After confirming that Uchiha Ryun and Tsunade had left, the man opened the door again, sighed in relief, and then picked up his briefcase to leave work.
However, to his surprise, when he turned around, his colleagues all walked out chatting and laughing. He was puzzled—weren't they supposed to be working overtime?
----
Meanwhile, Uchiha Ryun and Tsunade arrived at a ramen shop and ordered two bowls of regular ramen. They sat there eating while chatting.
"How was it? Tired? Director Tsunade, how was your first day at work? Were there many patients?" Uchiha Ryun asked as he ate his noodles.
Tsunade shook her head. "Not too bad. Most of the injured in the hospital have already been treated. I just did routine check-ups and taught some medical techniques to the doctors."
"Never mind me. What about you, Ryun? You left so late, you must've been busy!" As she spoke, she picked up the egg from her bowl and placed it in Uchiha Ryun's.
Uchiha Ryun grinned and accepted the egg. "First day, after all. There's always a lot to do. Lots of documents to review, methods to adjust—so yeah, a little busy."
The two shared their experiences from the day. Just then, a short, shifty-eyed man with a sleazy expression walked in.
He looked around, his gaze eventually landing on Uchiha Ryun, who was eating ramen. The man's pockets bulged—there might be something good inside!
His eyes lit up. He ordered the cheapest bowl of chicken ramen and sat down behind Uchiha Ryun.
Watching Uchiha Ryun and Tsunade chatting happily, his hands grew restless. He reached out and swiftly pulled something from Uchiha Ryun's pocket.
At first, his eyes sparkled—was this silver? But when he fully pulled it out, his face stiffened. He immediately tried to put it back, only to look up and see Uchiha Ryun smiling at him.
The thief gulped. "Uh… what if I said I was just trying to help you pick it up? Would you believe me?" Damn it, he'd just stolen from an officer—and what he took was a pair of handcuffs!
"You want my opinion? I don't believe you." Uchiha Ryun took the handcuffs and locked one end around the thief's wrist and the other around the table leg.
The table leg was fixed to the ground, so there was no way he could escape. Tsunade laughed at the scene. "Did you already know he was a thief?"
Uchiha Ryun nodded. "The moment he approached me and kept glancing my way, I noticed his behavior out of the corner of my eye. I had a hunch, but no proof—so I couldn't act. Now that he's caught red-handed, Tsunade, would you mind being my witness?"
"Of course, Chief Ryun. I'll definitely testify for you. Do you think he'll regret it when he finds out you're the newly appointed head of the Konoha Military Police Force?" Tsunade deliberately spoke loudly so the thief could hear.
The thief's face turned pale. Caught red-handed—him, a thief, stealing handcuffs from the Military Police, and the one who caught him was the chief!
He was done for! Desperate, he squeezed out tears and pleaded, "Shinobi-sama—no, Chief-sama! I was wrong! Please let me go! I have an eight-year-old mother and an eighty-year-old child to feed at home!"
"What kind of nonsense is that? Listen to yourself! And how do you plan to feed them? By stealing? By cheating? Is this how you repay the villagers, the village, and the nation? Young man, I advise you to think carefully!" Uchiha Ryun showed no sympathy, only scolding and lecturing.
Sympathizing with a thief? No way. If such behavior wasn't punished severely from the start, the thefts would only grow bigger, spiraling out of control until the person was beyond redemption.
Tsunade just smiled. She fully agreed with Ryun's approach. Despite being a woman, she wasn't naive enough to pity a thief.
Outside
"Hey, Third Brother, why hasn't Fifth Brother come out yet? Did his skills get rusty?" one man asked.
The one peeking inside, Third Brother, suddenly exclaimed, "Oh no, Boss! Fifth Brother ran into a cop! That guy cuffed him to the table leg!"
"Dammit! What rotten luck—Fifth Brother stole from an officer!" the Boss cursed.
"What do we do, Boss? We can't just let Fifth Brother get arrested!" Third Brother said anxiously.
"Yeah, Boss! Fifth Brother is our sworn brother!" another man, Fourth Brother, chimed in. He and Fifth Brother came from the same place.
The bespectacled, scholarly-looking man, Second Brother, spoke up. "Boss, I have a plan that might save Fifth Brother..."
After explaining, the Boss's eyes lit up. "Good! Second Brother, we'll do it your way! You're the smart one!"
Next
The four brothers pretended to pass by the ramen shop and looked inside. Fourth Brother suddenly shouted, "Fifth Brother! What happened? What did you do? Why are you handcuffed?"
"Hey! What's the meaning of this? Why are you arresting my little brother?" He even shoved Uchiha Ryun.
Uchiha Ryun didn't budge. He wiped his mouth with a napkin, then turned to face the four men. Before he could speak, only the bespectacled man and the oldest-looking one remained silent.
A gang operation? Fine. Let's see what kind of act you can put on.
The Boss began wailing. "Do you Uchiha have no sense of justice? Why is my brother getting arrested just for eating noodles? Is there no law? No order?"
He even managed to squeeze out a tear. It was truly a heartbreaking scene.
Soon, villagers passing by crowded around the shop to watch the spectacle. Some recognized the group—they were known for being lazy troublemakers who stole and cheated. Now that they'd been caught, it was time for them to learn a lesson.
Others, unaware of the situation, heard the Boss's cries and began siding with the thieves.
Fifth Brother hung his head, pretending to be wronged, staying silent. Uchiha Ryun smirked. So this wasn't their first time pulling this stunt.
Tsunade was furious. She was about to speak when Uchiha Ryun signaled her to stay quiet. He stood up and said coldly, "I am Uchiha Ryun, the newly appointed Chief of the Konoha Military Police Force."
"Even if you were the Hokage, you can't just arrest people for no reason!" Fourth Brother cut in, interrupting Uchiha Ryun.
Uchiha Ryun frowned. Only Second Brother paled. That name—Uchiha Ryun. Oh no. He rubbed his eyes and looked again, confirming his identity before collapsing to the ground.
Uchiha Ryun—the Crimson Gold Slayer! They were done for. Completely done for.
The Boss, seeing Second Brother's reaction, quickly asked what was wrong. But Second Brother was too shaken to speak.
"This man," Uchiha Ryun continued, "ordered a bowl of ramen, sat behind me, and while I wasn't paying attention, stole my handcuffs. I caught him."
"According to Konoha law, theft is punishable by five to seven days in jail. During the arrest, I used no violence, threats, or coercion. You can ask the suspect himself." He pointed at the cuffed Fifth Brother.
"If you doubt my words, you can request the Yamanaka Clan to extract his memories. My enforcement strictly follows protocol. If anyone believes I acted improperly, you may report or file a complaint."
Uchiha Ryun spoke calmly, scanning the villagers.
"I can testify!" Tsunade declared loudly, glaring at the five thieves.
The villagers looked at him, then at Tsunade. This Uchiha seemed different. His words were logical, and he was even willing to let the Yamanaka verify the truth—meaning he had nothing to hide.
So they all turned their scornful gazes toward the thieves.
"Seriously… I just got off work, and now I'm forced to work overtime," Uchiha Ryun muttered.