Disclaimer: Naruto and all of its character belong to Masashi Kishimoto. I own nothing but the original characters I make.
Chapter 83: Corruption
Inside the meeting room, a heavy silence hung in the air. The room was crowded with a ninja from Uchiha Clan and also Uzumaki Clan.
Uzumaki Raiken, clan leader and Uchiha Hikaku the current clan leader of Uchiha Clan. Then followed by the elders and few young shinobi from both clan attending this meeting.
Everyone wore the same unreadable mask, some looked very angry and some looked disgusted and not just young people even the old people from Uchiha Clan had face of disbelief and anger. They all had heard the confession from those who had been kidnapped either by gambling or making them in debt, eventhough the people confess in a closed room but there are two way mirror in that closed room and they can hear the confession of the people inside.
Raiken also bought some camera to record the video and replayed it back in the meeting, they are footage when those girl been saved. Their eyes looked like someone who wanted to die. When the recording ended there was only a single, prolonged intake of breath, followed by the sound of men shifting in their seats.
A notification pinged on Raiken interface and the projected feed flickered for a moment. Two usernames appeared, accompanied by generous donation.
[Justice donated 10,000 stars because of your help towards those who are being kidnapped]
[Enforcer donated 15,000 stars because the way you handled the corruption]
Raiken blinked, then allowed himself a small smile and not even people near him noticed it. This two people are new to his channel and Raiken had never seen a name of justice and enforcer entering his chat and not just that their amounts were large compared to the usual stream patrons. It was a reminder maybe personal support who loves him because he was saving those poor girls. He looked up at the people in the room and decided to give his speech and he rose from his seat.
"We, as shinobi, are supposed to be the shield between the innocent and the world cruelty," Raiken began, his voice become serious. "Many of you know the Uzumaki way... family first, community always. The Uchiha, too, have traditions that value bonds over business. Yet right under our noses, there are nobles who treat human beings as toys. They buy them, sell them, degrade them and hide behind laws that protect their wealth."
Murmurs rippled through the room, some muttered agreement, others were too stunned to speak. Raiken let the murmurs die out, then continued.
"We were not close enough to see this. Our people focused on seals, on the market, on daily survival. We rented stalls, made tools, and believed the rest was not our business. That was a mistake. This... this isn't just about moral outrage. These are kidnappings, trafficking, exploitation. And the law shields them because they have money."
He looked directly at the Uchiha elders. At Hikaku, at Yashiro, at Fugaku who are only few years older than him, who had joined the meeting too. Their faces were taut. Raiken continued.
"We can react in two ways," he said plainly. "Legally, we can starve their businesses, attract their customer, force them into bankruptcy. While in illegal way, we can find perpetrator, the man behind the scene, worst offenders and remove them by assasinate them, incapacitate them, make it impossible for them to prey on others again. What will you choose?"
Kenshiro stood first. "We stopped one brothel already, clan leader," he said, voice dangerous with eagerness. "Why not bring down all of them by force?"
Yashiro hand rose after him. "We Uchiha will back you. We cannot watch our village be used as shields for nobles'\ crimes. The law is weak here. Sometimes forces are necessary."
A chorus of voices erupted, some calling for merciless action, others cautioning restraint. One by one they voiced their positions. "I choose the first," said one elder, fingers tapping the table... "take all their customer and bankrupt them like we did earlier."
"I choose the second," countered another, his voice low. "We take them out covertly before the Daimyo notices."
"We need both," another Uchiha argued. "If we act only illegally, the consequences will be severe. If we act only legally, the victims suffer longer. A hybrid approach."
Raiken allowed the debate to swell and subside, weighing risks. When voices had thinned he raised his hand for silence and spoke again.
"We will begin with the legal approach like we did earlier, with our nerve gear scroll shop open we manage to attract their customer and make them bankrupt. Then using Konoha Military Police Force we will find out who is their next prey and give this targeted people security, if those from brothel dare to attack a beautiful woman we will attack them, no mercy will be given," he decided. "We will compile financial records, trace the money, expose the ties between noble houses and brothel owners. We will use the Uchiha's influence in the military police to seize accounts and the Uzumaki merchant networks to undercut their supply chains. We can bankrupt them without spilling blood, and rescue the victims through legitimate channels."
As he spoke, he outlined the plan teams to gather ledgers, undercover operatives to infiltrate brothel bookkeeping, a public relations campaign to galvanize common support and a rescue network.... safe houses, medical care, job placement for freed victims using Uzumaki-funded training programs.
He mapped roles: Uchiha would handle investigative leads and Uzumaki would bankroll interim relief and provide the victim with what they need. The Nerve Gear would be used to attract their customer and making those people bankrupt.
"But legal action needs evidence and patience," Raiken warned. "If the nobles detect that we are about to expose them, they will use their influence to move the investigation away or silence witnesses."
"I do not like the second option," confessed Hikaku quietly. "But if the legal way fails because of corruption, what else can we do to save those girls?"
"We will ensure it does not fail," Raiken answered. "We will gather irrefutable evidence or if we failed we will stop them from taking a root."
One of the Uchiha fist tapped the table once. "Then let us start tonight," he said. "Give us the names and the leads. We will go in and secure what we can, and the rest will be handled by the courts."
Raiken smiled, it wasn't just him who feel bad to that poor woman even Uchiha Clan can't choose to be silent after knowing the truth. He didn't involve Hiruzen because he believed as a Hokage how come he didn't know about the corruption inside the village.
Author Notes: To read advanced chapter you can go to my patreon.
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