[Read up to Chapter - 73 on P atreon at: p-atreon.com/Knockturn_Alley]
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Upon arriving at the Police Force headquarters, Kanzou noticed clear traces of battle. But seeing that the officers were working normally, he nodded in satisfaction.
Not bad. Shin and Souta handled things well. At least they managed to keep the Police Force from being completely overwhelmed."
The two had successfully withstood pressure from the other major clans, and that alone was enough to earn Kanzou's approval.
"Kanzou-sama!"
After Kanzou arrived at the office, Shin and Souta immediately came forward to report. Both of them were still bearing visible injuries, their faces weary and exhausted—it was clear they'd had a rough time.
But the moment they saw Kanzou, they finally breathed a sigh of relief, as if they had found their pillar of support.
They had been under immense pressure the entire previous day, yet despite the challenges, they had accomplished a great deal.
Many members of the Hyuga clan were imprisoned, along with individuals from the Sarutobi and Shimura clans.
Even members of ANBU and Root ninja came demanding their release, but were turned away.
Of course, that refusal hadn't been peaceful—force had to be used to make them back down.
Once the report was finished, Kanzou dismissed Shin and Souta, telling them to get some rest. He then made his way to the Prison cells.
Konoha had two detention facilities—one managed by ANBU, and the other by the Konoha Police Force under Kanzou's command.
Standing outside the cell, Kanzou sneered and said, "Hyuga Hiashi-san, how was your night? Comfortable in there?"
Kanzou first laid eyes on Hiashi.
Hiashi, who had been sitting with his eyes closed in meditation, slowly opened them. Known for always maintaining his dignified image, he now looked noticeably dishevelled and embarrassed.
"Uchiha Kanzou," Hiashi said coldly, "anyone who dares offend the Hyuga clan will not be forgiven."
"Hah! Still putting on airs?" Kanzou laughed mockingly. "Do you think I wouldn't dare kill you right here and now?"
Without hesitation, Kanzou unlocked the cell door and stepped inside.
Hiashi wisely remained still. He hadn't even been able to defeat Uchiha Souta—how could he possibly stand against Kanzou, especially in his injured state?
"I don't believe you'd actually kill me," Hiashi said, trying to remain composed.
"Are you certain?" Kanzou smirked darkly. "What if I said you were a traitor trying to defect from the village?"
"Who'd actually believe that the Hyuga Patriarch is a traitor?" Hiashi scoffed.
"I agree on that… and certainly there would be a lot of backlash… There might be a major conflict with the Hyuga Clan, and the Hokage wouldn't sit still either, so indeed there would be many risks… But did you stop for a moment to think what would happen to you? You'd already be dead...!"
Kanzou smiled as he looked at Hiashi.
If he wanted to fabricate a crime, framing Hiashi would be all too easy. It didn't matter whether others believed it—so long as Kanzou believed it himself, that was enough.
Although there would be a lot of backlash, was Kanzou afraid? He didn't fear anyone in Konoha! Not even the Hokage!
And honestly, who would go out of their way to defend a dead man?
All that they'd demand would be compensation… and that's it.
"If I feel like it," Kanzou said casually, "I could search your residence tomorrow and conveniently find evidence that you were colluding with another village to conspire against the Hokage and the village, and deliver the judgment… as for whatever happens after that… it will happen… but you'd be dead…"
Hiashi's face turned pale as he looked at Kanzou, thinking, 'Madman…'
Faced with an unscrupulous madman like Kanzou with no bottom line, he was momentarily speechless.
There were no ethics and reasonable thinking pattern of wanting to avoid unnecessary trouble at all…!
"…What do you want in exchange for sparing the captured members of the Hyuga clan?"
Though reluctant to yield, Hiashi was genuinely afraid Kanzou would execute the imprisoned Hyuga members. Everyone in Konoha knew Uchiha Kanzou's reputation—ruthless and unrelenting.
Even as a boy, barely a teenager during the Second Great Ninja War, Kanzou had made a name for himself through sheer brutality and unscrupulous behavior.
"It's very simple. All I want is a bit of money—a modest security management fee," Kanzou said with a smile. "Your Hyuga clan is wealthy, running all kinds of businesses… Gemstone shops, clothing shops, and many more. Surely, this won't be a burden for you?"
"You stirred up all this chaos… just for money?" Hyuga Hiashi frowned in disbelief.
To offend so many people for mere money—it was hard to accept.
"People die for wealth, birds die for food. Isn't that how the world works?" Kanzou shrugged nonchalantly.
Of course, he had no intention of revealing his true motive. It wasn't about the money—what he really wanted was the evil points he gained from his actions.
"How much?" Hiashi asked coldly.
"Not much. Ten million ryō per month. No bargaining."
Kanzou's words were light, but Hiashi's face twisted with anger at the amount. Ten million ryō per month? That was no small sum.
If it was just a one-time thing, Hiashi wouldn't care too much… but to pay that amount every month… that's 120 million a year!
And 120 million a year is not a small sum that can be handed over casually.
But even if he was unhappy with Kanzou's demand, in the end, though, Hiashi chose to compromise. As the esteemed patriarch of the Hyuga clan, remaining imprisoned any longer would be an unacceptable humiliation.
"Let me return home, and I'll have someone deliver the ten million ryō," Hiashi said, and added gritting his teeth, "every month…"
"Alright," Kanzou replied. "I trust you won't try anything dishonest, Hiashi-dono. But let me make one thing clear—if the money doesn't arrive, don't blame me when I come to collect it myself."
With that, Kanzou waved his hand, signalling for Hiashi to be released.
After dealing with Hiashi, Kanzou moved on to handle the others.
These prisoners had been wasting space and food for days, and now it was time to make them useful. Finding ways to extort money from them was exactly what Kanzou enjoyed.
Although extortion didn't yield a massive amount of evil points, each incident still earned him a thousand or two. And when the numbers added up, the value grew quickly.
Just then, an ANBU ninja wearing a cat-faced mask appeared before Kanzou. His tone was cold and emotionless.
"Uchiha Kanzou. Hokage-sama requests your presence."
"Heh… So he finally couldn't hold back. Lasting two days was more than I expected," Kanzou sneered after the ANBU ninja disappeared using the Body Flicker Technique.
Just yesterday, Kanzou had been wondering when Sarutobi Hiruzen would summon him. He was surprised the old man had held out for an entire day, but clearly, he couldn't sit still any longer.
It made sense, though. The new recruits Kanzou brought in today had been ordered to act just like the guards had two days ago, which only added to the growing chaos in Konoha. Many shopkeepers had shut their stores, afraid of being arrested for any fabricated reason.
And on top of that, the expansion of the Konoha Police Force was bound to provoke Sarutobi Hiruzen. The Hokage had always been wary of the Uchiha clan, and now Kanzou was pushing to enlarge the guard unit—making it seem as though he were building his own power base.
There was no way Hiruzen could stay idle after that.
And so, Kanzou made his way to the Hokage Building once more.
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When Kanzou entered Sarutobi Hiruzen's office this time, the Hokage wasn't wearing his usual smile. Instead, his face was stern and serious.
"I wonder what business the Hokagay-sama has with me?" Kanzou asked calmly.
Hiruzen stared at Uchiha Kanzou, not noticing the subtle disrespect in Kanzou's tone
His thoughts were focused on something else, and he looked at Kanzou.
As if Kanzou didn't already know why he'd been summoned. This time, Hiruzen had no intention of wasting time on pleasantries or meaningless conversation.
"What's going on with the Konoha Police Force these past two days? I've heard multiple people have been arrested all over the village," Hiruzen said coldly, releasing his Kage-level aura to pressure Kanzou.
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[Note: 8.5.3 is also released today which is the continuation of 8.5.2.]
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Drop power Powerstonessssssssss!
[Read up to Chapter - 73 on P atreon at: p-atreon.com/Knockturn_Alley]