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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Konoha Military Police Station—
"Yawn… what a boring day," Kanzou muttered as he set aside the scroll he had been reading and stretched his arms.
As the Captain of the Police Force, he didn't actually have much to do, especially now that he had secured a budget of ten billion ryō. The workload across the entire force had dropped sharply. After all, with that much money flowing in, the extortionists could afford to pause for a while as he had promised the Hokage.
For the time being, all he really had to do was go through old clan records and reports to familiarise himself with various matters. The rest of the work? His subordinates could handle it without issue.
"It would've been more fun if Uzumaki Kushina weren't out of the village," he muttered with mild regret. The frustration still lingered; being blue-balled had that effect, but there was nothing he could do about it.
'No… I could at least try to find out where she is, and when she'll be back,' he thought, considering sending a message to his spy in the ANBU department. Still, he didn't hold much hope. Only Kushina's personal ANBU guards and the Hokage were likely to know her exact whereabouts. It might be a waste of effort.
"I'll think about it later," he said, rising from his chair and walking over to the window of his office.
The moment he looked outside, something caught his attention.
"Hm? What's that?"
Down below, a boy was trying to force his way into the police station, only to be surrounded by several officers who were clearly bullying him.
'Isn't that… Might Guy?' Kanzou thought, recognising the boy instantly from his distinctive hairstyle and thick eyebrows.
Just then, Hazuki knocked and entered the office. Kanzou turned to her. "What's going on down there?"
"It's Might Duy's son," she replied. "He's trying to free his father, so he attempted to break in."
"Hmm… is that so?" Kanzou nodded thoughtfully. "I'll give him that, the boy has some courage."
For such a young boy to try to force his way into the police station, something no one, not even the Hokage, would dare to do, Might Guy either had remarkable courage… or he was simply too foolish to understand what he was getting himself into.
"Capture him," Kanzou said calmly. "I'll talk to Might Duy myself. He must be getting impatient after spending half a day locked up."
"As you wish," Hazuki bowed slightly and left the office to carry out the order.
…
A few minutes later, Kanzou was brought an unconscious Might Guy. The boy's hands and feet were tied behind his back with ropes, his mouth was taped shut, and his eyes were covered. Carrying him over his shoulder, Kanzou headed toward the prison cell where Might Duy was being held. Satoru followed alongside him and opened the cell gate.
As Kanzou stepped inside, he greeted the man sitting quietly within. "Yo… Might Duy. How are you doing? Not too uncomfortable, are you?"
Unlike most prisoners, Might Duy hadn't been beaten or mistreated. He had been given proper food and left alone, so he was physically fine, just anxious and uncertain about when he would be released.
Duy didn't look at Kanzou. His eyes were locked on the unconscious boy in Kanzou's arms. It took him less than a second to realise who it was.
"Guy?!" His eyes widened, and anger surged through him when he saw how the boy was restrained. "W-why did you capture Guy?! Didn't you say that if I surrendered, you wouldn't go after my son?!"
Kanzou shrugged. "I did. And I left him alone. But the kid tried to break into the police station and even attacked my officers. Was I supposed to just ignore that?"
"Guy…?" Duy froze, then let out a heavy sigh. Even he hadn't expected his son to attempt something so reckless. He immediately understood that Guy must have tried to rescue him.
Realising that the fault lay with his son, Duy bowed deeply toward Kanzou.
"Whatever my son did, let me take responsibility for it," Duy said urgently. "Please… don't imprison him. He has to attend the academy. The fires of his youth, they haven't burned brightly enough yet. He still needs to—"
Kanzou cut him off with a casual wave of his hand. "Relax. I don't intend to keep him behind bars anyway."
He walked over and dropped the boy onto the bed, then sat down himself. Duy remained standing, so Kanzou gestured for him to sit on the floor, of course.
How could he allow Might Duy to sit as an equal? That can't be allowed, right?
Duy didn't care where he sat. He quickly lowered himself to the ground and bowed his head again, clearly desperate for Kanzou to spare his son.
"I'll be honest with you, Might Duy," Kanzou said calmly. "Trying to break into the police station and attacking officers is a very serious crime. Under normal circumstances, it would warrant at least ten years in prison. It could even be more, maybe twenty."
"T-twenty years?" Duy stammered. He had no idea whether Kanzou was exaggerating or not. He wasn't well-versed in the law, and the number alone terrified him. He begged again, "P-please… keep me instead. Don't take my son. He has a bright future ahead. If he's imprisoned for twenty years, his entire—"
Kanzou interrupted him once more. "But as I said, I don't plan to imprison him. Or you, for that matter."
"R-really?" Guy's eyes brightened slightly. He wasn't sure if he was dreaming or if he had misheard Kanzou.
Off to the side, Satoru raised an eyebrow. 'Patriarch is planning to release them?' The thought felt wrong. He quickly shook his head. 'No… there has to be a catch.'
He knew Kanzou too well. There was no way he would let either of them go so easily, not without extracting something in return.
And Satoru was right.
"If you want both yourself and your son to be released," Kanzou continued calmly, "there are two conditions. Fulfill even one of them within an hour, and I'll let you both go. If you fail…" He smiled faintly. "Your son will spend the next twenty years in prison. As for you, your crime isn't that serious, so you'll be out in six months."
Duy swallowed hard. "W-what conditions?"
"Condition one," Kanzou said, raising a finger. "Pay me one billion ryō for your son's release, within an hour."
"H-how much?" Duy froze. He wasn't sure he had heard correctly, or maybe the number was just too unreal to process.
"One billion ryō," Kanzou repeated casually.
"I… I don't have that kind of money," Duy said, shaking his head.
In fact, he had never even seen that much money in his life. He was a genin and had remained one since graduating from the academy. With his reputation as the Eternal Genin, he barely received any missions, let alone ones that paid well. He lived in a rundown house, illegally built on the edge of the village. He wore cheap tights not by choice, but because they were all he could afford.
A billion ryō within an hour was beyond impossible.
He didn't even need to think about it.
"W-what is the second condition…?" Duy asked quietly.
He could only hope it wouldn't be as impossible as the first.
Kanzou's lips curved into a smile. Demanding that kind of money from Duy had only been meant to crush his hope, so that the real condition would feel unavoidable by comparison.
He reached into the pocket of his vest, pulled out a scroll, and held it out. "The second condition is that you sign this."
"Hm? What is it?" Duy asked cautiously.
"Why don't you read it yourself?" Kanzou said, handing the scroll over.
"A… alright," Duy nodded and began reading.
The text was written in complex, formal language, far beyond what an ordinary person could easily understand. Even after reading it, Duy, who is already not very bright in the head, obviously couldn't make sense of most of it. He scratched his head in confusion.
"I… I don't understand what this says…"
"It says that once you sign it, you surrender your freedom to me," Kanzou explained calmly. "In other words, you become my slave, and everything you own becomes mine."
It was a slave contract.
One that bound Duy to Kanzou for his entire life, no, not just his life, but his entire existence. Even in death, and long after death, he would still belong to Kanzou.
"Slave?" Might Duy frowned, clearly not expecting Kanzou to demand something like that.
"This is the price for your son's release," Kanzou said casually. "You can accept it… or you can refuse. If you refuse, that's fine, you'll be released in six months. But your son will spend the next ten to twenty years in prison."
He continued with a grin, "Or, if you somehow manage to pay me one billion ryō, I'll release both of you immediately. Otherwise… this is your only option."
Kanzou leaned back. "So what will it be, Might Duy? Do you want your son to grow up to be a fine, respected ninja… or a long-term prisoner?"
Duy stood in silence as Kanzou waited patiently.
In truth, even though there seemed to be choices, there really weren't any at all. Duy understood it clearly; if he didn't sign the scroll, his son would lose twenty years of his life behind bars.
That was unacceptable.
For Duy, his son was the most important person in the world. He would do anything for him, even give up his own life. He had already proven that once, when he used the Final Gate, the Gate of Death, against the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist.
If he was willing to die for his son… then becoming a slave wasn't much different.
The only problem was—
"If I sign this… y-you won't imprison my son, right?" Duy asked quietly.
"As long as he doesn't cause trouble for me or the police force," Kanzou replied. "So you'll need to make sure he behaves."
"I… I will," Duy nodded. Then he hesitated and asked one more thing. "Also… can I still take missions? I only get low-level ones, mostly Rank D, but I still need to feed Guy, and… well… I'll need some money."
"You don't have to worry about that," Kanzou said calmly. "I'll give you pocket money. How you spend it is up to you. And if you perform well in the tasks I assign you, you can get more. Depending on your results, I might even give you the equivalent of a Rank B… or Rank A mission."
Duy's eyes widened. "I… I'll get paid a salary?" he asked in disbelief. Slaves weren't supposed to receive anything like that.
"Not a salary," Kanzou corrected. "Pocket money."
The distinction mattered. Duy wasn't an employee; he was property. A slave had no salary, only what he was given.
But Duy didn't care about terminology. He nodded. "Alright… I just hope you keep your word."
Kanzou smiled. "I always do."
Holding onto that hope, Duy signed the scroll, selling himself, his freedom, and everything he owned to Kanzou.
From that moment on, everything that belonged to Duy belonged to Kanzou.
What Duy didn't realise was that everything also included guardianship, meaning even his legal authority over Guy now belonged to Kanzou.
But Kanzou didn't bother explaining that.
And unless it became necessary, he never planned to.
[Ding. The host has committed the evil act of forcing Might Duy into a life of slavery by making him sell himself for the sake of his son. Rewards: Scroll of the Eight Inner Gates Technique + 5,000 Evil Points.]
'Fufu… the Scroll of the Eight Inner Gates, huh?' Kanzou thought as he reviewed the reward.
He wasn't particularly interested in learning the Eight Inner Gates, at least not for now, but he still accepted the scroll with a satisfied expression. Then his gaze shifted to the Evil Points, and his mood soured.
'Come on, System… only 5,000 Evil Points? Isn't that way too little for forcing someone into slavery?'
The System replied: [Slavery is not uncommon on the Shinobi Continent, so the act itself is not considered extraordinary. It is only within your personal moral framework that this is perceived as highly evil. Thus, 5,000 Evil Points have been awarded for now. If the host treats Might Duy in a truly miserable manner, additional Evil Points will be granted.]
"Tch." Kanzou clicked his tongue in annoyance.
He already knew what that meant; he probably wouldn't be getting those extra points. He had no intention of treating Duy like a typical slave.
Although he had forced Duy into slavery, he had done it for two reasons. The first was obvious: earning Evil Points from the System. The second was more practical. Duy was a Konoha shinobi and technically answered to the Hokage. By turning him into a slave, Kanzou bypassed that authority entirely.
That didn't mean he planned to mistreat him.
Duy was an asset. As long as he followed orders, Kanzou had no reason to treat him poorly, and when it comes to his subordinate… as long as they are completely loyal and obedient, he really doesn't mistreat them.
So long as Duy remains loyal and follows all the orders, Kanzou really wouldn't mistreat him, and he would even give him pocket money.
In reality, Duy would probably end up living a better life than he did in the original timeline.
Which meant that, instead of committing ongoing evil… Kanzou was technically doing something closer to good.
And that, more than anything, annoyed him.
Still unhappy with the outcome, Kanzou stood up with the scroll in hand and gave Duy a cold order. "Come on. Follow me."
"Uh… where?" Duy asked as he got to his feet. His eyes drifted to his son, who was still unconscious and bound.
"A slave doesn't ask where he's being taken," Kanzou snorted, offering no further explanation as he walked out of the cell.
Duy didn't move right away. He kept staring at his son.
Satoru spoke lazily from behind him. "You'd better not keep the Patriarch waiting. He won't like that."
Hearing this, Duy clenched his teeth and leaned closer to his son. "Don't worry, Guy. Papa will be back soon…"
With that, he stepped out of the cell and hurried after Kanzou.
Satoru locked the door behind him. On the way out, he handed the key to a subordinate and instructed him to move the boy to a regular room and keep him under watch. Then he followed after the others.
He wasn't alone. Hazuki was there as well. The two Uchihas, along with Might Duy, left the police station and followed Kanzou until they reached a training field.
…
At a secluded training field—
Might Duy stood facing Kanzou as Kanzou said calmly, "Come on… let's start."
"I… do I really have to fight you?" Duy asked, clearly unsure. He hadn't expected to be brought to a training field—let alone told to fight Kanzou himself.
"I want to test your strength," Kanzou replied casually. "So give it everything you've got."
Duy hesitated, then nodded and took a fighting stance before dashing forward. The speed he displayed was far beyond what anyone would expect from a genin.
But Kanzou wasn't impressed.
"Tch." He clicked his tongue, stepped in, and drove his fist into Duy's stomach.
Thud!
Boom!
Duy was sent flying straight into a tree.
…
On the side—
"…Why is Kanzou-sama even bothering to fight that Eternal Genin?" Hazuki muttered with a frown. She could tell Duy was much stronger than an average genin, his physique alone put him well above that, possibly even at Special Jōnin level, but compared to Kanzou, it still seemed insignificant.
Yet Kanzou had chosen to fight him personally.
Satoru said. "Maybe Might Duy's strength isn't as simple as it looks."
"Hm… is that so?" Hazuki murmured, considering the possibility.
…
Thud!
Boom!
"A-ouch…" Duy groaned as his back slammed into the tree, pain shooting through his body.
Kanzou walked over and looked down at him coldly. "Didn't I tell you to give it your all? And yet you attacked me half-heartedly."
"W-what do you mean?" Duy protested. "I attacked with all my strength…"
"Really?" Kanzou pressed. "Did you truly hold nothing back?" His eyes narrowed. "What about the technique you developed to open the Eight Inner Gates?"
Duy's pupils shrank. "H-how do you know about that?"
He hadn't even told his own son yet. He planned to reveal it only when Guy was older. No one should have known about the forbidden technique he had created to activate the Eight Inner Gates.
Yet Kanzou did.
'Did he watch me train?' Duy wondered. That seemed like the only explanation.
Kanzou shrugged. "Do I really need to explain myself to you? Who do you think you are?" His voice turned cold. "You're a slave. You follow orders. So, do what I tell you, and use it."
Duy's eyes twitched. Kanzou not only refused to explain how he knew his secret that no one should have known, but he was also ordering him to use that technique. It made Duy want to complain… but he also hesitated to use the technique.
Seeing his hesitation, Kanzou pouted, "Aren't you going to use it? Or are you planning to keep it a secret?"
"W-well…" It wasn't that he was trying to hide his strength or underestimate Kanzou. The problem was that the technique wasn't meant to be used casually. It was forbidden. It came with severe consequences, not just for others, but for himself.
And that was exactly why he was unwilling to use it here.
"Don't hesitate. Give it everything," Kanzou said coldly. "Because if you don't meet my standard… I'll kill you right here."
He added casually, "And your son won't be spared either."
"Don't touch my son," Duy snapped, anger finally breaking through.
Kanzou had threatened him again and again, always using his son Guy. There was only so much he could endure.
"Then get serious," Kanzou replied, stepping backward to give Duy some space.
"F-fine…" Duy nodded, clenching his fists as he stood up. "You asked for it."
This time, he didn't hold back.
'Eight Inner Gates Technique—Gate of Opening: Open!'
'Gate of Healing: Open!'
'Gate of Life: Open!'
'Gate of Pain: Open!'
'Gate of Limit: Open!'
'Gate of View: Open!'
One after another, six of the Eight Inner Gates burst open. Violent green chakra erupted around Duy like raging flames, and the air itself distorted under the pressure.
"I am going to attack, be careful…" he warned.
Boom!
The ground shattered as Duy launched forward, leaving deep cracks behind from the sheer force of his acceleration.
"Fufu… who warns their enemies of their attacks?" Kanzou scoffed, but his eyes were burning with excitement, "This is what I wanted to see."
His Sharingan activated, and arcs of lightning surged across his body, not the Raikage's Lightning Chakra Mode, but Lightning Chakra Stimulation, forcibly enhancing his cells for greater speed and perception.
In a flash of lightning, Kanzou shot forward.
Straight toward Might Duy's charge.
The two fists met at the midpoint, and a loud explosion occurred.
Boom…!
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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.