Fumori Masaki said.
After passing this checkpoint, the group encountered several more, passing through without any trouble. Once they entered the Land of Fire, they faced no further obstacles and traveled smoothly all the way back to the Leaf Ninja Village.
On duty at the Leaf Ninja Village gate were two members of the Uchiha Police Force. They were ordinary Uchiha clan members who hadn't even awakened their Sharingan. Their responsibility wasn't to investigate people entering the village or to make arrests, but rather to engage in friendly conversation with travelers.
This was one of the methods Fumori Masaki and Uchiha Kagami had discussed to shape the image of the Police Force. The Police Force had many points of contact with ordinary citizens, and those Uchiha clan members whose personalities had become arrogant after awakening the Sharingan would not patiently communicate with people when faced with trouble, potentially ruining the Police Force's image.
Therefore, another method Fumori Masaki implemented, in addition to establishing an internal oversight mechanism within the Police Force, was to divide the Uchiha Police Force into two parts: one specifically for dealing with civilians, and the other for dealing with criminals.
Within the Uchiha clan, the Sharingan bloodline limit was not a common commodity. Only talented Uchiha clan members had the potential to awaken the Sharingan. Although their personalities could become extreme due to loss of love, it also amplified their strength, making them natural combatants.
Uchiha clan members who had not awakened the Sharingan, while they might have a psychological advantage due to family tradition, were essentially no different from ordinary people. Because of their great love, they were very emotional and would not treat people indifferently. Such Uchiha clan members were best suited for interacting with civilians.
Thus, Fumori Masaki's idea was to have ordinary Uchiha clan members serve as the members who regularly interacted with civilians, while Uchiha clan members with the Sharingan would be responsible for arresting criminals, handling crisis situations, and other such duties, each performing their own role.
After reorganizing the Police Department, Uchiha Kagami divided the members of the Police Force into two parts. Originally, under the internal oversight mechanism and ideological education, Uchiha clan members had begun to try to communicate with ordinary people. However, not everyone could maintain a humble attitude after awakening the Sharingan; some only did so out of external pressure.
With the implementation of two different sets of responsibilities, this hidden danger was eliminated. Now, the image of the Police Force could be said to be excellent, and even those Uchiha clan members with cold personalities did not feel stifled. In a positive atmosphere, they gradually began to change their way of doing things.
"Welcome back, Kazemori-sama," an Uchiha clan member said with a smile, handing over the registration form. All people entering the village had to fill out this form, and they were only responsible for this. How to identify spies and foreign enemies was handled by hidden Anbu members and Uchiha clan members responsible for combat. Under normal circumstances, those people would not interact with people entering the village unless they were confirmed to be enemies.
"You've worked hard," Fumori Masaki handed out the registration forms to everyone and, while they were filling them out, asked, "Is patrolling the village gate troublesome?"
"Not at all, in fact, it's quite interesting to see all sorts of people," another Uchiha clan member replied.
"Is that so?" Fumori Masaki nodded slightly. It seemed Kagami had also considered the personalities of the members and assigned them to suitable positions, which was perfect.
All the registration forms were filled out. The Uchiha clan member who had spoken first collected them all and nodded, saying, "Alright, you can go in."
The first place the group was headed was the Hokage's office, to explain the mission to Tobirama. Seeing the group arrive, Tobirama temporarily put down his pen and looked at them expressionlessly, saying, "This time, it was a close call, but ultimately safe. Although it was handled properly, some people still bear responsibility."
Everyone held their breath, listening to Tobirama's criticism. Then he called out two names: Fumori Masaki and Kana. Tobirama said, "This mission was entrusted by you, Kana, on behalf of the Priestess of the Land of Demons. As such, you should have obtained accurate information before relaying it. Due to your carelessness, you not only endangered your comrades but also put your own life at risk."
Kana wanted to retort, saying that the Land of Demons hadn't investigated properly, but she sensed the lingering fear in Tobirama's tone and, seeing his gradually dulling white hair, realized her uncle truly was getting old. She didn't dare to speak back, lest she provoke Tobirama further.
"Masahiro, as a ninja, you cannot blindly trust everything a client says. You must verify the authenticity of the information before deciding whether to accept the mission. You had the opportunity to do so, but you presumptuously assumed it was a simple mission and therefore neglected to have the intelligence department confirm it. This is your fault," Tobirama sternly pointed out Fumori Masaki's mistake.
"Yes," Fumori Masaki admitted directly, having no reason to argue.
Tobirama sighed softly, rubbing his forehead, and said, "Fortunately, this matter concluded successfully. If anything had gone wrong, you would have had to face punishment. For now, it's just a verbal warning. You all must remember this." Although he said "you all," everyone knew he was primarily speaking to Fumori Masaki.
Then, Tobirama waved his hand, dismissing everyone else, leaving only Fumori Masaki in the room. He had other questions to ask.