vncnus Chapter 11 The Uchiha's "Rule of Law"
Chapter 11 The Uchiha's "Rule of Law"
Sousuke looked up and met the eyes of the Uchiha guard.
Those eyes were filled with a sense of oppression.
But he's gambling.
Beneath the arrogance of the Uchiha clan lies a deep-seated desire for resources.
During this period, although the Uchiha clan controlled the police force, their political standing in the village had been isolated. They had been squeezed out of the core of power and could only find a sense of presence through law enforcement.
Law enforcement can be monetized.
"grown ups."
Sosuke's tone softened.
"I'm just a businessman. Since you say it's a controlled weapon, then it is."
The Uchiha guard raised an eyebrow.
He didn't expect the other party to suddenly back down.
"Did you confess?"
"I accept the punishment." Sosuke looked at the money bag on the table. "That 10,000 taels is embezzled money. I am willing to hand it all over as... the operating expenses of the security force."
The guards tapped their fingers on the money pouch.
Ten thousand taels.
This is not a small number.
Even for the Uchiha clan, this was a considerable "extra income".
But he did not agree immediately.
"Only ten thousand taels?" the guard sneered. "What about your illegal medical practice? You cured that gang leader's leg. That's tantamount to helping criminal gangs preserve their fighting strength."
Insatiable greed.
Sosuke made his own assessment.
But he maintained a submissive expression.
"Sir, that wasn't an ordinary treatment," Sosuke said in a low voice. "It used my family's secret recipe—purified water."
"Is it the water in that bottle?" The security guard glanced at the medicine on the table.
"Yes. It can clean wounds, prevent them from festering, and even heal lacerations caused by ninja dogs."
Sosuke threw out the bait.
"My lords in the guard unit, you inevitably encounter resistance during your daily patrols and arrests, and minor injuries are common. This water is ten times more effective than hospital bandages."
The guard's eyes flickered.
He had indeed heard of this water.
It's been circulating like wildfire in the working-class neighborhoods lately.
Members of the security force are frequently injured. Although treatment at Konoha Hospital is free, the medical ninjas often treat them perfunctorily due to the tense relationship between the Uchiha clan and the medical department.
If I had this kind of miracle drug...
"You want to bribe me?" The security guard narrowed his eyes.
"No, this is a donation."
Sosuke's answer was perfectly flawless.
"I am willing to provide the Third Detachment of the Guard with fifty bottles of purified water every month, the purest kind."
The security guards remained silent.
He was weighing his options.
Locking this kid up will only bring temporary pleasure and the ten thousand taels of silver.
But if we release him, we can not only get the money, but also a long-term, free supplier of high-end healing potions.
Moreover, this kid has the Takaya Trading Company behind him. Although it's a fat pig, it's still a major taxpayer.
If things really fall apart, it won't be easy for the Hokage's office to explain themselves.
"Your name is Sosuke, right?"
The security guards leaned back in their chairs.
"Yes."
"Remember, Konoha is a place ruled by law."
The security guard swept the heavy money bag into his drawer.
His movements were natural, as if it had always been his.
"This time, considering it's your first offense and you didn't know the rules, you'll be fined 10,000 taels and your tools of the crime will be confiscated."
He picked up the black silver knife again, played with it for a moment, and then threw it back to Sosuke.
"This thing is too soft to be used as a weapon. Take it back and melt it down. I don't want to see it again."
This is the Uchiha's "rule of law".
The right of interpretation belongs to the strong.
"Thank you, sir."
Sosuke stood up, a red mark left on his wrist from being pulled so tight.
Another team member who was in charge of recording came over and helped him unlock his handcuffs.
"Sign here and get out."
The guards waved him off and stopped looking at him.
Sosuke signed his name on the release documents.
He picked up the discarded silver knife and walked out of the interrogation room.
That ten thousand taels is gone.
There were a few bottles of medicine left, but that's all.
But he won his freedom, and he also gained an extremely fragile, but temporarily effective, "protective umbrella."
From now on, anyone who wants to touch his shop will have to ask the Uchiha Police Force for permission first—after all, it's their "pharmacy".
It was already completely dark when I walked out of the guard post gate.
The night wind was cold.
Sosuke tightened his collar.
This is the true face of Konoha.
There was no warmth of the Will of Fire, only naked exchange of interests.
He touched his pocket.
The place was completely empty; there wasn't even enough money for a bus fare.
But he was not discouraged.
On the contrary, his eyes were clearer than ever.
He realized one thing:
If you offer enough, even the Uchiha clan can be bribed.
But this is not enough.
Far from enough.
Such a relationship, maintained through bribery, is like a castle built on the beach; it will collapse with the arrival of a single wave.
If someone of the Third Hokage's caliber were to crush him, he wouldn't even have a chance to pay.
"strength."
Sosuke looked at the portrait on the Hokage Rock in the distance.
"Money must be transformed into real power."
That feeling of being grabbed by the collar and having no power to resist was awful.
He quickened his pace and disappeared into the night.
Back in the shop.
He walked behind the counter, bent down, and pulled a small cloth bag from under a loose wooden board on the floor.
Inside is the remaining portion of the two thousand taels of start-up capital.
There are only a few hundred taels left.
Sosuke tucked the several hundred taels into his pocket.
My stomach is growling.
Sosuke cooked a pot of brown rice porridge.
But after cooking it, he couldn't muster any appetite.
He stared at the bowl of bland porridge, his brow furrowed.
Not enough energy.
Even if you eat a lot of carbohydrates, the converted chakra is just a drop in the ocean.
Sosuke covered the bowl of porridge.
He put on a black cloak and a hood.
He is going somewhere.
A place that only opens late at night.
Konoha is not just about the Will of Fire under the sunlight.
Downstream from the Namga River, near the red-light district, there is a black market.
It was a melting pot of all sorts of people, a den of iniquity for wandering samurai, wandering ninjas, and smugglers.
Sosuke has never been there.
But he had heard the one-armed old man from before mention it.
He walked out of the store.
Two red dots stood in the shadows across the street.
That was the glow of a cigarette butt.
The two burly men in leather jackets straightened up immediately when they saw Sosuke come out.
They are members of the Red Serpent Gang.
Viper is indeed a man of principle.
After Sosuke was taken away, he left someone to help look after the shop and prevent petty theft.
"Mr. Sosuke?" one of the burly men asked tentatively.
"I'm going to buy something," Sosuke said calmly.
"It's so late, it's not safe." The burly man threw away his cigarette butt. "My boss ordered that if you come out, we have to keep you safe."
"Need not."
Sosuke refused.
The two burly men exchanged a glance.
"Then... please be careful."
Sosuke turned and disappeared into the night.
He avoided several main roads with streetlights.
They specifically chose to walk through those alleys.