[Note: Read up to Chapter - 38 on P atreon at: p-atreon.com/Knockturn_Alley]
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In a small courtyard within the Uchiha compound, a young shinobi wearing the forehead protector of Konohagakure and dressed in a battle uniform bearing the clan's emblem stepped out.
The name of the young man is Uchiha Kanzou.
"Kanzou-sama, good morning."
"Deputy Captain, good morning."
The Uchiha clansmen who saw him passing by greeted him respectfully.
Though Kanzou was only seventeen years old, in this world, age held little weight—strength commanded respect. And while the Uchiha were known for their arrogance, they revered strength, especially when it came from one of their own.
After spending seventeen years in this world since his transmigration, Kanzou had relied on his exceptional talent to rise through the ranks. Today, he stood as the strongest member of the Uchiha clan.
"Did this transmigrator thing really not come with cheats?" he mused, heading toward the training ground.
His quasi-Kage-level strength now made him not only the top expert within the Uchiha but also one of the most powerful shinobi in all of Konoha.
There were only a handful in the entire village who could claim to be stronger than Uchiha Kanzou.
But transmigrated in this dog-eat-dog world, without any cheats, Kanzou could only aim for Kage-level at best.
Although Kage-level was seen as the pinnacle of strength by most people, to Kanzou—who knew the future—it was far from enough.
For now, that might be sufficient before the Third Great Ninja War, but once the Fourth Great Shinobi War begins, a mere Kage-level shinobi would be nothing more than a grasshopper in a storm.
And this problem plagues his heart. 'I don't know what I should do…' he thought to himself with a sigh.
"Sometimes, ignorance truly is bliss…" Had he not known the future, he could have lived peacefully. Well, only as peacefully as a Uchiha is allowed to live in Konoha.
It's a pity that such a life was not for him.
…
On the training ground, just as Kanzou arrived, Uchiha Souta leaned in and whispered quietly, "Kanzou-sama, half the Uchiha clan already supports you. Looks like you're the next patriarch."
Uchiha Souta was one of Kanzou's most loyal followers. As an Elite Jōnin, he was considered a high-level combat power within the clan.
Currently, the Uchiha patriarch was preparing to step down. While he intended to pass the position to Uchiha Fugaku, the decision hadn't been accepted by everyone in the Clan.
A large portion of the clan believed Kanzou was the better choice, especially since his strength far surpassed Fugaku's.
In the Uchiha Clan, strength was everything. Whoever had the bigger fists made the rules.
'But, I suppose that's the case for the entire Shinobi World…'
Turning to Souta, Kanzou murmured, "When did I ever say I wanted to be the patriarch?"
As a transmigrator, Kanzou was well aware that the Uchiha clan was a complete mess—a thorn in the side of both Sarutobi Hiruzen and Danzō.
Worse still, their relationship with the other clans in Konoha was abysmal. They had no allies—only enemies. In Kanzou's eyes, the position of clan head was a thankless burden.
So naturally, he had little interest in becoming the Uchiha patriarch.
"Kanzou-sama, only by becoming patriarch can you lead our Uchiha clan to greatness," said Souta earnestly.
Kanzou glanced at the man while complaining inwardly, 'You're overestimating me.'
To the top? I can't even stop the future Uchiha massacre.
[Ding. Villain System loading... 10%... 30%... 100%. Load complete.]
The mechanical voice made Kanzou's eyes widen.
'That wasn't a Genjutsu. Even a Kage-level ninja can't put me under a Genjutsu unnoticed.'
'And Villain System? That's what the mechanical voice said, right? Could it be… the Cheat I've been dreaming about day and night has finally arrived?'
Kanzou had no interest in continuing the conversation about taking reins of the Uchiha Clan. Without hesitation, he used the Body Flicker Technique and returned straight to his home.
…
"System," he called out silently in his heart.
[Greetings Transmigrator, welcome to the Villain System.]
'Hahaha, so I wasn't mistaken! There really is a System!' Kanzou laughed excitedly.
You couldn't blame Kanzou for being so excited. Without a Cheat, even if he managed to survive until the Fourth Great Ninja War, he'd be nothing more than a bystander—completely irrelevant to the main events.
A transmigrator reduced to just watching from the sidelines? Unacceptable.
And even that was only the possibility once he'd survive the Uchiha Clan Massacre, the chances of which are abysmal.
'Maybe not if I were to ensure that Uchiha Itachi is never born…' Kanzou thought to himself.
There were two easy methods of ensuring that Uchiha Itachi isn't born… the first is to cut off the source of seeds… the second was to ensure that the field doesn't get ploughed by the original farmer.
It's just that Kanzou wasn't certain if that would really result in the change of outcomes… after all, Itachi was only the executioner. There were many minds involved in the Massacre. Even if Itachi doesn't exist, someone else might pick up the butcher knife in his place.
'It's really troublesome… forget about it, let's focus on understanding this system first…'
"System, explain your functions."
[Host, this system is called the Villain System. As long as you commit evil deeds, you will receive rewards.
Depending on the type and impact of the bad deeds committed, you will earn either evil points or direct item rewards. Evil points can be used in the Evil Value Mall.
- Mangekyō Sharingan – 300,000 Evil Points
- Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan – 1,000,000 Evil Points
- Perfect Sage Body – 1,000,000 Evil Points
- Nine Tomoe Rinnegan – 10,000,000 Evil Points]
"Doing evil things makes me stronger?"
Kanzou glanced through the items in the mall without a shred of hesitation—he wasn't exactly a saint to begin with. Any transmigrator with the morals of the modern era who can grow up to be an adult in this world while adopting the occupation of a Shinobi is not going to remain a morally good person.
Mass killings, murder, kidnapping, assassination, extortion, rape, torture… You name it, he has both seen and done it. Whether as part of the mission or for the sake of getting rid of all that emotional burden that came with the first times, wars, and conflicts…
After all, men raised on modern earth are more often than not morally good people… and when such men are forced to watch or participate in such things… there's a lot of trauma left. There are a lot of things that a traumatized person can do.
Kanzou was no different in that regard.
At this point, he was no longer a normal human restricted by morals or shit like that… so he didn't care about the System before him being 'Villain System,' and that he'd have to do bad deeds to earn rewards in order to become stronger.
All he cared about was whether this System was going to be of any use to him and whether it would help him survive.
Because ensuring the continuance of his existence was the most important thing.
"System, is there a novice gift package?"
[There's no novice gift package, but there is a compensation package for delayed awakening. Would the Host like to activate it?]
'You do seem to have come conscience…' thought Kanzou with a snort.
The system had been with him since the day he transmigrated, but it had taken seventeen long years to activate. The compensation package was the system's way of making up for the delay.
"Activate it. Right now."
[Opening Compensation package… The compensation package is successfully opened. Congratulations to the Host! You have received: Zanpakutō: Ryūjin Jakka +10,000 Evil Points!]
In Kanzou's hand appeared a plain long Katana with a Red scabbard. Both the scabbard and the blade looked incredibly ordinary, but Kanzou knew better. He knew the terrifying power sealed within this seemingly ordinary-looking blade.
This was one of the most powerful, if not the most powerful, Zanpakutō in all of Soul Society.
Holding such a powerful weapon in his hand excited Kanzou.
But at the same time, he couldn't hide his skepticism, "System… are you sure I can actually use this?"
Zanpakutō are exclusive to Shinigami. Shinigami are spiritual beings, and wielding a Zanpakutō requires Reiatsu. Their entire power system is fundamentally different from that of a shinobi.
[Items granted by the system are automatically adapted for the Host's body. You can use them perfectly. The energy requirement has been changed to chakra from Reiatsu.]
Although Kanzou could now wield the said Zanpakutō properly, he was still unable to activate its Shikai: Ryūjin Jakka.
To unlock Shikai, at the very least, one needed to have the Chakra reserves of a Kage-level ninja, which in itself is a very broad tier. Unfortunately for him, he wasn't even at the start of it.
'But I can still use it in kenjutsu,' he thought.
Ever since awakening his Sharingan, he had copied numerous kenjutsu styles and, through constant training and refinement, fused them into his own.
Over time, he developed a unique kenjutsu style, one that became his specialty, his greatest strength. From now on, he would wield Ryūjin Jakka as part of that kenjutsu.
'As for the 10,000 Evil Points… I'll save them for the Mangekyō Sharingan.
For now, there was no urgent need to purchase ninjutsu; he had more than enough techniques already from self-learning and scrolls left to him by his late foster mother cum Jōnin Sensei.
It made more sense to save them and aim for the Mangekyō Sharingan.
Although he was a prodigy of the Uchiha clan and had already awakened the fully matured Three Tomoe Sharingan, he had yet to unlock the Mangekyō.
Unlocking the Mangekyō wasn't just about talent; it required experience.
Not the experience that comes with age, but the experience that comes with experiencing tragedy.
Painful and tragic experience.
Although he had endured the deaths of both his biological parents and his jōnin sensei, neither tragedy had been enough to awaken his Mangekyō.
He had awakened his Sharingan at a young age, at the time of his parents' deaths. But when his sensei died, his eyes, already at the three-tomoe stage, did not evolve any further.
If he were being honest, her death should have been enough to trigger the Mangekyō. Yet it didn't. Whether that was because he had been too young at the time, or because he had already shut off his heart and never truly formed a deep emotional bond with her, he couldn't say. Regardless, the fact remained: even her death failed to awaken it.
That realization led him to question whether he could awaken the Mangekyō at all.
He didn't doubt his own potential or talent. What he doubted was his closed-off heart, whether it was even capable of forming a bond deep enough to meet the Mangekyō's cruel requirements. And beyond that, such a bond would also have to end in death.
Whether something like that would ever happen… he couldn't tell.
If the system hadn't finally activated, someone like Kanzou, detached and emotionally indifferent, might never even have the opportunity to awaken the Mangekyō Sharingan at all.
Fortunately, the system appeared, and now he had a chance.
Feeling better, he tied the newly obtained blade at his waist before heading toward the Konoha Military Police Headquarters.
At present, he wasn't just an Elite Jōnin of the village; he also held the title of Deputy Captain of the Konoha Military Police Force.
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Konoha Military Police Force HQ
When he arrived at the Police Station, the first thing he saw was Uchiha Fugaku's stern, expressionless face at the entrance.
"Great. Just what I needed," he murmured, clicking his tongue in annoyance.
Fugaku narrowed his eyes at him, "Uchiha Kanzou, late again. This makes it the seventeenth time this month."
Kanzou was the deputy captain of the Police Force, while Fugaku held the position of captain.
In fact, going by strength and merits, Kanzou should have been the captain. But since Fugaku's father was the current patriarch of the Uchiha Clan, the role had naturally been handed to him instead.
You know… Nepotism…
This choice of the Patriarch didn't come without any consequences.
The relationship between Kanzou and Fugaku was greatly affected.
Although it wasn't exactly hostile, it was far from being friendly.
Tension always lingered between them and their faction members.
Because at the heart of it was the looming matter of succession: the position of the Uchiha Clan's Patriarch.
Truth be told, Kanzou had never seriously considered becoming the patriarch.
But even if that was the case, Fugaku and his aides have long seen Kanzou's existence as a threat, hence the conflict.
As a result, Kanzou, the strongest member of the Uchiha Clan, was frequently at odds with Fugaku, the patriarch's son.
Strangely enough, many within Konoha's leadership were pleased by this rivalry.
The higher-ups didn't want to see a united Uchiha clan. In fact, some of the more scheming elders were deliberately stirring the pot from behind the scenes, ensuring that the tension between Kanzou and Fugaku remained as sharp as ever.
'What else can one expect from those fuckers in the Hokage Office?'
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Drop power Powerstonessssssssss!
[Note: Read up to Chapter - 38 on P atreon at: p-atreon.com/Knockturn_Alley]