When the two guards saw it was him, they hurriedly saluted:
"Clan Head-sama! This guy got drunk and molested this woman on the street. We caught him."
The drunk man raised his head, his face flushed red, his eyes unfocused, still shouting:
"So what if I molested her? I fought desperately on the front lines, killing enemies and earning merit. The Hidden Leaf Village being able to live in peace… doesn't that all depend on shinobi like us? What's wrong with her letting me touch her a couple of times? That's her blessing!"
The surrounding crowd whispered among themselves; some frowned, while others nodded.
Gento's expression darkened.
"Take him away. Deal with him according to the rules."
The two guards responded and lifted the drunk man, dragging him away.
The drunk man was still shouting:
"A shinobi's status is higher than a civilian's! I can molest whoever I want!
"You Uchiha are abusing public power for private gain! What right do you have to arrest me!
"Just you wait! When I get out, I'll definitely take revenge on you!"
The voice gradually faded into the distance.
Gento stood where he was, watching as the onlooking crowd slowly dispersed, then glanced at the woman being helped away. He couldn't quite describe what he was feeling.
These shinobi could commit any kind of atrocity on the battlefield.
Civilians of enemy nations—kill them if you kill them, loot them if you loot them—no one holds them accountable.
Even using women of enemy nations to vent their desires, few people would interfere.
Yet after returning to the Hidden Leaf Village, that lingering brutality could not be shed in a short time, making incidents inevitable.
To correct them, only forceful measures could be used.
And the ones responsible for law enforcement were the Uchiha.
Those who were arrested would neither hate the Hidden Leaf Village nor the Hokage, only the ones who arrested them.
This was reality.
The people and law enforcers were naturally opposed, destined for their relationship to never be harmonious.
Sometimes, even using necessary force would be maliciously interpreted by the public.
Gento let out a helpless sigh.
It seemed that for a period of time, the Uchiha's reputation would only worsen.
He suddenly felt a bit of admiration for the Second Hokage, Tobirama Senju.
Handing the Police Force over to the Uchiha… on the surface, it looked like granting power, while in reality, it was placing the Uchiha over an open flame.
Letting the Uchiha be the ones to make arrests… over time, it would be strange if the public ever liked them.
This was an unresolvable open scheme.
For now, he had no better solution and could only take things one step at a time.
While he was thinking, another person suddenly appeared beside him.
Shisui's figure appeared at his side:
"Clan Head-sama, I've found the craftsmen you asked me to look for."
Hearing this, Gento felt a surge of joy.
"Let's go, take me to see them!"
With these craftsmen, construction of the clan buildings could begin.
Indulgence Apartments, Desire Hot Springs; once they were built sooner, the population could grow sooner.
...
Following Shisui back to the clan grounds, from afar, he saw a large group of people standing on an open space.
At the front was a young craftsman, dressed quite neatly, arms crossed, his face full of impatience.
Seeing Shisui bring people over, he immediately started shouting:
"Hey! We're from the Land of Craftsmen¹! Do you know what that means? The best craftsmanship in the entire shinobi world! You Uchiha sure have big airs, making us wait this long?"
Gento didn't respond to his attitude. He quickly stepped forward and handed over the [Clan Ancestral Hall] blueprint provided by the system.
"Sorry, I'm the Uchiha clan head, Gento. Take a look at this blueprint first. Can it be built?"
The young craftsman took the blueprint, his mouth still going:
"I come from a family of builders, generation after generation, we've built countless structures. What kind of blueprint haven't I seen…"
Halfway through his words, he lowered his head and glanced at the blueprint.
His expression froze.
He looked again.
His brows furrowed.
He simply squatted down, spreading the blueprint on the ground, tracing along the lines with his finger bit by bit.
"Hiss… this part… something's not right…"
Gento didn't rush him and just waited nearby.
After studying it for quite a while, the young craftsman raised his head. The arrogance on his face had vanished, replaced with a smile:
"Um… please wait a moment, I'll call my father."
He turned and shouted toward the crowd:
"Go invite my father over!"
Then he turned back to explain:
"It's not that I can't understand it… It's just that this building of yours is too precious. I need to invite a more skilled elder to handle it. That's being responsible to you!"
Gento suppressed a laugh and nodded.
Before long, a burly middle-aged craftsman hurried over.
The young craftsman leaned in:
"Dad, take a look at this blueprint…"
The middle-aged craftsman smacked the back of his head:
"I told you to properly learn the craft before, but you didn't! Now you're coming out here embarrassing me! What kind of blueprint could stump your old man…"
He took the blueprint and looked down.
"Huh?"
The contempt on his face slowly froze.
His brows furrowed.
He crouched down and examined it carefully.
"This… this structure… hmm… how could it be like this?"
After studying it for a while, under his son's suspicious gaze, he wiped the sweat from his forehead and then said to Gento:
"It's not that I can't build this blueprint, but it would be more reliable to invite my father out."
He turned back again:
"Go, bring the old master here!"
Gento:
"..."
Not long after, an old man leaning on a cane slowly walked over.
"I'm preparing to retire. What kind of blueprint is it that you father and son can't handle, and have to trouble these old bones of mine?"
The middle-aged craftsman quickly stepped forward and handed over the blueprint:
"Father, take a look at this…"
The old man took the blueprint and gave it a casual glance.
His gaze suddenly froze.
He put away his cane, crouched down, and spread the blueprint flat.
His eyes grew brighter and brighter.
"Hmm… here… wonderful…
"This corner treatment… exquisitely ingenious…
"Back when this old man built palaces for Feudal Lords, I've never seen such a delicate design…
The old man became more and more excited as he looked, his fingers lightly stroking the blueprint.
Gento finally let out a breath of relief and stepped forward to ask:
"Elder, can you build this structure?"
The old man raised his head and sized Gento up from top to bottom.
"It can be built. But the materials are particular, and the craftsmanship is complex…"
He paused:
"Materials plus labor… it will cost five hundred thousand ryo."
Gento had been mentally prepared, but when he actually heard the number, he still couldn't help but draw in a breath.
Five hundred thousand ryo…
Despite that, thinking of the Clan Ancestral Hall's effect, raising the probability of awakening the Sharingan by 10%, this money had to be spent.
With the ancestral hall, geniuses would continuously emerge within the clan!
He gritted his teeth:
"Alright. Also, take a look at these two."
He handed over the blueprints for [Indulgence Apartments] and [Desire Hot Springs] as well.
The old man took them and squinted at them for quite a while, then nodded:
"Each apartment building… two hundred thousand ryo. The hot springs will cost one million ryo."
Gento felt another stab of pain in his chest.
Though none of it showed on his face:
"Fine. Please begin construction as soon as possible."
Seeing him agree so decisively, the old man sized him up again.
"Let me make this clear first. I am Gen Kigami of the Kigami clan from the Land of Craftsmen. Even the Feudal Lords of various countries treat me with respect. The Kigami clan never works on credit."
Gento directly took out a sealing scroll and handed it over:
"Here is five hundred thousand ryo as an advance for materials. Please begin construction as soon as possible; the faster, the better."
Gen took the scroll, a smile finally appearing on his face.
"Good! As expected of the Uchiha, decisive in action, so generous in doing things!
"I'll take this job!"
He put away the scroll and waved to his son behind him:
"The craftsmen in the Land of Fire probably aren't enough. Return to the clan immediately and bring another batch of skilled craftsmen!"
Seeing this, Gento pointed at Shisui:
"This is Shisui Uchiha. If you need anything further, contact him directly."
He took out another scroll and handed it to Shisui:
"There are two million ryo in here. The ancestral hall, the hot springs, and five more apartment buildings; settle the payments with them according to the construction progress."
Shisui accepted it with both hands and lowered his head:
"Yes, Clan Head-sama."
After making the arrangements, Gento finally felt at ease.
All that remained now was to wait for the construction to be completed.
...
At the same time.
Deep within the Root base.
Torune Aburame knelt on one knee before Danzo.
"Danzo-sama, the investigation results are out."
"I found that during the war, Gento Uchiha distributed a kind of special Soldier Pills to various clans. Someone from the Aburame clan kept two of them."
He took out two brown pills from his clothes and presented them with both hands.
Danzo took them and held them to his nose, sniffing lightly.
He picked one up and put it into his mouth.
After chewing for a moment, the effects of the Soldier Pill gradually took hold.
After a short while, his eyes narrowed slightly.
"These Soldier Pills…"
He stood up, clasping his hands behind his back as he walked a few steps.
"Good stuff. Much better than what Root is currently using.
"These Soldier Pills should belong to my Root!"
He turned around and looked at Torune:
"Go investigate the source of the formula. Also, find out how many he still has."
Torune lowered his head:
"Yes."
Danzo waved his hand.
Just as Torune was about to withdraw, Danzo suddenly spoke again:
"Wait."
Torune stopped.
Danzo was silent for a moment, his voice low:
"Send a few people to capture several Uchiha clan members. Alive.
"Make them talk. Get them to explain everything about these Soldier Pills."
Torune raised his head and glanced at Danzo, then quickly lowered it again:
"Yes."
His figure flashed and disappeared into the darkness.
Danzo stood alone in the dim room, his fingers lightly tapping on the armrest.
Gento Uchiha…
The corner of his mouth twitched slightly.
…
¹ Land of Craftsmen: Aka the Takumi Village, an anime-only location situated in the Land of Rivers, known for its high-level weaponry and ninja tools.
...
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