Naruto: I'm in Konoha, my name is Uzumaki Menma

Chapter 302 Jiraiya: Is this right?
Uchiha Taichi arrived at the village entrance with his special police squad and immediately became the focus of the villagers' attention.

He stepped forward, his gaze sweeping over the slightly nervous villagers, and said in a steady voice, "My name is Uchiha Taichi, and I am the captain of the SWAT team at the Kazuo Castle Police Department. We have a preliminary understanding of the situation, and now we need to immediately investigate the scene and look for clues. Please take us to the place that was destroyed by the bandits."

"Captain Taiichi, I am the village chief of Gunma Village!" Village Chief Oiwa stepped forward hurriedly, his face filled with respect and anticipation: "You can just call me Oiwa, we'll take you there right away!"

As he spoke, he gestured for the villagers to make way.

At this moment, Uchiha Taichi's sharp gaze swept over Jiraiya and Hydrangea, who were standing not far away. In particular, the conspicuous Amegakure headband on Hydrangea's forehead made his eyes narrow slightly.

He stepped towards the two men and said, "Gentlemen, it seems you are not citizens of this country. Please show your travel documents."

Hydrangea glanced nervously at Jiraiya, and seeing him nod slightly, she took out the two temporary passes from her small bag and handed them over.

Uchiha Taichi took the documents and carefully checked the information on them against the faces of the two people. He especially glanced at Jiraiya a few more times, seemingly sensing that his aura was unusual.

He glanced at it a few more times before handing the documents back to Hydrangea, his tone still calm but carrying a warning: "The documents are correct. You are also ninjas. Since you have temporary passes, please be sure to abide by our laws within the Land of Stars. Unless there is something special, I suggest you do not linger near crime scenes to avoid causing unnecessary misunderstandings."

After saying that, he didn't say anything more. He turned around and, with three team members, led by the village chief of Dayan Village, quickly walked towards the scene of the crime at the edge of the village.

Watching Uchiha Taichi's departing figure, Jiraiya stroked his chin and muttered under his breath, "Tsk, so it really is the arrogance that's inherited from the Uchiha lineage."

Hydrangea blinked curiously and asked softly, "Uncle, do you know them? The one in the lead, his eyes seemed to turn red just now..."

Jiraiya's gaze followed the young man's retreating figure as he explained, "That kid leading the group is a ninja from the Uchiha clan. They're notoriously stubborn and arrogant, but behind that arrogance lies their innate confidence—the Sharingan, known as the 'Eyes of the Mind.' I never imagined that even members of the Uchiha clan would become police officers maintaining order in the Land of Stars..."

The villagers escorted Uchiha Taichi and his companions to the home of the farmer who had been robbed.

The old man from the foot of the mountain came over and warmly invited, "Little Hydrangea, Master Jiraiya, it's getting dark soon. If you don't mind, why don't you stay at my house for the night? My wife passed away two years ago, and my grandson is boarding at a school in the city. We happen to have two empty beds."

Jiraiya, who was eager to observe the operation of the Land of Stars, immediately smiled and agreed, "Then I'll trouble you, sir! However, we'd also like to go and see the crime scene; perhaps... we can be of some help."

Seeing their enthusiasm, the old man at the foot of the mountain couldn't refuse, so he nodded and said, "Alright, come with me."

When Jiraiya and Ayaka followed the old man from the foot of the mountain to the farmer's house where the incident occurred, a large number of villagers had already gathered outside.

The two exchanged a glance, then leaped in unison, landing lightly on the roof of a nearby house, where they surveyed the situation below from their elevated position.

This is a simple mud house on the edge of the village. The bamboo fence around it is badly damaged, and the yard is a mess, with chicken feathers and signs of struggle scattered around. It is clear that the few chickens and poultry in the house have been taken away.

Several villagers who had been victimized were surrounding Village Chief Daiwa and Uchiha Taichi, tearfully recounting what had happened.

The male villagers all had injuries of varying degrees. Bruised and swollen faces were considered mild. One of them was clutching a leg bent at an odd angle, his face pale with pain and cold sweat pouring down his face.

The female member of the team with short black hair squatted down, her hands glowing with a soft green chakra light, and began to provide emergency treatment to the seriously injured villager.

Her movements were still a bit clumsy, clearly indicating that she had only recently learned medical ninjutsu.

Uchiha Taichi listened attentively to the villagers' stories, occasionally asking key questions.

The other two male team members were also busy with their own tasks.

Wearing black-rimmed glasses and with a thin build, Iwaji Tetsuya was bent over, carefully examining the messy footprints and signs of a struggle on the ground, trying to analyze the number of bandits, their physical characteristics, and their route of movement.

Meanwhile, the slightly chubby and rather amiable-looking Shota Yamazaki was holding a notebook, listening to the villagers' stories while quickly jotting down the key points of the case.

Soon, the preliminary investigation and analysis yielded results.

The three quickly rejoined Uchiha Taichi.

Iwaji Tetsuya pushed up his glasses and calmly reported, "Captain, judging from the depth, stride and type of the footprints, there are at least five people on the other side. They are generally strong, but two of them have light steps and seem to have basic ninja skills."

Sakura Maki finished the initial treatment, wiped the sweat from her forehead, and added, "I sensed several very faint chakra remnants on the damaged fence and the ground. The nature of these chakra remnants was mixed, which confirms that there are ninjas in the opposing team, and possibly more than one."

Shota Yamazaki closed his notebook, stroking his chin as he analyzed, "Judging from their behavior, although they violently robbed and injured the villagers who resisted, they did not assault or abduct any women from the households. Their target was clearly food and valuables. Combining the information from Tetsuya and Maki, we can initially conclude that this band of bandits includes defeated ninjas who are in a state of panic and are eager to obtain supplies. However, we still cannot determine whether they are deserters from Sunagakure or Iwagakure."

On the rooftop, Jiraiya, with his exceptional hearing, could clearly hear the analysis and conversation below.

A hint of admiration flashed in his eyes, and he whispered to Ziyanghua, "These young guys are quite young, but their ability to conduct on-site investigations and analyze intelligence is quite professional."

At the same time, he was also silently sensing the chakra of the four people below.

Apart from Uchiha Taichi, who clearly possesses chakra levels comparable to genin, the other three—Iwaji Tetsuya, Sakura Maki, and Yamazaki Shota—have chakra levels that haven't even reached the standard of traditional genin.

However, for some reason, the composure, competence, and tacit cooperation emanating from these four individuals made Jiraiya feel that they were more troublesome than many ordinary wandering genin or even some genin from major ninja villages.

His gaze fell once again on their dark blue uniforms. The seemingly ordinary clothes vaguely revealed the outline of their internal structure, which was similar to the chakra armor of the border star ninjas, except that it seemed to focus more on support.

Taichi Uchiha, after synthesizing all the intelligence, sharpened his eyes and quickly issued orders: "The situation is basically clear. Tetsuya, you're in charge of tracking them down and finding the approximate location of their hideout. Maki and Shota, follow me. We'll maintain a distance of about fifty meters from Tetsuya and advance in a fan shape, conducting a dragnet search! We must find these menaces!"

"Yes!" the three responded in unison, without the slightest hesitation, and immediately began to act according to the instructions, their movements swift and orderly.

Jiraiya and Hydrangea jumped off the roof and watched as the villagers seemed much more at ease because of the police's arrival, and even began to discuss how to express their gratitude.

The village chief of Dayan Village even called on the villagers to kill a chicken and a duck, and to take out their treasured dried mountain products to prepare a decent meal to reward the special police officers.

Watching this scene, Ziyanghua couldn't help but ask curiously, "Village Chief Daiwa, don't you need to pay these police officers from the Land of Stars to help you suppress bandits? In other countries, it costs a lot of money to hire ninjas."

Upon hearing this, Village Chief Oiwa smiled and explained, "Sir Ninja, things are different here from other countries. The police officers and ninjas in the military are all government employees of the Land of Stars, receiving fixed salaries. Suppressing bandits and maintaining public order are their duties. The taxes we pay regularly include this part of public order management."

"Of course, we can't just watch the adults work so hard for us and do nothing in return. It's only right that we treat them to a simple home-cooked meal with some of our village's specialties to express our gratitude. But we can't be too extravagant, or if the inspectors find out, we and the police will be in trouble."

His explanation was clear and logical, showing that he was very familiar with the rules.

Jiraiya became increasingly interested as he listened, and looking at Oiwa, who was much younger than most of the village chiefs he had ever met, he asked, "Village Chief Oiwa, you seem to be quite young, but you know a lot."

The village chief of Dayan Village smiled simply and explained, "To be honest, things have changed a lot. Two years ago, a bear broke into the village, and I drove it away with a few friends, so everyone elected me as the village chief."

"Before becoming village chiefs, we were first sent to schools in the city to study cultural and basic political courses for several months. We learned to read and write, understood the law, and had to go to the political education school in the city for half a month of advanced training every year. The more we saw and learned, the more we naturally understood."

Jiraiya was dumbfounded. He had never heard of such a method of selecting and improving grassroots management through education and training.

This goes against the fundamental order that has governed the ninja world for thousands of years.

Having received ninja training since childhood, Jiraiya, whose concept of the existence of classes such as commoners, ninjas, nobles, and daimyo was deeply ingrained, was filled with profound doubts.

Then, recalling some rumors, he couldn't help but frown and ask, "Then... what about the original village chief? Was he executed?"

Having received ninja training, Jiraiya instinctively resisted this drastic change.

Village Chief Daiyan shook his head and pointed to a middle-aged man who was helping to start a fire and seemed rather quiet not far away: "Look, that's Xiaoze. He's working and living with us now."

Jiraiya looked at the former village chief who was working silently, his expression calmed down, but his brows furrowed even more.

Everything the Star Kingdom showed him was completely different from the world he knew, as if he were in another world.

The impact of this systemic change was far more alarming to him than a simple military victory.

at this time.

boom!
A loud bang came from outside the village, breaking the tranquility of the evening!
Jiraiya and Hydrangea reacted incredibly quickly, leaping back onto the rooftops in an instant. The villagers, meanwhile, ran in panic towards the village center.

Jiraiya stared intently at Mount Gunma to the north of the village. He saw a plume of smoke rising from the mountainside, and several figures could be vaguely seen emerging somewhat disheveled from the blast radius. It was Uchiha Taichi and his team!
Among them, Tetsuya Iwaji, who was in charge of tracking, was in the worst condition. Several kunai were stuck in his body, and his uniform was stained with blood. He was being supported by Shota Yamazaki.

A dozen or so menacing-looking bandits rushed out of the forest and surrounded the four of them.

A weasel-faced bandit shouted at the burly man in the lead, "Boss Tomiyama! You guessed right! Those lowly people really did go to find the Star Ninja! But... why are there only four little kids? And only one of them is wearing a Star Ninja headband?"

The man known as Boss Toyama was tall and muscular, wearing the standard vest of Iwagakure. His Iwagakure headband, tied around his forehead, was pierced by a deep scratch, indicating that he was a rogue ninja.

Beside him stood four ninjas whose auras were clearly different from those of ordinary bandits; two of them were even wearing Sunagakure clothing!

Tomiyama spat and sneered, "Who cares who it is! Since they dare to come, let's slaughter these arrogant little brats! Then we'll go down the mountain, massacre that village, and loot as much as we can!"

"Awooo!" The bandits and rogue ninjas let out bloodthirsty howls, brandishing their weapons and swarming forward.

On the rooftop, Hydrangea nervously grabbed Jiraiya's sleeve: "Lord Jiraiya! They're in danger!"

Jiraiya's expression turned serious, and he said in a deep voice, "Of course I saw it! How could I, the Toad Sage, stand idly by at a time like this!"

The two moved swiftly and rushed towards the battlefield.

However, just when Jiraiya thought that the surrounded Uchiha Taichi and his companions would be in a tough battle or even in danger, the situation on the field was beyond his expectations.

Faced with an enemy force that far outnumbered their own, Uchiha Taichi, Yamazaki Shota, and the less seriously injured Sakura Maki quickly stood back to back, protecting the heavily injured and unconscious Iwaji Tetsuya in the center.

"Ninja tool projection!" Uchiha Taichi calmly gave the order.

In an instant, a barrage of kunai and shuriken rained down on the charging enemy, precisely suppressing the front-line bandits' offensive.

With a flick of his wrist, Shota Yamazaki activated the chakra capacitor on his arm, and almost instantly launched a ninjutsu without a seal.

"Turong Tulong Spear!"

Puff puff!
Several sharp stone spears suddenly pierced out from under the feet of the bandits, instantly piercing them through!

Screams came and went.

At the same time, Sakura Maki swiftly drew a uniquely shaped kunai gun from the belt on her side, aimed at the other rogue ninjas who were charging the fastest, and pulled the trigger.

call out!call out!call out!
Several kunai, each bound with an explosive tag, shot out and landed precisely in the middle of the rogue ninja.

boom! boom! boom!
The continuous explosions engulfed the rogue ninjas, sending them flying and crashing to their deaths.

The leader of the Toyama gang was dumbfounded, exclaiming in astonishment, "Damn it! Aren't these kids not even genin? How can they unleash ninjutsu without hand seals? And what kind of weapon is that?!"

A former Sand Shinobi who had experienced the war against the Star Shinobi shouted with lingering fear, "Toyama! I told you these Star Shinobi are incredibly cunning! Their armor can store chakra, allowing them to cast spells quickly! Even people with weak chakra can use those kunai spears! Don't underestimate them as ordinary genin!"

Just as the rogue ninjas were somewhat stunned by this counterattack, Uchiha Taichi seized the opportunity, formed hand seals, and bulged his chest.

"Art fire escape ho fireball!"

The enormous fireball, accompanied by scorching heat, hurtled straight towards Toyama's face!

Toyama's expression changed, and he hurriedly slapped the ground with both hands: "Earth Release: Earth Land Return!"

A thick earthen wall rose up instantly, barely blocking the bombardment of the fireball, but it was also blasted into flying debris.

For a time, thanks to their superior equipment, excellent teamwork, and the insightful perception of Uchiha Taichi's Sharingan, the four-person team managed to barely withstand the siege of more than a dozen bandits and rogue ninjas.

Seeing that a direct assault was failing and his own men were being lost, Toyama immediately changed tactics, roaring furiously, "Stop hiding! Take out your explosive tags! Use ninjutsu to blast them to death! If we don't, we're all going to die here today!"

Upon hearing this, the surviving rogue ninjas reached into their robes, preparing to pull out explosive tags or begin forming more complex hand seals, attempting to cover the opponent with area-of-effect ninjutsu.

"The technique of messing up the lion's hair!"

"Opening Technique: Shuriken!"

Jiraiya and Hydrangea have finally arrived!
Jiraiya's long white hair swept out like a living python, instantly wrapping around two rogue ninjas who were forming hand seals, and slamming them hard to the ground.

Ziyanghua then took out a sealing card and summoned countless sharp shurikens that shot towards the bandits on the other side like a storm, causing them to flee in terror.

"Oh no! They have reinforcements!"

"Boss Toyama! What do we do?!"

The rogue ninjas were thrown into chaos and cried out in panic.

However, when they looked back, they saw that the leader of the Fushan gang, who had just been shouting that he would massacre the village, had turned around without hesitation and was fleeing for his life into the depths of the mountains!
"The boss ran away!"

"Get out!"

With their leader gone, the remaining bandits and rogue ninjas instantly lost their morale. They no longer cared about fighting and scattered like birds and beasts, fleeing in panic in the direction of Toyama.

The battlefield has temporarily returned to calm.

Uchiha Taichi was panting heavily, his Sharingan fixed on the direction Toyama had fled. He glanced at his teammate Iwaji Tetsuya, who was lying unconscious and seriously injured on the ground, his eyes filled with self-blame and anger.

Just then, the single tomoe in his eye suddenly began to spin rapidly, and a second tomoe materialized in his blood-red pupils!
Under extreme emotional stimulation, his Sharingan evolved!

Uchiha Taichi forcibly suppressed his turbulent emotions and quickly made a decision: "Maki! You stay and take care of Tetsuya, and treat his injuries immediately! Shota, come with me! We can't let that leader get away!"

Although worried, Sakura Maki immediately replied, "Yes! Captain, please be careful!"

Jiraiya and Hydrangea walked over.

Jiraiya looked at Taichi Uchiha's newly formed double-tomoe Sharingan and inwardly marveled at the Uchiha clan's talent before asking, "Do you need any help? That leader looks tough."

Uchiha Taiichi looked at Jiraiya, still retaining the arrogance of the Uchiha, but his tone became more serious: "Thank you both for your help. Please look after Maki and Tetsuya. As for the pursuit... we must go."

He paused, his gaze sharpening as he looked in the direction the bandits had fled. He calmly analyzed, "Now is when their morale is at its lowest. That rogue ninja leader only has a few trusted men left. If we can't take this opportunity to eliminate him, it will be difficult to catch him again once he recovers, regroups his defeated troops, or flees to other places."

Uchiha Taichi's gaze swept over Gunma Village, which was just beginning to light up in the distance, and his voice was low but firm: "Moreover... given the ruthless nature of these people, they will definitely retaliate against the village. We cannot leave this hidden danger behind."

Jiraiya looked at this fifteen-year-old boy who already possessed the qualities of an excellent squad leader, pondered for a moment, and then stopped trying to dissuade him.

He patted his chest and solemnly promised, "Since that's the case, I won't stop you. Leave your teammates to us! With Jiraiya the Toad Sage's reputation as my guarantee, we will ensure they are never harmed again!"

"Thank you!" Uchiha Taichi gave Jiraiya a deep look, said nothing more, exchanged a nod with Yamazaki Shota, and the two of them moved like cheetahs, darting out and disappearing quickly into the twilight forest along the tracks left by the bandits.

Jiraiya watched them leave, then turned to look at Sakura Maki, who was diligently tending to Iwaji Tetsuya's wounds and whose face still showed a hint of lingering fear. He then looked at the Star Country village before him, so different from what he had imagined, and couldn't help but feel a surge of emotions, muttering to himself:
"It seems the Uchiha clan is more integrated into life here than in Konoha."

"Old man... how did you manage to drive the Uchiha clan to this point..."

[Today's picture: Lolita Hydrangea]

(End of this chapter)