Read ahead of public release on P atreon at: p-atreon.com/Knockturn_Alley
Check out Chapter illustrations on Pixiv at unhinged_uchiha
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Boom!
Boom!
Boom!
Explosive impacts echoed across the training field. Violent winds howled, the ground cracked and shattered, and shockwaves rippled through the air as Hazuki and Satoru watched from behind a distant tree, their Sharingan fully activated.
"That guy…" Satoru muttered in disbelief. "He's actually overwhelming the Patriarch… u-unbelievable."
"Don't be stupid," Hazuki replied calmly. "It's only because Kanzou-sama is using pure taijutsu. He isn't using anything other than any other skill." She narrowed her eyes. "If he used his other abilities, this Might Duy would be defeated in an instant."
She continued, "And that burst of strength, it's temporary. He's clearly using a Forbidden Jutsu. There has to be a cost. Compared to that, Kanzou-sama is barely even exerting himself. He's just using chakra and perception to keep up."
"I know that," Satoru said. "But still…" He glanced at Hazuki. "Isn't this insane? Might Duy is supposed to be a genin. Does that look like a genin to you? Watching him now… even I'm not sure I could defeat him."
He was exaggerating; one glance from his Sharingan and the fight would be over. Still, Satoru had to admit it.
Duy's strength was terrifying.
And without the Sharingan… he might actually lose.
In that regard, even Hazuki had nothing to say, because she felt the same. Unless she managed to trap Might Duy in a genjutsu with her Sharingan, she wasn't confident she could defeat him with her current strength. This made her loathe herself. She bit her lip in frustration, thinking, 'How pathetic… I'm not even confident I can defeat a mere genin who can't use ninjutsu or genjutsu.'
The anger turned inward.
She was Kanzou's second-in-command, his most devoted follower, his most loyal subordinate, yet she wasn't even his strongest.
Unaware of Hazuki's inner turmoil, Satoru thought, 'No wonder the Patriarch signed a slave contract with him.'
At first, he hadn't understood Kanzou's interest in Might Duy. It had seemed like a waste of time to recruit someone who had remained a genin for over two decades, couldn't use ninjutsu or genjutsu, and wasn't exactly known for his intelligence.
But watching him now, Satoru finally understood why Kanzou had chosen to enslave him.
With those thoughts in mind, the two continued watching as the battle raged on, each clash producing louder and more violent explosions.
Fortunately, the training field was enclosed by a barrier formation that prevented the destruction and noise from leaking outside. Otherwise, the entire village would have been alerted and rushed over to investigate.
Within the sealed space, the barrier held firm, and the battle continued.
…
"Haaah… haaah… y-you're really… haaah… strong…" Duy said between heavy breaths, looking at Kanzou, who was also breathing hard.
"You're not half bad either, Might Duy," Kanzou replied, nodding. His hands trembled slightly, numb from blocking Duy's relentless punches and kicks. Each strike had carried tremendous weight… and that made him quite satisfied.
Indeed, he was genuinely satisfied with Duy's strength.
"Well then… let's stop here," Kanzou said.
He had only wanted to test Duy's strength. Now that he had seen a little, there was no need to continue.
"A-alright…" Duy nodded, letting out a breath of relief. He immediately closed all six gates, and the massive chakra erupting from his body receded.
The moment it vanished, pain hit him.
"Ouch… ouch… ouch…!" Duy cried as he collapsed onto the ground, his entire body trembling.
This was normal. After all, the Eight Inner Gates was a forbidden technique, and as Hazuki had pointed out, forbidden jutsu always came with a price.
Once the gates were closed, the body inevitably suffered severe backlash, and the more gates that had been opened, the worse the pain became.
In fact, if the user's body wasn't strong enough to withstand the strain, it could lead to shattered bones or even complete physical collapse. That was why anyone who used the Gates had to be extremely careful about how many they chose to open.
Kanzou deactivated his Sharingan, slipped his hands back into his pockets, and walked over.
"So," he asked calmly, "how many gates can you open? Can you reach the Seventh?"
Gritting his teeth against the pain, Duy nodded. "I can… open the Seventh Gate, but…" He hesitated before continuing. "Once I do, I can't move for several hours."
The strain of the Seventh Gate was at least ten times greater than that of the Sixth. It left his body completely drained, frozen in exhaustion, pain, and agony.
Kanzou hummed, accepting the answer, then asked, "What about the Eighth Gate? The Gate of Death… can you open it?"
"W-well…" Duy hesitated, unsure how to respond. "It's forbidden, so I've never tried."
The cost of opening the Gate of Death was exactly as its name implied: death. It consumed every last drop of chakra and vital force in the body, converting it into overwhelming power for a brief moment. But once that time ended, so did the user's life.
There would be nothing left to burn.
It wasn't that Duy was unwilling to open the Eighth Gate; it was simply a rule he had set for himself. He would only use it under very specific circumstances, which is the protection of someone precious to him. Otherwise, he would never activate it.
"Hmm… I see. It doesn't matter," Kanzou said calmly. "You probably won't need the Eighth Gate anyway. The Seventh will be enough."
He knew the cost of the final gate. And he knew the power it granted.
In the canon, Might Duy had overwhelmed all seven of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist, elite jōnin-level fighters, and even managed to kill four of them before dying himself. That alone showed just how terrifying the Eighth Gate truly was.
It was said to multiply the user's strength by a hundredfold. Enough to turn anyone into a monster.
Even Kanzou wasn't fully confident he could defeat the Red Beast head-on.
'Though I could still use my Ocular Jutsu to freeze him in time or slow him down,' he thought.
Shaking his head, Kanzou extended a hand toward Duy. "Come on. Get up. Let's head back to the police station."
Duy stared at the offered hand, surprised. The gesture felt… almost respectful. Considering he had just been turned into a slave, it left him confused and hesitant.
"What are you doing?" Kanzou said impatiently. "Hurry up. I don't have all day."
"Y-yes…" Duy nodded and, with difficulty, raised his trembling hand and grasped Kanzou's.
Kanzou pulled him to his feet.
Duy's body still ached all over.
Just then, Hazuki and Satoru arrived beside them. Hazuki immediately turned to Kanzou and asked anxiously, "Kanzou-sama… a-are you alright?"
"It's fine," he replied, shaking his head. "Just some numbness."
Meanwhile, Satoru patted Duy on the back and laughed. "Color me impressed, Might Duy. I didn't expect you to have that kind of strength. You're a real hidden monster, aren't you? What was that Jutsu? You actually kept up with the Patriarch."
"A-ouch—!" Duy wasn't in any state to feel flattered. The moment Satoru slapped his back, pain shot through him, and he jolted. "Ouch… ouch…"
"W-what?" Satoru froze, startled.
"It's just the backlash from the Jutsu he used," Kanzou explained calmly. "He'll recover after a while."
Then he turned and gave a short order. "Alright. Let's head back to the police station."
…
At the Police Station—
Kanzou turned to Might Duy and said, "Be here first thing tomorrow morning. I'll have work for you… probably."
He wasn't entirely sure yet; Hiruzen hadn't sent over the missions, so there was no guarantee Duy would actually be needed the next day.
"Um… may I ask what kind of work?" Duy asked hesitantly. He still had no idea what Kanzou intended to make him do.
"You'll be leaving the village on a mission," Kanzou replied casually.
"Missions?" Duy froze. He hadn't expected that at all.
Kanzou nodded. "Yeah, that's how it'll be." He paused, then added, "As for preparations… You can't really do anything until we get the mission details, so forget about that for now."
Then his tone turned blunt. "But don't you dare wear those stupid tights again. If I see you in them, I'll chop off your arms and legs."
The threat made Duy gulp. He nodded quickly, even though he didn't actually own anything else to wear.
Somewhat satisfied, Kanzou turned to Satoru. "Release him and his son. Let them go." He paused, then added, "And give him a few sets of police uniforms."
He knew Duy was too poor to afford proper clothes, so he made sure the uniforms would be provided.
"I understand, Kanzou-sama," Satoru replied with a nod.
With that, Kanzou dismissed Duy from his office…
…
In another room inside the police station—
'Let me go… let me go…' the boy struggled against the ropes binding him, twisting and pulling with all his strength. But no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't break free and was forced to remain seated, helpless.
The room was empty. He was completely alone.
'Papa… are you okay?' The thought surfaced, filling him with worry as darker fears crept into his mind. He quickly shook his head.
'No… don't think about that. First, I have to get out of here…'
He tried again, straining against the ropes, but the result was the same.
He still couldn't move.
Just as he was wondering what to do, the door opened, and Duy walked in with Uchiha Satoru.
Guy's eyes widened. He tried to shout, Papa!, but his mouth was taped, and no sound came out. Still, relief washed over him when he saw that Duy was okay… at least, mostly. He could see a few injuries, but nothing serious.
Duy hurried over and quickly untied the ropes, then peeled the tape from Guy's mouth.
"Papa—!" Guy cried.
Without warning, Duy punched him in the face, sending him tumbling across the room.
"What the—?" Satoru froze, staring at Duy in disbelief, genuinely wondering if this man was really the boy's father.
"Papa?!" Guy cried, stunned and confused.
"Guy, you idiot!" Duy snapped angrily. "How could you do something as stupid as trying to break into the police station?!"
If not for the fact that Uchiha Kanzou wanted to make use of him, Guy would have been imprisoned as well, and Duy didn't even want to imagine what that would have meant.
'Twenty years in prison…' Just thinking about it made him even angrier at his son for his reckless foolishness.
"I was worried about you, Papa!" Guy protested. "Everyone said you were arrested, and that people who get arrested never come back, so I—"
Duy let out a heavy sigh and pulled his son into a tight hug.
"It wasn't an arrest," he said gently. "It was… more like a test."
It was a lie, but as a father, Duy didn't want his son growing up thinking of him as someone who was arrested.
"A test?" Guy looked confused and stunned. He couldn't understand it at all. After all, the other kids had said his father was arrested. 'Were they lying…?'
"Yeah," Duy said, forcing a smile. "It was a test. I passed, and now I've been recruited. I got a job. The whole arrest thing was part of it, so… you don't need to worry."
Just like with the arrest, Duy didn't tell his son that he had become a slave. He would rather let Guy believe this was a proper recruitment, some kind of official job.
"E-eh? Really? You got a job, Papa?" Guy's face lit up. He knew how hard his father had tried all these years. Hearing this made his chest swell with emotion. "Papa… you finally got a job… Papa…"
"Yeah," Duy said softly. "Now we won't be poor anymore…"
Tears welled up in his eyes as well. He glanced at Satoru with a pleading look, silently asking him not to reveal the truth about the slave contract and arrest.
Satoru shrugged, clearly unconcerned.
With that, Duy let out a sigh of relief, grateful that Satoru hadn't exposed his lie. He pulled away from Guy, straightened his posture, and put on a bright smile. Raising his thumb in an exaggerated nice guy pose, showing off his bright white teeth as he said loudly and energetically, "Thank you for giving me a job!"
Guy copied him immediately, striking the same pose and shouting with equal enthusiasm, "Thank you for giving Papa a job!"
Satoru felt slightly awkward at their sudden burst of energy. He shrugged again, checked the time, and said flatly, "Alright, hurry up. I have other things to do. You should leave now, and make sure you're here tomorrow morning on time for work."
Duy nodded and began to leave with Guy.
As Duy was passing by Satoru. Satoru pressed a hand on Duy's shoulder, suddenly stopping him, and leaning closer, he spoke in a low voice.
"It goes without saying… whatever happened here, about the slave contract and the mission, stays a secret. You're not allowed to tell anyone. Not even the Hokage. Break that rule, and both you and your son will spend the rest of your lives behind bars. Do you understand?"
Duy froze. "Not even Hokage-sama?"
"Not Sarutobi Hiruzen. Not even his ANBU," Satoru repeated.
That made Duy uneasy.
"Papa?" Guy asked, confused by his sudden pause.
Duy looked at his son, then nodded firmly at Satoru. "I understand."
He had to protect Guy, no matter what.
"Good." Satoru patted Duy on the shoulder, satisfied, and gestured for them to go home.
…
Meanwhile, at Elder Tadayoshi's House—
DING-DONG~
Soon after the doorbell rang, the gate opened, and Suzume peeked out to see who was visiting. Her eyes widened in surprise.
"Mikoto-sama?"
That's right, the visitor was Mikoto. After returning home, she had taken a bath and changed her clothes before coming to her grandfather's house. She nodded to Suzume, the young caretaker who looked after her grandfather in her absence.
"Suzume-chan…"
Suzume opened the door fully and asked, "Mikoto-sama, what brings you here? Are you here to see Tadayoshi-sama? He has gone out for a walk…"
"It's alright," Mikoto replied with a small smile as she stepped inside. Internally, she let out a quiet sigh of relief. 'Thankfully…' She had come at this exact hour on purpose, knowing her grandfather would be out for a walk. "I just need to pick up a few things," she said.
In truth, she didn't want to face him at all. She felt worried and afraid of facing him.
She was afraid that if her grandfather saw her, he would notice her pathetic state and how she had started to regret her decision to live with Kanzou.
He had warned her. And she had still gone to live with Kanzou. She had chosen to stay by his side, to build her life around him, no matter what he had done to her.
But now…
After being told she would only ever be one of his women.
After being given the ultimatum that she must help him do to Kushina what he had once done to her.
After being reduced to his maid, his servant, his possession…
After being forced to have sex with him in an unknown alley…
She felt lost, regretful.
But even if that was the case, she didn't know what else to do except stick with him.
The thought of leaving him had crossed her mind, but she couldn't accept it. Without him, she felt like she was nothing. At this point, her entire identity, her being, her purpose revolved around Kanzou. Only with him did she feel she had a place to exist, so she couldn't leave him, even if he made her do things she didn't want to do.
And yet…
She didn't want her grandfather to see this version of her.
This weak, dependent, pathetic self.
She was afraid that if her grandfather saw her like this, the woman she had become, not the one he had raised, he wouldn't be able to contain his anger. And in his rage, he might confront Kanzou… which would only end with Kanzou killing him.
She couldn't allow that to happen, either.
That was why she didn't want to see him at all. She just wanted to take a few things and leave immediately.
With that in mind, she went to the room she used to stay in and began searching for what she had come for. Everything was still where she had left it; it was just that she hadn't touched those things for over a year, ever since she returned to Konoha from the capital, so she had to search a little.
As she searched, she asked Suzume softly, "Has Sofu-sama been well? Has he been eating properly? He hasn't lost much weight, has he?"
Even if she didn't want to face him, it didn't mean she had stopped caring about him.
Suzume noticed her concern and answered her questions one by one.
Hearing that everything was fine with her, Sōfu-sama, Mikoto felt relieved and quickened her search. It didn't take long before she found what she was looking for.
"Here it is…"
Suzume blinked when she saw what Mikoto pulled out of the closet. "Maid clothes?"
Mikoto flushed slightly. "W-well… I need them for work. I just—"
"It's to please Kanzou-sama, right?" Suzume interrupted bluntly.
The blush on Mikoto's cheeks deepened. She hadn't expected the girl to say it so directly. While hurriedly placing the clothes into her bag, she tried to regain her composure. "Ahem… something like that…"
Kanzou had ordered her to dress like a maid, since she was now serving him as one. And the maid's clothes that she had brought back from the capital but never worn in the village had been sitting in this closet all along.
Now, she finally had a reason to take it out.
After packing the maid's clothes, Mikoto took out several more outfits and placed them into her bag. Then she stood up, ready to leave.
Seeing her move so quickly, Suzume asked, "Mikoto-sama, aren't you going to stay and see Tadayoshi-sama?"
"Not today," Mikoto replied with a small smile. "Suzume-chan… please continue to take good care of Sōfu-sama."
Even though she knew Suzume had been sent by Kanzou to keep an eye on her grandfather, she still couldn't help but ask her sincerely.
Suzume nodded. "Yes. Leave it to me."
With that, Mikoto opened the front door and stepped forward—
Only to come face to face with Tadayoshi, who had just returned from his walk.
"S-Sōfu-sama?"
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Hurry up and drop your Power Stones!
Read ahead of public release on P atreon at: p-atreon.com/Knockturn_Alley
Check out Chapter illustrations on Pixiv: unhinged_uchiha
If you like this story, then you might also like my other story: One Piece: The Incubus' Adventure. Give it a try.