The ninja saw that people had actually arrived; the rubbing motion of his hands paused for a moment, and he let go somewhat nervously.
He glanced at the two members of the Leaf Police Force, his eyes shifting.
He reached into his clothes, pulled out several banknotes, and stuffed them into their hands, piling a smile onto his face:
"Brothers, do me a favor."
The two Leaf Police Force members lowered their heads to look at the denominations of the banknotes, and their eyes immediately lit up.
They deftly stuffed the banknotes into their own clothes, patted the ninja on the shoulder, and said with a grin:
"Brother, go on, go on!"
As he spoke, he turned around, and the smile on his face instantly turned into a look of righteousness.
He pointed at the shop owner and shouted sternly:
"You're talking nonsense! It's your shop that's cheating people. Seeing that our ninja brother is honest, you want to charge more!"
The other Leaf Police Force member immediately stepped forward and grabbed the shop owner's shoulder:
"I warn you, don't bully our ninja brother like this again in the future!"
The shop owner was stunned.
He stared blankly at those two faces, at the banknotes tucked into their clothes.
He then looked at the ninja who had resumed groping Koeda, a lewd grin still on his face.
"You… how can you be like this!"
His voice trembled, old tears running down the wrinkles on his face:
"Even during the rule of the so-called evil Uchiha clan, they would never shield ninjas! They all–"
Slap!
A harsh slap struck his face.
The Leaf Police Force member chuckled and leaned close to his ear, lowering his voice:
"You said it yourself; that was during the Uchiha era."
He paused, then continued:
"Now, it's Danzo-sama's era!"
"What? Not convinced?"
The shop owner covered his face, his whole body trembling.
At that moment, his gaze suddenly caught sight of two figures passing by the entrance.
Those two wore dark casual clothes, and on their backs was embroidered the fan emblem–the Uchiha clan!
He suddenly broke free from the Leaf Police Force's grip, scrambling out the door and rushing over to grab the two of them:
"There's a ninja here bullying civilians!"
"The Leaf Police Force has taken bribes from that ninja! Th-that ninja is raping my daughter!"
"Didn't you Uchiha hate this kind of behavior the most before? Hurry and deal with them!"
The two Uchiha stopped.
They were none other than the brothers Inabi Uchiha and Tekka Uchiha, who just happened to be passing by.
They turned their heads and looked into the shop.
The disheveled girl, the shop owner with a slap mark on his face, and the ninja with a lewd grin.
The two brothers had enforced the law in the Leaf Police Force for many years.
With just one glance, they understood what had happened here.
Seeing those familiar uniforms worn by such people, seeing those who should maintain order now allowing the perpetrator to bully civilians.
A trace of disgust flashed in both their eyes.
The two Leaf Police Force members saw that the Uchiha had really stopped, and immediately became nervous.
They exchanged a glance, their faces turning pale.
Who didn't know the temperament of the Uchiha?
The key point was that their combat strength was terrifyingly high.
If they really intervened in this matter, it would be very troublesome.
One of them forced himself to step forward and said with an awkward smile:
"Um… you two, this is a matter of our Leaf Police Force…"
Inabi ignored him.
He withdrew his gaze, turned his head, and said indifferently to Tekka:
"Not our concern. Let's go."
After saying that, he lifted his foot to leave.
The shop owner was stunned.
He suddenly lunged forward and once again tightly hugged Inabi's leg:
"You can't go! You can't go!"
He pointed inside the shop, his finger trembling:
"You Uchiha were once part of the Leaf Police Force. Are you really going to turn a blind eye to such evil acts now?"
"Are you blind? That ninja is raping my daughter!"
"Quick! Arrest him like before!"
Inabi stopped.
He lowered his head and looked at the man clinging tightly to his leg.
Then he spoke coldly:
"I recognize you."
The shop owner's whole body trembled.
"One month ago, on the day we Uchiha left the Leaf Police Force, you were standing at the very front of the square holding a sign."
He stared at the shop owner:
"On the sign it said: 'Evil Uchiha, get out of the Hidden Leaf Village.'"
"You even led the chant: 'Long live Danzo-sama, Uchiha get lost.'"
The shop owner's face instantly turned deathly pale.
Inabi continued:
"The night the Nine-Tails rampaged, we Uchiha risked our lives to save so many people; your neighbors, your relatives, your friends. The next day, you surrounded us, saying it was all an act, saying our people faked their deaths."
"On the day of the evacuation drill, we shouted ourselves hoarse in the square, urging you to leave. You cursed us for meddling, said we had nothing better to do, said we were showing off."
"In the square, you pointed at our noses and shouted again and again: 'We don't need the Uchiha. Danzo-sama will protect us.'"
He paused, his face full of mockery:
"Now, Danzo has taken over the Leaf Police Force."
"Isn't this Hidden Leaf Village exactly what you wanted?"
The shop owner opened his mouth, making hoarse sounds, but not a single word came out.
He knelt on the ground, his face filled with regret.
Inabi looked at him, without a trace of sympathy in his eyes.
Inabi continued:
"Now that you've suffered injustice, you remember the Uchiha again?"
The shop owner nodded frantically.
Inabi, however, sneered:
"Too late!"
He lifted his foot and shook off the shop owner's grip.
And he turned around.
The shop owner rushed forward like a madman, trying to grab his leg again, but was kicked away mercilessly by Tekka.
He lay on the ground, stretching out his hand toward the two receding figures:
"Don't go… please don't go…"
"I didn't expect Danzo to break his word…"
"I was wrong… I was really wrong…"
Regardless, those two figures never turned back.
Just then did he realize how miserable the situation of Hidden Leaf Village civilians was when facing ninja crimes without the protection of the Uchiha.
He looked at the empty street corner and suddenly recalled the square from a month ago.
He had stood at the very front of the crowd, holding a sign, shouting at the top of his lungs:
"Who needs your protection!"
"Danzo-sama will save us!"
The people around him had joined him, shouting happily, as if driving away the Uchiha was a great joy.
The Uchiha stood on the platform, watching them in silence before turning and leaving.
At that time, his heart had been full of satisfaction.
Finally, those annoying people who always wore sour expressions had been driven away.
But now…
He slowly turned his head and looked inside the shop.
That ninja had already grabbed Koeda's hands and pinned her down onto the table again.
Slap!
A crisp sound rang out.
Koeda let out a miserable scream.
The ninja viciously choked her neck, his face twisted:
"You bitch, you really thought the Uchiha would step in? You scared the hell out of me!"
He laughed loudly and fiercely kissed Koeda on the face:
"Let's see if I don't play you to death tonight!"
...
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