Naruto: Choosing from Birth — 27

In the end, it was confirmed that Uchiha Cheng had indeed killed the Cloud Shinobi to save Kushina. Along the way, he and her guard, Uchiha Yuto, had each killed a Root member.

Danzō's side, however, refused to mention that they had intended to launch a sneak attack. They only insisted that the two subordinates sent to investigate Kushina's disappearance had been killed by the Uchiha. Their subsequent pursuit of the Uchiha had merely been to demand an explanation.

The Uchiha Clan was enraged and demanded that the Hokage provide a satisfactory explanation. Otherwise, they would take matters into their own hands!

Uchiha Cheng declared that Danzō, that one-eyed old bastard, had been after his Sharingan.

The next day, Uchiha Cheng officially graduated early from the Ninja Academy and joined the Konoha Military Police Force.

He took over the position of deputy captain of the Military Police Force from his older brother, Uchiha Fugaku, and began a sweep of the entire village that very day.

Any mysterious person wearing a white mask with colorful patterns was to be arrested on sight. Those who resisted were to be killed.

That night, clashes continued in the darkness!

Two more Root members who had failed to conceal themselves properly were killed.

After that, Danzō and Root were forced to change their appearance whenever they showed themselves. Unwilling to take on the Uchiha alone, they completely disappeared from sight for a long time.

Soon afterward, the Third Hokage publicly commended Uchiha Cheng for saving Kushina. He also claimed that, together with the reward for his early graduation, Cheng was being awarded ownership of six shops.

But those in the know understood that this was compensation from the Hokage.

And it had been carved out of the businesses owned by Danzō.

The expenses needed to keep Root running, as well as to fund experiments such as research into Senju Hashirama's cells and organ transplants, were enormous.

Relying solely on ninja missions and certain secret outside dealings was still not enough to sustain it.

That was why Danzō secretly owned a vast amount of property, none of it registered under his own name.

But while he could hide it from others, how could he hide it from the Third Hokage?

The Third Hokage was also thoroughly angered by the messes Danzō kept leaving behind. With a wave of his hand, he cut off part of Danzō's businesses as compensation, hoping to reduce some of the Uchiha Clan's fury.

Now was not the time to completely fall out with them. The Senju Clan still retained some strength, so it was not advisable to target the Uchiha again.

They had to be weakened one at a time, like boiling a frog in warm water. Too much was as bad as too little!

When Danzō learned that his properties had been cut down and handed to the Uchiha, while his subordinates had suffered heavy losses as well, he was so furious that he smashed several expensive research instruments in the basement.

Some Root members watched and shook their heads. Getting squeezed from above and crushed from below... life was going to get even harder...

One year later!

Uchiha Cheng led the Konoha Military Police Force out of a tailor shop, while the owner, Shimura Joujin, cautiously saw the group of great lords out the door.

"We received a complaint that this shop passes off inferior goods as quality products and deceives consumers. This time, you'll be fined fifty thousand ryo, and we'll leave it at that."

"Also, replace all the defective goods. We'll come back in three days. If there isn't the slightest improvement, you'll be arrested for disrupting Konoha's market and deceiving consumers!"

"Lastly, your name is awful. Shimura Joujin? Does that mean there's also someone named Shimura Gejin? I suggest you use the name Gejin from now on."

Uchiha Cheng said loudly.

"My lord, you already dug out all the defective goods. There aren't any left."

"And my younger brother really is named Shimura Gejin. Our father hoped that I would become a Jonin someday, while my brother would only need the strength of a Genin to run a business. Who would've thought things would turn out exactly the opposite?"

Shop owner Shimura Joujin looked as though he wanted to cry but had no tears. Ever since Shimura Danzō of their clan had offended the Uchiha, everyone bearing the Shimura surname had been dragged into it.

They were harassed every few days.

Business had declined drastically.

Just like before—these people had forcibly picked out thirty defective pieces from a hundred articles of clothing. This... who could guarantee that their products were one hundred percent flawless?

Sure, our clothes were a little poor in quality, but hadn't they still stayed below the thirty-percent defect limit set by the regulations?

More importantly, these were sold to civilians. Why would those lowly commoners need such fine clothes? Wasn't it normal for them to have a few patches or holes?

"Oh? Are you reminding me that your family produced a Jonin?"

"Fine, then. Bring your brother along in three days. I want to see how capable he is."

"Lord Cheng, that wasn't what I meant! Even if you gave me a hundred times the courage, I wouldn't dare!"

"Alright. As long as you run your business properly and guarantee quality, don't engage in crooked practices that get people complaining, and we won't come by. Look, every time we make such a big fuss, we get tired too."

"Yes! Yes! Lord Cheng, this is tea money for you gentlemen. Please do us the honor of accepting it."

Shimura Joujin secretly slipped over an envelope.

Uchiha Cheng took it and glanced inside, finding a thick stack of banknotes.

"You're bribing me in broad daylight? That adds another charge! Men! No need to wait three days—take him away now! Confiscate the bribe money!"

"Yes!"

Two members immediately stepped forward and seized Shimura Joujin.

"Pfft..."

Shimura Joujin could not catch his breath. It caught in his chest, and he fainted on the spot.

PS: Thanks to wAdxen588 for the donation and Qin Feng for the monthly vote. There will be a few more chapters today.

"Ding! Congratulations, Host. You have directly or indirectly struck a large number of industries belonging to Danzo's faction and obtained an A-rank hand-sign-free ninjutsu: Rasengan!"

Awesome! I'd finally gotten my hands on the famous Rasengan from the original story.

Although the Rasengan was not especially powerful in the early stages, it was convenient and quick, requiring no hand signs to cast.

Its later upgraded versions, however, were incredibly powerful—such as the Nine-Tails Rasengan, Big Ball Rasengan, Ultra-Big Ball Rasengan, Wind Release: Rasenshuriken, and so on. Master one move, and you could make it anywhere.

Suddenly, an Anbu member directly under the Hokage leaped over.

"Lord Cheng! Leave this person to me. As for these trivial commercial matters, we wouldn't dare trouble the Military Police Force. We have already established a department specifically to handle them."

The Anbu wearing a crow mask spoke respectfully.

"Hm? It's fine, we can handle it. There's no need for the Hokage to waste more manpower and resources establishing a separate department. Any extra funds would be better spent improving the villagers' food, clothing, housing, and transportation."

"We are the Konoha Military Police Force! We are obligated to protect Konoha's security and maintain public order! From resisting assassinations, clearing out spies, and punishing the wicked while protecting the good, to handling theft and fraud or helping old ladies cross the street—these are all our responsibilities and duties."

"We received complaints from villagers and discovered that this shop owner had indeed been exploiting his position as a merchant, deceiving consumers. Serving the villagers is our purpose. We will never allow parasites that endanger Konoha to exist."

Uchiha Cheng spoke with righteous conviction, his voice amplified through Chakra and continuously drawing nearby villagers over.

"Exactly, the Konoha Military Police Force is really wonderful. With them around, we don't even need to lock our doors at night."

"These Uchiha have been especially diligent lately. Last time, I even saw them on duty in the middle of the night, arresting beggars. I heard they caught a major spy from an enemy country."

"The day before yesterday, my little kitten went missing, and these Uchiha helped me find it. The best part was that it didn't cost a thing! I'm so grateful to them. My banner of appreciation was just finished, and I'll deliver it to their office right away."

"Mm-hmm, all that talk about the Uchiha being arrogant and looking down on people was completely made up. Rumors are truly terrifying. I wonder who started them. If I ever find out, I'll show them just how big my palm is!"

The surrounding villagers all whispered among themselves. These market aunties had especially loud voices; whenever they gossiped, they were afraid others might not hear them.

Cold sweat poured down the Anbu's back as he listened.

What the hell? Weren't these Uchiha the sort who worked three days and loafed for two?

Forget helping someone find a lost kitten. Even if they saw two groups arguing and brawling, they would only stand to the side and cheer them on, telling both sides to hit harder and teach the other party a profound lesson.

It seemed these changes had all happened after that young Uchiha took over the Konoha Military Police Force.

Sigh, I can't outcompete them by myself, and I can't outtalk them either. Better report this to the Hokage...

After the Anbu left, Uchiha Cheng had his subordinates escort the man back to the Konoha Military Police Force's office area.

He himself headed for the forest behind Konoha.

The Hokage's office.

The Third listened to the Anbu's report.

He then had the Anbu dig up every major and minor thing Uchiha Cheng had done over the past year. The Hokage had already ordered the Anbu to observe and record these matters beforehand.

He discovered that the Konoha Military Police Force had done more work in the past year than it had in the previous ten years combined.

More importantly, they had all been openly carrying out their duties, completely unconcerned about being monitored.

There were countless matters, large and small, and they had achieved considerable results.

The thick dossier recorded eleven cases of thwarting assassinations and six solved murder cases. Even the Anbu's work of purging spies from various countries had been snatched away.

Logically, the Uchiha should not have been able to handle such an enormous workload. Besides, Uchiha Cheng was only a nine-year-old child. Even as the clan head's son and the vice-captain of the Military Police Force, he should not have been able to restrain those proud and unruly Uchiha clansmen. At the very least, they should have slacked off instead of becoming so proactive.

But!

On his very first day in office, this fellow had taught the Military Police Force members the Shadow Clone technique for free and required every one of them to learn it.

All the tedious little tasks were handled by Shadow Clones.

He had also implemented a mission point system. Every deployment earned points, with different amounts awarded depending on the difficulty of the problem and the results achieved.

Members who completed many missions and accumulated high points could receive monetary rewards and even ninjutsu rewards. It was said that one mission-crazed individual had already received a reward of a brand-new ninjutsu.

He had learned a new, profound ninjutsu from Uchiha Cheng: Lightning Release: Chidori!