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Shisui Uchiha returned to the Leaf Village Defense Force headquarters with the bail money and found Qianyu.
"Here's the bail. You can release my clansmen now!"
Qianyu looked at the money on the desk and smiled. "Of course. But I should remind you, Vice Captain. They are criminals now, not your clansmen. Since you're in the Defense Force, it's better to avoid the appearance of impropriety."
Shisui's face was stern, his tone stiff. "In my eyes, they are wrongly accused, not criminals. My personal affairs require no attention from the Captain. The bail is paid. Please release them."
"Of course. It was just a suggestion. To heed it or not is your freedom. Don't worry, with the bail secured, I'll release those criminals immediately. But first, let me count the money."
Qianyu counted it. Two million ryo.
There were eighteen Uchiha ninjas in the Root prison. This was two hundred thousand over.
Qianyu snapped his fingers.
A Root ninja appeared in a blur, kneeling on one knee before him.
"Release the Uchiha criminals from the cells," Qianyu said with a wave.
"Yes, sir!"
The Root ninja vanished.
Qianyu gave a very 'kind' smile. "Vice Captain, you may go and collect those criminals now… ah, my mistake. Your clansmen."
Shisui snorted and turned, striding out of the Defense Force building.
Qianyu chuckled at his attitude. "Pushed to the edge, isn't he."
Shisui was one of the few genuinely upright members of the Uchiha clan, usually polite and respectful to everyone.
But now, facing Qianyu, his manners had slipped completely.
To Qianyu, this was normal.
If Shisui had still been all smiles after this, Qianyu would have had to reevaluate just how deep and scheming the man really was.
He looked at the pile of money on his desk and sighed appreciatively. "Money really does come easy. Two million ryo in a single day. Now that's an exorbitant profit."
He'd said he'd give a portion to Minato Namikaze for Konoha's development, but that was just talk.
Even if he didn't give a single coin, Qianyu doubted Minato would have the face to come asking for it.
And if Minato did somehow thicken his skin and ask, Qianyu would just delay and defer.
Money in his pocket wasn't coming out.
Hell, he still needed to go to Minato to get the payroll for the Defense Force ninjas.
Two million a day. Twenty million in ten days. Funding the Owl Organization would be child's play.
Thinking of the Owl Organization brought Yahiko, Pakura, and Raiga Kurosuki to mind.
I wonder what those three are up to right now.
Somewhere on the open sea.
Yahiko, Pakura, and Raiga clung to a mast as their merchant ship heaved violently in the storm.
They'd taken a guard mission for the vessel, as the sea routes here were plagued by pirates and rogue ninjas.
They hadn't expected a tempest this fierce so soon after boarding.
Now, all three were soaked and battered, gripping the wood for dear life.
Shisui stood on the path leading away from Root, the only place he could wait without getting too close.
Before long, he saw over a dozen figures approaching.
A smile finally touched his lips. He waved. "Over here!"
The smile froze.
His clansmen moved toward him with blank, hollow eyes, like puppets or walking corpses.
Shisui stepped forward, blocking the lead man. "What's wrong? Did they torture you?" he asked urgently.
The Uchiha ninja didn't even look at him, simply walking around Shisui and continuing on.
Shisui was baffled. There were no visible marks of torture on any of them.
"We weren't tortured…"
A voice came from behind. Shisui turned. It was Koue, a clansman he knew well and got along with.
"What happened, Koue?" Shisui demanded. "Why are they like that?"
Fear swam in Koue's eyes. "They put us in… rooms. Just big enough to stand. No light. None at all. And there were sounds… constant, horrible sounds. Like wailing. Like some animal. It… it filled you with dread. Every second felt like a day…"
"Because I wasn't in there long, it didn't… sink in too deep. But I never want to go back. Never." Koue's voice dropped to a whisper, then sharpened with accusation. "Shisui. You're the Vice Captain. Why? Why didn't you help us?"
Shisui's mouth opened. No sound came out. He didn't know how to answer.
He wanted to help. But… he couldn't.
Even when he went to Fugaku, the clan head just told him to stay out of it.
Koue looked at him, the disappointment in his eyes cutting deep. Then he turned without another word, hurrying to catch up with the others shuffling away.
That look. It pierced Shisui's heart.
He knew they misunderstood. They thought he stood by and watched, unwilling to help.
But he couldn't explain. No explanation changed the fact he hadn't helped them.
And if this continued, the misunderstanding among his clan would only grow worse, deeper.
Shisui stood there, head bowed, for a long time.
Finally, he lifted his gaze. A spark of resolve hardened in his eyes. "No matter what," he whispered to himself, a mantra for courage. "I can't just sit and do nothing. If I can help even one person… that's enough."
Starting the next day.
Shisui would show up at the Defense Force headquarters first thing in the morning, then leave immediately.
His method of helping his clan was simple: patrol Konoha himself. Whenever he saw Root ninjas trying to apprehend a clansman on flimsy grounds, he would intervene.
The Root ninjas reported this to Qianyu promptly.
A look of pure disdain crossed Qianyu's face. "How utterly foolish. A Vice Captain assigned specifically to monitor me, slacking off his actual duties. I almost feel sorry for Minato."
"Leave him be. He's just one man. Let's see how many he can truly 'save'. You all just continue according to Lord Danzō's plan."
He truly hadn't expected Shisui to do something this stupid. With Shisui absent, the Leaf Village Defense Force was now completely, unquestionably his to command as he pleased.
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