Emotional distress compensation for ninja dogs? Fugaku was dumbfounded

The pen raced across the paper.

The scratching sounded especially clear in the quiet office.

Chikage shook out his slightly aching wrist.

He planted a heavy period on the final page.

"Done."

He tapped the thick stack of papers against the desk to straighten it.

Then he handed it to Fugaku with both hands.

Fugaku took the freshly finished list and looked down at it.

The first page seemed normal enough.

It was just moving labor costs, wagon rental fees, and security expenses along the route.

By the second page, things started getting strange.

"Emotional distress compensation for the Uchiha's dedicated patrol ninja dogs?"

Fugaku pointed at the line, his brows knotted together.

Chikage leaned back in his chair and spread his hands, utterly unapologetic.

"Uncle, dogs have feelings too."

"They're used to the smells on South Street and the environment in the village center."

"If we suddenly move them out into the wilderness..."

"They won't smell those familiar meat buns anymore. They'll get depressed."

"If they're depressed, they can't work properly. That directly affects the efficiency of Konoha's law enforcement."

"If the village doesn't pay for their counseling, who will?"

Fugaku listened in a daze.

He kept turning the pages.

The categories on the third page were even more bewildering.

"Compensation for romantic setbacks suffered by unmarried young clan members."

Even the hand Fugaku pointed with was trembling.

"What on earth is this?"

Chikage picked up his teacup and took a sip to wet his throat.

"This is a major issue concerning the continuation of our clan."

"Think about it. Our reputation is already bad, and the villagers avoid us."

"Now we're being driven out onto wasteland at the edge of the village."

"We won't even have decent homes in a good school district."

"When our young people go on matchmaking dates, what woman will want to marry into the clan once she hears how far out we live?"

"That directly hinders the growth of the Uchiha and causes our population to dwindle."

"In the bigger picture, this weakens Konoha's future generation of fighting forces."

"It's perfectly reasonable to ask the village to subsidize matchmaking expenses and betrothal gifts, isn't it?"

Fugaku's mouth hung open, but he couldn't squeeze out a single word.

He suddenly felt that the past few decades of his life had been utterly wasted.

As the Uchiha clan head, all he knew was to talk about dignity and honor whenever something happened.

At the slightest provocation, he wanted to draw his sword and fight the higher-ups to the death.

But look at Chikage.

Without spilling a drop of blood, he could strip the higher-ups bare with nothing but a pen.

Having been a college student in his previous life, Chikage knew all too well how to apply for funding.

Back in his college club, just to request a few hundred in activity funds...

He could write eight hundred words on the monumental significance of buying two bottles of water.

Now he was dealing with those old foxes in the Konoha High Command.

If he didn't make the bill astronomical, he'd be betraying all those slide decks he'd stayed up late revising in his previous life.

Once this list landed on the Third Hokage's desk...

That old man Hiruzen Sarutobi would definitely have a heart attack.

Danzo would probably get so furious he'd crush his walking stick.

Yet they wouldn't be able to find fault with it.

Because Chikage had provided airtight logical support for every single expense.

You want us to consider the big picture? Then let's talk money.

Perfectly fair.

The more Fugaku read, the more excited he became.

He flipped to the last page and stared at the staggering total.

Even his breathing grew rapid.

"Excellent."

"This is brilliantly written."

"Chikage, how did I never notice you had this kind of talent?"

"You're coming to the Hokage Building with me tomorrow."

"You'll explain this list to the Third and the Advisory Council yourself."

"I'd like to see how that lot handles this!"

Chikage waved his hands repeatedly, resistance written all over his face.

"Uncle, please don't put me on a pedestal."

"I'm just a clerical Genin on a fixed salary."

"Something as high-profile as an outside negotiation is better handled by you, the clan head."

"I only provide theoretical support from the rear."

Fugaku wanted to keep persuading him.

But Chikage's gaze had already drifted to the clock on the wall.

Four fifty-eight.

Two minutes until quitting time.

He immediately pulled open a drawer and stuffed the remaining scraps of paper on his desk inside.

Then he picked up a cloth and quickly wiped down the desktop.

He straightened the pen holder.

Washed the teacup.

Pushed the chair back under the desk.

The entire sequence flowed seamlessly, so practiced it was almost heartbreaking.

Four fifty-nine.

Chikage was already standing, his uniform jacket on.

He even had his hand on the doorknob.

Holding that outrageously expensive list, Fugaku watched Chikage poised to launch into a hundred-meter sprint at any moment.

He couldn't make sense of it at all.

"Where are you going in such a hurry?"

Chikage pointed at the wall clock.

"Home. My shift's over."

"Uncle, you promised earlier that once I finished this list, today's work was done."

"See you tomorrow."

The instant the hour and minute hands aligned perfectly on the number five...

A crisp mechanical notification sounded in Chikage's mind, right on time.

Ding.

Current time detected: five o'clock in the afternoon.

Today's on-time clock-out completed.

Daily points earned: 10.

Chikage let out a long breath.

It had been three years since he'd transmigrated into this dangerous Naruto world.

He hadn't awakened a Kekkei Genkai or received some heaven-defying cultivation art.

His only cheat was this system called "Clock Out on Time."

All he had to do was clock in and out of the Konoha Military Police Force on time every day.

No arriving late, no leaving early, and absolutely no overtime.

Then he would earn system points.

Ding.

Congratulations, host, on achieving perfect attendance this month.

Achievement unlocked: thirty consecutive days without overtime.

Special monthly reward obtained: chakra increased by one Kakashi.

Chikage walked through Konoha's streets in the evening.

Listening to the crisp notifications in his mind, he stretched contentedly.

A vast surge of pure energy appeared in his body out of nowhere.

It swiftly coursed through his meridians and spread throughout his body.

Though the system was called "Clock Out on Time" and sounded like something made exclusively for miserable wage slaves...

Its rewards were the real deal.

As long as he saved enough points, he could redeem anything in the System Shop.

From the basic Three Body Technique to advanced Five Basic Nature Transformations.

As long as he clocked in and out on time every day, the points would steadily roll in.

And the chakra rewards were even more tangible.

The system seemed especially fond of using a certain white-haired Jonin as its unit of measurement.

Chikage had spent a year coasting along in the Konoha Military Police Force.

Every month, without fail, he received one Kakashi's worth of chakra.

Including today's payout...

His total chakra reserves were already approaching the ten-Kakashi mark.

What did it mean to have the chakra of ten Kakashis combined?

Chikage had never actually tested it.

But he figured that even if he kept breathing Great Fireballs for three days and nights straight...

His throat would be smoking before his chakra ran dry.

As he passed the Dango Shop on South Street...

Chikage stopped, planning to buy two skewers of Three-Color Dango to tide him over.

The owner had been greeting customers with a cheerful smile.

Then he looked up and saw Chikage's Konoha Military Police Force uniform, emblazoned with the clan's fan crest.

The smile froze on his face.

The villagers waiting in line all moved aside too.

They cleared a wide express lane for Chikage.

That was the Uchiha's current standing in Konoha.

Despised by everyone, even the dogs.

Chikage didn't care.

He strolled leisurely up to the counter.

"Two skewers of dango, please. Extra sweet sauce."

The owner hurriedly wrapped the dango and handed it over.

Even his hand trembled as he gave Chikage his change.

Chikage took the dango and bit into one.

Sweet and chewy.

What did other people think of him?

Why the hell should he care?

Not having to wait in line felt great.

As long as it didn't interfere with clocking out on time and collecting his paycheck, that was all that mattered.