Takuma's thoughts raced at the sudden invitation (read as: order) from Fugaku.

"Police Force business?" asked Mikoto.

"Something like that," Fugaku said. They exchanged a look that Takuma missed in his alarm.

"Very well, the food will be ready in fifteen minutes," Mikoto said before walking away.

Takuma followed Fugaku through the massive house. He would've mapped his route and observed the entry and exit points, but his mind was occupied by speculations which turned crazier with every passing moment.

They reached a study-cum-office with a minimalist interior that still matched the rest of the traditional aesthetic of the house. Ink calligraphies, poems, and woodblock prints hung on the walls alongside ceremonial swords, daggers, and kunai. Ornate vases and other clay works sat in displays, some of them beautifully elevated through repairs using the kintsugi method. On the other side, an entire wall was dedicated to a library of scrolls and books.

Takuma sat across Fugaku with a large desk between them. He had some time to gather himself, but by no means was he calm. He didn't think this meeting was about his unsavory secrets, or else he wouldn't have been allowed near the house, much less inside it, which could only mean the discussion was about his work in the Organized Crime Division. If he knew he was going to present his work and plans to the big boss, then he would've prepared for it. If he did it poorly, his team might as well be scrapped before the one-month trial period he had managed to negotiate. But if he did well… He straightened himself and went through the key points in his mind; he had to answer any question asked clearly and in the most complete way possible.

"How is the job treating you, Genin Takuma?" Fugaku gazed at Takuma with calm eyes. "You were part of our first expansion recruitment. I believe you've been in the force long enough to get comfortable in your position."

"The work is challenging but fulfilling, sir. My peers and supervisors did a great job of bringing a novice like me up to speed, and thankfully, I've been able to pull my weight inside the department," Takuma replied. He applauded the work, complimented his coworkers, and finished with a few words of humble praise for himself.

"Organized Crime, correct? That's a difficult position to start as a rookie. To be able to perform under those expectations deserves nothing less than praise," Fugaku's words were praising, but his face remained still, and yet, there wasn't a sense of disconcertion in that. "I myself was part of the Organized Crime Division once; they do good work. I hope you'll continue serving the village with all you have."

"Of course, sir," replied Takuma.

Fugaku then engaged Takuma in a line of questioning revolving around the Police Force from the point of view of someone in his position. All the questions were to the point and specific, and it was clear what Fugaku wanted to know; with each passing question, Takuma realized Fugaku was collecting information. It seemed the Commander-in-Chief wished to know the ground reality from someone who wasn't in a supervisory position. Even though Takuma had very recently assumed his new position as the leader of the new narcotics team, which was a supervisory position, he was perfectly suited to answer the questions.

Takuma worded his answers carefully. He didn't outright badmouth anything or anyone because that could get him in trouble, but he did offer some suggestions and add some of the insights he noted as a relatively new outside hire.

"I was informed that a narcotics task force was given the go with you as its leader," said Fugaku. "That's a heavy responsibility for someone as young and new as yourself. Do you feel you're equipped to handle it? If I remember correctly, you only asked for a month to produce results— a month slips through the fingers before one realizes… Do you need more time?"

Takuma felt Fugaku's eyes on him. Even without the Sharingan, the man before him was an experienced shinobi and commander in charge of an entire clan and the organization which enforced the law in a shinobi village.

"… No, sir. I do not require more time. My team will produce the promised results by the decided deadline," said Takuma. He considered jumping at the offer of more time but then wondered what impression it would send. It hadn't even been a week since the team had been established, and if he, the leader, was already thinking about more time, then perhaps the new team hadn't given their plans enough thought. "I'm confident that my team will exist past the thirty days given to us."

Fugaku nodded, a hint of approval flashing on his face, which disappeared faster than it appeared.

He said, "It seems you're going through a good spell, Genin Takuma. You took a risk and hit it big in the Maiko Triad case— converted that success into your own task force— and you were even rewarded with genjutsu lessons from my wife, a jonin. I know a good streak when I see one…"

Takuma chuckled. "I simply made most of my situation, sir."

Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

"… not to mention the massive victory you just scored in the Ring."

Takuma felt a cold shiver go up his body while his body temperature shot up several degrees within the span of seconds. Tremors appeared in his hands and clenching them into fists did nothing to settle them. It took every drop of his will and control to keep his face in check as he gazed at Fugaku, who looked no different from before.

"… Pardon, sir?"

"Your big victory in, I believe, the ninjutsu category, Genin Takuma. Or would you prefer me to address you by your Ring moniker… Scars." Every word out of Fugaku's mouth was a sledgehammer against his head and heart. "Allow me to congratulate you. I was told that it's a big event in a Ring fighter's career to win their first fight in the ninjutsu category. I apologize if I get something wrong; I don't keep up with the finer details."

"… I apologize, sir. I'm confused… You might have the wrong person. I'm not—"

Fugaku shook his head. He didn't even need to speak, and Takuma terminated his attempt to talk his way out of the ditch he was currently in.

"There's no rule forbidding an officer of the Police Force from being involved with the Ring. We never needed one because we never had civilian-born shinobi in our ranks before your batch joined," said Fugaku. Takuma wanted to look away, but something in Fugaku's gaze made Takuma maintain solid eye contact with the man. "I was conflicted about how to feel about this, even after having the time to think… I am still conflicted. On the one hand, I prefer if none of our officers have any connection with that organization, but at the same time, the Ring exists for a reason, and shinobi like you benefit from it. I'm sure you have reaped numerous gains; after all, you have reached the ninjutsu category."

Takuma was drawing zeroes on what to do in a situation like this. The person before him outclassed him in every single aspect of life. He was in real danger— but he couldn't simply sit there and not try anything. He picked a direction and decided to go hard in it.

"… Am I in trouble, sir?" he asked.

"Do you think you're in trouble, Genin Takuma?"

"I don't believe so, sir. As you said, the Ring exists for a reason, and I utilized it for all the benefits it could provide me… I made the best of what my situation presented to me," said Takuma as if he had done nothing wrong.

"Then why hide it? I didn't see the mention of your illustrious career in your application," asked Fugaka.

"I didn't want to be judged by my peers. You mentioned it yourself, sir. Ring only became an issue when civilian-born shinobi entered the Police Force; clan shinobi don't participate in the Ring— but I know its image in clan circles. The Police Force was a big opportunity, and I didn't want to see it ruined because I did something else for the betterment of my career," said Takuma in justification. "I simply wanted to be treated fairly, and all it would take is one supervising officer to look at it negatively for my progress to be throttled."

Takuma stopped when he realized that his speech cadence had jumped up and took a moment to collect himself. He didn't continue and faced Fugaku without a hint of fear on his face, even though, inside, his heart and mind were declaring an emergency. A lot depended upon how Fugaku would react to his justifications.

"… I don't have a problem with your participation in the Ring. I get to have a shinobi in my ranks with extensive combat training without paying for it. And clearly, the Ring is not affecting your work," said Fugaku. But then he continued by saying, "The conflict arises when I wonder if your associations from that part of your life would affect your judgment as an officer of the Police Force. I hope you understand what I'm saying…"

'Does he know?' Takuma's heartbeat spiked. He had no way of checking without directly asking and he wasn't going to do that in case Fugaku didn't know. "Takuma and Scars are two separate entities, sir. Scars only exist when I'm down in the tunnels; the moment I exit, I become Takuma, and when I don my uniform, I assume the responsibilities my position demands from me. Keeping my lives separate is the only reason why I have been able to come this far without ruining it all."

His identity as a Ring fighter contributed to only a fifth of his tension, panic, and nerves ready to burst; the rest was his status as Tobi, his work with Ryuu, and his connection to Enomoto. The Ring was an open secret that was actively ignored, but the drug industry was one hundred percent illegal and a target for eliminating any chance the Police Force got. If he got implicated, he would be crushed without any chance for rebuttal.

Takuma needed Fugaku to believe him.

"… I hope that is true, Genin Takuma." Fugaku leaned forward. "If I find that you've been misusing your position in the Police Force… I don't need to tell you the outcome. I'm happy with what you have done till now and would hate to lose a shinobi like you. Keep that in mind when you're at a crossroads and have a decision to make."

"Understood… sir," Takuma nodded.

It looked like Fugaku was done speaking.

Takuma, however, wasn't done— he had some pressing questions he needed to clear.

"Who else knows about this, sir?" asked Takuma.

"Not many people. Me, Jonin Sayuri (Head of Organized Crime), Chunin Yakumi (Kano's direct supervisor), Chunin Setsuna. But it'll be put on your file, so any Police Force jonin who wishes to look into your personnel records will know," answered Fugaku. That was a problem. Takuma opened his mouth to speak but was shut down by Fugaku. "It'll remain in your Police Force personnel file, Genin Takuma. That's not negotiable. Be thankful that we aren't sharing it to the village-wide file."

Takuma closed his eyes and sighed. Now he had to be extra careful when dealing with a Police Force jonin in case they felt the need to look into his personnel file. He wasn't in immediate danger, as checking personnel files was frowned upon. He needed to build influence inside the Police Force as quickly as possible so if one day someone did bring up his Ring involvement, it wouldn't matter.

"You hid it well," Fugaku said. "It didn't come up in the screening when we hired you. It was because you were going to be a regular at my house that we had to do another check." He looked at Takuma with a smile, "After all, we can't let anyone enter this house, can we?"

Suddenly, Takuma was glad he used Tobi as an alternate identity for drug dealing.

"Does Jonin Mikoto know?" he asked.

"Of course, my wife knows. She was the first one to see the report."

Takuma couldn't help but smile bitterly.

Why couldn't he, just once, get an opportunity without a hidden caveat that always created problems for him?