"The sealing jutsu is truly amazing," Fugaku exclaimed as he finished placing his order.
The battle console, duel disk, tavern skin, law enforcement recorder, and even the new teaching tools that Natsuhiko was reportedly developing at the ninja academy—all these innovations were subtly, yet profoundly, changing Konoha thanks to Natsuhiko's rune creations.
Just the battle tavern alone had caused a 30% drop in the revenue of the entertainment district every night, which in turn had increased the combat effectiveness of the village's male ninjas by at least five per cent. Only the hostesses of the entertainment district were suffering from this change.
Fugaku was increasingly grateful that he had not underestimated this civilian-born ninja out of clan arrogance. Because of this, he now had Natsuhiko's help and had acquired the marvellous law enforcement recorder.
Realising that sealing jutsu would be crucial in the future, Fugaku even thought about revisiting his old sealing jutsu textbooks. But as soon as this idea emerged, the memory of the incomprehensible rune symbols filled him with dread, and he shuddered slightly.
No, he had a mission to revive the Uchiha clan. Such a significant task should be passed on to his future children. Fugaku made up his mind that Natsuhiko himself would teach his coming child.
Meanwhile, Natsuhiko, who was thrilled about earning a large sum from Fugaku, suddenly felt a chill down his spine and a sense of unease.
"Why do I keep getting this feeling? Could it be that Danzo is plotting something again?" Natsuhiko became more vigilant, determined to bring Danzo to justice someday.
The two then began discussing the customisation details of the law enforcement recorder. Because the first one was sold at a lower price, Natsuhiko decided to push for some additional features.
"For an extra fifty thousand Ryo, you can change the belt buckle's emblem from a white bat to the police force's symbol—a blue shuriken with the Uchiha clan fan in the centre."
Although Fugaku didn't understand why changing the emblem would cost fifty thousand Ryo, he reasoned that having already spent five million ryo on a device, an additional fifty thousand seemed trivial.
"I will buy it!" he decided.
Natsuhiko then explained that the basic model's price only included the law enforcement recorder function on the belt. However, for a little more, they could add several useful features.
"For instance, a police tool package for two hundred thousand ryo, which includes handcuffs, a baton, a flashlight, eye drops, tear gas, a first aid kit, signal flares, and other practical items."
Although the police department already had these items, Fugaku noted that Natsuhiko's versions were customised and compact, fitting into the belt without being cumbersome. For convenience, he decided it was worth the extra cost.
"I will buy it!" he decided again.
Natsuhiko then highlighted a chakra recognition and binding function, which would bind the belt to a single user, preventing others from using it. Initially, Fugaku didn't see the necessity, thinking the belt could be used for training and battle reviews by viewing recorded actions from an objective perspective. This could be a treasure for many ninja clans.
But Natsuhiko quickly reminded him, "Without this feature, each police officer would be like a walking five-million-ryo bounty, a target for bounty hunters. Juzo would certainly be thrilled."
Fugaku shivered at the thought, realising the importance of this feature, especially since many police force members were of Chunin's rank.
"I will buy it!"
For training purposes within the clan, Fugaku decided on a simple solution: purchase four more law enforcement recorders for twenty million Ryo to keep them in the clan.
"Buy!"
After spending a fortune, Fugaku's sense of money became blurred. He couldn't refuse any feature that Natsuhiko suggested.
An alarm and MP3 player with two hundred built-in songs allows the user to have background music when they enter the scene.
"Buy!"
A football release mechanism could launch an adjustable-size football to subdue distant criminals harmlessly.
"Buy!"
A multi-coloured running light feature with no practical use, just for aesthetics.
"Buy, buy, buy!"
Before he knew it, Fugaku found himself signing a contract. He blinked at the numerous zeros at the end of the final amount.
"One... one hundred million!"
He counted the zeros several times, finally confirming the total amount, feeling a bit dizzy.
"How did I spend so much money all of a sudden?" Fugaku glanced at Natsuhiko's smiling face, which now seemed slightly unsettling. Looking at the list of features, Fugaku questioned whether he had been under a genjutsu spell, as many items seemed unnecessary.
"For example, a vibrating slimming belt? Our police force doesn't have overweight members. And this item that looks like a shaver but is actually a hairdryer, and another that looks like a hairdryer but is a shaver... are these really necessary?" He even reconsidered the multi-coloured running light feature, albeit reluctantly admitting it was pretty appealing.
"Natsuhiko, you're quite the businessman," Fugaku remarked with a wry smile.
"Oh, not at all. Fugaku-san, you're the true hero. No wonder you have such a beautiful girlfriend," Natsuhiko responded, flattering Fugaku.
Hearing this mention of Mikoto, Fugaku's heart sank. The last time he spent a large sum on ninja card games, Mikoto had already been upset. This time, he knew there was no way to get the funds for the law enforcement recorders. He would have to ask his father for money again...
As it was getting late, Fugaku decided to leave, not wanting to see Natsuhiko's smiling face any longer. Before leaving, he warned, "Natsuhiko, you should be careful. Your duel disk idea might fool others, but it won't deceive Shō's father, Uchiha Setsuna."
"Uchiha Setsuna?" Natsuhiko repeated, recalling that this character didn't appear in the original series. The name sounded impressive, but he hoped Setsuna would be manageable.
Fugaku explained, "He's the deputy captain of the police force and a leader among those discontent with the village. He's a difficult person to deal with."
Natsuhiko nodded in realisation. It's no wonder everyone was so interested in the battle between two special jounin. Uchiha Shō must have a significant background, a low-tier version of Fugaku.
So Shō's claim that their conflict wouldn't affect others was just empty words. Natsuhiko sighed in resignation. It seemed he couldn't avoid the traditional trope of defeating a younger opponent only to face their elder.
"Why must humans harm each other?" he mused. Realising he had no other option, he made up his mind to use his ultimate move.
His expression became stern for a moment, and then he smiled at Fugaku, saying, "Fugaku-san, I have a permanent solution that needs your help."
Later that night, as Natsuhiko returned home, he was blocked by several figures. Three young men around his age, all dressed in Uchiha clan attire, stood before him.
"Uchiha Gan..."
"Uchiha Bun..."
"Uchiha Cui..."
Before they could finish their introduction, Fugaku appeared beside Natsuhiko in an instant.
"Captain Fugaku!" The trio looked shocked.
Fugaku shook his head in disappointment at these clan members who acted without verifying rumours first. He sternly reprimanded them, and they soon left, casting resentful glances at Natsuhiko.
"Thanks, Captain Fugaku," Natsuhiko said with a smile.
"It's nothing. It's our clan causing you trouble. I only used a shadow clone," Fugaku replied, eyeing Natsuhiko curiously. He had yet to expect Natsuhiko's permanent solution to involve using a shadow clone to escort him to and from work every day.
Indeed, it was a permanent solution, but it was Fugaku who had to exert himself. Natsuhiko just had to move his lips.
Fugaku shook his head in exasperation, realising Natsuhiko's unconventional thinking might be the key to his innovative rune creations.
"Maybe that's his secret," Fugaku thought, amused by Natsuhiko's odd requests. He prepared to dispel the shadow clone when Natsuhiko suddenly clasped his hands together.
"Wait, Fugaku-san. Since you'll be picking me up tomorrow, could you also buy breakfast for me?" Before he could finish, the shadow clone vanished with a pop.
"Did he hear me? I didn't even get to specify what I wanted for breakfast!" Natsuhiko sighed, shrugging as he entered his house.
(End of This Chapter)
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