[Note: Read up to Chapter - 42 on P atreon at: p-atreon.com/Knockturn_Alley]
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"Kanzou-sama, here's Uchiha Fugaku's confession."
Shin returned from the interrogation room, holding a bloodstained confession in his hand.
[Ding! You tricked Uchiha Fugaku. Reward: Detonation Tags ×10, Evil Value +1000]
Kanzou took the document and scanned through it.
Assaulting fellow Konoha shinobi, peeping on women's bathhouses, sneaking into widows' homes at night… and a whole list of petty crimes—it was all pinned on Uchiha Fugaku.
"Well done."
Kanzou patted Shin on the shoulder, clearly pleased with the results.
With the confession in hand, he made his way to another interrogation room.
Inside, Douma sat cross-legged on a worn tatami mat, eyes closed in silence.
"Patriarch, how's the stay? I hope they've been taking good care of you," Kanzou said with a faint smirk.
Douma's eyes snapped open.
"Uchiha Kanzou, what are you after?"
Being captured by a fellow clansman was a humiliation Douma could hardly bear. For the clan's patriarch, it was utterly disgraceful.
Kanzou gave a small shrug.
"Oh, nothing much. I just came to show you something."
Kanzou pulled out the confession and placed it in front of Douma.
"Fugaku-san's list of crimes is growing," Kanzou said with a faint smile. "If this were an official trial, how many years do you think he'd be sentenced to?"
Ka-ka–!!
Douma's fists clenched tightly, his knuckles cracking from the pressure.
"Do you really think framing a fellow clansman and imprisoning me, the patriarch, will win you any support? Uchiha Kanzou, you're too despicable to become the next patriarch. You'll die before that happens."
Even now, Douma was convinced that Kanzou's ultimate goal was to take the clan leadership for himself.
And, in truth, he wasn't wrong.
Though Kanzou had no such ambitions, that was only the case in the past—back when he had no system, no cheat—but now? Now, things have changed.
Now that he held the power to reach Kage-level and beyond, the idea of becoming patriarch no longer seemed pointless.
Back then, even with the title of patriarch, he wouldn't have been able to stop the Uchiha clan's eventual destruction.
But now... now he had a real chance.
Now that Kanzou had a system, his confidence was on an entirely different level.
"Douma-sama, I suggest you mind your tone," Kanzou said coldly. "It wouldn't be difficult for me to have Fugaku-san killed right now."
Douma's expression stiffened.
"What do you want?" he asked, forcing himself to stay calm.
His son was still in Kanzou's hands—and with that forged confession, Kanzou essentially held the fate of both father and son.
If Kanzou truly intended to kill Fugaku, there was likely no one who could or would stop him.
After all, plenty of people in the Uchiha clan would love nothing more than to see internal conflict escalate.
"I want to be the captain of the Military Police Force," Kanzou said simply. "Tell Fugaku-san to step down."
"Fine. I agree."
Douma didn't hesitate.
As long as Kanzou wasn't demanding the patriarch's seat, he was willing to compromise.
Kanzou smiled.
"The patriarch agreed rather quickly. Oh—and one more thing. I'm a bit short on money these days. Not much. Just one billion ryō should do."
"What did you just say?!"
Hearing Kanzou's outrageous demand, Douma shot to his feet—only to cough up a mouthful of blood from the strain.
"One billion ryō shouldn't be too much for the patriarch, right?" Kanzou said casually.
Douma nearly coughed up another mouthful.
A billion ryō? That was far from a small amount.
In this world's currency system, 1 ryō is roughly equivalent to 1 yen.
An average S-rank mission—high risk, high reward—paid around one million ryō. Only the most dangerous or high-profile missions paid more.
So one billion was indeed an astronomical figure.
Even after years of missions and combat, Kanzou's personal savings didn't exceed 100 million ryō—and that was after a lot of effort. Expenses alone were significant.
After the Senju clan fell into decline, the Uchiha rose to become the wealthiest family in Konoha—but even they weren't that rich. Not to the level where a billion ryō could be casually handed over.
Other clans had established businesses—the Nara Clan managed the pharmaceutical industry, the Akimichi family owned several eateries, and the Yamanaka family managed a successful flower business.
Everyone had assets and income.
But the Uchiha? Nothing.
Their pride and arrogance made them ill-suited for commerce, and on top of that, they were heavily marginalised within Konoha.
What industry could they possibly run under such scrutiny and hostility?
For Douma to cough up a billion ryō… he'd have to empty the clan's entire treasury—and likely his personal fortune as well.
"I don't have time to waste on this," Kanzou said, knocking his knuckles on the table.
"Take the deal or leave it."
He leaned forward slightly, voice cold.
"You should know the value of spending money to avoid disaster. But if you're unwilling to pay, don't blame me when Fugaku ends up spending the rest of his life in Konoha Prison."
A faint smile tugged at Kanzou's lips.
"I imagine the higher-ups in Konoha would be delighted to see Fugaku locked away. Do you really think he'd survive long in there? You know… the prisoners are all violet… and have past grudges… maybe he'd end up losing an arm or a leg, that would be bad… And if he lost an eye? That would be terrible… and worst, he might even lose his ability to become a father… that would be horrendous…"
"Douma-sama, you don't want to see your son spend a very long time in prison and end up losing his Sharingan or the ability to become a father, do you? Once that happens, he'll completely lose any right to compete for the position of the patriarch."
Kanzou's steady pressure—masked as reason and persuasion—Douma was ultimately forced to agree.
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"Escort the patriarch out."
Now that Douma had given in, there was no need to keep him locked up. Kanzou still needed him—for the money.
As Douma was led away, Souta scowled at his retreating back.
"Just letting him go like that? He's caused you no end of trouble, Kanzou-sama. This feels too lenient."
Kanzou shook his head.
"And what if I didn't release him? If I killed him, do you think the elders in the clan would just sit quietly?"
He had never intended to kill Douma.
Doing so would invite too much trouble. Forget Sarutobi Hiruzen—who would surely use the opportunity to press charges—even the Uchiha elders would turn against Kanzou if he eliminated their patriarch outright.
Besides, even though Uchiha Douma had been inactive for a long time due to his injuries, he still had a number of powerful loyalists.
But Kanzou knew one thing—he didn't need to kill Douma himself.
With both his new wounds and his old ones flaring up, Douma wouldn't survive another seven days.
"So... are you really planning to release Uchiha Fugaku?" Shin asked.
"Of course," Kanzou replied with a faint smile. "I'm a man of my word. But he'll be released after Uchiha Douma is dead."
Keeping Fugaku in custody ensured that Douma wouldn't dare try anything while he was still breathing.
"Make sure nothing happens to him. No rescues." Kanzou instructed Shin.
"Rest assured, Kanzou-sama," Shin said confidently. "Souta and I are guarding him together. He's not going anywhere."
If two Elite Jōnin couldn't manage to secure one Uchiha Fugaku, they might as well commit Seppuku out of shame.
With that, Kanzou left the Military Police Force Headquarters.
Not long after he returned to the clan compound, a messenger from Douma arrived—bringing with him the money Kanzou had demanded.
The one who arrived was a Jōnin.
"Kanzou, you should release the young patriarch," he said sharply, glaring at Kanzou.
Kanzou narrowed his eyes.
"Is that how you speak to me?"
Without another word, he lashed out with a swift kick, sending the man stumbling backward.
"Go back and tell Douma-sama this—I'll release his son, but only when I decide the time is right."
He slammed the door shut and turned back toward the table, where a passbook sat neatly in front of him. Kanzou picked it up and tucked it away, a faint smirk on his face.
Douma hadn't wasted a second delivering the money—he clearly didn't want to risk anything happening to Fugaku.
[Ding! Extorted 1 billion ryō. Reward: B-Rank Ninjutsu — Fire Style: Great Fire Annihilation. Evil Value +5000]
"Only 5,000 points?" Kanzou muttered.
Still, getting a powerful ninjutsu out of the deal made it worthwhile.
Great Fire Annihilation was a top-tier offensive technique of the Uchiha clan.
Unfortunately, not everyone has access to this Jutsu.
Now, it belonged to Kanzou.
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Drop power Powerstonessssssssss!
[Note: Read up to Chapter - 40 on P atreon at: p-atreon.com/Knockturn_Alley]