It wasn't until the system's last notification finally faded away that Andrew began seriously exploring its interface. It was crude—like something straight out of an old-school game shop. In the top-right corner, he saw his feedback point balance. Below that, rows of items appeared like purchasable upgrades.
"Sage Body! Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan! Rinnegan! Tenseigan… Good lord, they're all incredible!"
The moment Andrew laid eyes on the selection, his mind nearly exploded with excitement. But that elation quickly evaporated.
"Damn, these prices are insane! It's all just rows of zeros or nines!"
He checked his own balance. Less than 10,000 feedback points. He couldn't even afford a fragment of these legendary abilities.
Glancing toward the countdown timer at the bottom of the interface, Andrew realized something important—the item list refreshed regularly. These weren't permanent listings.
"Looks like I'll need to work harder for more feedback points. Apparently, negative feedback gives more."
He checked his history. Feedback from the Uchiha clan members was consistent but low—about 500 points per person on average. Danzo, however? Only two entries, but both were in the four-digit range.
"I've got just over 8,000 points… guess I can only afford this mystery box."
Among the nine product slots, eight featured extravagant powers—bloodline limits, forbidden jutsu, you name it. But in the top-left corner sat a simple question mark, labeled at 1,000 feedback points. It was the only item within his reach.
"Let's see what you've got, mystery box."
[Ding! Host has purchased a random item: +Pupil Power Boost!]
The moment the transaction completed, a cool sensation flooded his eyes. The exhaustion he'd been feeling from overusing the Mangekyō vanished. His pupil power had been fully restored.
Andrew's heart skipped a beat. "Wait—if pupil power can be replenished…"
One of the biggest drawbacks of Mangekyō Sharingan was the risk of blindness. Overuse drained the fixed reserve of ocular energy. But if he could recharge that power...
"I don't need Eternal Mangekyō right away—I can afford to be bolder!"
[Ding! Random item purchase limited to one per day. Please wait for the next refresh.]
Andrew: "…Tch."
"Don't get me hyped up like that only to shut me down immediately! But I guess one boost is better than nothing."
Just as he was adjusting to the good news, an urgent voice rang out.
"Captain! Something's happened at the police department! Hokage requests your presence at the office—immediately!"
A young Uchiha ran over, visibly tense.
"Hokage's office? What's going on?" Andrew raised an eyebrow. "I already made it clear—I'm not involved with the police anymore. The 'captain' title is just a formality. Hiruzen knows that."
The messenger hesitated, then said quietly, "It has something to do with the village's defenses. Shinobi from another village entered Konoha… and some members of the police force were killed."
Andrew's expression darkened.
Though Uchiha still had a few token members in the department, they'd largely stepped away. Most duties were being handled by shinobi from other clans, so details were murky.
When Andrew arrived at the Hokage building, the atmosphere was heavy.
Not only were the clan heads and advisors gathered—but even Danzo was there. The old weasel hadn't been seen for a while, but now he was back, right in the thick of things.
Andrew's gaze locked instantly on Danzo's right eye, still wrapped in bandages. It gave off the unmistakable aura of another Sharingan.
[Ding! Congratulations to Host for receiving negative feedback from Shimura Danzo: +1127 points]
"Nice. Another free bonus."
Danzo looked furious, but he didn't dare speak. Not with Andrew staring him down—and not in front of all the clan heads. The incident from before still cast a long shadow.
"Maybe I should show up in front of him more often," Andrew thought smugly. "Just breathing the same air makes him give me points."
Still, he had no intention of starting something without cause. Danzo was still a Hokage Advisor. Unless the man made a move, Andrew wasn't going to break the peace.
"Lord Hokage, what's the emergency? Let me remind you—I'm only captain in name. The patrol routes and assignments were handled by the clans. I had no involvement."
He made sure to keep his tone cold and distant, drawing a clear line in the sand.
[Ding! Congratulations to Host for receiving negative feedback from Sarutobi Hiruzen: +1046 points]
Another bonus. This was getting fun.
Hiruzen coughed awkwardly. "Andrew, you misunderstand. We're not here to hold you responsible. We've called you to discuss the current situation."
"Oh, now we're having discussions? Funny. Uchiha hasn't been included in 'village discussions' for years."
His sarcasm was cutting. Even the other clan heads shifted uncomfortably at the reminder. Uchiha had long been excluded from Konoha's inner circle—no elder seats, no say in major decisions.
The patriarch of the Sarutobi clan tried to smooth things over. "Captain, this isn't a policy discussion. An incident has occurred. We're hoping you can help us address it."
Andrew crossed his arms. "I'm listening."
Third Hokage gave a summary:
"The new police department—staffed by various clan shinobi—was still in training. Maintaining law and order required excessive manpower. Even small conflicts took two full squads to handle."
"Earlier today, enemy shinobi tried to infiltrate Konoha. They were caught, but not before they killed two officers."
The room fell silent.
Andrew blinked, then let out a low whistle.
"Yikes. So what you're saying is—your guys were under-trained, under-assessed, and underestimated the job. Sounds like someone thought the police department was just a glorified patrol."
His words stung, especially the Sarutobi clan, since the fallen shinobi belonged to them.
"Didn't anyone assess their readiness? Did you really think maintaining order in Konoha was as easy as walking in circles all day?"
Andrew's tone was sharp. "Every squad leader should've been Jōnin-level at the very least. That's not just procedure—that's common sense."
The Sarutobi patriarch clenched his fists but didn't respond.
Andrew's point was brutal—but accurate.
Hiruzen coughed again, choosing to divert.
"Andrew, I will speak to the clan heads and ensure stricter evaluation going forward. But for now… would you consider helping us temporarily? Perhaps recall some of your suspended officers?"
There it was. The real reason they summoned him.
The Third Hokage finally admitted that Uchiha's presence had been more crucial than they'd let on. While they had tried to build a new police force, the systems and structure were still Uchiha-designed.
Without that experience, mistakes happened. Deadly ones.
Andrew raised an eyebrow. "So now you want us back? After being frozen out, slandered, blamed for every little thing… you're asking for help?"
He wasn't shouting. But his voice was firm—cutting through the room like a blade.
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