Read ahead of public release on P atreon at: p-atreon.com/Knockturn_Alley
Check out Chapter illustrations on Pixiv at unhinged_uchiha
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Police Station, Konohagakure
Upon arriving at the Police Station, 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 his 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 him, 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 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 the two, 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 Military Police Force under Kanzou's command.
Standing outside the cell, Kanzou first laid eyes on Hiashi and greeted the patriarch of the Hyuga Clan, "Hyuga Hiashi-dono, how was your night? Comfortable in there?"
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, he 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, and he'd definitely use this opportunity to try and suppress my Clan and me, so indeed there would be many risks…" Kanzou smiled as he looked at Hiashi. "But did you stop for a moment to think what would happen to you? You'd already be dead...!"
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 he believed it himself, that was enough.
Although there would be a lot of backlash and the entire village might rally against him immediately, was he afraid?
Certainly not. He didn't fear anyone in Konoha! Not even Sarutobi Hiruzen, who is rumored to be the greatest and strongest Hokage the village has ever had!
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 felt like it," Kanzou said casually, "I could search your residence tomorrow and conveniently uncover evidence that you were colluding with another village to conspire against the Hokage and Konoha. I do recall, after all, that the Hyuga Clan has historical ties to the Kaguya Clan of the Land of Water…"
The moment Kanzou mentioned the connection between the Hyuga and the Kaguya, Hiashi's pupils contracted sharply.
Then he forced himself to relax. "Even if such ties once existed," he replied evenly, "we've had little to no contact since the First Great Shinobi War."
The bond between the Hyuga and the Kaguya clans stretched back centuries, to a time when the Kaguya still resided in the Land of Fire. Even after their relocation to the Land of Water, the relationship had persisted, though in more recent times, especially after Konoha's founding, those ties had weakened due to rising tensions between the two nations.
"Do you really think the village would care about that nuance?" Kanzou continued coolly. "Imagine the rumors, whispers of the common people about the Hyuga Clan maintaining secret ties with one of Kirigakure's core clans. People would worry. Suspicions would spread. It would be a very convenient pretext to brand you a traitor, someone colluding with Kirigakure, plotting against the Hokage to seize power."
He paused, his gaze hard. "As for what happens after that… it hardly matters to you; it would only be my headache. You'd be dead… So, do you want to die, Hiashi-dono?"
Hiashi's face turned pale as he looked at Kanzou, thinking, 'Madman…'
Faced with an unscrupulous madman like Uchiha Kanzou with no bottom line, he was momentarily speechless.
He didn't seem to care in the slightest that killing the Hyuga Clan's patriarch would instantly turn the Uchiha into enemies of the entire village. How was anyone supposed to deal with someone like that?
There were no ethics and a 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 Shinobi 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?" Hiashi frowned in disbelief.
To offend so many people only for money, it was hard to accept.
"Birds die for food, people die for wealth. 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 fossil 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 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.
…
Meanwhile, at Elder Tadayoshi's Mansion
"Mikoto… you're back…" Tadayoshi finally let out a half sigh of relief when he saw her return.
All night, his heart had been stretched tight with worry for her safety, and only now that he finally saw her did some of that tension ease.
"Yes, Sofu-sama… I'm back," Mikoto replied, bowing deeply. "I'm sorry for making you worry…"
Guilt weighed on her; she had never wanted her grandfather to fret over her, especially at his age, but she had ended up making him worry…
Tadayoshi brushed it aside. "Sit down," he said gently.
"Yes…" she nodded and took a seat as gracefully as she could.
Even so, the ache in her hips made sitting uncomfortable.
Tadayoshi noticed at once. The stiffness in her movements, the sleeplessness in her eyes, it all stirred his concern. Hesitating for a moment, he asked, "Mikoto… how did… how did Kanzou-kun treat you?" He paused, then forced himself to finish the question. "Did he… abuse you?"
The worry behind his words was unmistakable. He didn't want his precious, only granddaughter bound to an abusive man. Given what Kanzou had done before, using him as leverage to violate her, it was already clear that Kanzou was capable of cruelty.
And yet… Mikoto herself now wished to be with him. If her choice was truly her own, then perhaps the situation had changed. Consent, after all, was different from coercion, and very different from ongoing abuse.
Physical or domestic abuse, on the other hand, was what truly worried him. He feared Kanzou might have beaten her—and he could not accept that.
"Abuse…?" Mikoto blinked, clearly unprepared for such a heavy question. She paused, thinking it over about everything they did…
They had had sex, and Kanzou had tormented her, but it had been torment wrapped in pleasure. More importantly, this time, he had respected her consent, and that alone made a difference to her. Even so, she understood that her consent held little weight with him in the broader sense.
Still, regardless of all that, she was certain of one thing: he had not abused her, and with that in mind, she shook her head. "No… he didn't."
Hearing this, Tadayoshi felt a measure of relief, though not complete. How could he truly feel at ease, knowing his granddaughter had spent the night with the man who had assaulted her against her wishes?
Still, she appeared emotionally stable, not broken or distressed. Seeing that, he chose not to press further.
He could guess what had happened between them, but it was not a subject either of them could comfortably discuss.
All he could do was hope that Mikoto understood her own choices.
He no longer wanted to impose his decisions on her. He had failed to protect her and had caused her far too much trouble already, and besides, it wasn't as if they had many options left.
"All right," he said quietly. "That's all I needed to ask. You look exhausted. Go to your room and rest. Don't worry about my meals, I'll manage."
Mikoto didn't move. Instead, she remained seated, her posture tense, as if something weighed heavily on her mind.
Tadayoshi noticed at once and felt a surge of concern. "Did something else happen?" he asked gently.
Her cheeks flushed as she lowered her gaze and nodded. "I… I proposed to Kanzou-sama… marriage."
Tadayoshi paused, then asked carefully, "And? He accepted, didn't he?" He couldn't imagine Kanzou refusing. Mikoto was flawless in every respect, and accepting her proposal would also grant Kanzou his political backing, smoothing his path to becoming clan patriarch.
But Mikoto shook her head.
"He didn't?" Tadayoshi's eyes narrowed as anger surged through him, so sharp that his Sharingan activated instantly, spinning violently. "He refused?"
Without waiting for her reply, he sprang to his feet and reached for the blade he hadn't wielded in years.
"To do something so cruel to her and then refuse to marry her… Uchiha Kanzou," he snarled. "Even if it costs me my life, I'll drag you to the grave with me!"
Murderous intent radiated from him as he stormed toward the door.
Mikoto froze in shock. Part of her felt touched, grateful that her grandfather cared so deeply, but panic quickly overtook her. He had misunderstood everything.
"W-wait… Sofu-sama… It's not like that!" she cried.
"You don't need to defend such a vile man, Mikoto," he said bitterly, not slowing. "Even if you love him, he'll only bring you suffering. Yesterday… I should never have let you go. This is my fault, my failure to protect you." His voice cracked with regret. "I'm sorry… I truly am. This won't make up for it, but if I take him with me, at least you'll be free."
He continued toward the door, grief and fury driving him forward.
Her panic only deepened, and she cried out desperately, "Sofu-sama… no… wait… please… He didn't refuse the marriage proposal. Kanzou-sama just didn't accept it yet. He said I still have a chance in the future, so please… stop…"
She was on the verge of tears. If her grandfather went through with this, he would undoubtedly offend Kanzou, someone who might not hesitate to kill him, or worse, imprison and torment him.
She couldn't bear the thought of that.
Hearing the desperation in her voice, Tadayoshi finally paused. He turned back slowly and asked, uncertainty creeping into his tone, "You have a chance? What do you mean?"
She hurried to explain. "He didn't agree to the proposal, but he didn't reject it either. He said he has certain expectations for his wife, and that he would marry me if I fulfilled them. Right now… I don't meet those expectations, so he isn't willing to marry me yet. But… I still have a chance. He gave me his word."
"Expectations?" Tadayoshi frowned. To him, it sounded as though Kanzou might be stringing her along. In his eyes, Mikoto was flawless, perfect in every respect, the very image of an ideal wife. He couldn't imagine any reasonable expectation she failed to meet, which made him suspect Kanzou was merely toying with her.
Still, he asked, "What expectations does he have that you don't already possess?"
"To be useful, and to have the strength to meet his requirements," she answered at once, afraid that any hesitation might drive him to storm off and confront Kanzou himself.
"Usefulness and strength?" Tadayoshi frowned deeper. Those sounded more like requirements for a subordinate than for a wife. If Kanzou demanded such things, perhaps he was treating her as an underling rather than as a future partner.
Even so, Tadayoshi couldn't see any deficiency in Mikoto. As for usefulness, he didn't know what Kanzou meant by it, but when it came to strength, he knew her better than anyone. She was unquestionably one of the strongest Kunoichi in the clan, a jōnin at just nineteen and within a few years… if she stays active and keeps working hard, she'd definitely become an Elite Jōnin… perhaps even stronger.
He had trained her himself, strictly, relentlessly.
There was no doubt in his mind: she lacked neither talent nor skill.
Taking all this into account, his concern hardened into suspicion. "Mikoto… he may be leading you on. He might not truly intend to marry you. And even if you tried, how would you prove this so-called 'usefulness'?"
Mikoto nodded. "To prove my usefulness to him… he's given me an opportunity," she said quietly. "I may be able to do it today."
"Today?" he echoed, stunned. A frown creased his brow as he asked, "What do you mean?"
Mikoto didn't answer right away. Instead, she quietly activated a sensory jutsu, carefully sweeping the surroundings to ensure no one was listening.
The gesture only deepened Tadayoshi's frown. Instinctively, he felt that something serious was about to unfold, and he was right.
Once she was satisfied that they were alone, Mikoto urged him back into the room where they had been sitting earlier. She took a steadying breath, then spoke in a low voice, "Kanzou-sama… he intends to…"
She briefly explained what Kanzou intended to do, though she deliberately avoided mentioning the role she herself would play. She only said that she had received orders from him, and that by the end of today, everything would be over for Fugaku.
"I intend to do exactly what he ordered," she said quietly. "And after that… Sofu-sama… it will be up to you."
She wasn't sharing this on her own initiative. Kanzou had instructed her to inform her grandfather.
Hearing all of it, Tadayoshi fell silent. "So… it's finally coming to this, huh?"
He looked at Mikoto carefully. "Do you really believe… he can do it?"
"Fugaku doesn't stand a chance against Kanzou-sama," she replied without hesitation. "He never did."
Once, she might have believed that Fugaku, despite the odds, had some slim chance of surviving, of enduring what was to come. But not anymore. Not after spending time at Kanzou's side. Not after learning of his Mangekyō.
Now she knew the truth.
Kanzou could uproot Fugaku at any moment and discard him however he pleased, and Fugaku would be utterly powerless to resist.
She knew this because she had experienced it herself.
One of Kanzou's Mangekyō abilities was a genjutsu capable of manipulating the sense of time itself. Within that Genjutsu world, a single instant in reality could stretch into an eternity at Kanzou's whim. She had lived through it, rehearsed everything dozens of times, only to find that when the genjutsu was released, barely a moment had passed in the real world.
How could anyone fight something like that?
And that was only one ability. Kanzou surely possessed another ocular power. And beyond that… there was Susanoo.
"If you're that certain," Tadayoshi finally said, "then… I'll do what's necessary."
He didn't know whether Kanzou would truly lead the clan toward a better future. But at this point, that no longer mattered to him.
All that mattered was Mikoto's happiness.
And her safety.
"Thank you, Sofu-sama… I'm very grateful," she said, relieved by his agreement. This would help her prove her usefulness to Kanzou.
"But the matter of strength…" Tadayoshi continued, frowning slightly. "You're already strong enough. What more could he possibly want?"
Mikoto shook her head, a wry smile touching her lips. "Compared to the kind of power Kanzou-sama possesses… I'm not truly strong enough. I understand that very clearly now."
She didn't elaborate. She had promised to keep the details of his power secret, and she intended to honor that promise, even with her grandfather.
'The kind of power Kanzou possesses…?' Tadayoshi narrowed his eyes thoughtfully.
"As for strength," Mikoto went on, "I'll figure it out. I'm only nineteen, and I still have plenty of room to grow. If I work hard enough, I'll meet his requirements soon." Her confidence was steady. Her talent had always been respectable, and now she had a powerful motivation to improve. She intended to train harder than ever.
Tadayoshi said nothing for a moment, then nodded quietly. "Just don't overexert yourself."
"I know, Sofu-sama," she replied with a nod.
After discussing a few more important matters, she excused herself and returned to her room to rest. She needed it, especially before whatever awaited her later that day.
As Mikoto disappeared down the hall, Tadayoshi's eyes flickered with unease.
'Strength…' he thought. 'Does Uchiha Kanzou require Mikoto to awaken the Mangekyō Sharingan?'
As that thought crossed Tadayoshi's mind, his gaze drifted to the sheathed blade resting on the table.
His arm twitched faintly as a storm of emotions flickered through his eyes: hesitation and fear for himself, worry for Mikoto's well-being, guilt over his failure to protect her, sadness and helplessness at how events had unfolded, and, beneath it all, a deep anger and hatred toward Kanzou for having tormented his precious granddaughter.
The emotions surged so violently that the tomoe in his eyes began to spin faster and faster, as if on the verge of merging.
But they didn't. After a brief moment, they slowed and settled back into three.
'As expected…' I've grown old, he thought bitterly.
He knew the secrets of those eyes well enough to feel how close he was to awakening them, yet his aged body and weakened chakra denied him the strength to cross that final threshold.
'An old fossil like me, if I could at least become her strength, give her some measure of safety after I have failed her…'
He lifted his hand and reached toward the blade's hilt. Just before his fingers touched it, he stopped. Slowly, he withdrew his hand.
"No… not yet," he murmured. "I need to confirm Mikoto's safety first… and her happiness, that too is very important."
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Drop power Powerstonessssssssss!
Read ahead of public release on P atreon at: p-atreon.com/Knockturn_Alley
Check out Chapter illustrations on Pixiv: unhinged_uchiha