As expected, this ceiling panel had been tampered with and could be easily pried open.
Inside the gap was a safe.
Directly above the lightbulb, on the upper side of the ceiling, there was a simple mechanism made of rope and gears. When the bulb was twisted, the gears would turn, pulling the rope.
The rope was used to secure the tampered ceiling panel. Once the rope was pulled, the panel would drop down.
If the bulb kept turning, the rope would also block the safe and push it out through the gap in the ceiling.
It was a crude design, but undeniably practical. Unless someone tore the place apart or used high-tech, all-encompassing scans like Batman, it would be hard to find.
Naturally, the key to this safe had already been destroyed by Heijin, along with the room's keys and its former owner.
But Hardy wasn't without options.
For a ninja, the most secure protection is a sealing technique. For something locked like this, there are plenty of ways to crack it.
Hardy took out a paperclip with a sharpened tip, attached a chakra thread to it, inserted it into the safe's lock, jiggled it up and down a few times, then pulled it out. After twisting the paperclip into a key shape, he inserted it again.
He'd seen a fellow villain use this trick back in Arkham, but that person relied on experience and skill, while Hardy used chakra threads to sense the lock's interior and deduce the key's shape.
*Click.*
The safe opened, revealing stacks of green bills and the intoxicating scent of ink.
A smile spread across Hardy's face.
Although there were no gold bars this time, the amount of cash was clearly more than what the last crime boss had. The overall haul wouldn't be much less.
If you want to get rich, just working hard and saving money is pointless—you have to exploit others.
Chidi Cole and the nightclub boss he'd encountered before were just small-time gang leaders, yet they could easily amass such a fortune.
"Boss! There's $410,000 in here!"
After counting, the accountant excitedly reported to Hardy.
"Take out $200,000 and split it among the brothers. Take another $100,000 to buy guns and such. The rest is mine. Also…"
"From now on, we're not called the Cole Gang anymore. We're the Hogg Union."
With their share in hand, the thugs naturally cheered and celebrated.
Having just subdued this group, Hardy knew he had to give them some benefits. Combined with the display of his abilities earlier, both reward and intimidation would ensure their loyalty.
Perhaps feeling closer to their new boss, accountant Dura struck up a conversation with Hardy after distributing the money.
"Hogg Union? Boss Watt, that doesn't sound very intimidating."
"All those 'something-something gangs'—even an idiot can tell they're criminals. But 'Hogg Union' sounds at least like a legitimate organization, and it won't attract those Bat-monsters' attention. Later, we can set up a football club or something, and we'll be a proper legal organization, a civil association."
Hardy explained to Dura.
Most of the other thugs were uneducated, raised on mindless entertainment, but Dura had been to college.
Church universities in America vary greatly in quality. The best are world-class, but most are regional, serving specific communities or groups, and aren't particularly prestigious.
Dura attended Gotham's Gradiya Church University, which couldn't compare to top schools like Gotham University or Central City University, but it was still a legitimate institution.
He was the only one among Hardy's men with higher education and some management skills—definitely someone worth valuing.
"Got it. In the future, when we collect protection fees, we can use the excuse of a civil financial association, making it harder for outsiders to pin anything on us.
But boss, I should remind you—this is Gotham's slums. The rules of the rich districts don't apply here. Here, it's all about who has more guns, more men, and who can fight. That's who gets more turf and more money. If we want to grow, we'll need to rely on our fists. Of course, I don't think anyone here has a harder fist than you."
Dura pushed up his glasses as he spoke.
Hardy nodded in satisfaction.
This guy really gets it.
…
…
Naruto World.
A day had passed since the last S-rank mission incident.
After Jianxue used medical ninjutsu to stabilize Ishito's injuries, the group escorted him back to Sunagakure for better treatment.
The Third Kazekage returned to the front lines.
Now, Hatake Sakumo…
Injury is the best opportunity to strike back at Konoha, and he needs to take charge of the overall situation.
Ebizō specially approved a few days of vacation for the Sixth Squad, allowing everyone to have a good rest.
However, Hardy still planned to go to the Puppet Corps base as usual to take advantage of the puppet training.
But when Hardy arrived at the base, he found that Sasori was already assembling a puppet at the workbench.
"Sasori, you're...?"
"I spent the whole night here."
Sasori pointed to the salamander puppet beside him, which had already been repaired, and glanced at Hardy.
"Your two puppets are pretty good. Once I finish assembling Black Ant, let's have another match."
"Black Ant..."
Hardy looked at the puppet Sasori was assembling.
Although it wasn't finished yet, its general shape had already taken form.
It was obvious that this was an upgraded version of White Ant—only much larger in size, and the materials had also been changed.
"Is something on your mind?"
Hardy felt that Sasori was acting a bit odd.
Thinking of how, in the future, Sasori would turn his childhood friends into puppets, and later assassinate the Third Kazekage and turn him into a puppet as well, Hardy couldn't help but worry that Sasori might want to turn him into a puppet too.
After all, he and Sasori were teammates, and he had even beaten Sasori in the selection exams before.
It would be best, while Sasori was still young, to try to set him on the right path as much as possible.
Sasori's hands paused for a moment, but then he started assembling parts even faster, speaking as he worked:
"What about you? You seem to admire the Third Kazekage?"
"Maybe. At least in Sunagakure, right now, we're all subordinates of the Third Kazekage. What about you? Are you dissatisfied with him?"
Sasori pursed his lips, stopped what he was doing, and fixed his bright eyes on Hardy.
"He didn't lead us to victory against Konoha, and a lot of people died."
Is that the reason you assassinate the Third Kazekage a few years from now?
As expected, this kid is just like Uchiha Itachi—no one taught him when he was young, so his thinking is all twisted.