The two guards hurriedly saluted when they saw him:
"Lord Clan Head! This fellow was drunk and harassing this woman in the street, so we arrested him."
The drunk raised 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 merit. Isn't it thanks to us ninja that Konoha can live in peace? What's wrong with letting me feel her up? She should consider it an honor!"
The surrounding crowd whispered among themselves. Some frowned, while others nodded.
Xuandou's expression darkened.
"Take him away and handle it according to the rules."
The two guards acknowledged the order, hoisted the drunk up, and dragged him away.
The drunk was still shouting:
"Ninja rank above civilians! I'll harass whoever I damn well please!"
"You Uchiha abuse your authority for your own gain! What right do you have to arrest me!"
His voice gradually faded into the distance.
Xuandou stood there, watching the onlookers slowly disperse, then glanced at the woman being helped away. He could not quite describe what he felt.
These ninja were capable of every kind of atrocity on the battlefield.
If they killed or robbed civilians from enemy nations, no one held them accountable.
Even when they used women from enemy nations to vent their lust, hardly anyone intervened.
But once they returned to Konoha, that viciousness could not disappear overnight, and trouble came easily.
Correcting their behavior required force.
And the Uchiha were responsible for enforcing the law.
Those arrested would hate neither Konoha nor the Hokage, only the people who arrested them.
That was reality.
The public and law enforcement were naturally at odds, dooming their relationship to be less than friendly.
Sometimes, even a few forceful measures would invite malicious speculation from the public.
Xuandou sighed helplessly.
It seemed the Uchiha's reputation would grow worse for some time to come.
He suddenly felt a little admiration for the Second Hokage, Tobirama Senju.
Handing the Konoha Military Police Force to the Uchiha appeared to grant them power, but in reality, it put them over the fire to roast.
With the Uchiha making the arrests day after day, it would have been a miracle if the public liked them.
It was an open scheme with no solution.
For now, he had no particularly good solution either. He could only take things one step at a time.
As he was thinking, someone suddenly appeared beside him.
Shisui's figure appeared at his side:
"Lord Clan Head, I've found the craftsmen you asked me to find."
Xuandou 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 Desire Hot Springs were built, the sooner the population could grow.
Following Shisui back to the clan grounds, he spotted a large group standing in an open space from afar.
At their head was a young craftsman, dressed rather smartly, his arms folded across his chest and impatience written all over his face.
Seeing Shisui approach with someone, he immediately shouted:
"Hey! We're from the Land of Iron! Do you know what that means? The finest craftsmanship in the entire Shinobi World! Aren't you Uchiha putting on too many airs, making us wait this long?"
Xuandou ignored his temper, strode over, and handed him the [Family Ancestral Shrine] blueprint provided by the system.
"My apologies. I'm the Uchiha Clan Head, Xuandou. Take a look at this blueprint first. Can you build it?"
The young craftsman accepted the blueprint, still talking:
"I come from a family of builders. My ancestors built countless houses over the generations. There's no blueprint I haven't seen..."
Halfway through, he lowered his head and glanced at the blueprint.
His expression froze.
He looked at it twice more.
His brows furrowed.
Then he simply crouched on the ground, spread out the blueprint, and traced its lines bit by bit with his finger.
"Hiss... this part... that's not right..."
Xuandou did not rush him and simply waited beside him.
After studying it for a long time, the young craftsman looked up. The arrogance on his face was gone, replaced by a smile:
"Um... please wait a moment. I'll call my father."
He turned and shouted into the crowd:
"Go get my father, quickly!"
Then he turned back to explain:
"It's not that I can't understand it. Your building is just too valuable, so I need to bring in my father, whose skills are better. It's my responsibility to you!"
Suppressing a laugh, Xuandou nodded.
Soon, a burly middle-aged craftsman strode over.
The young craftsman went up to 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 embarrassing me out here! What blueprint could possibly stump your father..."
He took the blueprint and looked down.
"Huh?"
The contempt on his face slowly froze.
His brows furrowed.
He crouched down and examined it closely.
"This... this structure... hmm... how could it be like this?"
After studying it for a while, under his son's doubtful gaze, he wiped the sweat from his forehead, then said to Xuandou:
"It's not that I can't build what's on this blueprint, but it would be safer to ask my father to come out of retirement."
He turned back again:
"Go get the old man!"
Xuandou:
"..."
Before long, an old man with a cane slowly walked over.
"I'm about 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 over the blueprint:
"Father, take a look at this..."
The old man took the blueprint and gave it a casual glance.
His gaze suddenly fixed in place.
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 palaces for the daimyo back then, I never saw such an intricate design..."
The more the old man looked, the more excited he became, his fingers gently stroking the blueprint.
Xuandou inwardly sighed with relief and stepped forward to ask:
"Sir, can you build this?"
The old man raised his head and looked Xuandou up and down.
"I can. But it requires very particular materials and complicated workmanship..."
He paused:
"Materials and labor will come to five hundred million ryo."
Xuandou had prepared himself, but hearing the actual figure still made him draw a sharp breath.
Five hundred million ryo...
But remembering the Uchiha Shrine's effect—a 10% increase in the chance of awakening the Sharingan—he had no choice but to spend the money.
With the Uchiha Shrine, talented individuals would keep emerging within the clan!
He gritted his teeth:
"All right. Also, please look at these two."
He handed over the blueprints for the [Indulgence Apartments] and [Desire Hot Springs] as well.
The old man took them, studied them with narrowed eyes for a while, and nodded:
"Two hundred million ryo per apartment building. One billion ryo for the hot springs."
Xuandou's heart gave another painful twinge.
But he did not let it show:
"All right. Please begin construction as soon as possible."
Hearing him agree so readily, the old man sized him up again.
"Let me make this clear first. I am Goumu Yanō of the Land of Iron. Even the daimyo of the various nations treat me with courtesy. The Koboku Clan never works on credit."
Xuandou immediately took out a sealing scroll and handed it over:
"There's five hundred million ryo here, an advance for the materials. Please start as soon as possible. The sooner, the better."
Goumu accepted the scroll, and a smile finally appeared on his face.
"Excellent! As expected of the Uchiha, one of the Shinobi World's great clans. You're certainly generous!"
"I'll take the job!"
He put away the scroll and waved at his son behind him:
"There probably aren't enough craftsmen in the Land of Fire right now. Go back to the clan immediately and bring another group of skilled craftsmen!"
Seeing this, Xuandou pointed at Shisui:
"This is Shisui Uchiha. If you need anything later, speak to him directly."
He took out another scroll and handed it to Shisui:
"There's two billion ryo in here. The Uchiha Shrine, the Hot Spring Pavilion, and five apartment buildings. Pay them as construction progresses."
Shisui accepted it with both hands and bowed his head:
"Yes, Lord Clan Head."
With the arrangements complete, Xuandou felt at ease.
Now all that remained was to wait for the buildings to be completed.
At the same time.
Deep within the Root Base.
Aburame Torune knelt on one knee before Danzo.
"Lord Danzo, the investigation has yielded results."
"I discovered that Uchiha Xuantou distributed a special kind of Soldier Pill to the various clans during the war. Someone from the Aburame Clan kept two."
He took two brown pills from inside his clothes and presented them with both hands.
Danzo accepted them and held them beneath his nose to sniff.
He picked up one and put it into his mouth.
After he chewed for a while, the Soldier Pill gradually took effect.
A moment later, his eyes narrowed slightly.
"This Soldier Pill..."
He stood up and took a couple of steps with his hands behind his back.
"Good stuff. Far better than what Root currently uses."
"These Soldier Pills ought to be used by my 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 his hand.
Torune was about to withdraw when Danzo suddenly spoke again:
"Wait."
Torune stopped.
Danzo was 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 explain everything about these Soldier Pills."
Torune raised his head to glance at Danzo, then quickly lowered it again:
"Yes."
With a flicker, he vanished into the darkness.
Danzo stood alone in the dim room, his fingers lightly tapping the armrest.
Uchiha Xuantou...
The corner of his mouth twitched slightly.