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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Somewhere on the edge of Konoha
"Is this where that weirdo who always wears green tights lives?" Satoru murmured, staring at the rundown house at the very edge of Konoha.
It was an extremely remote part of the village, with almost no other houses nearby. The only building in the area was the one standing right in front of them.
"Yeah…" Kanzou nodded, also examining the house's miserable condition. It didn't take an expert to see that it was practically falling apart. Several sections were broken and crudely patched together, clearly the work of someone with little experience in repairs.
From its state alone, Kanzou could tell that the owner was poor and lacked the money to fix it properly. And given how isolated the location was, it was even possible that the house hadn't been built legally.
"Let's get this over with quickly," Kanzou said.
Satoru nodded and stepped forward to knock on the door. As his hand struck the wood, the door creaked loudly, as if it might fall off at any moment.
Knock. Knock.
"It's really bad…" Satoru muttered, though he didn't particularly care whether the door collapsed or not. Fortunately, it held.
A moment later, the door opened. A man who looked to be in his early thirties, though he appeared closer to his mid-forties, stood there with thick, bushy eyebrows and a rather distinctive face. He stared at them in confusion.
"…Who?"
"Might Duy…" Kanzou said, calling out the man's name, someone who could be considered one of the strongest ninja in present-day Konoha.
That's right, the person Kanzou had come to arrest was none other than Might Duy, the father of Might Guy. In the future, Guy would become Konoha's famed Green Beast, the strongest taijutsu user who nearly decided the final battle himself. But for now, Guy was still just a struggling academy student, trying not to lose confidence while competing with hardworking geniuses like Hatake Kakashi.
That aside, Kanzou's eyes twitched when he noticed the green tights Duy was wearing, and he quickly averted his gaze, as if trying not to offend his own eyes with those ugly green tights on a grown-ass man's body.
It didn't look so bad in the anime, but in person… it was far worse. The tights clung tightly to Guy's body, outlining far more than they ever should have, and it made Kanzou feel like vomiting.
Satoru felt the same. He quickly averted his eyes, unwilling to subject himself to the sight of a muscular man in skin-tight green tights.
'Maybe this is the true counter to the Uchiha's Sharingan… polluting our vision with something like this,' Kanzou thought.
After all, when facing Uchihas, it was usually others who averted their eyes, but standing in front of Might Duy, it was the Uchihas who couldn't bear to look.
Might Duy didn't seem to notice Kanzou and Satoru's obvious disgust toward his tights, or perhaps he did and simply pretended not to, since this clearly wasn't the first time people had reacted that way.
Instead, upon hearing his name, he smiled brightly and raised his thumb, nodding. "That's right! It's me, I'm Might Duy!" Then he tilted his head, looking confused. "But, who are… You two?"
"I guess there are still people in Konoha who don't know me, huh?" Kanzou murmured, genuinely amused. It was rare; he hadn't expected there to be anyone in the village who didn't recognize him.
Seeing Kanzou's reaction to not being recognized, Duy asked cautiously, "Are you… famous?"
He genuinely didn't recognize the two men in front of him. He might have heard Kanzou's name before, but he had never actually seen him in person.
"Fufufu… amusing indeed, Might Duy…" Kanzou laughed.
Satoru, however, was far less entertained. With an annoyed expression, he snapped, "You weirdo. He's the Patriarch of the Uchiha Clan and the Captain of the Police Force, Uchiha Kanzou-sama."
"Uchiha Kanzou-sama? Uchiha Kanzou-sama?" Duy repeated, frowning in thought. "Where have I heard that name…?"
His clueless expression made both Kanzou's and Satoru's lips twitch.
Kanzou waved his hand dismissively. "Well, it doesn't matter if you recognize me or not." Then he gestured to Satoru. "Arrest him."
"Yes, Patriarch," Satoru replied, pulling out a pair of handcuffs. Considering the man's ignorance to recognize their patriarch, Satoru really felt the need to put the man behind bars and beat some sense into him.
If Kanzou had known what Satoru was thinking, he would have patted him on the shoulder and said, 'It's good to be zealous… but try not to get yourself killed.'
Anyway, when Duy heard Kanzou's order of 'arrest,' only then did he notice the Police Force emblem on their vests. His eyes widened as realization dawned. "Y-you're from the Police Force? The ones who've been making all those problematic arrests lately…?"
True to his nature, he said exactly what he shouldn't have.
Although Duy wasn't particularly sharp, he had certainly heard about the Police Force's fearsome reputation. So when the topic of arrest came up, he finally recognized who the two men were.
Kanzou nodded in amusement. "That's right… we're from the Police Force." He then added with a grin, "And now… we're here to arrest you."
Duy instinctively stepped back. "W-why are you arresting me?"
He genuinely didn't believe he had done anything serious enough to warrant being arrested by the police.
"There have been several complaints about a certain man who wears tight clothing and his son causing disturbances in public places and shouting loudly," Kanzou said calmly. "You and your son are being charged with public indecency, wearing inappropriate clothing, and disturbing the peace."
He wasn't lying. There really had been complaints, quite a few, in fact. Guy was still a child, so people tended to be more forgiving toward him. But a grown man running around the village in skin-tight green tights? Many villagers found it indecent. Add to that Duy's loud personality and constant shouting, and it wasn't surprising that people had filed reports.
"Even Guy?" Duy asked anxiously. He immediately grew worried. His son already struggled enough; if Guy were arrested on top of that, it would only make things worse.
Kanzou stroked his chin thoughtfully. "Well… technically, the complaints are against both of you. But if you come with us willingly, I suppose I won't arrest your son."
He then looked directly at Duy. "So, what will it be? Will you surrender and come quietly… or do you want to fight? If you choose to fight, I'll accompany you and see how strong you really are. And after I defeat you… I'll put your son behind bars as well."
Satoru blinked. 'The Patriarch wants to fight him personally?'
That made him frown. In his eyes, Might Duy was just a genin. Sure, the man had an impressive physique and was probably skilled in taijutsu, but was that really enough to interest Kanzou?
'Could it be that this Might Duy isn't as simple as he looks?' Satoru wondered. Kanzou usually left combat to his subordinates unless the opponent was truly strong. The fact that he even mentioned fighting Duy personally made Satoru uneasy.
He subtly reached for his kunai, growing more alert.
Kanzou ignored Satoru's movement and stepped forward. Keeping his gaze fixed strictly on Duy's eyes, he asked again calmly, "So… what's it going to be? Just your arrest… or your son's as well?"
Duy swallowed, feeling intimidated by the pressure Kanzou was giving off—especially by the threat of his son being arrested as well.
With Guy's safety on the line, he had no real room to resist. "If I surrender… my son won't be harmed, right?" he asked nervously.
"Hmm? Yeah…" Kanzou nodded casually, looking slightly disappointed. Duy clearly had no intention of putting up a fight at all.
"I… I hope you keep your word," Duy said, then slowly raised both his hands in surrender.
"Put the handcuffs on him," Kanzou ordered.
"Yes, sir," Satoru replied. He stepped forward, took Duy's arms, pulled them behind his back, and snapped the cuffs into place.
As the cold metal closed around his wrists, Duy asked hesitantly, "H-how long will I be arrested for?"
"Why do you ask?" Kanzou replied, mildly curious.
"Well… it's just me and my son who live here. If I'm gone too long, he'll be in trouble… and he'll worry. He's still very young and can't handle everything on his own, s-so I was hoping…" Duy trailed off, his expression full of concern.
"Well… it probably won't be for too long," Kanzou said casually as he turned and began to walk away.
Satoru placed a firm hand on Duy's back and pushed him forward. "Come on. Walk."
The three of them soon reached the main streets of the village, where passersby began to notice Duy being handcuffed and pushed along.
"Another arrest?" someone muttered aloud.
"How many people are they arresting these days?" another asked.
"Who is it this time?" a third voice chimed in.
"Wait… isn't that that weirdo?" someone else said.
"Yeah… the Eternal Genin… that freak with those indecent ugly tights…"
"I mean… it makes sense. Just look at what he wears."
Hearing those words, Duy felt a wave of humiliation wash over him and lowered his head. But this wasn't new. This was something he had endured silently for more than two decades. He was used to it, mocked for being talentless, weak, just a Genin, and even for his clothes…
Don't mistake his loud, boisterous, and upbeat personality for emotional immunity. That attitude was simply his coping mechanism. He tried to be cheerful so that others' words wouldn't affect him so deeply… but they still did. They hurt enough that he couldn't stop his hands from clenching into fists.
At the same time, Duy's thoughts drifted to his son, Guy. What would Guy think about all of this? He feared that his son might lose heart and give up on his dream.
'Guy… you have to stay strong. Papa won't be gone for long. I'll… I'll come back quickly,' he promised himself as he was led away.
Among the crowd watching the arrest were a few academy students who were ditching their classes. When they saw Duy being taken toward the police station, they whispered to each other.
"Hey… isn't that that loser's dad?"
"Yeah, it is… what's his name… Might be Gay or something?"
They snickered among themselves. "What a loser… not only is he a failure, his dad is one too."
…
At the Hokage Office—
"What? Another arrest?" Hiruzen exclaimed, stunned as he stood up abruptly. 'That damn Uchiha…!'
He had just approved a ten billion ryō budget for the Uchiha Police Force, and yet Kanzou had gone and made another arrest immediately after leaving the Hokage Building. It was as if everything Hiruzen had said meant nothing at all.
Feeling very annoyed, he asked, "Who was arrested?"
"A genin named Might Duy," the ANBU replied.
"A genin? Might Duy?" Hiruzen frowned. The name didn't ring any bells. He tried to recall if he knew such a person, but nothing came to mind.
That wasn't surprising. Konoha had thousands of ninja, and even the Hokage couldn't remember every single one, especially not a low-ranking genin. If it had been someone of high rank or special importance, he would have known. But a genin? Unless there was something remarkable about them, they were easy to overlook.
Seeing Hiruzen's confusion, the ANBU added, "He's also known as the Eternal Genin."
"The Eternal Genin…?" Hiruzen murmured.
Now that title, he recognized. In fact, there were two ninjas in Konoha known by that name. One was Maruboshi Kosuke, a shinobi who attended the academy at the same time as him and is skilled enough to be a jōnin, but who always refused promotion. The other, however, was different, someone who had remained a genin simply because he lacked the talent to advance.
Recalling that, Hiruzen frowned deeper. "Why would Uchiha Kanzou arrest someone like that?"
After all, there was nothing to gain from such a person, no powerful jutsu, no influence, and certainly no wealth to exploit.
The ANBU replied, "Apparently, there have been several complaints filed against him," and then went on to explain the nature of those complaints.
"So… is this a legitimate arrest?" Hiruzen murmured. If the complaints were genuine, then an arrest made sense. After all, it was just a genin with no notable potential; there was no real reason to worry about it.
'But this is Uchiha Kanzou… would he really make an arrest for no reason, especially right after leaving here, making that deal?' Hiruzen wondered, feeling that something might be amiss. He turned to the ANBU and said, "Bring me the file on this Might Duy."
The ANBU nodded and vanished, returning shortly with the file, which he handed to Hiruzen.
Unable to use ninjutsu or genjutsu… only capable of taijutsu… not particularly sharp either… attempted the Chūnin Promotion Exam many times, but never succeeded.
Wife was a chūnin, died on a mission two days after giving birth.
Son: Might Guy, currently a first-year academy student.
Career length: over twenty years.
Missions completed: eight hundred D-rank.
Hiruzen frowned as he continued reading.
There's nothing else of note… this man is essentially a nobody.
"There's not even an angle for extortion," Hiruzen thought.
Duy was simply too poor. So poor, in fact, that his wife had gone on a mission immediately after childbirth just to support the family, and ended up dying because of it. Ever since then, it's just Duy and Guy.
The more Hiruzen read, the more convinced he became that Duy had nothing to offer Kanzou.
'Is it really just a normal arrest?' he wondered again.
Yet his instincts told him otherwise.
'If only I had someone inside the Police Force who could report on Kanzou's actions,' Hiruzen thought. The need to place a spy close to Kanzou, to monitor what he was doing and why, felt stronger than ever.
It was just that Seiji, the person he had hoped to place close to Kanzou, could no longer be used. And now, Seiji would likely be sent on missions as well.
'I'll have to think of someone else…'
…
At the Police Station—
While Satoru placed Might Duy into a prison cell, Kanzou returned to his office. He sat down and remained silent for a moment, lost in thought, as Hazuki prepared tea for him.
'Might Guy alone might not be enough…' he thought.
As Hazuki set the cup in front of him, Kanzou finally spoke after some consideration. "Send a message to Natsuhi and Hiroku. I might need them to move for me."
Hazuki froze, clearly not expecting such an order. "What happened for you to suddenly want to involve them?" she asked.
Kanzou hesitated briefly, then explained the deal he had made with the Hokage and the reason he needed them, laying out his plan in full.
He had no concern about revealing his intentions to Hazuki. She was his most loyal subordinate, practically his second-in-command.
Betrayal wasn't even a possibility in his mind.
"I see… I understand, Kanzou-sama," Hazuki said with a nod. "I'll send the message. However… since this is so sudden, I'm not sure if they'll be able to respond in time."
Kanzou wasn't worried. "Both of them have flight capability. It'll be fine."
In truth, even if they failed to arrive, Kanzou wasn't concerned. He still had other options: Kakuzu, the Zodiacs under Hazuki's command, his retired squadmate currently managing an orphanage at the edge of the village, or even going himself.
He had too many cards in hand to worry about a single contingency.
Hazuki nodded and began preparing to send the messages. As she turned to leave, Kanzou added, "By the way… prepare for a small celebration. The budget was approved. That calls for one."
Hazuki smiled and nodded. "I understand."
With that, Kanzou picked up the cup of tea she had prepared and took a sip, quietly waiting for lunchtime, when Mikoto would arrive.
"Hmm… there's still some time," he murmured, waiting for her. He took out a scroll and began reading, his thoughts drifting to what he planned to do with Kushina later.
The anticipation stirred something in him, making him hard and restless with desire. For a moment, he felt the urge to go and see Kushina himself, at this very moment, but he stopped.
'Let's be patient,' he thought, deciding to wait for Mikoto instead.
Frankly, he didn't really need Mikoto's help for any of it, but he still wanted her involved.
'After all, Mikoto's fall had only just begun, and this was one step along the way.'
…
It didn't take long for lunchtime to arrive, and with it came Mikoto.
"Well, well… Mikoto… you didn't disappoint me. You really came," Kanzou murmured, watching her step into his office with a conflicted expression.
"S-since you ordered me to…" she replied softly, keeping her gaze lowered. She was clearly reluctant to take part in whatever Kanzou intended to do with Kushina. Part of her even wanted to stop him, but fear held her back. She didn't want to be discarded, so she had no choice but to come.
"Fufu… well then… let's go," he said as he stood up, wrapped an arm around her waist, and led her out of the office.
Mikoto didn't respond. She simply lowered her head and let herself be guided along.
On the way out, they ran into Shin, who bowed briefly to Mikoto before turning to Kanzou.
"Patriarch… won't you be joining us for lunch?"
"Nah. Mikoto and I are going out for a special meal. You guys go ahead," Kanzou replied casually.
Shin could easily guess what that special meal might mean and grinned. "I see… then I hope your meal is… satisfying."
The words made Mikoto flush faintly, but she didn't lift her head.
Kanzou chuckled. "Anyway… see you," he said, walking past.
Shin stepped aside as they headed for the stairs, but called out after them, "Patriarch… you'll at least be there for the celebration this evening, right?"
Given the nature of their special meal, Shin had no idea how long Kanzou might be gone.
Kanzou shrugged without turning back. "Yeah… well… can't say. Depends."
And with that, he continued down the stairs.
Watching them leave, Shin grinned to himself. "Damn… Patriarch must be eating really well if he's even willing to skip the celebration."
Still, he didn't dwell on it. From what he knew, Kanzou always ate well.
…
Meanwhile, Mikoto couldn't help but think about the "celebration" Shin had mentioned.
"Is there some kind of celebration at the garrison tonight?" she asked.
"Hmm… yeah," Kanzou nodded, then explained how he had managed to secure the budget increase and that the police force planned to celebrate it.
"I… I see…" Mikoto murmured, genuinely surprised. The Uchiha Clan had struggled for decades to obtain such an increase and had never succeeded, yet Kanzou had accomplished it. She couldn't help but admire it.
"That's… amazing…"
"Fufu… the amazing one here is me," Kanzou laughed, shamelessly praising himself.
Mikoto didn't deny it. In a way, he really was amazing. She knew some of the methods he had used to get the approval, but even so, the result still impressed her.
"But let's not talk about that," Kanzou continued, his tone shifting as a lustful smile spread across his face. "Let's talk about what we're about to do to your dear friend Uzumaki Kushina… hmm?"
Mikoto's heart sank. 'If only you weren't such a twisted person,' she thought sadly.
Kanzou didn't care what Mikoto was thinking as he led her away at his side.
…
Back at the police station, Might Duy sat alone in his cell, feeling increasingly troubled. No one had explained anything to him. He had been brought in, locked up, and left there without being told what would happen next.
He wasn't being mistreated, no beatings, no interrogation, just confinement.
Of course, this was the result of Kanzou's explicit orders. If he were brought here under normal circumstances, Duy would have already gone through the usual procedures given to other detainees.
Instead, he was simply left alone with his thoughts.
Kanzou wanted him to sit there for a while, to truly feel what it meant to be imprisoned, to reflect on his situation, before Kanzou finally came to speak with him.
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Hurry up and drop your Power Stones!
Read ahead of public release on P atreon at: p-atreon.com/Knockturn_Alley
Check out Chapter illustrations on Pixiv: unhinged_uchiha
If you like this story, then you might also like my other story: One Piece: The Incubus' Adventure. Give it a try.