Over there, several ninja from the Leaf Police Force were just about to step forward to drag that civilian away, when they suddenly recognized Gento standing nearby.
The leader's expression changed, his movements instantly stiffening, a trace of tension flashing through his eyes.
The head of the Uchiha clan was not someone they could casually provoke.
He wasn't foolish enough to step forward and provoke such a ruthless figure.
Seeing that the police suddenly stopped and didn't dare act, the civilian immediately realized he had found the right person.
As if grabbing onto a lifeline, he ignored the pain in his body and cried out to Gento with even greater desperation:
"Danzo's Police Force doesn't treat us civilians of Konoha as people at all!"
"Every time something happens where ninja bully civilians, they take bribes and side with the ninja to bully us!"
"We ordinary people have nowhere to file complaints, we can only swallow our anger!"
"In the past few months, many civilians have already been beaten to death by ninja!"
"And those murderous ninja? They're still out there, living freely!"
He gasped for breath, his voice choked with sobs:
"Today, the few of us really couldn't endure it anymore, we wanted to go report the situation to Hokage-sama."
"But somehow the secret was leaked, and the Police Force blocked us halfway and beat us without a word!"
He lifted his blood-covered face, his eyes filled with pleading:
"You Uchiha, come back quickly! We promise! We promise we won't curse you anymore in the future!"
After hearing this, Gento shook his head slightly, a faint smile appearing at the corner of his lips.
Promise not to curse you anymore.
Listen to that.
Even now, after being beaten, they showed no real remorse for their past actions.
In their eyes, wanting the Uchiha to return was simply because the Uchiha treated them like human beings.
Yet it was precisely because the Uchiha treated them as human that they ignored the vast difference in status between themselves and ninja.
Even insulting those who protected them carried no burden in their hearts.
Truly… beyond saving.
Seeing that Gento said nothing, the civilian struggled to stretch out his hand, trying to grab the hem of his pants.
Gento frowned and sidestepped to avoid him.
He looked toward the police ninja:
"For unruly civilians like this, who attempt to deliver false information to Hokage-sama, they indeed deserve proper discipline."
Hearing this, the faces of the police ninja immediately lit up with joy.
They knew Gento's words meant he had no intention of intervening.
The leader nodded respectfully toward Gento, then turned around, drew the baton from his waist, and swung it viciously at the civilian.
"You bastard! Daring to waste a ninja's time!"
Bang!
The baton struck heavily onto the man's back, producing a dull thud.
"Ahhhh!!!"
The civilian let out a miserable scream, curling into a ball.
Yet the others from the Police Force did not stop.
Several of them rushed forward, their batons falling like rain, striking his body, his head, his limbs.
"Making trouble, huh!"
"Trying to file complaints, huh!"
"You deserve this!"
Bang-Bang-Bang…
In less than a minute, the civilian fell silent, collapsing onto the ground, unconscious.
Just as they caught their breath, a young man in a Police Force uniform came running from afar, panting as he shouted:
"Captain! This is bad!"
The captain frowned:
"What now?"
The young man pointed toward the street corner:
"Over there… a lot of civilians are coming! They're protesting!"
Before he finished speaking, a crowd surged out from the corner of the street.
At a glance, there were at least dozens of them.
"Down with Danzo!"
"Down with Danzo!"
"Down with Danzo!"
The chants rose one after another.
The police ninja exchanged glances, the captain's face darkening:
"These damn rabble!"
He gritted his teeth and quickly issued orders:
"This is no longer a normal protest. There must be other villages instigating this behind the scenes!"
"We must strike hard!"
"You, go back to the Police Force and call for reinforcements! The rest of you, with me! Let's teach them a lesson!"
The group rushed toward the protesting civilians.
The captain charged at the front, rapidly forming hand seals:
"Earth Release: Earth Flow River!"
As his words fell, the ground trembled.
The hard road instantly turned into a torrent of mud and stone, surging toward the crowd.
"Ahhh!"
"Run!"
The crowd instantly fell into chaos.
As the mudflow surged through, many were knocked to the ground.
The rest scattered and fled.
Yet just as they ran halfway down the street, another group of Police Force members surged out from the other end.
The two groups closed in from front and back, completely surrounding the protesting civilians.
Then, batons rained down like a storm.
"Let you make trouble!"
"Let you shout!"
"You think you can insult Lord Danzo?"
Bang-Bang-Bang!
Screams rang out everywhere.
Some people crouched on the ground clutching their heads, only to be struck down with a single blow.
Some tried to run, only to be kicked to the ground.
Others curled into balls, letting the batons fall upon them.
Even a few ordinary civilians who were just passing by shopping were mistaken for protesters, grabbed, and given a few blows.
The entire street was filled with wails, pleas for mercy, and the dull sounds of batons striking down.
Gento stood to the side, watching the scene before him, a hint of amusement on his face.
When it came to dealing with these unruly civilians of Konoha, Danzo really had his methods.
Back when the Uchiha managed the Police Force, Fugaku had done his utmost, yet was still cursed at by these people every single day.
Now, only a few months after Danzo took office, he had already gotten the police ninja and the civilians to "become one," truly a master of governance.
Looking at those screaming civilians, not a single ripple stirred in his heart.
After all, this was the norm of the shinobi world.
In most countries, ninja who possessed chakra and ninjutsu were inherently beings who stood high above.
Their strength far surpassed ordinary people, and their ability to earn money was also far beyond comparison; why should they be equal to commoners?
In other countries, even if a ninja killed a civilian, it was nothing more than paying some compensation; it hardly counted as a serious punishment.
Danzo had merely returned Konoha to the normal state of the shinobi world.
After another round of beating, there were few people left standing on the street.
Bodies lay scattered across the ground, some still groaning, others already silent.
At this moment, Danzo, leaning on his cane, slowly walked over with Torune Aburame.
He swept a glance over the scene, his gaze indifferent, as if looking at a pile of trash.
Then he spoke coldly:
"Hit them harder. Otherwise, this group of rabble won't learn their lesson."
Hearing this, the police ninja immediately perked up, putting even more force into their strikes.
The batons fell again, and the screams became even more shrill than before.
Just then, an Anbu ninja with silver hair and an animal mask suddenly appeared, kneeling on one knee before Danzo:
"Danzo-sama, Hokage-sama requests that you stop. If this continues, the impact will be bad."
Danzo snorted coldly. After a moment of silence, he slowly said:
"Take all these people away."
The police ninja immediately moved, dragging up those on the ground; whether they could still move or not; and escorting them toward the Police Force.
Gento watched all of this, a subtle expression on his face.
No wonder Mikoto had said that Konoha wasn't very safe these days.
So it turned out that recently, Konoha had been secretly hosting an unrestricted fighting tournament.
…
Over the next two days, protests by civilians occurred several more times.
But each time, they were decisively suppressed by the Police Force.
Gradually, there were no longer any protesters to be seen on the streets.
On this day, Gento was sitting in his office when the door was suddenly knocked.
The one who entered was Inabi, his face full of excitement:
"Clan Head Gento! Good news!"
Gento raised his head:
"Oh?"
Inabi quickly walked to the desk, his face animated:
"Recently, many people have already come to our Mission Hall to post commissions on their own initiative!"
Gento raised an eyebrow, somewhat surprised.
Inabi continued:
"The batch of missions we brought back from the Hokage's office last time were all greatly urgent."
"Director Fugaku specifically instructed that they be handled with priority, and we didn't dare slack off, so some of the less time-consuming tasks have already been completed."
"Our Uchiha have performed exceptionally well!"
"When we encountered those blind bandits on the road, we dealt with them in just a few moves! Those clients all praised our strength and efficiency, saying they'll come to the Uchiha again for future tasks!"
Hearing this, Gento asked in return:
"In the past, when our clansmen carried out missions, their attitude toward clients wasn't exactly great. So this time…"
Inabi chuckled and scratched his head:
"Well… before assigning the missions, Director Fugaku repeatedly reminded everyone to be more polite."
"Besides, before, we were doing missions for the village; no matter how well we did, the credit went to the village."
"Now we're doing missions for the Uchiha themselves. If we do well, the reputation belongs to us! Of course everyone is more invested."
Gento nodded, understanding in his heart.
This was the effect of the 30% client satisfaction bonus from the Mission Hall.
And this was only a small portion of the five hundred missions completed so far.
At this rate, the Uchiha's reputation would only grow better, and commissions would continue to increase.
Just as he was thinking this, the office door was knocked again.
Fugaku pushed the door open and entered, followed by another person.
That man wore a well-fitted dark kimono, his hair neatly combed, his face thin, with a pair of round glasses resting on the bridge of his nose. He looked refined, like a civil official.
"Clan Head."
Fugaku stepped forward.
"This is a guest from the Land of Hot Water. He has a special commission that requires your personal decision."
The refined-looking man stepped forward and gave a slight bow toward Gento, respectful yet not servile:
"Clan Head Gento, I apologize for the sudden visit."
He adjusted his glasses and continued:
"I am a retainer of the Feudal Lord of the Land of Hot Water. This time, I have come to issue a commission to the Uchiha clan on behalf of the Feudal Lord."
Gento looked at him without speaking.
The man continued:
"The content of the commission is to hunt down a Rogue Ninja entrenched within the Land of Hot Water."
He paused.
"That person's name is…"
"Hidan."
...
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