Uchiha Goka sat on the front steps of his home, pulling on his boots.
His wife stood behind him, concern in her voice. "Goka, will you be promoted to Jonin this time?"
"Definitely."
The sound of pitter-patter footsteps echoed from behind as his daughter, who hated wearing shoes, came running out. Goka caught her in his arms, teasing her with his stubbly beard until she squirmed and laughed, pushing him away.
"After the Land of Whirlpools war, the Clan Head recommended four of us Special Jonin for promotion," Goka said. "Our Uchiha clan shed blood in Whirlpool and achieved so much merit. The village wouldn't deny us a mere four Jonin slots. I heard the Sarutobi clan recommended nine—the most of any clan."
"Jonin are few and their status is high," his wife mused. "I'm just worried the village won't want to let us have four more."
"It doesn't matter. Even if the village filters the candidates, my mission record is the best among the Special Jonin."
Goka donned his Military Police vest and left for work. Uchiha ninja served on the front lines during war and in the Police Force during peace. The work was tedious and the pay was low; the village restricted the number of outside missions Uchiha could take, essentially trapping them within the Police Force.
Upon entering the Interrogation Division, Goka saw the Sixth Patrol Squad had brought in a suspect. The man was accused of stealing the pension of a fallen ninja and refused to reveal where the money was hidden.
'A Leaf ninja dies on the front lines, and you steal from his family back home?' Goka thought grimly. "I'll handle this interrogation. Wake him up!"
Two minutes later, Goka emerged from the interrogation room, his eyes filled with panic and confusion. A fellow police officer peeked inside.
"He's dead?"
"So he's dead," Goka snapped. "Just a thief who stole from orphans. Send someone to the ANBU. Request a Yamanaka ninja to read the memory sectors of the corpse's brain."
Ten minutes later, several ANBU appeared at the entrance of the Military Police headquarters. Uchiha Toka, the Vice Chief of the Police Force, hurried down the stairs. Seeing the familiar Fox mask, he let out a small sigh of relief.
"Squad Leader Fox, what brings you here?"
'Sorry about this,' Yagami thought, before adopting a stern tone. "I'm here to take Uchiha Goka into ANBU custody for questioning. We received word that a citizen has died in the Police Force Interrogation Division. Where is Goka? Have him come out."
The hallway went silent as the police officers looked toward Toka, hoping he would turn the ANBU away. But Toka's heart sank. Fox was one of the four ANBU Squad Leaders and was highly favored by both the Hokage and Yellow Dog. Even if their Clan Head came...
Uchiha head descended from the upper floor. "Squad Leader Fox, is there some misunderstanding? Goka was questioning a thief who stole a martyr's pension."
Hippo stepped forward. "According to our intelligence, the 'thief' was also the orphan of a fallen ninja. There was a long-standing feud between the two families. The ANBU has verified that he didn't steal the pension; he just moved it to another location as a prank. You didn't interrogate a thief to death—you killed the child of a war hero!"
Yagami added, "Clan Head, a life is on the line. The ANBU must take Goka. If his culpability is minor, he will naturally be released."
Goka slowly emerged from the crowd and stood before the ANBU. He didn't know what his punishment would be, but he knew his Jonin promotion was now a lost cause.
By the time Uchiha Fugaku rushed to the Police Force, he only saw the departing backs of the ANBU and Goka. He hurried to the Chief's office on the top floor, finding his father and Toka with grave expressions.
After Fugaku closed the door, Toka spoke. "Clan Head, having no one representing the Uchiha in the Hokage building makes us too vulnerable. We were completely blindsided by this move."
Clan head shook his head. "Since Kagami died, our link to the Hokage building has been severed. Which of those high-level officials do you think would support us? Even if we begged for their favor, how much trust would we get? Danzo's Root selects talent for the ANBU—he's approached every other clan, but never the Uchiha or the Senju. In the Whirlpool war, twenty-one of our clansmen awakened the three-tomoe Sharingan. I only recommended four for Jonin, and the village still refuses."
"Was Goka targeted specifically because of the promotion?" Toka asked.
Sho didn't deny it. He realized instantly that Goka wasn't the problem—the ANBU was simply moving against him.
Fugaku suddenly interjected, "Father, Teacher... can we proactively apply to join the ANBU? Work for the Third Hokage and slowly earn the trust of the high command? I am willing to apply for the sake of the clan!"
"Nonsense!" Clan head snapped. "Do you think the ANBU is a pleasant place? Don't just look at the prestige of 'Copper Fox'; look at the horrific casualty rate. Do you think executing the Third's missions is easy? During the Whirlpool war, Fox had a decent relationship with us—he guided you and helped us ambush the Mist's Seven Swordsmen. But look at him now that he's back in the village. Does he care about that old friendship?"
"The first step of ANBU training is to erase emotions, destroy the self, and magnify the darkness in your heart. The Hokage's word is law. After entering such a place, would you still be yourself?"
"But besides the ANBU, how else can we gain their trust?"
Clan head spoke slowly. "Don't be so anxious. I didn't sense killing intent from Fox; he won't do anything permanent to Goka. The ANBU just wants to sabotage the promotion. Go find out how the Senju are being treated. If they're being suppressed alongside the Uchiha, I'll feel a bit better."
...
Inside the ANBU base, Hippo brought Goka to an interrogation room. Yagami dismissed the others, intending to question Goka alone.
"Uchiha Goka, the files say you specialize in Fire Style?"
"Yes." Goka didn't want to say a word more than necessary.
"Specializing in Fire Style is good..."
Outside, Hippo suddenly heard the sounds of a struggle. He rushed into the room and froze in horror. 'Uchiha Goka? Killed Captain Fox?'
'To frame the Uchiha, did the Captain really go that far?'
...
[ Arc of Moon activated!]
[Host has only one revival opportunity per month. Upon death, host revives on the previous full moon night.]
[Bonus Reward Draw...]
Yagami returned to the night of the previous full moon. Using the system, he drew 'Fire Attribute Chakra. With the war over, he had plenty of time to slowly patch his weaknesses.
The timeline proceeded as before: Hippo used a spy to frame Goka and brought him into custody. Three days later, Uchiha Head went to the Hokage building and withdrew Goka's promotion recommendation.
Yellow Dog found Yagami. "Fox, well done."
"I wouldn't dare take all the credit," Yagami replied, not wanting to hog the limelight for something so dirty. "The plan was Hippo's idea, and he handled all the arrangements."
Let the unethical label be shared; he wasn't going to take the full hit for that. After finishing the report, Yagami had Purple Cat bring him the squad's ninjutsu scrolls.
It was time to learn a Fire Style jutsu.