Late Night, Konoha Village.
It should have been a night of the full moon, but the sky was choked with thick, oppressive clouds, plunging the village into pitch-black darkness.
The towering faces of the Hokage Monument loomed like ink-black silhouettes against the night, the silent stone gazes of the four past Hokages watching over the village.
Suddenly, a piercing scream shattered the stillness.
"You—you filthy gambler!"
"You took our son's life-saving money and gambled it all away!"
"Now he's… he's already…!"
What followed was a raw, gut-wrenching wail of despair.
"And even now, you still dare to go back to the gambling dens?!"
"Are… are you even human anymore?!"
"Let go of me, you crazy bitch!"
SMACK!
A sharp slap rang out, followed by the sickening thuds of kicks and punches—each blow punctuated by the woman's agonized cries. The man's drunken roars drowned her out.
"Shut your damn mouth! Our brat's already dead—what's the point of whining now?!"
"If his spirit's watching, he'd better bless his old man with a winning streak!"
"This is the last of the money I need to turn my luck around!"
"I'll win back everything I lost!"
"Once I'm rich, I'll live like a king in Tanzaku Town—fine food, hot springs, women! Who'd give a damn about a hag like you?!"
Those words broke her.
In a final act of madness, she sank her teeth into his leg.
"AAARGH!"
The man's howl split the night before his boot cracked against her skull. She crumpled to the ground, unconscious.
He barely glanced at her before stomping away, greedily weighing the last coins in his purse. The thought of another night at the gambling dens made his fingers twitch with anticipation.
"Tch… Once I hit it big, I'll book the finest hot-spring inn in Tanzaku Town… Maybe a couple of young girls to celebrate…"
Lights flickered on in nearby homes as neighbors stirred, but no one dared intervene. The man was a rabid dog when drunk—everyone knew that.
They could only watch in disgust, muttering among themselves.
"That bastard… Gambling away his own son's medicine money…"
"Monsters like him deserve to die."
"But you know how it is—good people suffer, while the wicked thrive…"
A heavy silence fell.
By the time a few neighbors rushed to help the woman—Haruko—she was already stirring, her voice hollow.
"My son's gone… I have nothing left to live for…"
"But that man… He's still my husband…"
The crowd gaped.
"Haruko, after all he's done—?!"
Yet she staggered to her feet, swaying toward the direction he'd left.
"I… I have to bring him home…"
The neighbors exchanged glances but followed.
"Haruko, that man's beyond saving…"
Meanwhile, the gambler trotted toward the village gates, already fantasizing about his winning streak—and the women of Tanzaku Town.
Then, a shadow blocked his path.
"The hell?! Move, mutt!"
The figure didn't budge.
Even in the darkness, the man could see the cold gleam of its eyes. A chill shot down his spine, sobering him instantly.
"Y-You… human or ghost?!"
"Hah! Even a ghost wouldn't scare me!"
"Get outta my way, or I'll—"
Behind him, Haruko and the neighbors caught up. A lantern's glow spilled over the scene—revealing a familiar uniform.
"That insignia…"
"Konoha's Military Police?!"
"It's… an Uchiha!"
The crowd recoiled. Normally, the police would mean safety—but the Uchiha Clan's blood-red eyes only inspired fear.
The gambler scoffed.
"Big deal! The Uchiha can't stop me from gambling!"
"Even the Hokage wouldn't meddle in family business!"
Two more officers landed beside the shadowed figure.
"Captain, this isn't worth our time…"
"Our duty is village security. This trash isn't our problem."
"The clan's already on thin ice with the village. Let it go."
Hearing this, the man smirked and swaggered past them—
—Until a scream tore through the night.
The crowd froze. Some fainted on the spot.
The gambler blinked.
"Huh…?"
Why was the world spinning?
Wait—was that his own headless body…?
THUD.
His skull hit the dirt, eyes wide in disbelief, just as a boot crushed his face.
"C-Captain…?!"
Uchiha Yoru didn't flinch, his Sharingan cold and unreadable.
DING!
[You killed a gambler. Successfully helped him quit. Good deed—+10 Virtue Points!]