"Lord Ichiro, here's Uchiha Fugaku's signed confession."
Ken returned from the interrogation room, handing over a bloodstained piece of paper.
[Ding! Forced confession obtained from Uchiha Fugaku. Reward: Explosive Tags ×10, Evil Points +1000]
Ichiro scanned the document briefly.
Assaulting fellow shinobi, peeping on women bathing, sneaking into widows' homes at night—Fugaku had every petty crime pinned to him, from the serious to the ridiculous.
"Nicely done."
Ichiro clapped Ken on the shoulder in approval, then made his way to another interrogation room with the confession in hand.
"Enjoying your stay, Clan Head? Are my people treating you well?" he said with a smile.
Uchiha Gen, sitting on a worn tatami mat with his eyes closed in frustration, snapped them open.
"Ichiro, what the hell do you want?"
Being locked up by his own clansmen was beyond humiliating. For a man like Gen, the clan patriarch, this was unbearable.
"Oh, nothing much. I just thought you might want to see something."
Ichiro laid the confession out on the table in front of him.
"Fugaku's list of crimes is impressive, isn't it? If this goes to trial… how many years do you think he'll get?"
Crack—
Gen clenched his fists tightly, his knuckles popping.
"You accuse your own kin and even imprison your clan head. Do you really think anyone will support you as the next patriarch?"
"Ichiro, you're a disgrace to the Uchiha name. You'll die a miserable death for this."
Even now, Gen still believed Ichiro was only doing this to take the clan head position for himself.
And truthfully, Ichiro was starting to give it some serious thought.
He hadn't cared before—what was the point without a cheat? Even if he became the patriarch and hit Kage-level strength, the fate of the Uchiha Clan wouldn't have changed.
But now he had a system. That changed everything.
"Gen, I'd suggest you choose your words more carefully," Ichiro replied coldly. "If I really wanted Fugaku dead, it wouldn't be hard."
"...What do you want?"
Gen's tone shifted. He had no leverage left—his son was still in Ichiro's custody, and that confession was damning. If Ichiro decided to kill Fugaku, no one would save him. Too many in the village would love to see chaos in the Uchiha ranks.
"I want the position of captain of the Konoha Police Force. Fugaku needs to step down."
"...Fine. I agree."
Gen gave in quickly. As long as Ichiro didn't demand the title of clan head, he would concede anything.
"That's refreshingly agreeable of you," Ichiro said with a grin. "Oh, one more thing. I'm a bit short on cash lately. Just a billion ryo should do."
"...What did you just say?!"
Gen shot to his feet, coughing violently as the sudden movement triggered his injuries.
"One billion. That's not too much for a clan head, is it?"
Gen nearly vomited blood a second time.
One billion ryo wasn't a joke. In this world, one ryo was roughly equivalent to ten yen. Even high-ranking S-rank missions rarely offered more than a million ryo unless they were particularly dangerous.
One billion would clean out Gen's entire personal fortune.
Ichiro had saved for years and didn't even have a billion to his name. Life as a ninja was expensive.
After the Senju Clan had faded into obscurity, the Uchiha were technically Konoha's top noble clan—but they weren't rich.
Other clans had businesses. The Nara had pharmaceutical companies, the Akimichi ran restaurants, and the Yamanaka operated flower shops.
But the Uchiha? They had nothing.
Prideful and aloof, Uchiha didn't make good merchants. Worse, the village had always marginalized them. What opportunities could they possibly have?
Gen knew giving up One billion ryo would mean emptying his life savings.
"I'm not here to argue," Ichiro said, tapping the table with his fingers. "You know the saying—spend money to avoid disaster."
"If you're not willing to pay, then I'll just send Fugaku to prison."
"You know what'll happen if he goes to prison. I'm sure the higher-ups in the village would love that. And who knows what could happen to him behind bars..."
"You don't want your son to lose all chance at becoming clan head, do you?"
Ichiro's voice remained calm, almost conversational.
But Gen understood every word was a threat.
Under Ichiro's subtle intimidation—layered with logic and cold reality—Gen had no choice but to agree.
"Let the clan head go," Ichiro ordered.
Since Gen had agreed to his terms, there was no need to keep him locked up. Ichiro needed him free to go fetch the money.
"Letting him go already? That old bastard gave you so much trouble," Goro muttered, glaring at Gen's back as he left.
"What would killing him solve? The moment he dies, the elders of the Uchiha Clan will raise hell."
Ichiro had never intended to kill Gen. Not because he feared Hiruzen Sarutobi coming after him—but because eliminating Gen would stir unrest among the elders and veteran loyalists.
Besides, even if he didn't kill him, Gen was already on death's door. After today's beatdown and aggravated injuries, he wouldn't live another week.
"What about Fugaku? Are we really letting him go?"
"Of course we are," Ichiro replied with a smile. "I'm a man of my word. But not until Gen is dead."
As long as Fugaku remained in custody, Gen wouldn't dare try anything.
"Make sure no one gets to him," Ichiro instructed Ken. "Guard him well."
"Don't worry, Lord Ichiro," Ken replied confidently. "Goro and I will watch him together. No one's getting him out."
If two elite jōnin couldn't keep one Fugaku under lock and key, they may as well resign from life.
Ichiro left the police force and returned to the clan compound.
Not long after, someone from Gen's side arrived—with the money.
It was a jōnin.
"Ichiro, the money's here. Now release the young master," the shinobi demanded, glaring.
"Is that how you talk to me?"
Ichiro gave him a cold glance—then kicked him straight out the door.
"Tell Gen this—yes, I'll release Fugaku. But only when I decide."
He slammed the door shut, then picked up the ledger on the table and tucked it away. Gen hadn't wasted a second. Clearly, he was terrified something might happen to his son.
[Ding! Extorted One billion ryo. Reward: B-rank Ninjutsu - Fire Release: Great Fire Annihilation. Evil Points +5000]
"Only 5,000 points?"
Ichiro frowned slightly.
Still, the new ninjutsu made up for it. Majestic Flame Destroyer was one of the strongest Uchiha fire-style techniques—lost ever since Madara's departure.
Ichiro was more than satisfied.