Cracking the case

In the Flower Capital's Flower Street, Heiji was patrolling with the three young ninja.

Heiji had no idea why, but today, not only the Uchiha kid, but the other two brats had also become unusually quiet.

Still, Heiji had no time to wonder whether they had gotten into an argument...

Over the course of the morning, several more thefts occurred on Flower Street. The thieves not only targeted the wealthy, but had even moved beyond pickpocketing to stealing from inns.

Heiji was both anxious and furious.

Not long afterward, just as afternoon began...

Three shady-looking adults, two men and a woman, furtively approached a pawnshop in the west of the city. Mosquito-net fabric hung outside, but there was no shop sign.

According to the investigation records Akaseki had read in the case files, the Government Office's investigation had focused on the pawnshops here.

And looking at these pawnshops now, they displayed mosquito-net fabric to identify their trade, yet had no shop signs. They certainly fit the profile of black-market businesses.

The thieves who had so badly damaged the Flower Capital's reputation might indeed not be fencing their goods here, but that did not matter. Akaseki had come to pose as a reckless newcomer and lure them out, not to actually search for them here.

Clatter—

Akaseki shoved the door open and walked straight in.

The proprietor behind the counter glanced at the three through drooping eyelids, then asked lazily, "Pawning or selling outright?"

"No pawn ticket. You can have the whole lot," the man Akaseki had transformed into rumbled, tossing a large bundle onto the counter.

At those words, something flickered in the proprietor's expression. He straightened a little, looking more alert, and began examining the things Akaseki had dumped on the counter.

"Cheap fur wrap, greasy old clothes..." The proprietor first picked up a fur coat.

"Pah! Where are your eyes? You call this cheap fur? Look at that shine! It's red fox fur, top-quality stuff! And a wrap? What wrap is this thick? This is a proper fur coat!" Akaseki said belligerently.

The proprietor remained unruffled. He merely smiled. "Easy, easy. We can discuss everything in detail. Goodwill brings good business! You must be new to the Flower Capital. The Authorities have been cracking down lately, so naturally, prices are lower."

"If the Authorities are cracking down, you should be raising your prices! Don't you understand that the rougher the seas, the dearer the fish? If you're scared, why are you running a pawnshop?" Akaseki said disdainfully.

Beside him, Ranwu's and Minato's clones listened in silence as Akaseki and the pawnbroker haggled in a mixture of ordinary speech and underworld slang...

This really was a job for Akaseki.

Given the nature of the Uchiha Clan's work, Akaseki had picked up some underworld slang through exposure.

The proprietor bargained with Akaseki over each item. During the process, all three noticed something was wrong, but rather than growing anxious, they were pleased. Pretending not to notice anything, Akaseki continued leisurely haggling with the proprietor until...

Bang—

The pawnshop door was shoved open hard. A vicious-looking brute strode forward, glanced at Akaseki and the other two, then told the proprietor, "Big business!"

"Mm. My apologies, you three. Something has come up. Please try another shop," the proprietor said with a sly smile.

Far from becoming anxious or angry, the three immediately left the pawnshop...

Once outside, they found that the street had indeed been cleared. More than a dozen burly men carrying assorted weapons blocked their way menacingly.

Clearly, they had been sent outside so these men could attack them!

The pawnbroker had quietly alerted them earlier, then stalled for time.

"So you three are the ones who've been picking pockets on Flower Street lately? Brazenly poaching on our turf like this—how many heads have you got to spare?" the leader asked coldly.

Poaching meant they had crossed the line and entered someone else's territory.

Seeing the three obediently leave the pawnshop, the men assumed they were frightened and began cackling nastily.

"So you're the ones who most want the Konoha Ninja gone?" Ranwu asked in return.

"What?" The man froze.

"Then you must know something about the earlier pickpocketing, too?" Minato asked with a smile—though his shadow clone was currently disguised as a pockmarked thug, making that smile look particularly grotesque.

"Spears, crescent-moon spades, long-handled blades... Those aren't weapons for petty thieves. It seems the Flower Capital's theft ring has a bigger gang of thugs backing it," Akaseki said, studying their weapons.

"Y-you... Who exactly are you?" The men were visibly starting to panic.

Poof—

With a puff of smoke, Minato vanished on the spot.

"N-ninja! They're ninja!"

"Run..."

"Don't be scared! There are only two of them, and... they can't possibly be those legendary Jonin!"

"That's right! Fight them!"

"Go tell the boss first..."

Meanwhile, back on Flower Street, Minato's expression suddenly shifted. Clearly, he had learned something.

Heiji was still oblivious. A moment later, the brute who had burst into the pawnshop came running over in a panic and said something to him...

Heiji first looked at Minato and the other two in surprise.

"What's wrong, Constable Heiji? Do you have a lead?" Minato asked with a smile.

"Yes. There's been a violent incident over on West Street. It might involve ninja from another hidden village!" Heiji said at once.

"Ninja? Then we'd better hurry over," Minato said calmly, despite the urgency of his words.

"Y-yes. Tietou... Take these three esteemed ninja there. I'll go... get help!" Heiji said immediately.

Heiji turned to leave, but Minato used the Body Flicker Technique to appear in front of him. "I'd prefer you to come with me, Constable Heiji."

"Ninja Minato, what is this..." Heiji feigned confusion, though he already realized it was a trap. Mid-sentence, he suddenly lunged at Minato, drawing a short blade from inside his clothes!

"Get out of my way!" Heiji roared to bolster his courage.

But...

Thud—

Minato nimbly dodged and casually struck him on the neck. Heiji immediately lost consciousness.

West Street.

Akaseki and Ranwu had already returned to their original appearances. Fighting while transformed was inconvenient, after all. They were already maintaining a water clone and an earth clone, respectively, and keeping their real bodies transformed as well divided their attention too much.

Fire Style: Great Fireball Technique!

Akaseki spat out a massive fireball, burning the thugs until they screamed for their parents and rolled all over the ground.

These men were not ninja, though most possessed some chakra—having chakra did not make someone a ninja. After all, barely more than thirty years had passed since the war-torn era of the Warring States. The hidden villages had largely monopolized the transmission of ninjutsu, but countless methods of refining chakra still circulated among ordinary people.

Aside from ninja, however, only the samurai of the Land of Iron were worth much attention. Other civilians with a little chakra were merely street thugs, local bullies, or bandits. Their skills, status, and hiring costs were all lower than those of wandering ninja.

As a member of the Uchiha Clan, Akaseki had little psychological difficulty even with his first time "killing enemies." The waves of scorched odor did not make him particularly uncomfortable.

Ranwu, however, frowned slightly and asked with some surprise, "Hm? Your Great Fireball Technique... It seems stronger than before?"