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That evening, at the Ninja Tavern.
While sitting at the bar and conducting some research, Natsuhiko was suddenly surrounded by three people.
No, to be precise, it was a pig, a deer, and an unusually plump butterfly.
It was none other than Inoichi Yamanaka, Shikaku Nara, and Choza Akimichi.
These three often came to the tavern to play cards and had become familiar with Natsuhiko since they were around the same age.
Without hesitation, Choza sat next to Natsuhiko and bluntly asked:
"Boss Natsuhiko, I heard you defeated Uchiha Sho?"
Not this question again...
Natsuhiko sighed lightly and put down his glass of 1982 Coca-Cola.
Who knew how that news spread? But it seemed like the whole village knew within a day.
Maybe it had something to do with the sensational headline:
Shocking! Two Men Sneak into the Woods and Do This?!
Feeling that his reputation was unfairly tarnished, Natsuhiko cursed Danzo countless times in his heart.
Yes.
Although he had no direct evidence, he was certain Danzo was behind it.
After all, he had just rejected an invitation from a Root ninja the day before and left the guy covered in goo.
And the rapid spread of the news reminded him of the recent incident with White Fang.
Could Danzo also have an army of gossip spreaders?
Turning to look at the gossip-hungry faces of the Ino-Shika-Cho trio, Natsuhiko said:
"By the way, you three are the hundredth people to ask me this today."
"As a prize, Mr. Duy, please give them each a triple-strength green juice."
"Got it, coming right up," Might Dai responded from behind the bar.
The trio's faces turned pale instantly.
Recently, a dark game had become popular in the tavern: the loser of a duel had to drink a glass of green juice.
So, they had developed a psychological shadow toward it.
Especially the triple-strength version!
But they still remembered their purpose.
Inoichi continued, "So, is it true?"
"Of course it's true."
Hearing Natsuhiko's straightforward answer, the three were astonished.
They hadn't expected it to be true!
They had witnessed Natsuhiko's conflict with Uchiha Sho in the tavern before, which was on Natsuhiko's home turf.
But this time, the fight was reportedly in the woods.
This made Natsuhiko's victory even more significant.
Natsuhiko then said mysteriously:
"Do you want to know how I defeated him?"
The trio was slightly taken aback but then nodded repeatedly.
"Since it's you guys, I'll tell you a bit."
Natsuhiko cleared his throat and began:
"First, in the opening round, I went first and summoned [Uchiha Madara] to the field. Then I set a trap card and..."
The Ino-Shika-Cho trio, initially full of anticipation, soon felt something was off.
Choza patted Natsuhiko on the shoulder, interrupting him.
"Wait, wait! Why are you talking about a card game?"
"And the rules seem a bit odd?"
"Could it be...?" Shikaku suddenly thought of a possibility.
Then they saw Natsuhiko swipe his right hand across the wrist guard on his left wrist.
A string of rune-like scripts appeared, and white smoke erupted.
As the smoke cleared, a duel disk appeared on his wrist.
Natsuhiko smiled and said:
"Actually, I just had him test the duel disk's functions with me."
"Since the conflict started in the Ninja Tavern, it was naturally resolved in the ninja way."
"..."
The trio was speechless.
Shikaku and Choza couldn't help but look at Inoichi.
Working in the interrogation department, he could quickly tell if someone was lying without using secret techniques.
Inoichi shook his head slightly, indicating he didn't see any signs of lying from Natsuhiko.
Thus:
"Forget it, let's go. What a waste of our feelings!"
The Ino-Shika-Cho trio left, grumbling and each holding a glass of green juice.
"Wait, aren't you going to keep listening?"
Natsuhiko called after them, "How about another glass of green juice on me?"
They quickened their pace...
Natsuhiko chuckled and was about to resume his work when someone else approached.
"Natsuhiko, are you going to stick with that explanation?"
Fugaku Uchiha sat down beside Natsuhiko, looking both amused and exasperated.
Natsuhiko shrugged, "It's the truth."
Fugaku's mouth twitched, feeling unable to argue.
After all, Natsuhiko really defeated Sho using a dual disk.
Then Natsuhiko added:
"Besides, with my teaching job and the tavern, I don't have time to get entangled with the Uchiha clan."
Fugaku nodded thoughtfully and said:
"Don't worry, I'll find the culprit, though we haven't found any clues yet."
Natsuhiko was speechless: "Do you need clues?"
"The lack of clues is the biggest clue."
"If even you, a captain of the police force, can't find any leads, there are only a few people in the village capable of that."
"Think about it: who among them has a grudge against the Uchiha clan?"
Fugaku hesitated for a moment and said:
"It seems like... everyone?"
Well, the Uchiha clan is indeed widely disliked.
Natsuhiko thought to himself and then guided Fugaku:
"Don't you think this incident is similar to the one with White Fang?"
"And the frequent rumours against the Uchiha clan, don't they make you suspicious?"
Fugaku finally caught on to Natsuhiko's hint and hesitantly said:
"Are you saying... Danzo?"
Oh, you finally got it?
Natsuhiko took a sip from his glass of 1982 Coca-Cola and said:
"Others might have issues with the Uchiha, but only he would resort to such underhanded tactics."
"Assume he's behind any misfortune that befalls the Uchiha, and you'll rarely be wrong."
Fugaku pondered profoundly and said:
"You're right. There are always rumours against us and strange problems during our enforcement..."
As he spoke, he felt more enlightened, as if clouds had lifted.
He had thought the conflicts were due to personality clashes and biases.
But Natsuhiko's words made him feel there was a sinister hand behind the scenes.
He felt a surge of anger, trembling with rage, cold sweat breaking out despite the heat.
Can this village ever be peaceful? What will it take to satisfy you regarding the Uchiha?
Fugaku then shared some work-related suspicions with Natsuhiko, asking if they were Danzo's schemes.
Although Natsuhiko thought 80% were coincidences or the police force's issues, with only 20% being dubious, he nodded in agreement.
Why did an older woman get pregnant? Why did hundreds of sows scream at midnight? Why did underwear go missing from balconies? Why did an old widow's door knock every night?
Behind these events, is it a sudden outbreak of desperate hunger, moral decay, or human depravity?
No, it's all Danzo's plot!
Alright, it's not that exaggerated.
But Natsuhiko did feel Danzo's shadow in some of these matters.
Following the principle of opposing whatever the enemy supports, Natsuhiko decided to give Danzo some trouble.
So he said to the worried Fugaku:
"Fugaku-san, have you heard of body cameras?"
(End of chapter)
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