Watching the faces inside the tavern, Yuzuru almost burst out laughing.
No matter how miserable their lives were now, they had brought it all upon themselves. They were not worth pitying in the slightest.
Back when the Uchiha clan lived in the village, these people never showed faces like this.
Regretting now?
Too late.
Yuzuru felt truly fortunate that he'd chosen to leave Konoha back then—otherwise he never would have witnessed such a delightful scene.
In the original timeline, these fools actually lived quite comfortably.
Some brats even dared to bully Hyūga Hinata—the princess of the Byakugan.
Let them try that now.
They'd probably die before they even finished trying, and the Hyūga wouldn't even need to use Gentle Fist properly for that.
Suddenly, the tavern door was kicked open.
Several masked Anbu charged inside. "Stay where you are! Move and you die!"
Murderous intent swept through the tavern, freezing everyone in place.
The tavern owner hurried over with a flattering smile. "My lord, I'm from the Utatane clan. May I ask what has happened?"
As he spoke, he stuffed a stack of bills into the lead Anbu's hand.
Everyone watched the blatant bribe without surprise.
If the owner didn't belong to the Utatane clan, the Anbu wouldn't even accept it.
Taking the money, the Anbu's tone eased slightly.
"This morning, two members of the Shimura clan were killed in front of their clan compound. We're checking if there are any suspicious individuals here."
Everyone was stunned.
The Shimura clan was practically the 'Celestial Dragons' of Konoha now—arrogant, untouchable, and feared by all.
Yet someone had actually killed two of them right at their clan compound. Who dared to go that far?
"Does anyone here know anything?"
"If not, we'll take everyone to the Police Force for questioning."
At that, the tavern instantly erupted into panic.
"My lord, it has nothing to do with us—we're just drinking to relax!"
"I'm a civilian with no chakra! How could I possibly kill a Shimura ninja?"
"The tavern owner can testify—I haven't left since last night!"
Everyone was busy proving their innocence.
With the Police Force's reputation these days, stepping inside meant losing at least a layer of skin, if not your life.
Sure, they still had enough spare money to drink now—but if they were taken in, they'd probably go bankrupt just trying to get out.
"Quiet!"
The Anbu Squad Leader sliced the table in half with one strike. "No clues? Then you all come with us."
"I have a clue!" a ninja shouted.
As the Anbu surrounded him, he hurried to explain, "I just heard someone loudly praising the Land of Lightning. I'm sure he has something to do with this."
Immediately, someone echoed, "Yes, it's him! He must be a spy from an enemy nation!"
Everyone pointed at the short, chubby merchant with accusing expressions.
Better the neighbor die than oneself.
After so many years, everyone had learned exactly how to protect themselves first.
Faced with the pointing fingers, the chubby merchant collapsed to the floor.
"It wasn't me! I'm not a spy! I'm just a merchant!"
"I've been in the tavern the whole time—I'm not even a ninja! There's no way I killed those two Shimura!"
The Anbu Squad Leader ignored him entirely and waved his hand. "Take him."
Seeing the Anbu advancing on him, the merchant desperately pulled out a small booklet.
"I'm a citizen of the Land of Lightning now! You can't arrest me without evidence!"
The Squad Leader sneered. "You flash a Lightning ID and still claim you're not a spy?"
The merchant swallowed hard and forced out, "The Land of Lightning will protect me! Aren't you afraid of angering them by arresting me without cause?"
The Squad Leader burst into mocking laughter.
"Lightning citizenship isn't some life-saving charm. Even if I kill you right now—what will those bastards do about it?"
"This is Konoha. You're not expecting them to come save you, are you?"
"Even Uchiha Yuzuru—if he dared come here, I'd cut him down myself!"
Hearing his mockery, the merchant's lips trembled. He didn't say another word.
He'd only said all that out of desperation.
He knew perfectly well that if they wanted to take him, he had no chance to resist.
What a waste… he had only just gotten Lightning citizenship, and now his family would never enjoy the life he'd dreamed of giving them…
"Hmph."
"Lightning scum are all insects. No need for interrogation—just kill him."
The Squad Leader raised his blade, ready to take the merchant's head.
But the next moment, someone seized his wrist.
A black-haired, black-clad man stood before him. "Who exactly did you just call an insect?"
Seeing the man's face, the arrogant Anbu Squad Leader immediately began to shake.
"Y–You… you're… Yuzuru?!"
Why was he here?
How did he dare come here?!
Everyone else also gasped loudly, staring at Yuzuru in disbelief.
They hadn't misheard, right?
This was Konoha—the heart of the Land of Fire.
A ninja who had defected long ago didn't just show up—he had boldly stepped in to confront Anbu head-on.
What was happening?!
"U-Uchiha Yuzuru… this is Konoha, don't do anything reckless…"
The Squad Leader's voice trembled in Yuzuru's grip.
'I was just talking—why did you actually show up?!'
"You talk too much."
Yuzuru's fingers tightened—crack.
The Squad Leader's wrist snapped instantly.
With a scream, his blade dropped toward the floor. Yuzuru caught it midair and thrust upward.
The blade pierced through the Squad Leader's jaw and exited through the top of his skull.
His scream died instantly. The tavern fell into absolute silence.
An Anbu Squad Leader… killed just like that?
How could Yuzuru dare?
"Take me to your family. I'll get you all out of Konoha."
Hearing Yuzuru's words, the chubby merchant's eyes filled with tears.
He was truly being saved.
And by Lord Yuzuru himself.
For once, even a greedy merchant felt a surge of loyalty rising from his heart.
He choked out, "Lord Yuzuru… you've done more than enough. Becoming a citizen of the Land of Lightning is the proudest thing I'll ever achieve."
"Please run while you can. I don't want my family or myself to drag you down."
Yuzuru couldn't help laughing.
"The word 'run' isn't in my vocabulary. Hurry up and lead the way."
Seeing the confidence in his eyes, the merchant no longer insisted.
If he could live, who would choose to die?
He hurried toward the door, and before stepping out, he turned to sweep a proud gaze across the room.
"You saw it, didn't you? You'll never enjoy treatment like this in your lives."
"Stay in this lightless hell forever, you maggots!"