The two guards hurriedly saluted when they saw him.
"Clan Head! This fellow was drunk and harassing this woman in the street, so we arrested him."
The drunk lifted his head, his face flushed and his eyes unfocused, still shouting:
"So what if I harassed her? I risked my fucking life on the front lines, killing enemies and earning merits! Isn't it thanks to us ninja that Konoha can live in peace? What's wrong with letting me feel her up a little? She should feel honored!"
The surrounding crowd murmured among themselves. Some frowned, while others nodded.
Gentō's expression darkened.
"Take him away and handle this according to regulations."
The two guards acknowledged the order, hoisted the drunk up, and dragged him away.
The drunk was still shouting:
"Ninja are above civilians! I'll harass whoever I damn well please!"
"You Uchiha bastards abusing your authority! What right do you have to arrest me?"
His voice gradually faded into the distance.
Gentō stood where he was, watching the onlookers slowly disperse. He glanced at the woman being helped away, unsure how to describe what he felt.
These ninja were capable of every kind of atrocity on the battlefield.
They killed and robbed enemy civilians without anyone holding them accountable.
Even using women from enemy nations to satisfy their desires went largely unchecked.
But once they returned to Konoha, that viciousness could not disappear overnight, and trouble easily followed.
Correcting their behavior required force.
And the Uchiha were responsible for enforcing the law.
Those arrested would not hate Konoha or the Hokage. They would only hate the people who arrested them.
That was reality.
The public and law enforcement were naturally at odds, so their relationship was bound to be strained.
Sometimes, even firm measures would draw malicious speculation from the public.
Gentō sighed helplessly.
It seemed the Uchiha's reputation would only worsen for a while.
Suddenly, he felt a little admiration for the Second Hokage, Tobirama Senju.
Handing the Konoha Military Police Force to the Uchiha had looked like granting them power, but in reality, it had put them over the fire.
Make the Uchiha the ones who arrested people, and over time, how could the public possibly like them?
It was an overt scheme with no way out.
For now, he had no good solution either. He could only take things one step at a time.
As he was thinking, someone suddenly appeared beside him.
Shisui materialized at his side.
"Clan Head, I've found the craftsmen you asked me to locate."
Gentō was delighted to hear it.
"Come on, take me to see them!"
With these craftsmen, construction on the clan buildings could begin.
The sooner the Indulgence Apartments and the Desire Hot Spring were built, the sooner the population could grow.
Following Shisui back to the clan grounds, he spotted a large crowd standing in an open area from afar.
At their head was a young craftsman, neatly dressed, with his arms crossed and impatience written all over his face.
Seeing Shisui approach with someone, he immediately began shouting:
"Hey! We're from the Land of Ironworks! Do you know what that means? The finest craftsmanship in the entire Ninja World! Aren't you Uchiha a little too full of yourselves, keeping us waiting this long?"
Gentō ignored his temper, strode forward, and handed him the [Family Shrine] blueprint provided by the system.
"My apologies. I'm Gentō, the Uchiha Clan Head. Take a look at this blueprint first. Can you build it?"
The young craftsman took the blueprint, still talking:
"I come from a family of builders. My ancestors built countless houses. There's no blueprint I haven't seen..."
Halfway through his sentence, he glanced down at the blueprint.
His expression froze.
He looked at it again.
His brows furrowed.
Then he simply crouched on the ground, spread out the blueprint, and traced its lines with his finger.
"Hiss... this part... that's not right..."
Gentō did not rush him, merely waiting beside him.
After studying it for quite some time, the young craftsman looked up. His arrogance was gone, replaced by a smile.
"Um... please wait a moment. I'll call my father."
He turned and shouted toward the crowd:
"Quick, go get my father!"
Then he turned back to explain:
"It's not that I can't understand it. Your building is too valuable, so I need my old man, whose craftsmanship is more refined, to handle it. It's my responsibility to you!"
Suppressing a laugh, Gentō nodded.
Before long, a burly middle-aged craftsman strode over.
The young craftsman approached him.
"Dad, take a look at this blueprint..."
The middle-aged craftsman slapped him on the back of the head.
"I told you to learn your craft properly, but you wouldn't listen! Now you're out here embarrassing me! What blueprint could possibly stump your father..."
He took the blueprint and looked down.
"Huh?"
The disdain on his face slowly froze.
His brows furrowed.
He crouched and examined it closely.
"This... this structure... hmm... how could it be like this?"
After studying it for a while under his son's suspicious gaze, he wiped the sweat from his forehead and addressed Gentō:
"It's not that I can't build what's on this blueprint. It would simply be safer to ask my father to come out of retirement."
He turned back.
"Go fetch the old man!"
Gentō said:
"..."
Soon, an old man leaning on a cane ambled over.
"I was getting ready to retire. What blueprint could neither of you handle that you had to trouble these old bones?"
The middle-aged craftsman hurried forward and handed him the blueprint.
"Father, take a look at this..."
The old man took the blueprint and gave it a casual glance.
His gaze suddenly stopped.
He set aside his cane, crouched down, and spread the blueprint flat.
His eyes grew brighter and brighter.
"Hmm... here... brilliant..."
"The way this corner is handled... exquisite craftsmanship..."
"Even when I built a palace for the Daimyō years ago, I never saw a design this ingenious..."
The more the old man looked, the more excited he became, his fingers brushing lightly over the blueprint.
Gentō breathed a sigh of relief and stepped forward to ask:
"Sir, can you build this?"
The old man raised his head and looked Gentō up and down.
"I can. But the materials are exacting, and the craftsmanship is complicated..."
He paused.
"Materials and labor will come to five hundred million ryō."
Gentō had prepared himself, but hearing the actual figure still made him draw a sharp breath.
Five hundred million ryō...
But when he thought of the shrine's effect-a 10% increase in the chance of awakening the Sharingan-he knew he had to spend that money.
With the shrine, talented individuals would emerge from the clan in an endless stream!
He gritted his teeth.
"Agreed. Please take a look at these two as well."
He handed over the blueprints for the [Indulgence Apartments] and the [Desire Hot Spring].
The old man took them, squinted at them for a while, and nodded.
"Two hundred million ryō per apartment building. One billion ryō for the hot spring."
Gentō felt another stab of pain in his chest.
But he did not let it show.
"All right. Please begin construction as soon as possible."
Hearing him agree so readily, the old man gave him another appraising look.
"Let me make this clear upfront. I am Yanō Koboku of the Land of Ironworks. Even the Daimyō of every nation show me respect. The Koboku Family never takes jobs on credit."
Gentō immediately took out a Sealing Scroll and handed it over.
"There's five hundred million ryō here as an advance for materials. Please get started as soon as possible. The sooner, the better."
Koboku took the scroll, a smile finally appearing on his face.
"Excellent! As expected of the Uchiha, one of the Ninja World's great clans. You certainly know how to do business!"
"I'll take the job!"
He put away the scroll and waved to his son behind him.
"There probably aren't enough craftsmen in the Land of Fire right now. Go back to the family immediately and bring another group of skilled craftsmen!"
Gentō pointed to Shisui.
"This is Shisui Uchiha. If you need anything else, speak to him directly."
He took out another scroll and handed it to Shisui.
"This contains two billion ryō. The shrine, the hot spring facility, and five apartment buildings. Pay them as construction progresses."
Shisui accepted it with both hands and bowed his head.
"Yes, Clan Head."
With the arrangements complete, Gentō relaxed.
Now all that remained was to wait for the buildings to be finished.
Meanwhile.
Deep within the Root Base.
Torune Aburame knelt on one knee before Danzo.
"Lord Danzo, the investigation has yielded results."
"I discovered that Uchiha Gentō distributed a special type of Soldier Pills to the various clans during the war. Someone in the Aburame Clan kept two of them."
He took two brown pills from inside his clothes and offered them with both hands.
Danzo accepted them and held them beneath his nose, sniffing.
He picked up one and put it in his mouth.
After he chewed for a moment, the Soldier Pill gradually took effect.
A short while later, his eyes narrowed slightly.
"These Soldier Pills..."
He stood and took a couple of steps with his hands behind his back.
"Excellent stuff. Far better than what Root currently uses."
"These Soldier Pills belong in the hands of Root!"
He turned and looked at Torune.
"Find out where the formula came from. And how many he still has."
Torune lowered his head.
"Yes."
Danzo waved a hand.
Torune was about to withdraw when Danzo suddenly spoke again:
"Wait."
Torune stopped.
Danzo fell silent for a moment, then spoke in a low voice:
"Send a few men to capture some Uchiha clan members and bring them back. Alive."
"Make them talk and tell us everything about these Soldier Pills."
Torune looked up at Danzo, then quickly lowered his head:
"Yes."
With a flicker, he vanished into the darkness.
Danzo stood alone in the dim room, his fingers tapping lightly on the armrest.
Uchiha Gentō...
The corner of his mouth twitched slightly.
Before you continue