[Note: Read up to Chapter - 63 on P atreon at: p-atreon.com/Knockturn_Alley]
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Just as Kanzou was about to deal with Haruto and Ren, Elder Tadayoshi suddenly stepped in to stop him.
"Is there something you wish to say, Tadayoshi-sama?" Kanzou asked calmly.
"We're all from the same clan," Tadayoshi said with a heavy tone. "I hope you can show some restraint and not go too far."
He gave Kanzou a long, complicated look. He hadn't expected the young man before him to be so ruthless.
In one move, Kanzou had orchestrated the assassination of two elders and arrested both Haruto and Ren.
Haruto now stood accused of killing two elders—his fate looked grim. As for Ren, that would depend entirely on how Kanzou decided to handle it.
Given Kanzou's readiness to have elders assassinated without hesitation, Ren's outcome did not look promising.
"I'm afraid I don't quite understand what you mean, Tadayoshi-sama," Kanzou replied with a faint smile. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I have a murderer to deal with."
He turned and began walking away. But after just a few steps, Kanzou suddenly stopped, glancing back over his shoulder.
"I advise Tadayoshi-sama to be wise and look out for themselves. When you're alive, it's important to think about your own well-being—and those around you, isn't it?"
With that, Kanzou vanished using the Body Flicker Technique.
Elder Tadayoshi stood still for a moment.
"Was that a threat?" he muttered with a sigh.
He was getting old. Perhaps it was time to start thinking about the future. He didn't have many years left—but what about Mikoto?
'Is it really alright for Mikoto to be married to Fugaku?' he wondered, feeling disappointed in the son of the former Patriarch.
More importantly, he had just noticed a clear change in Fugaku's attitude towards him.
He wasn't sure why, but he strongly suspected it had something to do with Kanzou.
…
In the Konoha Police Force's interrogation room, when Kanzou arrived, he found Haruto writhing in pain.
"Speak! Why did you assassinate the two elders?"
Shin was personally leading the interrogation. Haruto's fingernails had already been pulled out, his body was covered in wounds, and blood stained the floor—his condition was pitiful.
"Shin, you damn lapdog of that bastard Kanzou... You're going to die for this!" Haruto spat, seething with rage.
Haruto was tough. He clenched his teeth and cursed at Shin through the pain.
"Clap, clap~!"
Kanzou applauded mockingly as he walked into the room.
"Impressive, Uchiha Haruto. I respect your backbone. How about pledging loyalty to me instead?"
"In your dreams! I'd rather die than serve you, bastard!"
Kanzou grinned and gave him a thumbs-up.
"Tough guy... Let me grant your wish."
In a flash of steel, a sword strike came down—and Haruto's head fell to the ground.
"Such speed... I couldn't even see the draw. Kanzou-sama's drawing skills are terrifying."
Shin stood stunned, his eyes wide with disbelief.
[Ding, killed Uchiha Haruto — reward: 10 Detonating Charms, +2000 Evil Points]
'Only 2,000 for killing an Elite Jōnin? You've got to be kidding me.'
[System: No matter the target's strength, the Evil points from killing are fixed. Over time, repeated killings will yield reduced Evil points. Eventually, each kill may only grant 100 points.]
'Why is that?' asked Kanzou curiously.
[System: To be a villain is to inflict pain and suffering. While killing someone does cause pain, it is brief, vanishing the moment they die. True suffering lies in keeping them alive and letting them suffer.]
'Ah, I see… It's that whole life is suffering, death is mercy concept, huh?'
[System: The host is only partially correct. A better explanation would be that the act of killing or being killed is just a fight for survival. It is not inherently evil; rather, just a part of nature… The only cruel aspect involved in murder is the grief it brings to those connected to the victim. But even that… is not enough… Since bereavement is something that all beings experience…]
'To say such words…' Kanzou couldn't help but blink in surprise before complaining, 'Damn it, I was hoping to rack up Evil points by killing more people once the Third Great Ninja War breaks out.'
If he'd only earn 100 Evil Points per kill in the end, then to exchange for something like the Nine Tomoe Rinnegan, Kanzou would need to slaughter 100,000 people.
And Rinne Sharingan was just one of the many things Kanzou had his eyes on. His ambitions stretched far beyond that.
If you only intend to earn Evil Points by the means of killing, then either you'd have to become obsessed with slaughter—or you'd get nowhere.\
But Kanzou had no desire to become a mindless killing machine.
'From how the system works... it feels like Assaulters get the biggest rewards. It's borderline ridiculous.'
'System, be honest. You shouldn't be called the Villain System—it's better to call it the Predator System.'
[...]
'No answer? I'll take that as confirmation.'
He sighed.
"Looks like I'll have to make some... sacrifices in the name of doing evil."
The corners of Kanzou's mouth curled upward, his smile growing increasingly arrogant.
In reality, his conversation with the system had lasted no more than ten seconds. Meanwhile, Shin was still lost in awe over Kanzou's swordsmanship.
"Spread the word that Uchiha Haruto took his own life. Dispose of the body. And don't forget to gouge out the eyes—he had a Three Tomoe Sharingan, after all. They can still be transplanted into clan members who haven't awakened theirs. No point letting it go to waste."
Even in death, Kanzou intended to squeeze every last bit of value out of him.
"Kanzou-sama, what about Ren?"
Haruto had been accused of murdering the elders, so killing him was easy to justify. But Ren? At most, he'd be guilty of attacking Kanzou—hardly a capital offence.
"If he knows what's good for him, he'll walk out of here alive. If not... cripple him."
With that, Kanzou made his way to the cell where Ren was being held.
…
"Judging by your expression, I already know your answer."
Ren glared at Kanzou with eyes full of hatred.
"But I'll still ask, just to follow protocol — will you follow me? There's no future with Uchiha Fugaku."
That wasn't a lie.
In the original timeline, Fugaku became clan head, and the Uchiha were wiped out.
"Fugaku-sama saved my life. I will never betray him."
"As expected... still hopelessly naïve. What a waste of an Elite Jōnin," Kanzou muttered, shaking his head in mock regret.
"Crack—!"
A scream echoed from the interrogation room. By the time Kanzou stepped out, Ren was already broken.
[Ding, crippled Uchiha Ren — reward: Explosive Tags × 50, Evil Points +1000 Evil Points]
Ren, his arms and legs shattered, was dragged out of the room. His life as a shinobi was over.
Kanzou hadn't killed him — but he'd done something worse.
"I'll spare your life this time. But remember—oppose me again, and not only will you die, your entire family will be wiped out."
"Oh, and if you somehow manage to convince Tsunade-sama to treat you, your injuries might be healed."
But no one except Tsunade could possibly treat wounds that severe. And an Uchiha convincing her? Not a chance.
For starters, Tsunade had already left the village. Even if she were still around, there's no way she'd help someone like Ren.
The history between the Senju and Uchiha clans was complicated.
While Tsunade may not outright hate the Uchiha, she certainly didn't hold them in high regard.
Not to mention Tsunade's fear of blood, which makes her freeze at the sight of blood.
It was over for Ren.
…
When news of Haruto's death and Ren's crippling reached Fugaku, he was so furious that his wound reopened.
"He's truly merciless..."
Fugaku's heart bled with frustration. Three Elite Jōnin had pledged loyalty to him—now one was dead, another crippled.
The two elders were gone. And Elder Tadayoshi? He seemed to be leaning toward Kanzou, especially now that Kanzou might become his son-in-law.
What was left for Fugaku to resist Uchiha Kanzou? Nothing.
...
"Mikoto-sama… Mikoto-sama… are you listening?" a Uchiha kunoichi asked, watching the dazed woman closely.
Startled after being called several times, Mikoto blinked and looked up. "Huh? Ah… yes," she replied hesitantly. "What were you saying?"
"You didn't hear any of it, did you?" the kunoichi asked, a hint of concern in her voice.
"…I'm sorry," Mikoto said softly, lowering her gaze. "I haven't been feeling well lately, so I blanked out for a moment."
"Is it cold?" another kunoichi asked curiously, her eyes drifting to the red scarf wrapped around Mikoto's neck. "Is that why you're wearing that?"
"Y-yes…" Mikoto replied, forcing herself to remain calm as she instinctively adjusted the scarf, tightening it slightly around her neck.
The real reason, however, was something she dared not voice. Beneath the scarf, and even the high collar of her blouse, were many bite marks she was desperate to hide. When Kanzou violated her, he left behind many marks on her body… these kinds of marks don't disappear even with washing… so she had to hide them with her clothing.
The thought of anyone noticing made her chest tighten with fear. If anyone realized what had happened to her, she would lose her dignity.
And that was something she simply could not afford.
"You should probably visit the hospital… just in case…" one of the Kunoichi suggested.
"T-there's no need for that… It's not that serious," Mikoto replied lightly.
Going to the hospital? She would only do that if she were an idiot who wanted the whole world to know what had happened to her.
'But… what if I get p-pregnant?' The thought sent a chill through her.
After all… Kanzou had released his seeds inside her vagina multiple times. The fact that he had been able to do so again and again shocked her and only made her fear grow even stronger.
She had been careful, thoroughly washing herself, even internally. And that day wasn't even her ovulation day. Still… the possibility lingered, and fear gnawed at her heart. She couldn't help it. Anyone in her position would be scared.
'I-I hope that's not the case…' she thought, unease tightening her chest.
Because if that really happened… hiding what had happened to her would be impossible.
Not wanting to dwell on it any longer, Mikoto forced the thought aside and looked up.
"A-anyway… what were you all talking about?" she asked, deliberately changing the subject.
"Oh… about that… did you hear?" the kunoichi replied, a blush spreading across her cheeks. "A pair of women's panties was found at Kanzou-sama's house…"
"W-what?!" Mikoto choked, coughing as the words hit her.
No, this wasn't just shock. It was fear. Because she knew the truth. That panty had to be hers, something Kanzou had kept as proof, a cruel trophy of what he had taken from her.
"Yes… It's true. I was there at the time," another kunoichi added quietly.
"W-whose was it?" Mikoto asked at once, a little too quickly.
"I don't know," the kunoichi replied, shaking her head. "Kanzou-sama didn't mention the woman's name. He only said it was a gift given to him by a woman."
At that, Mikoto let out a subtle sigh of relief she hadn't realized she'd been holding.
"Who do you think it belonged to?" another kunoichi asked curiously.
"How would I know? I didn't even know about this until now…" Mikoto replied, forcing a light, clueless tone.
"Maybe someone from the clan?" the kunoichi suggested.
Mikoto's heart skipped.
"Haaah… regardless of who it was," the kunoichi sighed dreamily, "she's so lucky to have Kanzou-sama take an interest in her. Honestly… I wish I were in her place."
'Trust me,' Mikoto thought bitterly, 'If you knew what kind of monster he really is like… You really wouldn't want to be in her place.'
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[Note: As the R-18 scene, I will post that part separately, one of these days, as Chapter 8.5]
Drop power Powerstonessssssssss!
[Note: Read up to Chapter - 63 on P atreon at: p-atreon.com/Knockturn_Alley]