The two Leaf Police Force members let out a sigh of relief, exchanged a glance, and burst into laughter.
They walked forward and viciously kicked the shop owner who was lying on the ground.
"Still daring to ask for help? Looks like you really don't understand the rules, huh?"
One of them bent down, grabbed his hair, and dragged him back into the shop.
The other followed behind, spitting on the ground.
"Since you don't understand the rules, we'll just have to teach you a proper lesson."
With a "bang," the shop door slammed shut.
Very soon, the sound of something heavy falling came from behind the door.
Immediately, there were muffled groans of pain and dull thuds from the man.
After the man lost all consciousness.
From behind the door came the heavy breathing of men and the intermittent sobbing of a woman.
Past midnight.
The door finally opened.
The two Leaf Police Force members walked out with satisfied expressions.
While fastening their belts, they spat behind them.
"Ptui!"
One of them turned back and said viciously:
"Don't let me catch you trying to report this again!"
"Otherwise, you know very well the methods of our Leaf Police Force!"
The other smacked his lips:
"But speaking of it… that woman's taste was pretty good."
"Haha, right? In the future, we definitely need to visit this shop more often!"
"Let that waitress serve us properly, and maybe next time we'll go a little lighter on you!"
The two turned around and walked away with their arms slung over each other's shoulders.
As they walked, they fondled the banknotes in their clothes and laughed loudly.
"Hahaha, I always said those Uchiha were stupid before!"
"You tell me, how hard are these unruly civilians to manage? I don't think it's hard at all!"
"And the money comes fast, right?"
"The bribes we collect every day; how many missions does that equal? And we don't even have to leave the village to risk our lives. It's safe as hell!"
"Yeah, yeah, let's keep doing it this way from now on!"
Their laughter gradually faded into the distance.
The street returned to silence.
Only that closed door remained, and the faint crying behind it.
…
The next day, when Inabi reported this matter to Gento, Gento was reclining on a couch, holding the obedient Pakura in his arms.
After listening, there was no surprise on his face.
He merely smiled faintly.
"Have you heard about Root's selection methods?"
He asked Inabi.
Inabi shook his head.
Gento spoke slowly:
"If a candidate has siblings or friends, Danzo will arrange for them to carry out 'mutual slaughter' missions, or make the candidate personally witness their loved ones being executed, to test whether they can endure pain and ultimately become numb."
He paused and looked out the window:
"He treats even the subordinates he personally trains like this. As for the civilians…"
He didn't continue.
But Inabi understood.
Gento withdrew his gaze, revealing a meaningful smile:
"Isn't this exactly the 'good life' the people of Leaf wanted?"
Inabi was stunned for a moment, then he smiled as well.
That smile carried a trace of relief, and also a trace of satisfaction.
At that moment-
[Ding! The Host has triggered a Main Quest.]
Gento's eyes sharpened.
[Main Quest Issued: A-Rank Family Prosperity]
⟩ The Shinobi World has now entered a period of peace. Please raise the Family Prosperity to A-rank by increasing family population, family reputation, total combat strength, and top-tier combat strength.
[Mission Reward: Draw Chance ×1.]
A second after, another notification sounded-
[Ding! The Family Building: Mission Hall has been constructed.]
[Ding! The Host has triggered a Side Quest.]
[Side Quest Issued: Reputation]
⟩ The family building Mission Hall has been completed. Please complete one hundred mission commissions to establish reputation.
[Mission Reward: Mangekyo Dojutsu Copy Card ×1.]
Gento's gaze fell on the final line.
Mangekyo Dojutsu Copy Card?
His pupils contracted slightly.
Didn't that mean… he could copy Shisui's Kotoamatsukami?
He immediately said to Inabi:
"Go call Fugaku over."
Inabi did not dare delay and left at once.
Soon, Fugaku hurried over and pushed the door open:
"Clan Head, what do you need?"
Gento didn't waste words and said directly:
"The family's Mission Hall has been built."
He raised his head and looked at Fugaku:
"Go to the Hokage Tower at once and take two hundred mission commissions."
"After bringing them back, assign suitable clan ninjas in the Mission Hall to complete them."
Fugaku did not hesitate at all and immediately nodded:
"Understood. I'll go handle it right away."
…
Hokage Tower.
When Fugaku pushed the door open and entered, Hiruzen was sitting behind his desk, holding a pipe and staring blankly at the mountain of documents piled on the table.
Seeing that it was Fugaku, Hiruzen immediately put on a kind smile, set down the pipe, and greeted him:
"Oh, it's Fugaku. What brings you here?"
Fugaku stood before the desk and relayed Gento's words exactly.
The Uchiha had completed the Mission Hall and hoped to take on a batch of the village's mission commissions.
After hearing this, Hiruzen pondered for a moment.
He picked up the pipe and took a slow puff.
"Hmm…"
He nodded.
"Right now, the village is short on ninjas, yet mission commissions haven't decreased at all. I've been troubled by this matter these past few days."
He lifted his eyes and looked at Fugaku:
"This request from the Uchiha… I can agree to it!"
As he spoke, he raised his voice toward the door:
"Someone."
An Anbu wearing an animal mask appeared in an instant, kneeling on one knee.
Hiruzen instructed:
"Go and sort out the backlog of mission scrolls in the storage, and select two hundred to give to Fugaku."
"Yes!"
The Anbu vanished with a Body Flicker.
Before long, he returned carrying a wooden box half the height of a person.
When the box was placed on the ground, it made a dull thud.
Inside, it was packed full of scrolls.
Fugaku opened the box and glanced inside.
The mission scrolls were stacked neatly.
He closed the lid and nodded to Hiruzen:
"Thank you, Third Hokage."
Hiruzen waved his hand, smiling broadly:
"No need to be polite. The Hidden Leaf Village is being rebuilt, and everyone must work together. I'm very pleased that the Uchiha are taking the initiative to share the burden."
Fugaku said nothing more, picked up the box, and turned to leave.
After returning to the Uchiha clan compound, Fugaku headed straight to the newly planned area.
A grand building stood there.
It was an extremely large structure; the frontage alone was as wide as three or four ordinary houses.
The main body of the building was constructed from bluish-gray stone.
On the walls were carvings of the Uchiha clan's fan crest, surrounded by intricate flame patterns. From a distance, it looked as if the fan was burning.
Pushing open the heavy wooden doors revealed a spacious hall.
In the center of the hall was a long row of counters, and behind the counters was an entire wall of square compartments. Each compartment was labeled with a number, used to store mission scrolls.
In front of the counters were several rows of long benches for clan members waiting to accept missions.
On both sides of the hall were corridors.
The left side led to a series of independent offices.
Mission Review Room, Intelligence Analysis Room, Resource Allocation Room; wooden plaques hung on the doors, marking their respective functions.
The right side consisted of a row of larger rooms.
Clan Head's Office, Elders' Meeting Room, Emergency Affairs Room.
The innermost room even had a specially reinforced door panel, clearly for confidentiality.
The entire building was spacious and bright, with a well-organized layout.
...
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