The shop owner approached Ookami and his companions. "Ninjas from the Uchiha clan, are you here to buy something?" he asked, his voice smooth. "Our shop, from the Shimura clan, has the best weapons in all of Konoha. Look at this kunai, it's incredibly durable, and this blade is razor-sharp." He gestured towards the weapons, attempting to entice them.
"Are you the owner of this shop?" Ookami inquired, his tone flat.
"Hai, I'm Shimura Daigo, the owner of this shop. Is there anything I can help you with?" Daigo replied, his voice polite but wary.
Shimura Daigo, a cousin of Shimura Danzo, had opened the weapons shop in Konoha because he lacked significant ninja talent. He used the shop to raise funds for the Shimura clan and to support Danzo's Root organization.
"On behalf of the Konoha Police Force, I will be collecting protection fees from your shop," Ookami stated coldly.
"Protection fee? What protection fee?" Daigo asked, his brow furrowed in confusion. "Why didn't I know that Konoha charged protection fees?"
"This is a new rule our police force has implemented," Ookami explained. "Every shop in Konoha will have to pay a protection fee, and our police force will ensure your safety."
"Protect us? No need," Daigo scoffed, refusing without hesitation. "Our shop doesn't require protection from your Uchihas."
The Shimura clan was a prominent family in Konoha, with Shimura Danzo holding a high-ranking position within the village. Their shop had never needed protection from the Uchiha.
"Cut the crap and pay up. We have other places to go," Ookami snapped, clearly annoyed. "Do you want to break the rules of our police force?"
"What police rules? I've never heard of them," Daigo retorted, refusing to back down. "I only follow the village's rules. I'm not paying this fee."
Although the Uchiha clan was wealthy, the Shimura clan wasn't insignificant either. Their clan leader, Shimura Danzo, held a high position in Konoha Council. Others might fear the Uchiha, but the Shimura clan wouldn't be intimidated.
"Looks like you're not playing by our rules," Ookami stated, his voice turning menacing.
"That's right. The Shimura clan only obeys the rules of Konoha," Daigo declared fearlessly.
Seeing Daigo's defiance, Ookami changed tactics. "According to our reports, your shop is suspected of smuggling weapons," he declared. "Take him back for questioning. How dare you smuggle weapons in Konoha? You don't even respect our police force."
Ookami waved his hand, and his men immediately moved to arrest him.
"Hey! What do you think you're doing?!" Daigo yelled, trying to break free. "The weapons in my shop are all approved by the Konoha council! My cousin is Shimura Danzo. How dare you arrest me!"
"Hmph, you dare to resist?" Ookami sneered, his eyes narrowed. "Who's Danzo? I've never heard of him." He punched Daigo, knocking him out cold. "Take him away and seal the shop. Let's move on to the next one."
"Hai! Ookami-sama,"
A few minutes later, the Nara clan's pharmacy next door was shut down for selling fake medicine, and the shop was sealed.
Next up was the Akimichi clan's barbecue restaurant, which was also shut down for food safety violations. Ookami was incredibly efficient. Within a few days, most of the shops had been closed, their owners detained. These stores were owned by other clans. Ordinary civilians couldn't afford to offend the Uchiha police force, so they paid protection fees without complaint. But the big clans were fearless and refused to pay. The police didn't tolerate their defiance, closing their shops and arresting their people.
As the police force took action, Shiroha basked in the sun, a series of notifications ringing in his ears.
[Ding! Feel the anger of Shimura Daigo, +100 negative energy, ninjutsu +10]
[Ding! Feel the anger of Nara Hiromu, +100 negative energy, illusion +10]
[Ding! Feel the anger of Akimichi Kenta, +100 negative energy, taijutsu +10]
'It's awesome to just chill and harvest negative energy,' he thought, grinning, looking at his increasing negative energy. He had collected protection fees so ostentatiously not only to extort money but also to harvest this negative energy.
"Shiroha-sama, these are the shops we've sealed," Ookami reported, holding a document. "Among them, the Sarutobi clan accounts for 50%, followed by the Shimura clan, the Mitokado clan, the Utatane clan, and finally the Nara, Yamanaka, Akamichi clan and others."
"Sarutobi, Shimura, Mitokado, and Utatane?" Shiroha exclaimed, surprised. "Aren't these the clans that make up the Konoha council? I never expected them to be making so much money."
The Sarutobi clan, led by Sarutobi Hiruzen. The Shimura clan, led by Shimura Danzo. The Mitokado clan, led by Mitokado Homura. The Utatane clan, led by Koharu. These four were former students of the Second Hokage, Senju Tobirama. They had survived the First Great Ninja War after Tobirama was killed and had become the Konoha council, controlling the village's power.
He had always known that Konoha's leadership wasn't entirely virtuous. However, he hadn't realized how greedy they were. They controlled most of the shops in the village.