Late at night, Konoha Village.
It should have been a night with a full moon, but the sky was completely smothered by heavy, oppressive black clouds. The entire village was plunged into pitch darkness—so dark one couldn't even see their own fingers.
Even the towering Hokage Rock, normally illuminated by firelight, was reduced to vague, ink-black outlines in the night. The stone faces of the four Hokage gazed silently over the village.
Suddenly—
A shrill scream tore through the stillness of the night.
"You—you damn gambling bastard!"
"You actually took our son's life-saving money to gamble—and you lost it all!"
"Now our son is already… already…"
What followed was heart-wrenching sobbing, tearing at the lungs.
"Even after all that, you still want to go gamble tonight?!"
"Are you even human?!"
"Let go of me! You crazy woman!"
Slap!
A loud smack echoed out, followed by the sound of fists and kicks landing again and again, mixed with the woman's piercing screams.
Amid it all came the man's furious curses.
"You lunatic! The kid's already dead—what's the point of saying all this now?!"
"If his spirit's really watching from heaven, he should be blessing me to win big from now on!"
"This is the last bit of money we've got—I can finally turn things around!"
"I'm going to win back everything I lost!"
"As long as I've got money, I'll eat the best food, drink the best wine, live it up in Tanzaku Town! Who's going to care whether you live or die then?!"
Those words became the final straw.
The woman completely snapped.
She lunged forward and bit down hard on the man's leg.
"AHHH!"
The man screamed in pain, then viciously kicked her in the head.
She let out a muffled groan, her body going limp as she collapsed to the ground—unconscious.
The man merely glanced at her once, spat a curse, and stomped away.
Under cover of darkness, he weighed the last few coins in his hand. Thinking about being able to gamble freely again in Tanzaku Town made his heart itch unbearably—even his bones seemed to itch.
"Damn it… once I win big, I'll head to the best hot spring inn, enjoy myself properly, and call over a few young, pretty girls to have some real fun…"
As the couple's violent argument unfolded, lights lit up in nearby homes.
But seeing the man's crazed expression, no one dared step in.
Everyone was filled with righteous anger—but they all knew that once this man lost control, he was worse than a mad dog.
They could only gather at a distance, whispering among themselves. Some sighed and shook their heads; others glared coldly.
Only after the man had left did a few neighbors hurry over to check on the unconscious woman.
"Chun-zi… wake up…"
"Are you okay?"
The woman named Chun-zi slowly opened her eyes.
But all strength seemed to have drained from her.
"Our son is dead… I don't want to live anymore…"
"That gambling bastard… he doesn't even care about our marriage anymore…"
The neighbors sighed.
"That kind of man would be better off dead!"
"He even gambled away his son's life-saving money—he's worse than an animal!"
"But this world… good people don't live long, while scum live forever…"
Silence fell.
Chun-zi shook her head weakly.
"Even so… he's still my husband. Our son is gone—he's the only one I have left…"
Everyone stared at her in disbelief.
"He's already like that, and you still—?"
Chun-zi staggered to her feet and chased after him.
"I… I have to find him… bring him back…"
The neighbors hurried after her.
"Chun-zi, that man's beyond saving! He'll never turn back!"
…
Meanwhile, the man was jogging toward the village entrance, happily jingling his coin pouch.
He was already fantasizing about striking it rich at the gambling hall, followed by indulgent nights in Tanzaku Town.
Then—
From the darkness ahead, a figure appeared, blocking his path.
"What the hell is this?"
"Get out of the way! A good dog doesn't block the road!"
The figure didn't move.
Though the night was pitch-black, the man could clearly see the figure's eyes—cold, dark, and chilling.
A wave of fear surged up his spine. The alcohol in his stomach instantly evaporated, cold sweat pouring down his forehead.
"You… are you human or a ghost?!"
"Hmph—even if you're a ghost, I'm not afraid!"
"Don't block my way to gamble, or I'll make sure you regret it!"
At that moment, Chun-zi and the neighbors caught up.
"That—who is that?"
A neighbor raised a lantern, dispelling some of the darkness.
"That uniform…"
"Konoha's police force?!"
"No—it's an Uchiha!"
Someone gasped in fear.
To ordinary villagers, the Uchiha—with their red Sharingan eyes—were like terrifying demons.
"The police?"
The man startled, but quickly relaxed.
"As long as you're not a ghost, what's there to be afraid of?"
"Even the police can't control me!"
"What if you're an Uchiha?!"
"You think you can stop me from gambling?!"
More police officers appeared, flanking the figure.
"Captain, this isn't worth getting involved in…"
"Our job is village security. This man deserves to die, but it's not our place…"
"With tensions this high between the Uchiha and the village, we shouldn't cause trouble…"
Hearing this, the man grew bolder.
"Hey, did you hear that?"
"Mind your own damn business!"
"Uchiha or police—what difference does it make?"
"Even if the Hokage came, you can't meddle in my family affairs!"
He sneered and deliberately brushed past them.
Then—
"AHHH!!!"
A scream ripped through the night.
Spectators were so terrified some fainted on the spot.
"What happened?!"
The gambler turned back in confusion—
And saw the world spinning.
"Huh…?"
"That… headless body…"
"…is that me?!"
Thud.
A human head rolled onto the ground, eyes wide open in disbelief, never understanding what had happened.
All it could see was the sole of a boot stepping down hard on it.
"Captain Qianyu!"
The Uchiha police sub-captain, Uchiha Qianyu, stood there, foot pinning the head to the ground, eyes cold and utterly emotionless.
Ding!
[You successfully helped a gambling addict quit gambling. Good deed. Merit Points +10!]