"Master Kisaragi, this is Uchiha Fugaku's confession."
Uchiha Jin, who had been interrogating Uchiha Fugaku, returned with a confession stained with blood.
[Ding, hit Uchiha Fugaku with a hard rod, get: Explosive Tag× 10, Evil Value +1000]
Kisaragi took the confession and reviewed it. The charges against Uchiha Fugaku included attacking ninjas from the same village, peeping at women's baths, assaulting widows at night, and other petty crimes like stealing chickens and dogs.
"Well done."
Kisaragi patted Uchiha Jin on the shoulder with satisfaction and then proceeded to another interrogation room with the confession.
"Patriarch, how are you faring here? Are you being well taken care of?"
Uchiha Nagisa, who had been sitting cross-legged on the humble tatami with his eyes closed, suddenly opened them.
"Uchiha Kisaragi, what do you want?"
As the patriarch of the Uchiha clan, being captured by his own clan was extremely embarrassing for Uchiha Nagisa.
"Actually, I just wanted to show you something."
Kisaragi took out the confession and placed it in front of Uchiha Nagisa.
"Fugaku has quite a list of crimes now. If this were a trial, how many years do you think he would be sentenced to?" Kisaragi asked with a light smile.
Ka Ka ~! ! !
Uchiha Nagisa's fists clenched.
"Do you think someone will support you as patriarch when you frame your own clan and imprison my patriarch?"
"Uchiha Kisaragi, you are too despicable to be the patriarch. You must die."
To this day, Uchiha Nagisa still believed that Kisaragi's aim was to become the head of the Uchiha family.
However, it was undeniable that Kisaragi was indeed interested in the position of patriarch. He hadn't thought about it before because he lacked a cheat. Even if he became the patriarch and grew into a Kage-level powerhouse, it might not have changed the Uchiha clan's fate.
Now that he had a system, his confidence was different.
"Uchiha Nagisa, I advise you to be polite. It's not difficult for me to have Uchiha Fugaku executed," Kisaragi said indifferently.
"What do you want?"
Uchiha Nagisa calmed down.
With his son in Kisaragi's hands and the confession in his possession, it was as if Kisaragi held the handles of their fate. If Kisaragi decided to kill his son, no one would likely come to Fugaku's aid, given the many who wished to see trouble in the Uchiha clan.
"I want to be the captain of the guard and for Fugaku to abdicate."
"Okay, I promise you."
Uchiha Nagisa agreed decisively. As long as Kisaragi didn't demand the position of patriarch, he would agree without hesitation.
"The patriarch agreed very quickly. Additionally, I still need money—one billion ryo should suffice."
"What did you say?"
Upon hearing Kisaragi's exorbitant demand, Uchiha Nagisastood up abruptly, nearly coughing up more blood due to his injuries.
"One billion ryo shouldn't be a problem for the patriarch," Kisaragi said, unconcerned.
Uchiha Nagisa almost spat out another mouthful of blood. One billion ryo was not a small amount. In this world, one ryo was equivalent to ten yuan, and ten yuan was roughly equal to 1.40 dollars. The reward for an ordinary S-rank mission was only about one million ryo, and rewards typically increased only for particularly dangerous S-rank missions.
One billion ryo was a significant sum. Kisaragi had worked hard for a long time, yet his deposit had not exceeded 100 million ryo, primarily due to the high cost of maintaining ninjas.
After the Senju clan had dwindled to almost nothing, the Uchiha family had become the wealthiest clan in Konoha. However, the Uchiha were not particularly rich. Unlike other clans with businesses—such as the Nara family's forest industry, the Akamichi family's gourmet shop, and the Yamanaka family's flower shop—the Uchiha had no business ventures. Their arrogance made them ill-suited for business, and their exclusion from Konoha further limited their opportunities for industry.
To produce one billion ryo, Uchiha Nagisa would have to deplete almost his entire fortune.
"I don't have time to waste with you. Take it or leave it."
Kisaragi tapped the table.
"You should understand the principle of spending money to avoid disaster. If you don't want to pay, don't blame me if I send Uchiha Fugaku to Konoha Prison."
"I believe the higher-ups in Konoha would be quite pleased to see Uchiha Fugaku imprisoned. Do you think something unfortunate won't happen to him in prison?"
"Uchiha Nagisa, you wouldn't want to see your son imprisoned, right? If he ends up in prison, he will lose his chance to compete for the position of patriarch."
Under Kisaragi's persuasive reasoning, Uchiha Nagisa was forced to agree.
"Release the patriarch."
Since Uchiha Nagisa had agreed, there was no need to keep him locked up. Kisaragi still needed Uchiha Nagisa to provide the money.
"It's too lenient to let him go like this. This old man has caused me a lot of trouble," Uchiha Shin commented as he watched Uchiha Nagisa's retreating figure.
"What if we don't? If we kill him, will some old man in the Uchiha clan just let it go?"
Kisaragi had no intention of killing Uchiha Nagisa from the start. Killing him would not only risk Sarutobi Hiruzen seeking revenge, but also attract trouble from the Uchiha clan elders. Moreover, even though Uchiha Nagisa's influence had waned due to injury, he still had powerful supporters.
However, not killing Uchiha Nagisa didn't mean he would escape death. With his old and new injuries combined, he would certainly not survive for long.
"Then is Uchiha Fugaku really going to be released?"
"Yes, of course. I'm a man of integrity, but Uchiha Fugaku will be released only after Uchiha Nagisa is dead."
With Uchiha Fugaku in hand, Kisaragi was not worried about any interference from Uchiha Nagisa.
"Take good care of Uchiha Fugaku. Make sure he's not rescued," Kisaragi reminded Uchiha Jin.
"Don't worry, Kisaragi-san. With me and Shin guarding him, he'll never escape."
If two Elite Jōnin couldn't guard Uchiha Fugaku, they would be better off resigning.
Kisaragi left the guards, and shortly after returning to the clan, Uchiha Nagisa sent someone with the money.
The messenger was a Jōnin.
"Uchiha Kisaragi, you should release the young master now," the messenger said angrily.
"Is that how you speak to me?"
Kisaragi glanced at the messenger and then kicked him out.
"Go back and tell Uchiha Nagisa that I will decide when to release him."
With that, Kisaragi closed the door and placed the passbook on the table. Uchiha Nagisa, eager to get his son released, didn't dare delay.
[Ding, extorted one billion ryo, get: B-level Ninjutsu Fire Style · Extinguishing Fire, Evil Value +5000]
"Is this all I get?"
The gain of only 5,000 evil points was somewhat disappointing. Fortunately, the reward included a ninjutsu, which Kisaragi was satisfied with.
Fire Extinguishing was originally a powerful Fire Style ninjutsu of the Uchiha family, but it had been lost since Uchiha Madara's departure.