At the Uchiha compound.
Inabi Uchiha was anxious—really anxious.
Watching a few seniors eat at a leisurely pace, he felt so impatient he could barely sit still.
No, seriously.
Why are you eating so slowly?
What about the Police Force's work?
Yesterday, on his very first day on the job, they'd already caught a thief, and Inabi had instantly felt his own value.
Damn!
Reciting the ordinance while beating the crap out of petty thieves—
it felt so damn good.
And the civilians cheering, and even the worshipful looks from some kids… it made Inabi grin like an idiot.
So satisfying.
Ah~~~~
That's it!
That look!
That look!!
Give me more!
Your big bro can take it!
Inabi was convinced he'd finally found a place in the Police Force where he could prove himself.
Before, he'd seen some seniors doing Police Force work like they were half-dead.
He couldn't understand it.
Because right now, he was having the time of his life.
Those commoners' admiring stares?
They were pure bliss.
Sure, a commoner's admiration didn't mean anything—but it felt good!
It gave him this sense that the Uchiha really were indispensable in Konoha.
That's right!
The Uchiha are that damn important!
Without the Uchiha, you commoners can go drink the northwest wind!
Without the Uchiha, don't even think about public order in Konoha!
Konoha's entire peace is balanced on Uchiha shoulders. That's how badass we are!
It fit perfectly with the pride aesthetic carved into Inabi's bones.
"What are you in such a hurry for?"
Yashiro shot the young man a glare.
You think you're the only one enjoying it?
He'd been savoring the praise from the commoners too.
It wasn't like before—when their gazes were rejecting, even hateful.
Now those hot, burning looks of admiration had Yashiro letting out a pleased little "hmph" under his breath.
He couldn't really explain it either.
But he could clearly feel it: the Uchiha's overall position in Konoha had shifted.
Like they were being fully accepted.
Like they were finally blending into Konoha.
Not like before, always close but never quite part of it.
Even if, in his view, Police Force work didn't bring much in the way of tangible gains…
the emotional payoff was completely maxed out.
"Let's go!"
Yashiro grinned and got ready to head out.
Those commoners were probably getting anxious waiting.
Hearing that, Inabi's eyes lit up with manic excitement.
Let's go!
He wanted to swagger through Konoha on patrol too.
This is the treatment the Uchiha deserve!
"No."
In the Uchiha Clan Head's study, Itachi stared blankly as he poured tea for Shisui.
He'd suddenly realized something, and it felt like his brain was about to explode.
Shisui accepted the tea, confused.
"Oh? Something wrong?"
Police Force work really didn't have much in the way of tangible gains…
Reputation?
The Uchiha never cared much about reputation.
"We were wrong."
Itachi let out a bitter laugh and sighed.
Once he understood it, he was stunned.
His understanding of that man deepened again—and with it, his respect.
"Do you remember the framing he set for the Uchiha?"
Shisui did.
"The Uchiha of Konoha…"
…Wait.
Shisui froze, then broke into a sweat.
At first glance, it didn't seem like anything special.
But if you really thought about it, it struck at the core of the Uchiha mindset.
Even if Shisui didn't want to admit it, Uchiha thinking wasn't exactly… "correct."
Because the Uchiha's instinctive belief was: Konoha is the Uchiha's Konoha.
But that man had swapped the order.
The Uchiha are Konoha's Uchiha.
That was fixing the nature of the problem at its root…
Shisui's hand trembled around the teacup.
Was that… right?
A "normal" Uchiha might've exploded in rage.
But were Shisui and Itachi "normal" Uchiha?
The two of them stared at each other for a long moment, then burst out laughing.
How was this "no tangible gains"?
This gain was huge.
It made the Uchiha truly become part of Konoha.
It stripped away that "close but distant" shell, and made the Uchiha no different from Ino–Shika–Chō, from the Hyuga, from Root, from ANBU—Konoha people, through and through!
That man's methods were impressive…
The people below could accept it. And they could accept it too.
As for certain stubborn old fossils…
Who cares whether you accept it or not!
If you don't, we'll beat you.
If you still don't, we'll starve you for three days!
Itachi wiped away tears he'd laughed out.
Relief… real relief.
The Uchiha had finally broken out of the cocoon and become a butterfly.
The Uchiha were finally… safe.
This was what he wanted.
This was the Uchiha of his ideal.
Shisui grabbed Itachi's hand, energized.
We did it, Itachi-san!
We did it!
We protected the Uchiha!
"This debt is too big, too heavy. What do you plan to do about it?"
Shisui reminded him.
The Uchiha wouldn't have gotten here without that man's sacrifice.
They couldn't be ungrateful.
True.
Itachi exhaled hard.
Kangetsu-san's favor had to be repaid.
"Starting today, the Uchiha… will belong to Kangetsu-san."
Shisui fell silent for a moment, then smiled and nodded.
Good.
Following the God of Wealth—if anything, the Uchiha are the ones profiting.
Profiting?
Kangetsu thought it over.
You might be making a killing, but I'll never lose.
After all, cleansing the Uchiha's reputation was something he'd proposed only after careful consideration.
Don't think reputation is useless.
It's the opposite.
Even Kangetsu's homeland in his previous life needed reputation as a foundation.
This was information warfare.
Underestimating reputation gets you wrecked.
Otherwise, would Danzo be that frantic?
Otherwise, why would the Third Hokage treat it like a killer move and smash Danzo with it?
Money, power, reputation.
The three stood side by side.
Even beauty had to rank below them.
"Huh?"
Haruno stopped the rocking chair mid-sway.
Her big eyes blinked, blinked.
Why do I have to rank below anything?
If you don't like beauty, why are you doing that so much every day?
If you don't like beauty, why do you buy me so many shameless outfits every day?
Even she, a seasoned driver, felt overwhelmed sometimes.
Bandage strips, high-cut straps, see-through panties, lace panties—
If you've got the guts, then don't play!
Kangetsu looked genuinely confused.
I wasn't talking about you. Why are you getting mad?
Keep eating…
Isn't Komachi still waiting for the next round?
Komachi jerked and shook her head hard.
Don't say nonsense!
I'm not!
She absolutely did not want to flip dumpling skins again.
(End of Chapter)
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