Konoha Hypocrite

by Little Merger

Crossing to the Naruto World, Uchiha Tonan obtained the ‘Legacy Inheritance System’. As long as the people who acknowledged him died, he could inherit all abilities of the deceased. Therefore… “Konoha’s higher-ups mistreated the Uchihas. So, I’ve decided to lead the clan to launch a coup d’état after three years.” “Ding! Gained Uchiha clan’s acknowledgment.” Two years later. “Tonan

2. 33

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Chapter 33: Graduation Exam, New Acknowledgment

Notes:

Clan's territories or grounds will be referred to districts to differentiate from other similar spaces

Ninja headband is a forehead protector engraved with the village's symbol

The next day, Uchiha Tonan, who had otherwise slept late due to bustling most of the night, woke up surprisingly early. After washing up, he changed into new clothes, took his ninja bag, and left for the Academy.

Today was the final exam and also graduation day. A large group of parents had gathered outside the Ninja Academy. When Tonan arrived, the parents began to discuss him in whispers.

"He is the Uchiha genius, Uchiha Tonan. My child says he and the other genius Hatake Kakashi have applied for early graduation."

"It looks like this kid may be in his second year."

"You are not very concerned about the children, are you? Tonan and Kakashi are just first-grade students."

"How come other families' children are so capable?"

"I heard that Tonan was very sad when his parents passed away and he awakened his Sharingan. Just thinking about it, I want to commit suicide drowning in the river to make my kid awaken his Sharingan."

"You know, it is a good thing for a family to live a normal and happy life."

"This kid looks refined and cultured. He doesn't look very powerful."

"Apparently, he was carrying a little girl's corpse on the streets a couple of days ago."

"That was him?! I heard that girl was his girlfriend."

"Children nowadays… how can they fall in love so early? This is not alright, I need to be stricter with my kid. At least, they should reach third grade before falling in love."

"You don't need to worry so much… isn't your kid a girl?"

At that moment, Tonan, whose path was blocked by the two idly chatting parents, politely said, "Excuse me, can you please let me through?"

"Yes, little fellow, go, go."

"Do your best."

"Thank you, uncles."

After Tonan entered the academy, one of the parents watching him distractedly stroked his chin and said, "Actually, if my girl could make this young kid fall in love with her, it wouldn't be so bad."

……

Tonan walked all the way to the examination center. He pushed opened the door and saw about fifty to sixty students seated inside. There was still time, and most of the students hadn't arrived yet.

Even the early-bird Kakashi hadn't arrived yet. Tonan smiled warmly and nodded at other students in the classroom. He took his place as per the exam proctor's seating arrangement.

About half an hour later, the other students came in one after another.

"Is that white-haired kid and the kid with the glasses the first-year students who applied for early graduation this year?"

"Yes, but don't underestimate them. Since I usually sat by the window, I have seen some of the other grades' combat training. Those kids are remarkably strong."

"Silence," the exam proctor solemnly instructed, and added, "The test paper will be distributed now. There will be no chatting from here onwards. If anyone is caught cheating, your paper will be graded zero."

Soon, the test paper was handed out to everyone. Tonan could tell at first glance itself that the paper was very simple. It was so easy that even Naruto could have passed it. It comprised only multiple-choice questions. It looked like the theory learned in the academy was useful for the chunin exams only.

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Tonan shook his head, picked up the pen, and began answering at full speed.

Question: How is chakra produced?

Produced out of thin air. Produced from digested food. Produced by the combination of physical energy and spiritual energy.

Among the three choices, choosing C, whether by knowing the answer or just because it was the longest, was right either way.

Question: What can the clone created by Clone Technique do?

Help do homework. Tickle you. Walk.

……

There were twenty such absurd multiple-choice questions, and the answer for twelve of them was C. In other words, even without understanding anything, one would pass as long as C was ticked for all answers.

At this moment, most of the people had finished their test papers, and quietly sat on their seats.

After about half an hour, the proctor began to collect the test paper. At this time, Umino Naoto made a special trip to the graduation examination room to help supervise the exam. It looked like he had already finished supervising the first-year exam.

Immediately after entering, he gave Kakashi and Tonan an encouraging look. Tonan nodded and smiled back. After collecting the papers, the proctor stood up and announced, "Next, it's the ninjutsu test. This year's ninjutsu topic is Substitution Technique."

Hearing this, the entire classroom was filled with complaints.

"What!"

"Why the Substitution Technique with the most number of hand signs?"

"I can't remember all hand signs of the Technique."

"I can make hand signs, but I fail nine out of ten times."

"Last year, it was Transformation Technique, which was the simplest."

"Damn it, yesterday, Nosuke-sensei swore that this year's examination topic was Clone Technique."

……

Looking at the clamor, blue veins popped on the proctor's forehead. He slammed on the podium and shouted, "Shut up! If you want to speak again, get out."

Silence reigned in the exam room once again and the proctor continued, "There are two students who applied for early graduation this year. And because their test content is different from the others, their test takes precedence."

He nodded towards Naotok, which then took the lead and called out in a clear loud voice, "Hatake Kakashi."

Everyone's eyes focused on Kakashi. As for the student himself, he lazily walked to the platform as if he was bored. Naoto awkwardly smiled at the proctor beside him, coughed, and said, "Kakashi, be serious. Come and perform all the three basic ninjutsu."

Hearing his sensei's instruction, Kakashi raised his hands, which seemed to disappear in the next moment, leaving blur images. The other students couldn't see the signs he was making.

Even before the white smoke rose, another Kakashi appeared beside him. In the next moment, Kakashi, who was standing in the original position, turned to Tonan. And the clone began to walk towards the classroom's door.

"What about the Substitution Technique…" Naoto pointed out but just as he spoke, he heard a bang. Kakashi, who was standing on the spot, turned into a substitute wood.

"May I leave now?"

Kakashi, who everyone thought was a clone, stood in front of the door, his hand already at the doorknob.

The proctor said with high praise, "Very good. Not only are you proficient in the three basic ninjutsu, but you can also use them together. Three days later, come to this classroom to receive your ninja headband, and also meet your lead sensei."

The proctor recorded the results in a notebook. Kakashi just shrugged his shoulders, pushed open the door, and walked out.

"Amazing."

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"Was this is a freshman? Didn't you tell me that he's a freshman?"

"Kakashi is so powerful. Is that genius of the Uchiha clan even more powerful?"

"I heard that that person has already awakened the Sharingan."

"They are not letting other people live."

At this time, Naoto also looked at Tonan, who was in his seat, and called out, "Next, Uchiha Tonan."

Tonan walked to the front, bowed to the two teachers, then made a 'Ram' sign. Along with the rise of white smoke, Tonan turned into the appearance of Naoto. Then he released the Transformation Technique and began to use the Clone Technique.

"Ram-Snake-Tiger"

Two identical Tonans appeared in front of everyone.

"It doesn't look like he is comparable to that white-haired one."

"And here, I thought that he was more powerful one."

"He's not much but he's still a bit better than me."

……

"Tiger-Boar-Ox-Dog-Snake"

Tonan finished making hand signs slowly and rhythmically. Then, his body turned into a ball of white smoke, a substitute wood fell on the ground, and his figure appeared at one side.

"Sensei, is this fine?" Tonan looked at the proctor and humbly asked.

Following Kakashi's brilliant feat, Tonan's performance was a bit of a letdown.

The invigilator nodded, casually put a good score in his notebook, and said, "Not bad but you don't seem too proficient in them yet. You need to practice more in the future. You have passed the test. Come back after three days."

Tonan didn't care about the proctor's differential treatment. He placed his hands on the knees and bowed, "Thank you, proctor-sensei. Many thanks, Naoto-sensei."

Naoto knew that Tonan's comprehension of the three basic ninjutsu was not inferior to Kakashi. And he had a more favorable impression of his simple performance. He looked at the polite student and said with an understanding smile, "This is the result of your hard work. Go back and rest now."

Tonan nodded, turned around, and walked outside the classroom. The invigilator took advantage of the free time to organize the materials and whispered to Naoto, "You have such good students. They graduated only after a year. It's truly enviable."

Naoto was overjoyed in his heart. He scratched his head happily and said, "I was just lucky, just plain dumb luck."

'Ding! Gained Umino Naoto's acknowledgment.'

Tonan had just walked outside the examination hall and stopped in his tracks when he heard the system's prompt. He narrowed his eyes slightly, and the corners of his mouth twitched as he turned to look at Naoto.

Naoto, who had been scratching his head, suddenly frowned. He felt a chill run up his back.

"What's going on?"

Naoto raised his head and looked at the students in the examination room. Finally, he caught sight of the smiling Tonan, who was looking back at him. For some reason, Naoto thought Tonan's smile looked terrifying.

He swallowed and asked in confusion, "Tonan, did you want something?"

Tonan's smile brightened, which greatly reduced the chill on Naoto. "Naoto-sensei, I've become a genin. You've to work hard, otherwise, I'll catch up to you soon," Tonan said in a jovial tone, then turned around and left.

Naoto smiled shyly, and instantly forgot the strange feeling just now.

"This kid, he's encouraging his sensei now."

The proctor muttered to himself and leisurely said, "I think what he said is true. With his talent, I guess he will become a chunin like you within a few years."

"Next, Akimichi Honoka."

Naoto was dumbfounded hearing his words. After thinking carefully, he agreed with the proctor's words.

"Just thinking about my students surpassing me makes me happy. But if I'm surpassed too soon, my students might not respect me. Looks like I must become a jonin before you and Kakashi become a chunin."

Thinking about that, didn't Tonan already kill a chunin…

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Chapter 34: Grouping Teams, Danzo's Ploy

Notes:

Root is a branch of Konoha's Anbu training subdivision.

Jinchuriki is referred to humans who have tailed beasts sealed within them and exhibit extraordinary powers due to the immense chakra reserves.

Once the examination was completed, the list of graduates and their specific scores were sent to the Hokage office. The next step was for Sarutobi Hiruzen to decide on the ninja team grouping with two of his advisors, Mitokado Homura and Utatane Koharu.

Each team's leader was also to be decided now. Weaker genin teams were usually led by chunin. Only those with great potential were eligible to be led by jonin teachers. Homura brought over a stack of report cards and began assigning teams according to each graduate's specialty.

"Ino-Shika-Cho will be grouped in a team as usual," Homura said while bunching three report cards and handing them to Koharu.

Koharu, in turn, matched it with a leader based on various considerations. Hiruzen sat deep in thought at his desk, taking puffs out of his cigarette as he looked at two report cards.

Homura glanced at him and asked, "Sarutobi-sama, how are you going to pair up the two geniuses who graduated early?" This question attracted Koharu's attention as well. Hiruzen exhaled a smoke ring and mused, "Let's just group both of them in one team."

Homura said, "We would still need one more person."

Hiruzen put his pipe down on the table and thought for a moment before instructing, "Just leave them as a pair for now. Kakashi and Tonan are almost at chunin level. Tonan might be a little weaker, but he's already capable of subduing two chunin for a short period if he uses genjutsu with his Sharingan. His taijutsu and ninjutsu are weaker, but it compliments Kakashi well."

Koharu nodded and thought for a moment, "Have you decided which leader to assign to them?" Hiruzen narrowed his eyes, seemingly mulling over this. Right at this moment, the office door was pushed open, and Shimura Danzo walked in. He asked, "Hiruzen, how is the division of this year's genin teams coming along?"

Hirutobi frowned, and replied with another question, "Why do you want to know?"

Danzo walked up to Hiruzen and said with a self-assured expression, "As someone from Root who watches over Konoha, why can't I care about the new graduates?"

Hiruzen gestured towards Homura and Koharu, and said, "It's still work in progress."

Danzo looked at the report cards in Homura and Koharu's hands, then squinted at the two report cards in front of Hiruzen. He said meaningfully, "I heard both Kakashi and the Uchiha genius graduated early."

Hiruzen calmly slipped the two report cards into the drawer and nodded, "Yes, I've decided to pair them into one team."

Hiruzen's actions annoyed Danzo but he asked in a solemn voice, "Has the leader been decided yet?"

"It's still in consideration."

"You don't need to consider this anymore. I have a suitable candidate I can recommend."

"Who?"

"A jonin from the Aburame clan — Aburame Ryosuke."

Hiruzen was surprised. He thought about it for a moment. Ryosuke was a veteran jonin. He was indeed more than capable of leading Kakashi and Tonan. But Hiruzen had the nagging feeling that something was off about Danzo, so he immediately shook his head and refused, "I don't think it'll work out."

Danzo grunted, "Why not? Kakashi would have inherited the White Fang's sword technique, and he's outstanding in ninjutsu. On the other hand, that Uchiha kid has awakened the Sharingan and is more than proficient in genjutsu. The two of them hardly have any shortcomings as a team but they are missing the most important member — a medical-nin."

Hiruzen froze at his words. No matter how he thought about it, he couldn't figure out when had Ryosuke ever displayed any medical ninjutsu talent. So, he suspiciously stared at Danzo and asked, "And Ryosuke knows medical ninjutsu?"

Danzo replied, "The latest bug he hatched is very special. Not only can it detoxify poison, but it can also create a special agent that can be used to salvage a life."

Hiruzen picked up his pipe for another smoke after hearing this. The smoke that floated up seemed to waft into his eyes as he narrowed them. Ryosuke's details came to his mind.

This jonin from the Aburame clan had been almost invisible. But he seemed to be a cousin of Aburame Torune from Root. Even though Ryosuke was not a Root member, all signs indicated he had been pulled onto Danzo's side.

But if he didn't want Ryosuke, who should he consider? What was the greatest thing this two-man team lacked?

Kakashi had the White Fang to guide him, so there didn't seem to be any leader needed to help him. As for Tonan, with the three tomoe Sharingan, even if his taijutsu and ninjutsu were lagging, with his dynamic vision, his taijutsu would gradually grow beyond his peers. And, with the Sharingan, he would eventually excel in ninjutsu too.

At present, they shouldn't evaluate the two from the strength but the character aspect. Tonan had experienced too many upheavals in his life, and he couldn't keep an eye on him all the time. He had to have a sunny and cheerful person who represented the Will of Fire to lead him before he goes astray.

Suddenly, a sunny, smiling face came to Hiruzen's mind.

"It's decided."

Hiruzen decisively rejected Danzo, and said, "No, I have a candidate in mind."

Danzo, who thought that victory was at hand, couldn't hold it any longer. He slammed the table in anger and questioned Hiruzen, "What do you mean by that? Do you think I harbor ulterior motives?"

Both Homura and Koharu tried to persuade him.

"Danzo, calm down."

"It's better to sit and discuss than getting agitated."

Hiruzen waved his hand and said with a determined face, "Enough, I've already decided for Namikaze Minato to lead this team."

Danzo froze for a moment before asking in disbelief, "Namikaze Minato? The Nine-Tails' jinchuriki's boyfriend? What are you thinking, Hiruzen? That brat has only just been promoted to a jonin. Are you planning to ruin the two geniuses?"

Hiruzen was already annoyed at this moment, so his face cooled instantly. Putting his pipe aside, he said, "Watch your attitude. I'm the Hokage here."

Danzo intensely stared at Hiruzen, but Hiruzen wouldn't budge. The two were in a deadlock for a few seconds before, with an extremely bitter grimace, Danzo scoffed and said, "You'll regret this."

He walked out of the Hokage office in anger and headed to Root. As soon as he arrived, the anger disappeared from his face, returning to a calm look, and he muttered to himself, "What genjutsu did that evil little brat cast on you to make you so defensive against me? And what ill intentions could I even have? Everything I do is for Konoha's sake."

He asked Root's leader, Aburame Ryohei, who was next to him, "How are the experiments progressing at Orochimaru's side?"

"Not very good. The last pair of Sharingan was destroyed."

"What did Orochimaru say?"

"He said that it was because the energy contained in the Sharingan was insufficient to counteract the exuberant life force in the cells. He suggested you find more Sharingan for him, preferably of higher quality."

"I see. Isn't that cousin of yours willing to join Root? Go and recruit him now. Once you're done, bring him to me. I have a task for him. If he does a good job, he'll be welcomed here. If not…"

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Chapter 35: Mask Shattered, False Concessions

At the Uchiha district, after hearing about Uchiha Tonan's early graduation, the Great Elder came to visit him at his home. Tonan was sitting under the eaves, whittling a piece of wood with his kunai.

Wood scraps scattered on the floor, and a life-like wooden sculpture appeared. The subject he was carving was none other than Uchiha Mina. Even after death, people's memories hold significance for the living. Putting Mina's carving inside, he picked up another piece of wood and began carving Uchiha Teno.

The Great Elder pushed open the ajar courtyard gate and saw Tonan carving Teno's wooden figurine.

"Great Elder, is there something I could do for you?" Tonan put down the carving and bowed with his hands on his knees, as he politely inquired.

The Great Elder smiled and looked at him up and down. He also did a quick sweep of the house from the corner of his eyes and saw several sculptures placed on a partition.

They were all of Tonan's parents and Mina.

"We're all family here, you don't have to be so formal."

The Great Elder smiled and sat next to Tonan like an old grandpa next door. After a pause, Tonan got up and headed inside to pour him a cup of fresh tea. Bringing it back, he sat down next to him.

"You really like your tea, don't you Tonan?" The Great Elder narrowed his eyes, sipping on the tea.

Tonan nodded and stroked the finished carving in his hand. "That's right. Usually, studying consumes much of my energy, so tea helps me freshen up."

The Great Elder squinted at the carving in Tonan's hand and sighed, "It feels like you've graduated in the blink of an eye, time really flies."

"It's because time flies that every second should be cherished. Don't wait until you lose something before you regret it," Tonan said as his kunai continued trimming the half-carved wood block.

The Great Elder looked at the flock of white pigeons flying in the distance. He said, "You're not like the other clan members. I should say you're the most unique person I've ever met. I thought I was the one who knew you best, but sometimes, I feel like I can't understand you at all."

"Leaving Teno for the end. Is it out of guilt?"

Tonan paused with a start, a puzzled expression appearing on his face. He replied, "I'm not too sure I understand what you're saying, Great Elder."

The Great Elder smiled and said, "You are patient and rational. You are even able to separate reason from emotion perfectly, acting with logic even during the most critical situations."

Tonan's heart jumped, but he put on a despondent expression and shook his head, "That's not what I am at all. I always act on impulse, and even raised a hand against the senpai at the Interrogation Department."

The Great Elder sipped his tea unhurriedly before setting the cup aside. He took out a yellowing book from his robe and placed it between them. Then he said, "This has been in my possession for some time. Let me return it to you now."

Tonan's pupils shrank slightly. He picked up the book and the two of them sat there in silence. Now that winter was approaching, the cool breeze felt cold against his back. This book was the compiled notes he had given to Teno back then.

The poison on it had long evaporated but Tonan realized the part where the poison was applied had reacted distinctly. It had turned extremely yellow.

He miscalculated. Sure enough, he was too inexperienced back then.

"If I hadn't awakened my Sharingan and gained value far beyond those of the others, then maybe I would've been the one who was executed that day."

Many thoughts raced through his head at once. He could bully his peer or ordinary chunin and genin, but silencing someone with murder? Unlikely. Lesser so the veteran elite jonin like this Great Elder. Only a fool would be confused by that smiling face. This old man could probably wring him to death with a pinch of his finger.

But if he can't fight, he could follow. In the next moment, Tonan threw up the book and blinked his eyes, activating his Sharingan.

Woosh

The kunai hit the book precisely and nailed it to a tree in the yard. He then leaped and quickly formed seals with his hands.

"Fire Style – Phoenix Sage Nail Crimson Technique."

Dense little fireballs shot out from his mouth, smashing into the big tree.

Boom

The entire tree was instantly enveloped in flames. As the cold wind flew by, the flames dotting the tree flickered like stars in the sky. Standing with his back against the Great Elder, Tonan was silent for a long time.

The Great Elder breathed heavily as he looked at the burning tree, and then turned his gaze towards Tonan's back. A single word came to his lips, "Genius."

He slowly got up and headed towards the gate. When he passed Tonan by, he reached out to pat him lightly on the shoulder. Just as he was about to leave, Tonan suddenly said, "Great Elder, please trust me. I… will always be an Uchiha. But right now, I can only be like this."

The Great Elder's footsteps halted. The delight on his face was obvious when he turned to meet Tonan's eyes. "I've always believed in you. Come to the clan's shrine in a few days. I'll take you somewhere so that you can pick up your new ninjutsu."

Then, with an encouraging look at Tonan, he left.

"Take care, Great Elder." Tonan bowed deeply with both hands on his knees.

'Ding! Obtained Uchiha Tenzou's acknowledgment.'

One cannot say too much while dealing with a shrewd old man. Just say a third of it, then leave him to figure out the rest himself. After the Great Elder left, Tonan straightened his body and breathed a sigh of relief.

Just then, a thought flashed into his mind. His pupils suddenly shrank. He saw two yellow handprints on his pants. His face turned ugly at once. Rubbing the handprints with his finger, he sniffed it. It had a light fragrance on it.

"This crafty old bastard tricked me!"

Tonan inhaled deeply to suppress the rage in his heart. Returning to his usual calm, he turned around and walked into the bedroom. Then, he took out the 'Advanced Spy Camouflage Techniques' that had been gathering dust in the cabinet.

At night, at the Naka Shrine of the Uchiha clan, the Great Elder and Uchiha Fugaku sat opposite each other in seiza.

"Great Elder, why have you called me?"

"Tonan is more talented than we expected."

"Huh?"

A frenzied look filled the older Uchiha's eyes, as he said, "I saw him perform the Phoenix Sage Nail Crimson Technique, and the fluctuation of his chakra was already close to a jonin level"

Fugaku was shocked. The Great Elder looked at the stone tablet in the shrine, his heart pounding, and he said, "That's not the most important part. The most important part is that his heart has always been loyal to the Uchiha."

Fugaku calmed down a little and stroked his chin. "You mean to say that everything he shows on the surface was a lie?"

The Great Elder nodded. "Not only does he have talent far beyond ordinary people, but he is of a caliber that none in the Uchiha can match. Everything he has done so far is just to hoodwink Konoha's top rung."

Fugaku's eyes lit up, but then he frowned, and asked, "So, who was the one who poisoned Teno back then?"

"It was him. It must have been to awaken his Sharingan."

"What…"

"It was true that his relationship with Teno was good, and he really did like Mina. But reason told him what he must do to obtain power."

Everything made sense to Fugaku now, and several thoughts stormed in his mind. "Is that why he destroyed the bond himself? No wonder he chose to end Mina's life with his own hands at the final moment. But he had already awakened the third tomoe. Why would he need to do this?"

"Perhaps he feels that he has already reached that level… the Mangekyou… but he most likely failed. After all, he's still young."

"But I trust that he will be able to awaken the Mangekyou in time. Then, he will wield the power of the legends," the Great Elder stated with confidence.

"What do you intend to do now?"

"Let's keep this between the two of us for now. We should wait for that boy to grow up some more. What we need to do now is to keep our distance from him. When Konoha's top rung is here, we must appear as if we're trying to pull him to our side."

"Also, I've decided to pass on that jutsu to him…"

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Chapter 36: Aburame Ryosuke, A Jonin Strikes

At Root headquarter, a ninja wearing a cat mask went down on one knee and greeted, "Danzo-sama."

Shimura Danzo, who was sitting on a seat, looked down at him indifferently and said, "Aburame Ryosuke, your evaluation mission is to bring Uchiha Tonan here. If the situation deems necessary, you can kill him and dig out his Sharingan. But that will lower your evaluation score. Only after passing this test, you can officially become a Root member. But you should know the consequences of failure."

"Yes, Danzo-sama," Ryosuke responded, turned around, and left. After he was gone, Danzo tapped on the armrest with his finger. Another Root ninja walked out from the shadows and knelt on one knee in front of him.

"Torune, go and monitor from a distance. If this matter alarms the Anbu or the Uchihas, trigger the cursed seal. There'll be trouble if this matter spreads."

"Yes."

……

The winter moon was bright and cold. It illuminated Konoha with ice-like white radiance. At this moment, Tonan was already in deep sleep. Outside the quiet Uchiha district, the officers were patrolling and chatting in groups of twos and threes.

Since the war had just ended, the Konoha ninjas had relaxed a bit.

"Did you hear about Tonan?"

"Hear what in particular?"

"Of course about his early graduation. If I'm not mistaken, he's just six years old, turning seven in a few months. And he's already a genin. That's truly amazing."

"The Uchiha clan bestowed him with the talent but not only does he maintain distance with clan members but he is closer with the Konoha higher-ups."

"To be honest, I don't think we can blame him completely. After all, anyone else in his shoes wouldn't be able to bear what happened to him."

"That had nothing to do with the Uchiha clan."

"I don't think you know. This is confidential so don't spread it. I heard that Kotoura and Nanako were very stern with Tonan since he was a child because he was not strong enough. Tonan never got parental love. Later, he got close to Teno with great difficulty, but Tetsugo, also from the clan, killed Teno. If it was anyone else, they may even hold a grudge than just distance themselves."

"That can't be right. When Kotoura and Nanako were being buried, I saw that kid was grief-stricken. It even made me want to cry!"

"They are his biological parents. Their harshness made him look for love in other places, but that doesn't mean he hated them."

"When you put it like that, it does seem reasonable."

"By the way, where did you hear all this?"

"The day before yesterday, my mother told me during lunch. She said that it was inside intel she got from a friend who holds a high position in Konoha."

"The day before yesterday… wasn't your mother shopping for groceries together with my mother that day?"

Slap~

"What's wrong?"

"Nothing, just a bug."

Right above this patrolling team, under the night's cover, a horde of insects silently entered the Uchiha district.

The district was divided into the inner and outer areas. The inner area, housing the more expensive and busy real estate, was like a small town with stores and necessities.

The outer area was similar to the countryside with large farmland and narrow roads. There were small courtyards scattered here and there. Most were occupied by the Uchiha clan's civilians and some chunin and genin. Tonan's courtyard, part of the fringe area, was also located here.

It was not that Tonan's parents couldn't afford a house in the central area. It was just that Kotoura was innately ambitious and proud. He wanted to purchase a house in the best location. Unfortunately, Konoha's development was rather fast, and the property prices rose faster than his savings. As a result, purchasing a house kept being delayed.

A big insects swarm advanced closer to Tonan's courtyard, hiding under the dense trees on both sides of the road.

The horde eventually gathered together on top of a big tree and transformed into Ryosuke, who was wearing a cat mask. He scanned his surroundings. According to his information, the kid's house should be here.

Ryosuke's gaze moved to a small courtyard at the district's edge. In the next moment, he used Body Flicker Technique and disappeared.

The moment Ryosuke had appeared, Tonan, who was sleeping soundly, suddenly woke up, three tomoe spinning rapidly in his eyes.

"Is he from the Anbu or Root? If it's Anbu, it's fine. Sarutobi Hiruzen must have sent him. But if he's from Root, then…"

Tonan recalled the Sharingan immersed in a test tube. In most instances, midnight visitors were rarely up to any good. The white pigeons lurking everywhere in Konoha simultaneously activated the Sharingan. And with Byakugan's boost, Tonan checked several crucial positions like a searchlight.

"There's no one in the Hokage office! Hiruzen isn't looking for me."

But he didn't have the luxury of time to think because Ryosuke was already outside his room. The intruder slowly reached out and pushed open the door.

Suddenly, a shadow flew towards Ryosuke, and a cold wind blew against his face, making him feel tingling pain.

Ding

At the critical moment, he raised a kunai and blocked the attack. Just as he was about to release the parasitic insects to subdue Tonan, he saw Tonan look surprised.

Tonan took a few steps back, placed his hands on his knees, and said apologetically, "Sorry, Anbu-sama, I thought it was a spy from an enemy village."

"Does he think I'm from the Anbu? It seems he has often come into contact with them before. This saves me a lot of effort."

Ryosuke thought through things quickly and said in a deep voice, "Uchiha Tonan, Hokage-sama has asked for you."

"Alright, Anbu-sama. I'll follow you," Tonan put away his kunai and looked relaxed as if he had completely dropped his guard.

Ryosuke walked over with vigilance and grabbed him. On the surface, it looked like he was preparing to use the Body Flicker Technique to take him away, but secretly, he was commanding parasitic insects to sneak into Tonan's body.

This mission was going so smoothly it was unbelievable. However, the parasitic insects inside Ryosuke's body suddenly emitted strange chakra fluctuations, which was a warning signal.

"This is bad! It's an illusion!"

The very experienced Ryosuke reacted and broke free from the illusion in an instant. He was still standing at the doorway at this moment, and Tonan's hand was just an inch away from him.

"Caught you." Tonan's eyes were ice-cold, and the moment his hand touched Ryosuke, he activated ninjutsu.

"Lightning Style – Ground Travel!"

Fire Style and Lightning Style were the best choices to deal with the Aburame clan. Tonan planned to use lightning style to paralyze Ryosuke, and then use the fire style to send him on his way.

Bang

Just after Tonan released Ground Travel, Ryosuke's figure disappeared, and a substitution wood fell on the ground. The real Ryosuke had already appeared on the branch of a big tree that was burnt bare in the courtyard.

Swish

Whistling sounds resounded everywhere.

"This little devil's movements are too fast."

Ryosuke narrowed his eyes and used the Insect Transformation Secret Technique to change into a swarm of insects, and leap towards the sky.

At that time, four fuma shuriken flew over Ryosuke's previous location from four different directions and cut the branch into shreds. They latched on the enclosing wall without losing force.

"What a powerful little devil."

Ryosuke's figure landed on the roof and looked at Tonan who had appeared in the courtyard at some point. The four fuma shuriken had almost blocked all his routes of retreat. If he didn't possess the Insect Transformation Secret Technique, he might have fallen into his opponent's trap.

After this short exchange, Ryosuke no longer took Tonan lightly. He regarded him as an enemy of equal stature and immediately began making hand seals.

"Secret Technique – Insect Tide."

A large wave of parasitic insects poured out from Ryosuke's body, condensed into a black wind, and rushed towards Tonan.

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Chapter 37: Entrapment, Raging Pillars Of Fire

Aided with the Sharingan's dynamic vision and the Byakugan's piercing vision, Uchiha Tonan, who was at a corner in the yard, could see dense chakra spots coming at him after Aburame Ryosuke used a secret technique.

When the chakra was just about to shoot into the soles of his feet, he began running along the courtyard walls, avoiding the insect tide. He also kept throwing kunai at Ryosuke.

Faced with the attacks, Ryosuke deftly jumped a few times and dodged them perfectly.

"Difficult little brat, it all ends here!"

Ryosuke felt confident as he silently made seals. To ambush Tonan, he made another insects horde lay in wait at the front, as the earlier continued the chase from behind. The insects waited quietly on the ground, covered under the house's shadow.

As long as Tonan ran a few steps forward, this group of insects would trap him in an encirclement along with the insects behind.

Stomp

Tonan stamped his foot on the ground.

Just now, Ryoichi had just finished his seals.

"Secret Technique – Insect Sphere."

"Ah!"

Tonan saw the insects in front and shrieked. He was enveloped by the insects that pounced on him from all directions. Under Ryosuke's command, in just a few moments, the parasitic bugs frantically attacked Tonan's chakra and devoured it all.

Once it was all done, Ryosuke came closer to Tonan and the parasitic insects flew back into his body. Without a moment's delay, he wanted to knock Tonan out and take him to Root.

After all, a live capture would earn him higher points in the assessment, and a qualified tool must always try to complete its task perfectly.

Just as Ryosuke raised his hand, a violent warning came from the parasites that had returned to his body.

"No! Another genjutsu!"

Ryosuke unraveled the genjutsu again and saw a wooden sculpture instead of Tonan on the ground.

"Where is he?!"

Ryosuke calmly analyzed the situation, eyes constantly scanning his surroundings. But he found nothing. There was barely even any sound. Silently, a large shadow appeared on the ground, and in reflex, Ryosuke raised his head to look at the roof.

Tonan was standing where Ryosuke stood earlier with the cold moon behind him. Against the moonlight, his face was not clear, but the crimson Sharingan stood out in stark contrast.

Coo coo

Several dark bird-shaped figures landed on Tonan's shoulder, also revealing the red Sharingan.

"Make sure to follow the right person in your next life."

Tonan looked down at Ryosuke. Slightly raising his left hand, he swiftly made several seals with his right hand. The moment his left hand moved, a crisp light flashed across the courtyard.

"What's that?!"

Under his mask, Ryosuke's expression showed horror for the first time.

"Fire Style – Phoenix Sage Fire Technique!"

Boom

A fire snake slithered along with the chakra wire and speedily headed towards the courtyard. During the fight, Tonan had used fuma shuriken to spread chakra wires all over the courtyard. Ryosuke's current predicament was similar to an insect caught in a web, struggling to escape.

"Damn it!"

Watching the flames stretch all over, Ryosuke didn't use his insects. Instead, he was forced to run to the spot where the fire was yet to spread.

"If he wants to burn me alive with these flames, then he can dream on!"

But Tonan's move was too conspicuous. The Uchiha clan would surely be alerted.

"Mission… failed. No! I'll die if I fail! As long as I can escape this fire, I'll have the opportunity to complete my task."

Not far from the Uchiha district, Aburame Torune's figure appeared on top of an electricity pole. The burning flames reflected in his eyes.

"Is the plan…going to fail? One more minute left. If you don't finish the brat off by then, don't blame me."

In fact, regardless of whether this mission was a success or not, Torune knew that Ryosuke was likely to die today. When the Anbu get serious, they're sure to find out the culprit, even if it was one of their own.

Danzo sent Torune specifically to ensure Root was not implicated. From the very beginning, his name never appeared on Root's list. Whether Ryosuke completed this mission or not, the Cursed Tongue Eradication Seal would still trigger and destroy Ryosuke's brain in an instant.

The curse would also dissipate after his death, leaving no trace behind for any investigation to bear fruit.

At this time, the ninja in the Uchiha district's center also noticed the commotion and dispatched towards Tonan's residence. The Great Elder and Uchiha Fugaku rushed to the front of the crowd.

"Damn it, who's it?" Fugaku's face was grim. The Great Elder too looked gloomy. He couldn't help but regret not convincing Tonan to move near the district's center.

Ryosuke was just about to escape from the net of flames. Chakra wire, after all, was expensive and limited. There was no way Tonan could cover the entire courtyard.

"You little brat, I'll kill you!"

Under the mask, Ryosuke's eyes were cold to the extreme. Clearly, this failure caused the usually straight-faced him to be very irked.

As he ran, his hands formed seals to release a powerful jutsu that could kill Tonan in one fell swoop.

"Watch your strength. Don't destroy those eyes." Ryosuke reminded himself.

Meanwhile, when Tonan watched Ryosuke run away from the flames, the corner of his lips curved slightly.

The fish was in the net.

In the next moment, as if the ground was pulled from under Ryosuke's foot, he felt he was stepping on air.

"This is…a trap!"

Ryosuke would never have thought that someone would actually set up a trap in their own home. At once, he thought of escaping using the Insect Transformation Technique.

But at this moment, Tonan moved. His left hand tugged sharply, as he flung more kunai with his right hand. The kunai and the fuma shuriken with the attached chakra wire had just fallen mid-air when they were hit by the incoming kunai, helping them regain momentum.

Tonan leaped up and pulled the net formed by the chakra wire towards Ryosuke.

"Do it!"

Ruthlessness flashed past Ryosuke's eyes and he continued performing the Insect Transformation Technique to escape from the sea of fire. Even if he was going to lose a large number of insects, it was safer than falling into an unknown trap.

Tonan narrowed his eyes slightly. He could see through Ryosuke's intentions from the flow of his chakra alone. He formed more seals with his right hand.

"Lightning Style – Ground Travel."

Crackle

Electrical arcs flashed around the fire in an instant as the whole net shrunk. This stopped Ryosuke from performing the Insect Transformation Technique. The parasitic insects were too densely-packed. They would be electrocuted. In the best-case scenario, they would be paralyzed and in the worst-case, they would be burned down.

All happened in a flash, and in that moment's hesitation, Ryosuke lost his footing and fell into the trap. Tonan immediately covered the trap's opening with a large net of fire and lightning.

Splash

The sound of water rang out.

"Am I in water? Is this brat planning to electrocute me to death in water? It's over…"

Under his mask, Ryosuke was horrified. But in the next moment, his fear and despair intensified. That was because he discovered he did not fall in water but oil.

He could no longer use his insects even if he wanted to. They would be stained by the oil, and there was both fire and lightning above…

Sizzle

Looking up, Ryosuke saw dazzling fire and arcing lightning at the entrance of the trap. And around him were several explosion tags that were currently burning…

Rumble

Following an earth-shattering explosion, fiery pillars of fire rocketed from the trap, venting towards the night sky.

Half of Konoha could see the rising flames.

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Chapter 38: Sowing Discord, Obedient Sensible

From a distance, Aburame Torune saw the raging fire and didn't hesitate to activate the Cursed Tongue Eradication Seal. However, he didn't feel any response from it.

"Is he dead? This fire style is so powerful. Was it Uchiha Fugaku? Or, that old fellow…"

A figure flashed through Torune's mind, and in the next instant, he disappeared without a trace.

Mission, failed…

The fire burned the house the moment it erupted and spread rapidly under the cold wind. In the room, Uchiha Tonan leisurely took out the money and land deed from the cupboard and threw them into the basement.

Then, he put his diary and the Sarutobi Hiruzen-signed book 'Will of Fire' under his arm. He casually stepped to the left, dodging a burning beam, turned around, and walked out.

It was evident that the one who attacked him was from the Aburame clan. Judging from his attire, he was not from Anbu, but from Root.

"It seems Danzo has evil thoughts towards me. Danzo… Orochimaru… I can't beat them."

Tonan considered himself broad-minded, and not some who held grudges. If they were willing to accept, he would be very happy to join forces with them.

The Great Elder and Fugaku had arrived outside the courtyard by now.

"This is…" Fugaku frowned, looking at this towering fire.

"It seems we're too late." The Great Elder's expression was ugly. But suddenly, the eyebrows of the two rose, and they were visibly relieved.

A clear sound of footsteps came from the midst of the sea of flames.

Step, step, step

Tonan calmly walked out, and barely a moment after he was outside, the house behind him miserably collapsed.

Boom, boom

The Great Elder asked with concern, "Tonan, are you alright?" The other jonin had also arrived, along with many Uchiha shinobi. Tonan's figure looked very small in contrast to the monstrous flames behind him. But no one here dared to look down on him.

Tonan quietly exchanged a glance with the Great Elder. He adjusted his glasses apologetically, bowed deeply towards everyone, and said, "I'm truly sorry for causing such chaos and disturbing everyone's sleep."

Fugaku hastily asked, "What happened here? Was it another enemy spy?"

Tonan shook his head and said, "I cannot answer that because this needs to be reported to Hokage-sama first."

His words offended the Uchihas who had rushed over, and they exploded.

"Damn it! We hurried in vain."

"Great Elder, Patriarch, let's leave. We don't need to care about this brat."

"Yes, he has already betrayed the clan. Whether he lives or dies has nothing to do with us."

The Great Elder firmly believed that Tonan had created a cover for himself. He narrowed his eyes and said, "Tonan, everyone is worried about your safety. Don't you trust your own clan members?"

Tonan didn't answer. He just stood there quietly. The Great Elder observed the fire pillars that had already begun to extinguish and then looked at Tonan. There was fanatical excitement in his eyes.

Strength, wisdom, and this caliber of endurance, he was simply a heaven-sent gift to the Uchiha clan. The Uchihas present were very furious and complained continually. However, without the explicit instruction of the Great Elder or Fugaku, they could only do their best to restrain themselves.

They couldn't leave, and staying here made them feel embarrassed because their good intentions were wasted on an ingrate. It was difficult to bear.

The Great Elder's expression changed slightly, and with a kind and warm smile on his face, he said, "Tonan, in fact, the clan members are very concerned about you. They're just not very good at expressing it. Don't take it to your heart."

At that moment, a group of Anbu appeared not far away.

"Tonan, are you alright?" The Anbu made way, and Hiruzen, who was in plain clothes, stepped forward. He looked very anxious and concerned. Tonan's eyes lit up, a warm smile appeared on his face, and he replied, "Hokage-sama, I'm fine."

Hiruzen inadvertently looked at the two books Tonan was carrying. Pretending to have a lingering fear, he said, "I rushed over as soon as I heard the news. Fortunately, you are fine. But who attacked you?"

Tonan pursed his lips as if it was something difficult to speak about.

"Tonan, Hokage-sama has already come here. You can say it now. Could it be that we, as your clan members, don't have the right to know?" The Great Elder began to act and said with a dull look.

Tonan merely glanced at the Great Elder and then turned his attention to Hiruzen again.

Hiruzen nodded and said, "Go ahead, tell us."

Only after that, Tonan opened his mouth. He informed, "The attacker was a ninja dressed as Anbu, and his ninjutsu used insects. He said he was from Root, and a man named Danzo wanted to see me. But I've never heard of anyone called Danzo, so I refused his request. And then he attacked me."

"Beautifully done!"

The Great Elder was overjoyed in his heart, thinking that Tonan was deliberately provoking the relationship between the higher-ups of Konoha. He feigned to be furious and said to Hiruzen, "Hokage-sama, shouldn't you give the Uchiha clan an explanation about this? The people of Root attacked the genius of our clan late at night. What's their intention?"

Hiruzen frowned. He hadn't expected Root to do this. But after careful consideration, there was a 90 percent chance that this was truly their handiwork. Initially, Hiruzen wanted an Anbu to use water style to put out the fire and examine the corpse. But now, he was hesitant.

"Danzo, you've done a great job!"

"The Anbu will investigate it. If the facts are true, of course, I'll follow the village rules."

Hiruzen was very upset with Danzo. He reached out, caressed Tonan's hair, and said with a concerned look, "Tonan, your house is destroyed now. Have you considered moving to another place?"

This time, the Great Elder was truly anxious. He hastily said, "Hokage-sama, Tonan is a member of the Uchiha clan. Since his house is destroyed, the Uchiha will give him another house in the central area. Are you trying to split our clan?"

"Why are you being so serious. Don't you see I was just asking?" Hiruzen was fully aware that it was practically impossible to get Tonan out of the Uchiha clan. He said that only to deepen his good impression.

Tonan had already shrunk behind Hiruzen, and he looked at him with hope. Hiruzen lowered his head, looked at Tonan's eyes, and sighed, "I was inconsiderate. Child, just follow your Great Elder's arrangements."

Tonan pursed up his lips and nodded obediently.

"Since this matter is settled, Tonan, come with me. I'll take you to your new residence," the Great Elder said coldly and then called Tonan.

"Hokage-sama, I'll leave now."

"Go ahead."

Tonan looked at Hiruzen as if reluctant. But he walked out from behind him and left. Looking at Tonan's back, as he followed the Great Elder to the district's central area, Hiruzen couldn't help but sigh inwardly.

"This child is so sensible that it's distressing."

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Chapter 39: Namikaze Minato, Team Nine Introductions

Notes:

Namikaze Minato is the shinobi who created the chakra shape transformation technique Rasengan (means spiraling sphere) and excelled in the teleportation technique the Flying Raijin, or Flying Thunder God Technique

After the Uchiha clan left, Sarutobi Hiruzen led the Anbu group back to the Hokage Residence. He barely even reached his desk before he called Shimura Danzo to his office.

The two had a massive argument that ended on a bad note. Not that Uchiha Tonan expected Hiruzen to do anything to Danzo for his sake. He was just borrowing the Hokage's mouth to send Danzo a warning so that the latter would back off for at least some time.

"Can't really trust anyone." Tonan was lying in his spacious new bedroom, looking up at the ceiling. He finally felt a little safer after the increase in his strength, but now, that feeling was gone again.

This time, the one who came for him was just an ordinary Aburame jonin. With the Sharingan and Byakugan, he just about managed to restrain his opponent, but he had no confidence in winning. This was a rude reminder that he wasn't strong enough.

It should be about a year before Hatake Sakumo's incident. He was running out of time. The only prey who acknowledged him right now were Umino Naoto, Kakashi, and apart from Uchiha Tenzou, the three useless girls in his class.

It seemed like the most suitable one at hand was Naoto. Even though Naoto wasn't very useful, he was still a chunin. If he took him out, he would inherit a chunin's chakra and spiritual energy.

"He doesn't seem that useful after all."

An ordinary civilian chunin such as Naoto knew only a few jutsu, and his experience in combat was also insufficient. The most important point was that Tonan didn't want to take the risk of making a move himself. It was easy to slip up if he took the initiative to attack someone. If someone were to discover that he murdered Naoto, then he would be completely done for.

The best hunters lurked in the dark, waiting for their prey to reveal themselves. For a hunting ground as large as Konoha, there would always be suitable targets prancing around. Lost in thought, Tonan sighed before shutting his eyes and drifting to sleep.

The morning sun shone through the sky of dawn and woke the sleeping Konoha. Today was the day Tonan would officially become a genin. He woke up early and washed up. Packing his bag, he left the house.

Even though this was the center of the Uchiha district, the Great Elder had arranged a home for him that was as spacious as the previous one. As soon as he stepped out of the house, Tonan saw his clan members pointing and talking about him on both sides of the street.

Clearly, the word of his biased behavior from last night had spread across. Some people did not even bother with the volume of their voices. Tonan could faintly hear insults. But this did not affect him even in the least bit. These people were all his future rations who would help the evolution of his Sharingan.

If insulting him made his ration happy, he would be happy to oblige as well.

"Beginning the day so early, Tonan?" Tonan was startled by the sudden voice from the adjacent house. It was the Great Elder wearing a kind smile while watering flowers. Tonan had not noticed that the two of them were neighbors.

He immediately leaned over and bowed, "Good morning, Great Elder."

"Come to my place first thing after you return," the Great Elder instructed. Tonan nodded and quickened his pace slightly, leaving his home. Staying with this old shrewd for even one moment longer unsettled him. Hiruzen was easier to handle.

At the Ninja Academy, Tonan randomly found a seat when he entered the classroom. After a while, Kakashi too walked into the room and looked around for a while. When he spotted Tonan by the window, he strolled over to him.

"Why didn't you come to class these last few days?"

"I was in a bit of a situation."

Kakashi nodded and said nothing more.

At around nine, the proctor who supervised the genin exam walked into the classroom and cleared his throat. "Congratulations, you have all passed the Ninja Academy's examination and have become genin. Other than special assignments, genin teams are made up of three members and a leader."

"When I call out your name, please come up to the podium to receive your forehead protector."

"Team 1, Furukawa Nohara, Inuzuka Kou, Hyuga Hokawa."

…

"Team 9, Hatake Kakashi, Uchiha Tonan."

"Alright, I'll now hand over to your new leaders. They'll be here soon," the proctor informed before leaving the room.

In just a moment, the new team leaders walked into the room one by one to take away their team's genin.

"Team 9, come with me," a blonde-haired youth who had a slightly childish look waved at Kakashi and Tonan. Tonan narrowed his eyes and nodded with a smile. Following that, the two of them left with the blonde-haired youth. Tonan could already guess the identity of this person.

With his spiked yellow hair and kind-looking boyish face, it couldn't be anyone else other than Namikaze Minato.

The Flying Thunder God, Rasengan, these were all good stuff. If possible, he might be able to get Uzumaki Kushina in the bag as well. But that was a little too distant in the future. There were several years to go. A faraway spring cannot quench the present thirst.

At the rooftop, Minato sat on top of the railing, fiddling with a kunai in his hands, carefully observing the village's two rumored geniuses. He saw Kakashi leaning on the railing, his eyes nearly questioning Minato's capabilities.

Minato did look too young and didn't appear reliable at all. Tonan, on the other hand, stood straight and well-mannered. Time ticked second by second. Tonan retained his warm smile, not feeling the slightest bit of impatience.

Coo coo

Several white pigeons landed on Tonan's shoulder and nuzzled his face intimately. He lightly stroked the white pigeon's head and whispered, "Shush, I'm busy right now."

Coo coo

Like it understood him, the pigeons spread their wings and flew away. Seeing this, Minato broke the silence, "The pigeons seem to really like you."

Tonan nodded, and said, "Yes. They've always been very friendly and like to stick around."

"Let me introduce myself. My name is Namikaze Minato, a Konoha jonin, as well as your leader. My favorite food is ramen, and my dream is to become the future Hokage. What about you?"

Minato first turned his gaze to Kakashi, who did not break character and responded indifferently. "Hatake Kakashi. There's nothing I like particularly. My dream is to become a powerful shinobi one day."

As he said this, Sakumo's face couldn't help but emerge in Kakashi's head, and he clenched his fists slightly.

"Father, soon or later, I'll become a ninja as powerful as you."

"That's an amazing dream. I'm sure you'll achieve it someday." Minato smiled and turned to Tonan.

Tonan turned his head to the side and pushed up his glasses. "I'm Uchiha Tonan. I like drinking tea, reading books, and feeding small animals. As for my dream…"

Tonan broke into a dazzlingly warm smile, like it was something that was his very reason for being, and said, "I want more people to acknowledge me."

At this moment, Minato seemed to see a shadow of his younger self in Tonan, and he also smiled at him. "That's a special dream. I believe that you'll receive the acknowledgment of the whole of Konoha in the future."

A trace of longing flashed past Tonan's eyes. "Nothing would make me happier than that coming true."

Minato jumped down from the railing and came to Tonan's side, patting him on the shoulder. "Alright, introductions are over. Let's begin now. Come with me."

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Chapter 40: Team Nine Teamwork, Bell Test

Namikaze Minato led his two students to Konoha's twelfth training ground. He coughed lightly, put on a serious face, and said, "Although you have passed the academy's examination, you need to pass one more test before you can receive genin missions. If you fail this, you have to go back and repeat a year."

This was a little trick Konoha's team leaders used to frighten new genin and give them a little pressure in advance. But it was obvious that Minato hadn't grasped its essence yet, because his kind and gentle face barely passed off as frightening. On the contrary, it looked like he was pretending to be a profound thinker.

"Got it," Kakashi replied indifferently. And Tonan said with a serious look, "Kakashi and I will try our best to complete the test."

Minato nodded, took out two bells, shook them in front of them, and explained, "I have two bells here. Each bell represents the qualification to become a genin. You two must snatch it from me within an hour."

He hung the tiny bells on his waist and said with a bright smile, "If you two are ready, you can start now."

Swish

Kakashi's figure disappeared instantly, and it was not clear where he hid. As for Tonan, he adjusted his glasses, bowed towards Minato, and said, "Minato-sensei, I've offended you."

In the next instant, the ground below Minato cracked, and Kakashi burst out with his hand reaching towards the bells. But the moment his finger touched the bell.

Bang!

Minato's figure disappeared, and a substitution wood fell on the ground. On the big tree not far away, a smiling Minato, with his arms folded across his chest, appeared. He looked at Tonan, who was still standing in the same place, and said, "Tonan, you should both come together. Kakashi alone can't snatch the bells."

Dingling

Just as he finished speaking, he turned around to see Tonan right behind him. Moreover, the bells on his waist had already fallen into his hands. Tonan shook the bells and asked with a smile, "Sensei, is the test over?"

Minato was surprised for a fleeting moment, but he then smiled and said, "This genjutsu is very good." The genjutsu was immediately unraveled, and Minato jumped, jumping from the ground to a big tree, dodging a surprise attack from Kakashi.

At this moment, Tonan had just put down his hand that had adjusted his glasses. And the three tomoe were slowly spinning. He bowed deeply to Minato and said, "Minato-sensei, I've offended you."

Everything that happened just a moment ago was an illusion. The chase had begun just now. Minato stood on a tree and said with a smile, "Don't worry about hurting me."

"Minato-sensei, be careful," Tonan warned as he made hand seals.

"Fire Style – Great Fireball Technique!"

A huge fireball flew towards Minato, and at the same time, Tonan threw several kunai. The kunai collided with each other in midair, constantly changing paths.

Ding, ding…

Minato jumped, dodging the fireball along with the kunai behind it.

Step.

But just as he touched the ground, he noticed the earth under him had turned into a swamp, and his body sank involuntarily.

"Earth Style – Dark Swamp."

Not far away, Kakashi had released the ninjutsu. Seeing Minato already trapped, he leisurely walked over and lightly said, "Hand over the bells."

Bang!

"Clone Technique, when did he do it?"

Kakashi narrowed his eyes and looked around, but Minato was already standing behind him at this time. He reached out and gently tapped Kakashi's shoulder.

Bang!

Kakashi turned into a cloud of smoke. He too was a clone.

"It seems your partnership is very good," Minato said to the empty surrounding, but intentionally or unintentionally, his eyes swept across two bushes.

Swish

Suddenly, four fuma shuriken flew out, and they came at Minato from four different directions.

"Using special ninja tools?"

Minato didn't bat an eyelid. When the fuma shuriken reached in front of him, he jumped lightly, and just happened to step on the central part of the shuriken, perfectly dodging the attacks. But when he had begun to fall under the effect of gravity and reached closer to the shuriken, he was surprised to notice that they were each connected with chakra wires.

Moreover, these chakra wires were shrinking. If he kept falling like this, he would be entangled in those wires.

"Great tactics!"

Minato took out a kunai and swung it towards the chakra wires. Although the wires couldn't be cut, he could borrow the kinetic energy to accelerate his fall. At this moment, in the Hokage office, Sarutobi Hiruzen was watching Minato's test using his Crystal Ball Technique.

"It's not surprising that Kakashi and Tonan's strength is already at chunin level. For such a team, assigning D-ranked missions would be a waste of talent."

Hiruzen blew out a mouthful of smoke and suddenly frowned as he thought of something.

"Did this kid also learn lightning style? It seems his ninjutsu talent is higher than what I thought."

On the other side, Minato continuously slashed the chakra wires, escaping from the fate of being bound. But just when he was about to land, Kakashi broke out from the ground below once again with a serious look. He then thrust his tanto towards Minato's arm with his right hand, and at the same time, extended his left hand to grab the bells hanging on his waist.

The corners of Minato's mouth rose slightly as he swung down a kunai with his right hand.

Ding

As Kakashi's tanto and a kunai collided, Kakashi put more strength into it, and Minato flew back into the sky again.

"Lightning Style – Ground Travel."

Crackle

At this moment, Minato realized that the fuma shuriken had not fallen on the ground at all, but were stuck on the surrounding trees. Several kunai, also connected with chakra wires, were suspended from different points, forming a net.

There was a lightning net formed above Minato. Seeing that he was about to throw himself right into it, a smile appeared on Kakashi's mouth behind his mask. Tonan's Sharingan was spinning rapidly, observing Minato's chakra fluctuations.

This was the real body. There was no sign of using the Substitution Technique so far. But Minato cannot be so weak. During the entire process, Tonan was just assisting Kakashi. He hadn't revealed much of his strength.

Although this Minato was very young, his power should be higher than this level. Suddenly, Tonan's eyes shrunk slightly.

"The test is over, both of you have qualified."

Minato's figure appeared on the fuma shuriken. He looked at two newly minted genin below with admiration and said, "This test focuses on testing your teamwork. But your performance far surpassed my expectation. If it weren't for insufficient mission records, your strength is enough to become chunin."

"He has mastered Flying Thunder God Technique already! Did he leave the technique's mark on the shuriken while dodging just a moment ago?"

Tonan slightly narrowed his eyes, smiled, and bowed to Minato. He said, "Minato-sensei, you are flattering us. If this was a real battle, Kakashi and I would have been defeated long ago."

Minato scratched his head and said, "I'm a jonin, after all. When you two reach my age, you might be much better than me. Alright, to celebrate the creation of Team Nine, how about we go eat some ramen?"

Kakashi put away his tanto and glanced at Tonan. He was not in the mood to eat ramen at all. Since he was unable to snatch the bell, he wanted to go back to train and improve his strength. However, Tonan squashed the plan and said, "Thank you sensei. Kakashi and I will be grateful."

Seeing that Tonan had agreed, Kakashi also shrugged his shoulders.

"There is half an hour before lunchtime. Let's go to the Ramen Ichiraku restaurant located in the shopping street. I'll come after picking up someone."

Without really waiting for a reply, Minato disappeared in front of the two of them.

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Chapter 41: Kurama's Warning, Unpleasant Lunch

Notes:

Kurama, also known as Nine Tails or Kyubi, is the tailed beast sealed in Uzumaki Kushina, a jinchuriki.

At noon, Hatake Kakashi and Uchiha Tonan sat in Ramen Ichiraku, waiting for Namikaze Minato's arrival. Tonan looked around at the restaurant's layout. It was plain, and a little rustic. As for what the netizens from his previous life said about the owner being Otsutsuki Teuchi or whatever, Tonan didn't want to find out right now.

It would be fine if it were just a rumor, but if it was true, then he would be asking for death. Very soon, Minato arrived, bringing along a red-headed kunoichi wearing a green vest.

Minato pointed to the woman next to him and said, "Tonan, Kakashi, let me introduce you. This is Uzumaki Kushina."

Kushina's demeanor was not reserved even by a little bit, but quite the opposite. Pushing Minato out of the way, she rushed up to Kakashi and Tonan and looked at them curiously.

"So, these are the rumored new generation geniuses of Konoha? Nice to meet you, I'm Uzumaki Kushina."

Kakashi nodded nonchalantly. Tonan glanced at Kushina and smiled in an elegant and easy-going way, and greeted, "Hello, I'm Uchiha Tonan. Minato-sensei's student."

Minato scratched his head with a smile. "Come on, let's all take a seat."

"Is everyone here? What do you all want to eat?" Teuchi walked out of the kitchen and laid out the menus in front of them.

Kushina raised her hand and shouted, "A large pork bone ramen!"

Then, she glanced at Minato and added, "Two bowls!"

Tonan didn't look at the menu, he just smiled and said, "The same for me as well, but with less seasoning, please. I prefer lighter food. Sorry for the trouble."

Kakashi answered indifferently, "I'll have the same as him."

"Alright!" Teuchi nodded, gathered the menus, and headed back into the kitchen. Soon after, four steaming bowls of mouth-watering pork bone ramen were served.

"Let's dig in!" Kushina hurriedly picked up her chopsticks. Just then, the Nine-Tails' voice appeared in her head.

"Kushina."

"Yeah, Kurama? What's up?"

"I'm feeling a strong sense of evil from that brat's heart."

When she heard that, Kushina's hand stilled. She slightly turned her gaze towards Kakashi. But the Nine-Tails in her body corrected her, and said, "Not the white-haired kid, I'm talking about the Uchiha brat."

Looking at the gentle-looking Tonan, who was slowly chewing his food, she frowned, "You must be mistaken. He looks as gentle as Minato."

"My perception can't be wrong. The evil chakra in his body unsettles me. But it's nothing compared to the evil thoughts in his mind."

"He's looking over."

"What's wrong, senpai? Is there something on my face?"

Tonan looked at Kushina with a puzzled expression while wiping his face with a tissue.

"Those eyes… strange. Speaking of which, can I inherit her tailed beast abilities after she dies? Now that's a question. If I keep going and kill all the jinchuriki, won't I become a natural Ten-Tails? If it can be enhanced in a loop…"

Thinking up to this point, an inexplicable emotion appeared in Tonan's eyes as he looked at Kushina.

"He seems to be thinking something evil about you."

Kushina's face stiffened. She said aloud, "I just remembered… I've been hearing people talking about you in the village of late."

Clatter

Tonan froze and his chopsticks fell to the ground. Then, lowering his head, seemingly dejected, he asked hoarsely, "Is that right?"

Minato grabbed a new set of chopsticks for Tonan. Passing it to him, he said in a warm voice, "Eat while it's hot. It won't taste as good once it's cold."

Tonan nodded, picked up his chopsticks, and began chomping on the noodles in big bites, but drop by drop, tears fell into the bowl.

"Tonan, what's wrong?" Kushina was confused. She didn't expect this sort of reaction. Tonan looked up, his red eyes faintly glistening with tears. He said with a forced smile, "Huh? It's too delicious. I've never eaten such good ramen before."

Then, he lowered his head and continued stuffing his mouth with noodles.

"Want another bowl?" Minato patted Tonan's back with a sympathetic look. But Tonan suddenly stood up, and said, "No, I'm full now. I've to clean up my house today, so I'll leave you all to it if that's alright."

With that, he headed back towards the Uchiha district using Ground Travel. Just as he was leaving, he had even sneakily wiped his tears. Minato reached out and wanted to say something to him, but he couldn't find the right words. Finally, when Tonan was about to turn into the street, he shouted out, "Remember to meet me in front of the Hokage Residence tomorrow morning at eight o'clock!"

Tonan paused in his steps. Nodding, he left without turning back. Kakashi put down his chopsticks with an expressionless face and turned to Kushina with a cold gaze. "I'm done, as well." And then Kakashi left on his own.

Minato looked down, and the ramen in Kakashi and Tonan's bowls seemed almost untouched. Minato and Kushina didn't have any appetite anymore either. After eating a bit, they left with taciturn faces.

When on the road, Kushina couldn't wrap her head around what happened. She asked Minato, "Did I say something wrong?"

"It's probably nothing. Just watch what you say in the future."

"That's strange… I just said that people in the village were talking about him. Why was he so upset?"

"What were they talking about him?"

"They called him a genius, and that he graduated from the academy in only a year. Isn't that worth talking about?"

Minato smiled and shook his head, "I guess all three of us misunderstood."

"What else could it be?" Kushina looked puzzled. After some hesitation, she continued, "Did you know the Nine-Tails inside me can sense evil thoughts in people around me."

Minato frowned at her words. "What do you mean?"

"Kurama said that Tonan has evil thoughts lurking in his heart."

Minato shook his head, and said, "But based on what I understand, as well as the impression I got of him today, he didn't come across as a bad guy."

Kushina pursed her lips and chose to believe in Minato. "I hope Kurama was wrong."

Minato sighed. From what he knew of Tonan's situation, he explained to Kushina, "Tonan's been through a lot. In just half a year, he has lost a fellow clan brother, his parents, and his girlfriend."

Kushina got curious, and asked, "What happened?"

Minato patiently narrated Tonan's recent experiences. Listening to him, Kushina had a realization, "After all those tragedies, it's no wonder his heart is filled with darkness."

Minato nodded, and said, "When I met him yesterday, he said that he dreams of gaining the acknowledgment of more people, and I can see that he meant that from the bottom of his heart."

Kushina's mind began running wild. "In that case, he must be the type who's dark inside and bright outside."

"Hokage-sama told me about this. Tonan needs someone who can help him out now."

"No wonder you've been asked to become a team leader as soon as you were promoted to a jonin. It's because of your personality…"

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Chapter 42: Soul Disguise, Obtaining Profound Meaning

Notes:

The 'Konoha Hypocrite' release schedule will now be a chapter daily.

Ryo is the currency used in the Naruto world. It is based on an old Japanese gold coin that was used in Japan before the Meiji period, later replaced by the yen.

Izanagi is a genjutsu that is cast on the user instead of others and is the most powerful amongst this type of genjutsu.

Uchiha Tonan returned home in a rush, shut the door, and poured himself a cup of tea. He fell into deep reflection.

At lunch, Tonan had noticed Uzumaki Kushina's peculiar gaze, when she was observing him. It wasn't ordinary but rather guarded with strong vigilance. It was similar to that of herbivorous animals that had to go to the crocodile-infested pond to drink water during the dry season on the prairie.

Tonan couldn't understand where he gave the game away. His only choice at the time was to put on an act on the scene and leave in a hurry. He was anxious that he would expose too many flaws if he continued to stay.

"What exactly went wrong that made her so cautious against me in just our first meeting? She said people in the village were talking about me lately. But my actions were clearly on the side of righteousness and grief without the slightest flaw."

Strange…

Tonan understood the principle of reflecting on one's actions three times a day very well. Only with this kind of paranoid diligence, could he make continuous progress in his pursuit to be a master huntsman. Kushina's intuitive vigilance might just be the Uzumaki physique and the Nine-Tails within her body.

Or maybe Kushina had an innate skill similar to telepathy or the Mind Reading Technique.

"So, she can see through my perfect disguise and look at my soul? This is not so easy to deal with… wouldn't Kushina die during the Kyubi rebellion?"

Tonan sipped the tea while his finger rapidly tapped on the table.

Tap, tap, tap…

Suddenly, an idea sprung in his mind, and his frantic finger tapping stopped.

"I've got it! She can look directly at soul essence, isn't it? Then, I will just disguise my soul."

The corners of Tonan's mouth rose slightly, and he walked to the mirror. In his eyes, three tomoe were already spinning rapidly.

"Genjutsu – Hypnotic Eyes!"

"I deeply respect Kushina. I respect her to the extent of regarding her as a parent figure, seeking motherly love from her. She illuminates my heart like a bonfire on a dark night."

"When I see her, my soul's fire will ignite and dispel all the darkness. Only on the day, Naruto will be born, my soul's fire will extinguish on its own."

Tonan entered a trance-like state, as a flame bloomed in his dim soul space. His eyes bled immediately after and his visual power was greatly depleted. But the result was notable. Now, whenever Tonan thought about Kushina, an intimate feeling emerged in his heart.

"A prey, after all, is a prey… you can't escape."

"This damned heartache…"

In the dimly lit room, a magnetic voice resounded.

………

In the evening, the Great Elder came over to Tonan's house. He made this trip specifically to take him to the Naka Shrine. This could be regarded as the foundation for the Uchiha clan, and also its spiritual symbol. Only the Patriarch and Great Elder could enter and leave this place at will.

There were no electric lights here. Oil lamps were used to light it up. In the room, an oil lamp flickered, continuously moving the Great Elder and Tonan's shadows on the wall.

"Tonan, this is the birthplace of the Uchiha clan. Usually, only when there is an important ceremony or event, everyone gathers here. But I brought you here today because of two reasons."

"Last time, you did a great job of sowing discord among the Konoha top brass. Sarutobi Hiruzen was under tremendous pressure and was forced to give our clan generous compensation. This is a part of your share."

While speaking, the Great Elder pushed a brand new bankbook in front of Tonan. Tonan shot a glance at the numbers with a wooden expression.

600,000 Ryo.

This alone was equivalent to an A-ranked mission reward. Converting it into pork bone broth ramen, it would be about ten thousand bowls.

Seeing Tonan not moved by a considerable sum of money, the Great Elder thought even highly of him. "This compensation is very large. After all, no one could find conclusive evidence. Now, you're young, and the clan fears you may lose yourself if you've too much money. That's why, after much thinking, the clan decided to give you 600,000 Ryo. The rest of the money is stored with us. You can let me know whenever you need it."

Tonan smiled slightly, as he picked up the bankbook, and put it in his ninja bag.

"This is a lot, Great Elder, thank you."

The Great Elder nodded with satisfaction and said while giving a scroll to Tonan, "You've become a genin now. You can choose three jutsu from the inheritance scroll. These jutsu are more advance than the previous ones. I've discussed with Fugaku and we've also decided to give you the clan's strongest profound meaning. This is equivalent to choosing two jutsu. Take a look."

Tonan had never heard of the Uchiha clan believing in a powerful profound meaning.

"Is it Izanagi?"

Tonan opened the scroll. And he saw the name of the profound meaning written on top of the scroll — Flicker Clone Technique.

"This is…" Tonan was startled.

The Great Elder smiled slightly, and he explained, "The difficulty level of training this jutsu is super S-rank, and it falls into nin-tai-genjutsu. Because of the training difficulty, the later generations split it into Body Flicker Jutsu and Clone Jutsu via research."

"Later, Nidaime Hokage, Senju Tobirama, used it as a reference and created Shadow Clone Technique that produced physically real clones."

Flicker Clone Technique, Body Flicker Technique.

Tonan suddenly recalled a person from the original book — Shisui the Teleporter. His Body Flicker Technique was not movement-type ninjutsu, but rather split into several physically real clones during a battle. And these tangible clones wouldn't just disappear when they were attacked like shadow clones.

This was a divine skill. Tonan rolled up the scroll and said with a grateful look, "Thank you, Great Elder."

The Great Elder then spread out a huge scroll in front of him again and said while pointing at it, "You can choose one more jutsu. It's not that the clan is hesitant to give you more, but this is a rule set by our ancestors."

"I understand." Tonan was not greedy either. It wasn't like the more ninjutsu, the better. He browsed through the scroll. The ninjutsu recorded in it were obviously more advanced than what he had seen earlier. Most of them were the combination-type jutsu such as tai-nin, nin-gen, tai-gen, and so on.

Their training difficulty was higher, but their power and effect were also more powerful. Simple ninjutsu couldn't compare to them. Tonan finally saw a ninjutsu at the side of the scroll, and his eyes lit up. He then pointed at it and said, "This one."

The Great Elder looked at the spot where Tonan had pointed.

Secret Technique – Beast Infestation.

The Great Elder narrowed his eyes and said with a frown, "Beast Infestation, this jutsu only works on ninja beasts. You have to use chakra to transform ninja beasts' physique, and at the critical moment, you can make them go berserk."

"This jutsu was developed by our ancestors using the Aburame clan's Insect Infestation as a reference. But its effect in actual combat is not very impactful, and it usually consumes a lot of chakra. Are you sure you want to choose this?"

"I'm sure," Tonan said with certainty.

"Alright, then." The Great Elder nodded, made a hand sign, and slammed on the scroll. Then, a small scroll appeared in front of him and he glanced at Tonan.

Tonan understood his indication. He grabbed the scroll and put it in his ninja bag.

"Tonan." The Great Elder's voice suddenly became serious.

Tonan adjusted his glasses, sat upright, and said, "Great Elder, did you have any instruction?"

"What do you think about… where our clan's future is?"

Tonan paused for a moment and replied, "Blind obedience will not change the Uchiha clan's status quo."

The Great Elder narrowed his eyes and said, "You mean…"

Tonan got up, looked down at the Great Elder, and said four words in a resolute tone.

"The strong are respected."

After speaking, he turned around and walked away.

"Then I'll be looking forward to that day."

The Great Elder squinted his eyes and looked at the stone tablet deep in the room. He muttered to himself, "Everything, for the Uchiha."

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Chapter 43: Ninja Beast Transformation, Activating Self Hypnosis

Stars glittered in the night sky like a velvety black backdrop inlaid with countless pearls. Uchiha Tonan walked out of the Naka Shrine, but he didn't return home. Instead, he headed towards the training ground.

The difficulty level of the Flicker Clone Technique was too high. After all, it was a nin-tai-genjutsu, which was not something ordinary geniuses could easily grasp. Tonan estimated that he would have to invest a great deal of time in it.

He might even need to devour some rations so that his talent would increase to the required standard for this technique. Beast Infestation was comparatively simpler. After all, Tonan had the combined spiritual power of quite a few people. He also could be regarded as a genius worthy of the title.

He activated the Sharingan and scanned his surroundings. After confirming no one was around, he took out a scroll from his ninja bag and opened it. The three tomoe spun rapidly as he memorized the scroll's content.

Tonan took half an hour to commit everything to memory, before putting away the scroll. He then used Mirror Heaven and Earth Change and controlled the white pigeons lurking in various places to fly over to his location.

Coo, coo

Once the white pigeons' flocked over to him, landing on him and the ground around him, he bit his finger to draw some blood. He then, turn by turn, fed it to each of the pigeons under his control. Once this was done, he began to form hand seals.

The Beast Infestation technique had two types of hand signs. The first was to transform the ninja beasts, and the second was to make them go berserk during a battle. Tonan began with the transformation signs. This alone consisted of over two hundred hand seals, making it extremely tedious and complex.

Swish

As soon as he completed the last hand sign, Tonan slammed his palm on the ground.

"Secret Technique – Beast Infestation."

A powerful chakra fluctuation gushed out and entered into the white pigeons. Their appearances began to change at breakneck speed. Their bodies expanded and their pale white feathers turned bright-red. Under the chakra transformation, their feeble-looking beaks also curved little by little, resembling fangs, hard enough to tear their prey apart.

Time passed by, but the pigeons' bodies continued to grow, their feathers becoming deep shades of blackish-red, akin to a breed of crows.

More than half of Tonan's chakra had already depleted but this initial transformation must be completed in one go. If not, all his previous efforts would have gone down the drain. Tonan remained expressionless and squeezed out more chakra from his body.

It took him ten more minutes to transform the white pigeons successfully. Their final appearance was like black hawks, especially their pitch-black metallic hooked beaks, which exuded a sense of danger at a glance. The once innocent bird now emitted the aura of a beast.

Tonan stopped using the technique and sighed in relief. He wiped the cold sweat from his forehead. At this time, these white pigeons immediately reverted to their original form, once again at a speed visible to the naked eyes.

Looking at the current docile pigeons, it was difficult to imagine they were the same fierce creatures from just a moment ago. A lingering change reflected in the pigeons' eyes that showed a bit of intelligence now.

They kept rubbing themselves against Tonan intimately and were continuously using his chakra to strengthen their physique. But the chakra consumption didn't exceed his recovery speed.

Tonan could feel that the connection between him and the pigeons had deepened and a strange smile came on his lips. He reached out and scratched a white pigeon's neck with his finger and said, "If an opportunity presents itself, it might be time to end your meatless diet."

……

The next day, Tonan got up, washed his face, and cooked a bowl of porridge for himself. He put on his ninja headband, sorted out his tools, and walked towards the Hokage Residence. When he arrived at the entrance, he saw Namikaze Minato and Hatake Kakashi waiting for him.

Tonan bowed apologetically and said, "Sorry, I made you both wait."

Minato scratched his head and replied with a silly smile, "It's alright, it's alright… you are not late. We arrived earlier than the agreed time." Tonan nodded without saying anything. But seeing the two did not move, he couldn't help but ask in confusion, "Why aren't we going?"

Minato seemed like something unfortunate came to his mind. His expression froze a little, and he answered with a guilty conscience, "Let's just wait a bit longer."

Just like this, the three waited for another hour before they saw Uzumaki Kushina jog over. Kushina was carrying a white plastic bag that had three lunch boxes in it.

She placed a hand on her hip and lifted the plastic bag with the other. She said, "You all mustn't have eaten breakfast yet. I specially prepared this for you."

Minato looked at the sky and sighed. Then very awkwardly, he said, "Thank you very much." But showed no intention to take the lunch boxes. This was because Minato was familiar with Kushina's culinary skills, and dreaded it. It could only be described in three words — hard to explain.

Kushina took out a lunch box and first handed it over to Tonan and said, "Come on, Tonan, I made this especially for you. I remember you like bland food."

Tonan didn't reach out to take it but kept staring stupidly at the lunch box in her hand. After a few breaths, he slowly raised his head and looked at Kushina. The moment their eyes met, the hypnotic genjutsu in his mind triggered automatically.

Tonan's eyes seemed to have become a bit clearer, and his expression while looking at Kushina gradually became affectionate…

"Why are you looking at me like that?" Kushina felt that Tonan's gaze was strange.

Recalling how the Kyubi had said that Tonan had evil intentions towards her, she subconsciously gulped.

"What is this brat thinking today? He isn't thinking about killing me, is he?"

Tonan pursed his lips, raised his hand, and pushed the lunch box back. He then put his hands on his knees. bowed deeply towards Kushina and said, "Thank you for your kindness, Kushina-senpai. It's just that I have already eaten in the morning. I'm unable to eat any more now."

Kushina was stunned hearing his words, and the corners of her mouth twitched. She feigned a smile and said, "That's alright."

In her heart, however, she was roaring and shouting.

"Damn it, I woke up early to especially make breakfast, and you didn't even taste it. If you weren't so tragic, I would have made you taste my fist today!"

The perceptive Minato noticed that Kushina was on the verge of exploding, and he didn't dare to rub her up the wrong way. He amicably said, "We're a bit late and we need to hurry to receive our mission order."

He hastily pulled Kakashi and Tonan with each hand and rushed towards the Hokage Residence. After the three left, Kushina stomped and threw the plastic bag into the nearby trashcan. "Damn it, I'm angry."

She placed both hands on her hips, took a deep breath, and shouted in her heart, "Kurama, did that brat have evil intentions towards me again?"

"No."

"No? He's sensible."

"But it was very strange. Not only did he suddenly have no evil intentions towards you, but he seemed to have great goodwill. He has a lot more goodwill towards you than towards Minato. It was very similar to what human children have towards their mothers," the Kyubi explained.

Kushina was dumbfounded. "Is it because I made him breakfast?"

"It could be. Human minds are too complicated, they change rapidly." In the tailed beast space, Kyubi closed its eyes after speaking.

Outside, Kushina gave a small smile, and confidence flashed in her eyes, "It seems that children like me when I'm warm and gentle."

Suddenly, her eyes opened wide, and she exclaimed, "The breakfast I made!" Immediately afterward, she rushed towards the trashcan, startling two stray dogs that were having their meal so much that they ran away with their tails between their legs.

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Chapter 44: E-Rank Mission, House Cleaning

Namikaze Minato walked into the Hokage Residence with Hatake Kakashi and Uchiha Tonan in tow. Once in the office, he asked, "Hokage-sama, are there any tasks we could take up?"

Sarutobi Hiruzen glanced at Tonan who was following behind Minato and looking at him with reverent eyes. Silently, he nodded at him. Then, he said to Minato, "There just happens to be a troublesome E-rank mission. Take them and get them familiarized for now."

"E-rank? Isn't D-rank the one for beginners?" Minato was puzzled.

Hiruzen cleared his throat. "The reason for that is because the client this time is from the first batch of the civilian shinobi from when Konoha was founded. He's old and his legs are paralyzed, so he's asked someone to help with cleaning his house."

"But he's paying a commission of only 200 Ryo. Considering his seniority, we have no choice but to accept it."

"Is that so?" Minato hesitated for a moment, wondering whether he should accept the mission or not. After all, the payout was only 200 Ryo, to be divided amongst three of them. Based on the rules, he would get 50 percent while Kakashi and Tonan would equally share the remainder.

A single bowl of pork bone ramen cost 60 Ryo. This payout was too less. Seeing Minato's hesitation, Hiruzen sighed, "This mission has been left unattended for several days because no one is willing to accept it. The pay is too small after all. But if you're willing to take it, then I'll record it down as a D-rank mission for you."

Tonan looked at the frown on Hiruzen's face with a heartfelt expression and tugged on Minato's sleeve. "Minato-sensei, let's accept it."

Seeing that Tonan had no problem with it, Minato nodded, "Alright, Let's do it."

As expected, Tonan was very understanding. Hiruzen smiled amiably at him before handing the mission details over to Minato. The three of them bowed to Hiruzen and left the Hokage's office.

After walking out, Minato handed the details to Tonan, and said, "I'm sure you understand the task. Both of you will need to work for it when the time comes."

Tonan accepted the mission information and smiled. The three of them had just left the Hokage Residence when they suddenly saw Uzumaki Kushina. Half her body was in the trash bin, leaving a pair of legs flapping around outside.

Minato's mouth twitched, but he calmly asked, "Kushina, what are you doing?"

Clang

Kushina was taken by surprise and she fell to the ground together with the bin, the rubbish falling all over her. She jumped out from under the pile and frantically stammered, "No… nothing…"

Before anyone could say anything, she yelped and ran, "I have a lot of work to do, so I'm leaving now!"

…

Under the eaves of a dilapidated house in the center of Konoha, an old man with a fierce-looking face was sitting in a wheelchair, sizing up Minato and his team. He gruffly asked, "So, you're the shinobi who accepted the mission?"

Minato smiled and patted Kakashi and Tonan's shoulders. "That's right. These two youngsters will help you clean your house."

The old man nodded coldly. "The two of you better be careful. If you break anything, you'll have to pay for it."

After that, he pushed his wheelchair into the house while yelling, "If you don't clean up thoroughly, I won't sign your mission paper! Don't think it's easy to earn money of me just because I'm old!"

Minato turned to the two of them. "Well, I'll leave you both to it now. Meet me on the Hokage Residence rooftop once you're done with the mission."

After that, his body disappeared in an instant. For a D-rank mission such as this, the team leader need not be involved. They just had to supervise their teams. Unlike catching cats or dogs, cleaning a house wasn't dangerous. So, Minato didn't bother wasting any time here.

Tonan and Kakashi looked at each other for a moment before rolling up their sleeves and heading to work. Kakashi barely ever did housework, but fortunately, Tonan was there to guide him on how to tidy things up.

However…

Crash

Kakashi looked dumbfounded at the teapot that landed on the floor, speechless. Just a moment ago, he was trying to put the teapot in place. But as soon as he lifted it, the handle broke off directly.

"You damned brat, that teapot is from Ichidaime-sama's era!" Hearing the commotion, the old man rushed over in anger.

Kakashi responded indifferently, "I'll pay for it."

When he heard Kakashi take the initiative to compensate, much of the old man's anger dissipated. He took an abacus out of his pocket and began calculating. "The price tag was 20 Ryo when I first bought it. Now, with the appreciation of the price… you owe me… 2000 Ryo."

Kakashi nodded and pulled his wallet out of his ninja bag and began counting the money. Tonan, who was arranging miscellaneous items in a drawer, saw this and got up to stop his teammate who was foolishly giving money away.

"Grandpa, if you buy a new teapot, the most expensive one wouldn't be more than 200 Ryo, would it?"

"So many years have passed, this is an antique. It's not the pot that is expensive but the years and the sentiments behind it."

Kakashi wasn't willing to fight for petty change, so he pulled Tonan's hand away.

"Don't discuss this any further. I'll pay."

The old man accepted the 2000 Ryo that Kakashi handed him, stuffing it into his dried-up purse. "Very well, you two can continue."

Tonan sighed helplessly and said to Kakashi, "Kakashi, why don't you head back? I'm better at cleaning. I'll handle this."

Kakashi wasn't happy doing these trash missions, but he replied in a small voice, "But this is my task." Tonan smiled warmly and patted his shoulder. "This is our task. All that matters is that we get it done. You go back and train. The greatest help you can offer our little team is by getting stronger."

Kakashi hesitated for a moment but eventually agreed. The old man glanced at Tonan and warned, "Kid, you've already accepted the mission so you can't give up. After all, I've paid the money."

Tonan smiled warmly and said, "Don't worry, grandpa. I'll do my best to clean your house." After assuring the man, he busied himself again in clearing up the clutter. Seeing the seriously-working Tonan, the old man was relieved and went under the eaves to soak in the sun.

When Tonan was busy cleaning the bedroom, he suddenly saw a tanto hanging on the wall. He narrowed his eyes and took it down, unsheathing it slowly. The blade was polished and faintly reflected a cold glow. Tonan instantly recognized this as a precious chakra weapon.

Without leaving any trace, he put the blade back in its original place before burying himself back at work. An immature idea formed in his mind.

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Chapter 45: Task Complete, Taking Initiative To Cook

Under the eaves and the warm sunlight, the old man was feeling sleepy. Suddenly, Uchiha Tonan's gentle voice came from the room. "Grandpa, were you a ninja in the past?"

The old man opened his eyes, shook his head, making his mind clearer, and subconsciously said, "Have you heard of the Sango clan?"

Just as he said that he recalled something. Looking at the plants in his yard, he became a little absentminded, and said with a desolate look, "You wouldn't have heard of it, because I'm the only one left. The Sango clan was a distinguished samurai family in ancient times. Later, when ninja flourished, the Sango also changed into a ninja clan."

"But during the Warring States Period, all the clan members died, leaving behind just two or three descendants. When Shodaime Hokage established Konoha, only I was left in the entire clan. Not long after that, the First Great Ninja War broke out, and our clan also entered the battlefield. That war not only took my legs but also my son and my wife."

Old people don't stop speaking once they start. When the old man did stop, he realized he had said too much. However, Tonan didn't seem to mind. Instead, he even curiously asked from the room, "Back then, you must've been very strong."

The old man's eyebrows rose, and he replied proudly, "Of course! Back then, I used to be an Anbu squad leader. I led my squad to complete many S-ranked missions. It's a pity…"

The old man patted his paralyzed legs lightly. "Wars are cruel…"

In the room, Tonan finished putting the last piece of junk into the cupboard. With the sunlight spilling in from the window behind him, it was hard to see his expression. Tonan slowly got up, picked up a handkerchief, and walked towards the lavatory.

Since the junk material was already cleaned up, he just needed to wipe off the dust. But when Tonan opened the door, the scene in front made him frown. The place was full of filth and the toilet looked like it had been clogged for the longest time.

An unpleasant odor filled the air, which when inhaled was irritating to the eyes. Tonan could now guess why this old man issued a ninja mission to come and clean up this place even though he hated to spend.

At this moment, the old man pushed the wheelchair and came behind him. He coughed lightly and said with a guilty conscience, "Cough, cough, young fellow, giving up a mission will leave a negative mark on your record."

Tonan turned around, narrowed his eyes as he looked at the old man, and said with a smile, "Do you have a toilet plunger in your home?"

"No." The old man shook his head. Tonan nodded and said with a bow, "Please wait for a moment."

After speaking, he walked away from the courtyard. Not long after, he returned with a tool under the old man's nervous gaze. He immersed himself in cleaning, ignoring the filth around him.

The old man looked at Tonan, who was working hard without complaint, feeling a hint of apology. After Tonan finished cleaning the restroom, he got up and began to wipe the furniture.

During the entire process, he remained focused. Even when cleaning the little things, he took out a small brush and carefully cleaned it. The old man could swear he had never seen anyone do housework this diligently. It was simply art.

By noon, Tonan had already wiped the floor thrice. After spraying air fresheners everywhere, he came up to the old man, looking respectful, put his hands on the knees, and bowed, "I've finished cleaning up. You can please check."

The old man saw that Tonan's originally spotless white shirt was now wrinkled and discolored. He felt guiltier in his heart. "You… you did very well."

Tonan smiled, handed over the mission sheet and a pen to the old man, and said, "In that case, please do sign the mission sheet."

The old man happily signed it and hesitated for a while. He then took out the 2000 Ryo he had taken from Kakashi, feeling a hint of heartache. He put the money along with the mission sheet in Tonan's hand, and said, "This is your tip. You can now leave."

"Grandpa, you are so kind. I thank you on behalf of Kakashi."

With a bright smile on his face, Tonan left the courtyard and went to the Hokage Residence to report the mission's completion.

After he left, the old man pushed the wheelchair to the bedroom and took out a photo from the bedside cabinet. In the photo, there was a happy family of three. The old man extended his trembling hand and gently caressed it.

"If Imaru hadn't died, I would've great-grandchildren by now, and they would be as cute as that kid."

The old man sighed, placed the photo back into the bedside cabinet, turned around, and went to the kitchen. He opened the refrigerator, but there were just a few rice balls left, which were leftovers from the morning.

Since his family passed away, he had become even more unsociable and eccentric. Moreover, he was widely known as a miser, and the neighbors didn't associate with him much. The old man took out two rice balls from the refrigerator, and held them in his hands, preparing to eat them after they thawed.

"I have to go out again in the afternoon," he sighed and reclined on the wheelchair. No one knew what he was thinking.

Coo coo

At this moment, most of the villagers had returned home for lunch. It was quiet outside, except for a few sporadic chirps. The old man's eyes slowly closed while leaning on the wheelchair, and he fell asleep.

Time slowly passed by.

Knock, knock, knock…

After an unknown period of time, he could hear someone knocking at his door. The old man blinked a few times before he finally woke up. He shouted, "Who's it?"

Knock, knock, knock…

The knock persisted, but no one answered him. The old man frowned, pushed his wheelchair, and grabbed the door handle. Just at that moment, the knock stopped abruptly.

The old man frowned even more and slowly turned the door handle, then ferociously pushed the door. The moment it opened, warm sunlight spilled in.

He saw Tonan holding ingredients in both hands. Tonan smiled brightly and said, "Earlier, when I was cleaning, I saw you didn't have much to eat in the refrigerator. I guessed it's inconvenient for you to go grocery shopping, so I brought some over for you."

The old man was stunned for a moment. When he collected himself, he shook his head and said, "Thank you, young fellow, but I don't need these things. The problem is my legs. It's very difficult to cook even if I want to. So, I eat rice balls usually. If I want to eat meat, I just wrap the rice balls with some bacon."

Tonan looked at the old man's legs and gently said, "Since I've bought them, it would be a waste if you don't eat them. How about I cook for you? In any case, I'm also the only one left in my family. Let's just eat together. I'll also have some company that way."

The old man's expression changed a little. It was obvious he was moved. He replied, "Do as you wish."

Tonan smiled, walked in, took the rice balls from the old man's hands, and threw them into the trashcan. "These rice balls aren't nutritious. Don't eat them."

He then made his way to the kitchen, tied an apron around his waist, and started cooking.

Light a fire, pour oil.

tac, tac, tac…

The rhythmic sounds of vegetable chopping could be heard.

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Chapter 46: Sanbo Motoyoshi, Moving House Again

Not long after, the old man in the living room smelled a delicious aroma wafting in from the kitchen and secretly swallowed a mouthful of saliva.

Uchiha Tonan walked out and started placing the food dishes on the dining table. The meal comprised one meat dish, with two vegetables, one soup, and two bowls of rice.

Once all was set, he turned to the old man and said, "I personally prefer lighter food. I don't know if it suits your taste but would you like to try it?"

The old man had not eaten such a wholesome meal for a very long time. He picked up his chopsticks and tasted the food. His eyes were opened wide with delight.

So delicious!

He began to eat, one big mouthful after another. Tonan smiled and filled the empty bowl with soup. He pushed it in front of the old man and said, "Take your time, otherwise you might choke on the food."

He picked up his chopsticks and began to eat elegantly. In his past life, he could cook, and later he had absorbed Uchiha Nanako's abilities. This system was very humane. Cooking skills were also considered among abilities.

Tonan's culinary skills had soared, and most older people preferred lighter food. Not surprisingly, therefore, the meal particularly appealed to the old man's appetite. And as the saying goes, the way to a man's heart is through his stomach.

"Grandpa, I'm Uchiha Tonan. I'm not sure how to address you."

The old man swallowed the food in his mouth and replied in good spirit, "Sanbo Motoyoshi."

"Grandpa Motoyoshi, you should eat more meat to nourish your body." Tonan politely put a piece of tender meat into Motoyoshi's bowl.

Motoyoshi narrowed his eyes and said, "Young fellow, your cooking skill is not bad, but I don't have money to hire you."

Tonan shook his head and replied, "I'm not short of money."

Tonan's comment got Motoyoshi speaking again. "Not short of money? That does make sense because you're an Uchiha after all. I never thought that clan could produce a bright child like you."

"Let me tell you though, you're young and you have no concept of money. Money must be saved. Don't spend it if you don't have to. Back then, during the Warring States Period, you don't know how many civilians starved to death. It was the same for ninjas as well."

Tonan looked confused, like a naïve youth who was ignorant of the world, "Ninjas also starved to death?"

Motoyoshi sipped the soup, and sighed, "Ninjas are just physically strong. At that time, the chaos of war was everywhere. Without a large clan's protection, who would produce any food with peace of mind. After some time, even if one wanted to steal for sustenance, there was no place to rob. Food was more expensive than explosive tags."

"Many ninjas couldn't put up with it, and just to fill their stomachs they had to become dogs for the large clans."

Tonan ladled more soup into Motoyoshi's bowl and thoughtfully asked, "That's why grandpa Motoyoshi is so diligent and thrifty?"

Motoyoshi's expression became solemn hearing this question. He took the soup from Tonan, took a few breaths, and said in a low voice, "That's not the only reason."

Tonan saw that Motoyoshi was feeling low at this moment, so he didn't pursue and continued to eat quietly. After the meal, he washed the bowls and chopsticks and made a pot of tea for Motoyoshi before preparing to leave.

In the living room, Motoyoshi looked at the tea and sighed, "Young fellow, I think you're a good person. If it's lonely to live by yourself, you can come live with me. There's a spare key in the shoe cabinet."

Tonan stopped his steps and turned his head to see Motoyoshi. He happily agreed, "I've to train in the afternoon. I'll move in tomorrow night. From here on, I request Motoyoshi Grandpa to advise me as much as possible."

Tonan left soon after. En route to Kakashi's house, his mind was calculating several theories.

"This old man used to be an Anbu squad leader. His strength would've been first-rate. If I can get his acknowledgment, I wonder how many abilities I will inherit after he dies. Judging from his age, he shouldn't be very far from his last day."

"How is ability inheritance calculated in such cases? If it's the abilities at the moment before death, then I will basically just get his knowledge. But if it's inheriting the abilities at his peak state, that would be impressive."

"Come to think of it, there are many aged people in Konoha, who've survived wars. Their strength cannot be weak considering sustaining until now would've been no joke. Most of them are elites. Could it be that this is the correct way to use the system?"

"No wonder it is called the inheritance system."

Tonan felt he had stumbled upon a whole new world. He raised his hand, adjusted his glasses and his steps became much lighter.

……

The next day, the sky wasn't bright yet, when Motoyoshi woke up from his sleep.

When people get old, their sleep becomes very light, and they would get up early every day. Looking around the empty room, he couldn't help thinking about Tonan.

That young fellow should have gone for a mission in the morning. And since he has to train with the team leader in the afternoon, he would be moving in at night.

Motoyoshi got out of the bed and climbed onto his wheelchair with difficulty. He then wheeled himself out of the bedroom. However, just after he pushed open the bedroom door, he was stunned.

The original incandescent lamps in the living room were replaced with warm-colored fluorescent lamps. On the dining table, there were two bowls of porridge and three plates of side dishes.

Tonan was sitting in front of the table in a seiza style, immersed in reading a not very well-known book.

"Cough, cough" Motoyoshi coughed lightly to attract his attention. Tonan raised his head and quickly got up. He ran behind Motoyoshi and helped him push the wheelchair to the dining table.

"Grandpa Motoyoshi, why did you wake up so early? The porridge is a little hot. You might need to wait for a while."

Motoyoshi looked at the food on the table and then at Tonan. He asked, "Did you come here this early to cook for me?"

Tonan returned to his seat, sat down seiza again, adjusted his glasses, and replied, "An hour in the morning is worth two in the evening, I always like to get up early. After all, early birds get the insects."

"That's right. That's very good…"

Motoyoshi looked at Tonan and appreciated him more.

"How wonderful it would be if he was my descendant! He's obedient, hard-working, and sensible. And he's so thoughtful in handling matters. He seems to possess all the good qualities of this world."

"What book are you reading?"

"I'm learning how to hide and disguise myself. I'll be taking different missions soon. If I'm not proficient enough in these matters, I might drag my teammates down." Tonan didn't lookup. He continued to mark key points while flipping through the book.

"Where did you buy this book from?"

"From the bookstore in the shopping district."

Motoyoshi frowned and said, "That nuisance bookstore? Such a book is full of empty words. You can't learn much from it. If there's something you don't understand, you can ask me. Although I'm old, I have experience. I've done several assassination missions before. I can share my experiences with you as a reward for taking care of me."

Tonan looked up, closed the book, and gently said, "I am taking care of you out of my wish. Talking about rewards is like treating me as an outsider."

Motoyoshi picked up the porridge, blew it lightly, and asked casually, "You can ask me nonetheless. What do you want to know?"

Tonan thought for a while and said, "If I meet a samurai, how can I get him to acknowledge me?"

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Chapter 47: Accepting Completely, A B-Ranked Mission

Uchiha Tonan's query on how to gain a samurai's acknowledgment raised a trace of doubt in Sanbo Motoyoshi's mind. He narrowed his eyes and coldly asked, "You are being so kind to an old person like me. You aren't an enemy spy, are you?"

Motoyoshi's words startled Tonan but he collected himself and smiled. He took off his glasses and activated his Sharingan. The three spinning tomoe in his eyes greatly shocked Motoyoshi, not letting him calm down for a long time.

"I was being silly and let my imagination run wild. I'm just an old man with nothing. There is no advantage anyone can take of me. Besides, your Sharingan already has the three tomoe. I guess the Uchiha clan will give you whatever you want." Motoyoshi smiled, ridiculing himself.

He began explaining to Tonan as he ate the porridge, "It's not easy to gain a samurai's acknowledgment. The samurai are stubborn people with rigid beliefs. You need to understand what the samurai spirit is. In fact, to understand it…"

Tonan ate his food, diligently listening to Motoyoshi's explanation. Tonan had by now given up on using affection to gain Hatake Sakumo's acknowledgment. After all, Sakumo had Kakashi, and his affection towards his son would always take precedence.

His goal had shifted to gain belief acknowledgment. He did gain the Great Elder's acknowledgment, which he presumed to be the same. The Great Elder saw him as the Uchiha's hope and nurtured him as a successor.

As for strength acknowledgment, he estimated it applied only for people who had brute strength.

Motoyoshi spoke very briefly about the samurai spirit. He ended by saying that he would share more in-depth concepts after Tonan comprehended what was discussed today. After the two finished the meal, Tonan washed the dishes.

He then found a thin blanket and covered Motoyoshi. Motoyoshi looked at it in confusion, and asked, "Why are you putting this on me?"

Tonan smiled, stuffed a hot-water bottle under the blanket, and replied, "It's cold outside, but it's too boring for you to stay inside the entire day. I thought I'll take you out to get some fresh air."

"… alright."

The two looked like a grandfather and grandson pair leisurely roaming around Konoha's streets. Motoyoshi couldn't recall how long it had been since he came out like this. Usually, when he left home, he would at most go to the grocery store to buy daily necessities.

Along the way, the villagers saw Tonan and began talking while pointing at him. Motoyoshi noticed this and couldn't help but ask, "Are they discussing you?"

Tonan adjusted his glasses and answered lightly, "Yes, people all over the village have been talking about me recently."

This caught Motoyoshi's interest, and his tone became a little lively. He said, "I never thought you were so famous. Tell me more about it."

A stiff smile appeared on Tonan's face, and he said in a low voice, looking dejected, "Let's talk about it another time."

Motoyoshi, who was very experienced, noticed this was a difficult topic for Tonan, so he played along and said, "Actually, I also don't really like gossip. The air outside feels so different."

Just like this, Tonan pushed Motoyoshi's wheelchair along the mountain path and arrived above the Hokage Rock to watch the sunrise. The gentle sunlight covered them in a golden hue. Motoyoshi felt unprecedented satisfaction and felt much more energetic.

He looked around and said, "The village has changed so much over these years."

Tonan reached out to adjust the blanket that was about to curl up into a ball on Motoyoshi's body and chimed in, "And there'll be even more changes in the future."

There was a hint of warmth on Motoyoshi's face, and as if he was talking in his sleep, he asked, "Tonan, do you know your chakra attributes?"

Tonan looked at Konoha that was gradually waking up to a new day's hustle and bustle, below the Hokage Rock, and asked, "Grandpa Motoyoshi, why are you asking me about this?"

"Just like that."

Tonan nodded and answered, "I haven't tested it formally, but I seemed to have the fire, lightning, water, and earth-type chakra."

Motoyoshi frowned and asked, "You don't have any wind attribute?"

The corners of Tonan's mouth slightly rose. "There could be."

"Is that so…" Motoyoshi seemed to be thinking about something.

"Grandpa Motoyoshi, I have to reach the meeting place in half an hour. I'll take you back home now."

"Alright."

……

As the days passed, Motoyoshi had completely accepted Tonan. They behaved exactly like a grandfather and grandson now. Motoyoshi even expressed he would pass down the Sanbo-style – Gale Slash to Tonan.

However, Tonan rejected it sternly on the grounds that he was too young, and his Sharingan hadn't fully developed yet.

Every morning, Tonan would complete a mission with Namikaze Minato and Kakashi. In the afternoon, he would either go to Kakashi's house to train or practice the basic curriculum such as walking on water, climbing trees, and how to refine chakra more efficiently with Minato.

During the weekly team dinner, Uzumaki Kushina would also show her face and take care of Tonan in the passing. Every night, Tonan locked himself in a room to study the Flicker Clone Technique.

The training difficulty of this profound meaning was, in fact, too high. Not only the achievement in each nin, tai, and gen technique should have reached a set standard, but one should also have sufficient innate talent and intellect.

Despite being at it for such a long time, Tonan hadn't even reached the entry point yet.

On this day, his peaceful life was finally disturbed.

In the Hokage Residence, Sarutobi Hiruzen pushed a mission sheet in front of Minato, and said, "Considering your team's strength, we have decided to assign you this B-ranked mission."

Minato frowned slightly and asked, "B-ranked mission? Isn't it be too early for them?"

Hiruzen blew out a mouthful of smoke and explained, "This mission is special. Although it's B-ranked, it's just an ordinary protection mission. And there's a high probability of no ninja attack."

Minato was puzzled, "If there's a low chance of ninja attack, shouldn't this be a C-ranked mission?"

Hiruzen smiled but said nothing. He just pointed at the reward on the mission sheet. This meant that the commission played a vital role.

"The employer is the Fire Temple. The Fire Temple's Master Chigo is going to the Supu Temple for a Buddhadharma debate. You have to ensure his safety. As his security detail, although the mission is not dangerous, we cannot relax our vigilance. Master Chigo's status is noteworthy, and he is most likely the Fire Temple's successor. I chose your team because of your Flying Thunder God Technique. If something happens, you can protect him."

"No problem."

Minato collected the mission details and his travel pass for leaving the village. He then turned around and said to Kakashi and Tonan who were behind him, "This mission is going to be a long one. You two should return home, get things ready and reconvene at the village gate at one o'clock in the afternoon."

Tonan nodded and quietly gave Hiruzen an ambiguous look. He then left the Hokage Residence with Minato and Kakashi.

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Chapter 48: Departure Preparations, Being Meticulous

After leaving the Hokage Residence, Uchiha Tonan headed to the Uchiha district. He bought sufficient ninja tools and food pills from a clan member's ninja goods store and then rushed back to Sanbo Motoyoshi's house.

At this moment, Motoyoshi was drinking tea in the courtyard.

Su

Settled in his wheelchair, he took in a deep breath. His senses were subjected to the mixed smell of the warm tea and fresh flowers in the courtyard. In this unique fragrance, there was some bittersweetness…

Motoyoshi closed his eyes, and held the teacup, as savored a sip at a time. "The taste of a high-grade tea is truly different."

Ever since Tonan began to look after him, his days had become much more comfortable. Not just steeping tea but Tonan took care of all the household duties as well. He would also trim the flowers and plants in the courtyard every few days.

In addition, he would bring home clothes, tea, and various kinds of strange supplements every day. Most importantly, he footed all the bills.

At first, Motoyoshi refused to use them. He thought Tonan was spending money extravagantly. But over time…

"It's truly worth it," Motoyoshi took another sip, slightly narrowed his eyes, and muttered, "This young fellow is filial. I wonder if he has the wind attribute chakra. If he has, then…"

Motoyoshi chuckled but at this moment, Tonan hastily walked in from outside the courtyard.

The old man came back to his senses and inquired with a smile, "Tonan, how come you are back early? Was there no mission today?"

Tonan smiled, picked up the teapot, and filled Motoyoshi's teacup. He replied, "We've been assigned an escort mission but we need to leave the village for a while. I hurried back so that I could get things in order."

After speaking, he walked into the house and began packing stuff. Seeing this, Motoyoshi put down the teacup on the stone table and pushed his wheelchair towards the door.

"Since it's an escort mission, you have to do well. This is your first C-ranked mission."

Tonan replied while tidying up the room, "It's not C-ranked but B-ranked."

This piece of information not only startled Motoyoshi but made him feel indignant. He solemnly said, "You've just become a genin. Why's that brat, Sarutobi, assigning you a B-ranked mission already? Let's go meet him. I'll come along. I'll get justice for you. Does he want you to die?"

Tonan smiled faintly but did not stop his actions. He explained, "It's not dangerous. It was a C-ranked mission initially, but the employer had deep pockets, and the money he gave reached the B-rank standard. Therefore, the mission's rank was also raised."

Motoyoshi relaxed hearing this, and said, "That should be alright then. You little kid, you are lucky to meet such a spendthrift employer."

Tonan walked back and forth in the room, continuously fiddling with things, and casually replied, "We can't really say that, they're spending money to buy peace of mind after all."

Motoyoshi stroked his beard and pondered for a bit. "That's true. Kakashi and you are both geniuses. Ordinary genin can't compare to your strength. Moreover, your team leader, that yellow-haired boy, is very capable in terms of speed. That employer didn't spend his money in vain. Why're you fiddling around so much? Do you want to take so much along?"

Tonan wiped the sweat from his forehead, and his hands continued to be busy as he explained, "I'm preparing everything that might be necessary on the road. Oh, that's right, I've placed the microwave on a low stool for you. Just turn it on when you want to heat the food. I've also placed the daily necessities lower so that it will be easier for you to access."

Tonan walked into the kitchen as he began listing the whats and whatnots and opened the refrigerator that was stuffed with different kinds of food. Seeing this, he shook his head and said, "We can't keep these ingredients."

Immediately afterward, he tied an apron around his waist, took it all out, and placed it on the chopping board.

Tac, tac, tac…

Rapid chopping sounds filled up the kitchen. Motoyoshi pushed his wheelchair to the living room. He looked at Tonan who was busy as a bee and said, "You don't need to worry so much about me. I've lived alone for so many years, I can take care of myself."

Tonan disagreed. He squatted down and took out old tea leaves from the kitchen cabinet, and replied, "I know, but you… you're too frugal. I want to criticize this about you. Just look at the kind of tea you drank. Drinking these things is bad for your health. Anyway, I've placed the new tea leaves in the cabinet. As for these, I'll throw them in the garden as fertilizer."

He walked towards the courtyard, with Motoyoshi shouting in the background. "Don't do that, I spent money to buy them."

Tonan turned a deaf ear and threw the old leaves into the flower beds. Motoyoshi's face was filled with heartache but there was very little he could about it.

"By the way, speaking about money…" Tonan hit his forehead as if he remembered something. He took out a banknote of ten thousand Ryo from his purse and tucked it into a coat that was hung behind the door.

"I'm putting this money in your coat's pocket. You should buy whatever you need. Don't try and save anything from this."

Motoyoshi frowned, and looking at Tonan, who was still busy bustling about, he said, "You do D-ranked missions every day, and you spend so much money for me. Where did you get the money anyway?"

Tonan replied with an indifferent tone, "It's the death compensation the village gave after my parents died in battle."

Motoyoshi was startled and took a deep breath. He pushed his wheelchair to the door and took out that banknote. It was at this moment that he realized, for the first time, how heavy the weight of money can be.

"Take it back, how can I use this money?"

Tonan, however, blocked Motoyoshi's hand. He shook his head, and said, "If we complete this mission, I'll get forty thousand Ryo as a reward. I can easily earn it back."

Motoyoshi was anxious. Although he was greedy for money and a miser, he wouldn't stoop so low as to spend a kid's hard-earn money. He tried to reason, "I'm an old man, who never goes out. Why would I need so much money?"

Tonan squatted down, took Motoyoshi's hands in his, and earnestly said, "When I'm not at home, if by chance something happens, going to the hospital will cost money."

"Moreover, your legs aren't fine, so you'll have to take our neighbors' help. If there's really an accident, you cannot be stingy. Give people something to express gratitude. This money is for emergencies or else my mind won't be at ease."

After speaking, Tonan patted Motoyoshi's hand, got up, and resumed his work.

"I…" Motoyoshi looked at the banknote in his hand and actually choked with sobs.

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Chapter 49: Motoyoshi's Acknowledgment, Leaving Konoha

Uchiha Tonan's preparations took most of the morning. It was already noon by the time he was done. He took off his glasses and wiped them with a tissue, and then set meal on the dining table.

Looking at Sanbo Motoyoshi, he said, "Let's eat now. I've to leave after that."

Just as they began, Tonan once again plunged into his attentive instructions. "I've put the rice balls in the refrigerator. Just take them out and heat them when you want to eat. It should be enough for you until I return. Remember to heat them, though. Eating cold food is bad for your stomach. Also, I made rice balls with meat and vegetables. Don't be picky."

"I…," Motoyoshi covered his face with his rough hands and before Tonan could say more, the old man began sobbing. Tonan was so alarmed that he hastily came to his side and held his shoulders. He asked with a worried look, "Grandpa Motoyoshi, why are you crying? Was I talking too much?"

Motoyoshi waved his hand and repeatedly shook his head. It took a long time for him to recover, and his tone was still shaky. "I don't need your money. There is a hidden compartment under the bed in my room. It has my life savings. You need money the most when you are away from home. You don't need to compromise to accommodate me. Take proper care of yourself, and return safely…"

Before he could go on, he broke into sobs once again and bawled like a child. Tonan kept comforting him, "But I've money and I'm rich. Besides, the travel and other costs will be reimbursed by the employer. Keep your savings for yourself. Isn't saving money your favorite thing?"

"In… in that case… it's… it's fine…"

Motoyoshi cried for some more time. It was indeed difficult for him to part with money.

"I've always been thrifty but if you think about it, I can't bury the money with me. Anyway, remember, the money belongs to you hereafter. It's roughly twenty million Ryo. Also, take the tanto that's in my bedroom. Use it to defend yourself."

Seeing that he had calmed down, Tonan picked up the rice bowl and chopsticks and put them in Motoyoshi's hands. He returned to his seat and soothingly said, "I'll respectfully refuse the tanto. It's a chakra blade after all. It's too precious."

Motoyoshi began to slowly push food into his mouth and said while chewing, "How can a sword be more precious than a human life?"

Tonan, however, still shook his head and said, "I'm just a genin. If I go out with a chakra blade, it would easily attract unwanted attention."

"That's also right," Motoyoshi nodded.

'Ding! Gained Sanbo Motoyoshi's acknowledgment.'

Tonan's chopsticks paused for a moment before he continued eating as if nothing happened. After the two finished their meal, Tonan casually mentioned, "By the way, I registered your name in the hospital some time ago."

Motoyoshi frowned, thought for a while, and asked with confusion, "Why would you register me? I'm completely fine."

Tonan explained while washing dishes, "It's just a routine health checkup. When I come back, I'll take you to the hospital. If there are any health problems, it's better to detect and treat them early. It's even better if there are none. But here onwards, you have to do a health checkup once every six months."

Motoyoshi waved his hand and said, "That's too stressful. I'm not going, definitely not going. Cancel the registration."

Tonan's hands that were washing the dishes paused, and he used a solemn tone as he said, "I want you to accompany me forever. After all… I'm an ill-fated person."

This low side of Tonan broke Motoyoshi's heart. He sighed and agreed, "Alright, I'll do the health checkup once you're back."

After speaking, he pushed the wheelchair to the courtyard and looked at the neatly trimmed flowers and plants, lost in his thoughts.

Tonan's departure time was close. He put on the ninja bag and set off.

When he was passing by Motoyoshi, he exhorted, "Put the clothes for laundry separately. I'll wash them after I return."

With that, he walked out of the courtyard. Motoyoshi nodded and pursed his lips. Looking at Tonan's back, which was going farther away, he chased with the wheelchair and yelled, "Child, be careful about your safety. If there's anything you don't understand, just ask your leader-sensei. Eat more food, don't make yourself suffer."

While he was yelling, Tonan had already left.

……

At the village's gate, the agreed meeting point for Team Nine, Tonan arrived ten minutes earlier than the appointed time. However, Namikaze Minato and Hatake Kakashi were already there, apparently having waited for a long time. Even Uzumaki Kushina had found time to come and see them off.

"Sorry, I kept you all waiting for a long time." Tonan bowed apologetically to the three of them. Minato smiled foolishly, scratched his head, and laughingly said, "You're not late, you don't need to apologize."

Kushina walked to Tonan, firmly patted his shoulders, and said, "Tonan, you don't need to be so polite when you're with us. It looks like you're treating us as outsiders."

Tonan nodded obediently and said, "I'll pay attention next time, Kushina-senpai."

Kushina smiled faintly, trying her best to look gentle and amiable. She slightly bent over and asked, "Little kid, did you prepare everything necessary? Such as kunai, shuriken, food pills, etc."

Tonan adjusted his glasses and nodded his head. "If that's all, then I am prepared," he replied.

Kushina straightened up, gave the other three a mysterious look, and took off the backpack behind her. Then, she unzipped it in front of them. The content inside turned Minato pale with fright.

"Tada! I've prepared boxed meals for all of you. It takes at least two days to reach the Fire Temple from here. You can eat it when you're hungry on the way."

The corners of Minato's mouth twitched slightly. He tried his best to look cheerful and said, "There was no need to go through such trouble."

Kakashi immediately retreated two steps with a look of horror.

Seeing their response, Kushina's expression collapsed, and she looked like a volcano ready to erupt at any time.

"Do you think that the meals I made are not delicious?"

"No, no." Minato and Kakashi hastily waved their hands denying the charge.

In the past, the food Kushina made had a very heavy flavor. But since she got to know Tonan had a palate for light food, in consideration for him, she developed a habit of not adding salt. This made it very hard for Minato and Kakashi to swallow the food.

Although the food pills had no taste either, they could be consumed in one bite. But the boxed meals had to be chewed on one bite after another. Since it was tasteless, they couldn't swallow it even if they wanted to.

Just when Kushina was about to explode, Tonan's overjoyed voice resounded, "Kushina-senpai, thank you for preparing so many boxed meals for me. Truly, thank you so much."

Kushina's anger was instantly extinguished. She glanced at Minato with a smug look and stuffed her backpack into Tonan's hands.

"Tonan is the most understanding one."

Minato smiled awkwardly and quickly changed the topic. "It's already late, we should register and set off now."

The three made their way to the registration office at the gate. After showing the mission sheet and the travel passes, they left Konoha together.

Behind them, Kushina kept waving her hands and shouted out, "Take care of yourself, come back soon."

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Chapter 50: Conniving Officials, Master Chigo

Notes:

The Land of Wind is one of the more prominent countries in the Shinobi World, located to the southwest of the Land of Fire; Suna is its hidden village.

Daimyo is the political leader of a country, responsible for all decisions concerning the country including privileges to the hidden village.

Wind Daimyo is the government leader of the Land of Wind.

The Land of Hot Water is a country that shares borders with the Land of Frost, the Land of Sound, and the Land of Fire.

The Land of Lightning, one of the Five Great Shinobi Countries, is located northeast of the Land of Fire.

Heika, equivalent to 'Majesty', is the most formal style of nobility in Japan.

As Team Nine left Konoha for its first B-ranked mission, at the Daimyo Residence of the Land of Wind, a high-profiled meeting was underway.

The Wind Daimyo sat behind a curtain with his officials sitting below on both sides.

"Fire Temple's Master Chigo is going to the Hot Water Temple to discuss Buddhist doctrine. What do you all think about this latest development?" the daimyo's deep voice came from behind the curtain.

An old man seated in the front thought for a while and replied, "This situation is anything but reassuring. It seems to just be a Buddhist debate, but in fact, it's the Land of Fire throwing an olive branch to the Land of Hot Water."

The daimyo was stunned for a moment. Not convinced, he asked, "Miyaji-dono, why would you think so?"

Miyaji narrowed his eyes slightly, stroked his beard, and said, "This may be an anecdote for ordinary people, but for Buddhists, it's a rare grand event. Even if they had to crawl all the way, they would go there. Many a grain of sand piled up to make a pagoda, and little drops of water make the mighty ocean! No one knows how many Buddhists are there in the Ninja World. When the time comes, they will flock together, and once so many gather, it will boost the economy."

"Moreover, if this debate is brilliant and has enough influence, then, for the years to come, Hot Water Temple will become a sacred place. At that time, as long as the Land of Fire extends some assistance, the Land of Hot Water's national power will snowball. Realizing the benefits, perhaps, the two will completely side with each other."

The more the daimyo mulled over Miyaji's analysis, the more he agreed. He sighed deeply and said, "At first, I thought it was just a small event. I never thought it would have such deep ramifications. It seems that the relationship between those two countries is getting closer. Just had to hear such bad news early in the morning. Miyaji-dono, I wonder if you have any countermeasures."

Miyaji smiled inwardly, lightly coughed, and answered, "Heika, between Fire Temple's Master Chigo and the Hot Water Temple's monks, who do you think is better at Buddhist doctrine?"

"Master Chigo, undoubtedly."

"I may have an inept plan." Miyaji stood up, placed his hands behind his back, and continued, "Imagine the Hot Water Temple loses the debate, leading to a complete loss of face. And in retaliation, they issue a contract to assassinate Master Chigo. Does this sound believable?"

"Well…" The officials present exchanged awkward looks. They didn't know whether they could speak candidly or not against a senior official. Miyaji slightly squinted his eyes and said with a smile, "It seems it's not plausible enough, but that doesn't matter. No matter how bad a lie is, there will always be some fools who believe it. Especially those ignorant Buddhist believers."

The daimyo carefully asked, "Is Miyaji-dono suggesting…"

Miyaji bowed towards the curtain and slowly articulated his plan, "Make the virtuous and prestigious Master Chigo sleep forever in the Land of Hot Water."

As soon as he voiced this, a young official stood up and refuted, "I think Miyaji-sama's proposal is flawed. Anyone with a discerning eye could see through such an ill-founded plan."

Once he spoke up, other officials, who disagreed with the plan, also joined in. Miyaji however, still looked confident. Completely unaffected, he said, "I know this plan has pitfalls but as long as Chigo dies, Heika can just send people to fan the rumors. The first rumor is that the Hot Water Temple monks felt inferior to Master Chigo's Buddhist practice and became jealous enough to hire a contract killer to assassinate him."

"As for the second rumor, the Land of Hot Water and the Land of Fire's alliance threatened the Land of Lightning. Therefore, they got Master Chigo assassinated, destroying the diplomatic relations between the two nations."

After Miyaji spoke, the daimyo and his officials fell into deep thought. Miyaji sat down on his seat and leisurely said, "If it were just one rumor, I fear not even a handful would trust it. After all, faced with a single rumor, people would subconsciously choose to either accept it or not. But with two rumors, they would choose to believe the more obvious one."

Behind the curtain, the daimyo rubbed his palms and laughed, "It's a good strategy. The dogs of these two countries will bite each other. Kofu, send someone to Suna to issue an S-ranked mission."

"Wait a minute." Miyaji interrupted, "I don't think Suna should take this task. It's better to send someone to the Underground Bounty Station and issue a bounty mission. Let the rogue ninjas do this. When people investigate, they wouldn't reach our Land of Wind."

……

After the discussion was over, all officials walked out of the Daimyo Residence. One of the older officials followed Miyaji, and asked, "Miyaji-sama, is there anything else behind this move?"

Miyaji stopped, pretending to casually look around. He lowered his voice and replied, "Do you mean I was being an alarmist just a moment ago?"

"I think we both know the answer to that."

Miyaji placed his hands behind his back, narrowed his eyes slightly, and said, "It's not like you don't know the situation of the last few years. Heika has begun placing new people in important positions. We few are the only officials from the older generation. If we don't do something to make him feel a sense of crisis, showing our value in passing, I fear we'll have to retire and return home."

"Once we lose our powers, the question will be whether we can die peacefully or not. Just look at what happened today. Even before I finished speaking, some rookies began to counter me. They don't attach any importance to us old fellows."

Another official nodded hearing Miyaji's words and said, "That's true. The current juniors are full of idealism. They don't see the reality. Recently, the state of affairs between the nations has become tense again. Our finance is also getting tighter. Two days ago, Suna sent a letter asking to increase this year's military expenditure."

Miyaji frowned and asked, "Did Heika agree?"

"No."

Miyaji nodded, moved his head closer to the person's ear, and whispered, "Help me take care of something. I don't like that youth from today. Go and tell Suna that he is embezzling public money and taking bribes. Ask them to send some ninjas to investigate him. As long as conclusive proofs are placed in front of me, I'll privately donate 500 million Ryo."

Miyaji patted the person's shoulder lightly and turned around to leave. Just after a few steps though, as if he thought of something, he said, "It doesn't matter whether the proofs are real or fake. As long as it can prove his crime, it's enough."

………

Two days later, Namikaze Minato's party arrived at the Fire Temple. Seeing them at the temple's gate, a sweeper monk put his palms together and said, "You gentlemen must be the Konoha ninjas."

Minato nodded and took out the mission sheet from his bag. He handed it to him and said, "Yes, this is the mission proof."

After examining the sheet, the monk returned it to Minato and said, "Master Chigo is meditating. Please follow me."

The group followed the monk to the meditation room, which was located in the temple's backyard. At this moment, Master Chigo was mediating and chanting sutras. But suddenly he frowned. He opened his eyes and muttered, "What a pure evil desire."

Just as he said this, there was a knock on the door.

"Master Chigo, the ninjas from Konoha have arrived."

"Bring them in."

Minato's party walked into the room and bowed to Master Chigo. They greeted, "We pay our respect to Master Chigo."

With a smile on his face, Chigo put his palms together and said, "There is no need to be so courteous. I'll have to rely on you during this journey."

"This is our mission."

"You all should rest here in the Fire Temple tonight. We'll set out early tomorrow."

"Alright."

At this moment, Chigo's gaze fell on Uchiha Tonan. He took out a Buddhist scripture from his bosom and said with a smile, "Young fellow with glasses, I have a scripture here for you. You can read it if you are interested. It can cleanse the soul."

Tonan hastily put his palms together and respectfully took the scripture. "Many thanks, Master Chigo. I will read it carefully after I go back."

"What does this old man mean by giving me a Buddhist scripture without any rhyme or reason? Could he be another Kushina?"

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Chapter 51: S-Ranked Bounty Mission, Spotting Kakazu

Notes:

The Land of Rice Fields was the first name of the Land of Sound, a neighboring country of the Land of Fire and relatively new in the political scene.

The Konoha ninjas settled in the Fire Temple and far from them, in the Underground Bounty Station of the Land of Rice Fields, Kakazu, a rogue ninja was collecting the pay after completing a bounty mission. Right now, he was busy counting the bills in front of a cashier.

For him, listening to the crisp banknotes was a melodious sound but the moment of delight did not affect his sharp eyes. Amid the counting, his movement paused. He took out a note from the bundle and instructed the staff member next to him, "This is a bit old, change it."

"Yes, Kakazu-sama." The staff member hastily replaced it with a new note.

At this moment, the person in charge of this bounty station came out from behind and cautiously whispered to Kakazu, "Kakazu-sama, a piece of news just came in… an S-ranked mission has been issued."

Kakazu's eyes sparkled with excitement. An S-ranked mission meant a big score. He asked, "How much?"

"15 million Ryo."

Putting his money into a suitcase, Kakazu shut it carefully and said, "Give me the mission."

The person in charge looked to be in a dilemma. He replied in a low voice, "This is a top-secret mission. If you see it, you have no choice but to accept it. Moreover, the employer has specific demands, one of which being each bounty station can only assign one person to take the mission."

Kakazu waved his hand and said, "I'll take it. You know my strength, I'll be able to handle it."

The person in charge nodded and took out a mission sheet. He handed it over to Kakazu along with the relevant details. "The assassination target is Fire Temple's Master Chigo. The employer has a time requirement as well. The target must be assassinated only when he is leaving the Hot Water Temple. Most importantly, you must not let him enter the Land of Fire."

The information confused Kakazu and he re-checked, "Is it just killing a monk?"

The person in charge nodded and said, "Yes, the monk himself must not be difficult to handle, but there's a possibility there will be ninjas protecting him."

After getting the confirmation, Kakazu took the mission sheet with satisfaction.

"15 million is enough. It just so happens there are two small fries in the Land of Hot Water as well. I can take care of them together on the way."

……

Five days later, Namikaze Minato and his party arrived at the Rose Street of Hot Water Temple with Chigo. They hadn't faced any obstacles making the journey smooth. The temple was built on the top of a hill not far from Rose Street.

At this moment, the street was bustling with different activities. Buddhist believers came from various regions to watch the debate. Seeing Chigo, they kowtowed on both sides of the street, their faces filled with devotion.

This place was Land of Hot Water's inner region, making it practically a danger-free zone. Therefore, Minato let Chigo walk upfront and walked behind along with Uchiha Tonan and Hatake Kakashi.

Every few steps, Chigo would stop and return the believers' greetings. Only after they arrived at the foot of the Hot Water Temple's hill, they were able to shake off the fanatical followers.

Minato wiped the sweat from his forehead and remarked with a bright smile, "Master Chigo is very popular."

Tonan nodded. Looking at Chigo's back, he muttered, "Is this what it means to be a virtuous eminent monk? All these believers must acknowledge Master Chigo from the bottom of their hearts."

Hearing this, Chigo calmly replied, "It's not me but Buddha that they acknowledge."

"Looks like becoming a Buddha is also not a bad idea!"

Tonan's yearning resurfaced and as soon as that happened, Chigo, who was walking ahead, frowned. He senses the pure evil desire even more vividly.

Glancing at Tonan, he casually asked, "Young fellow, have you ever put any thought on the kind of person you want to become?"

Tonan adjusted his glasses and thought for a bit. He then replied, "Before my father passed away, he once instructed me to become a pure, virtuous person, who was free from vulgar fascinations."

Minato smiled and rubbed Tonan's head. "I believe in you, you can absolutely do it."

Chigo was confused hearing Tonan's answer. His ability to sense Tonan's desires came from a spiritual perception called the heart-eye. While this was acquired by practicing Buddhism, what he perceived couldn't be said to be completely accurate.

"You should often read the Buddhist scripture I gave you. And if you feel like you're lost one day, you can come to the Fire Temple and meet me."

By now, the group had arrived at the hilltop. They saw the Hot Water Temple monks standing there, welcoming Chigo with folded hands. The temple head, Eshu, took the initiative to respectfully greet, "Welcome, Master Chigo."

"Greetings, Master Eshu."

"We'll hold the Buddhist debate tomorrow. Master Chigo, please rest in the temple tonight."

"Excellent."

At night, Tonan and Kakashi took turns to guard Chigo. Kakashi took the first half, and Tonan guarded in the second. The crescent moon was like a small boat anchored among the few and scattered branches.

In the monastery room, sitting cross-legged in front of a Buddha statue, Chigo was meditating. Outside his door, Tonan sat perfectly still. He was secretly controlling the white pigeons to monitor the area. In this world, one must never relax vigilance at any time.

The pigeons lurking in various places activated Sharingan. Under the Byakugan's perception boost, the entire Rose Street was in Tonan's full view. He could distinctly see the chakra coursing through many people. Most of these ought to be the Land of Hot Water's ninjas, who especially came to maintain order.

Suddenly, a figure captured by a white pigeon entered Tonan's vision.

"This amount of chakra… That's!"

Tonan activated his three tomoe and used Mirror Heaven and Earth Change with full power, continuously narrowing the field of vision. A person's figure appeared in his eyes, enlarging until it became clearer.

At this very moment, Kakazu, who was resting in an inn, felt like someone was peeking at him. He got up from the bed and looked out of the window but only saw an empty street. There was nothing.

"Was that my misperception?" Kakazu muttered to himself. He could no longer perceive that feeling, so he went back to sleep but decided to be more alert.

The moment Kakazu had gotten up, a white pigeon on the roof had already spread its wings and flown away.

"That guy is so sharp. Why is he here? It cannot be for me… there's no bounty on my head."

Tonan quietly deactivated the Sharingan.

Creak

At that moment, the door behind Tonan opened, shining a dim light on him. Tonan turned and saw Chigo looking at him with a solemn expression. Earlier, when Tonan had activated the Sharingan, Chigo felt an extremely evil power.

"Master Chigo, you haven't slept yet," Tonan inquired with a gentle look.

Chigo remained silent for a while. He walked over and sat down. Looking at the desolate crescent moon, he solemnly said, "I felt an evil aura just now."

Tonan moved his gaze away from Chigo. He also looked at the night sky and muttered, "It was from me, right?"

Chigo nodded and replied in a low voice, "Since you're a ninja, I shouldn't worry myself. But I'm a monk after all. It's my job to deliver all living beings from suffering."

The chilly moonlight illuminated Tonan's calm face. After a long silence, he slowly opened his mouth and asked, "Are you trying to convert me, Master Chigo?"

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Chapter 52: Talking All Night, Tricked Successfully

Chigo shook his head and stared at Uchiha Tonan with a deep gaze. He finally said, "Ordinary people may not be able to see through you, but I can see the evil under your hypocritical mask. You were right. You're very pure, so pure that I've no confidence in converting you."

Tonan looked at the night sky and took a deep breath, closing his eyes. With a slight smile on his face, he asked, "Master, do you think tonight is a good night to kill people?"

"Do you want to silence me to protect your secret?"

"Do you think I won't?"

"You won't."

"Why not?"

"Because you want to keep this hypocritical mask while you're still young and weak."

Shaking his head, Tonan laughed and looked straight at Chigo's eyes. He pointedly asked, "Is good or evil judged by thoughts or by actions?"

"Well…" Chigo frowned and started to think.

Tonan continued his question, "Kind-hearted, but hands stained with blood. Evil-minded, but helping others do good deeds. Among these two kinds of people, who's good and who's evil?"

Chigo remained silent for a long time before he sighed and said, "If you're the latter, then I believe you're a good person. Will you tell me your story? I'm curious why your heart is so dark."

Tonan lowered his head and began speaking in a deep tone, "It all started when I was still at the Ninja Academy…"

With Tonan's narrative, time passed by quickly. The more Chigo listened, the more immersed he became. Sometimes, he frowned, and sometimes, he found it unbearable. In the end, he sighed and sadly said, "It's truly been too cruel on you."

Tonan merely gave a wry smile. He looked at the brightening horizon and said in a daze, "The moment I killed Mina with my own hands, I fell into a dark abyss. But if I hadn't done that, would I not be letting the dead Chiryo down? How can I be worthy of the Will of Fire that I've always adhered to?"

Chigo looked at Tonan's small body and comforted, "Ill-fated relationship is hard to undo, it's not your fault." He reached out his hand to gently pat the young boy's shoulder but Tonan slapped it away, and roared while trembling, "Since I'm not wrong, why do people always give me the cold shoulder? Just like you, Master, everyone, everywhere is guarded against me!"

Chigo was stunned for a moment. He said, looking remorseful, "I… it's because I didn't practice Buddhism well enough."

Tonan took a deep breath and waved his hand. He said, "I apologize, I was unable to control my emotions. In fact, I've been reading the Buddhist scripture you gave me."

Seeing Tonan restrain his emotions, Chigo felt guiltier. He gently asked, "Did it help you?"

Tonan shook his head and replied, "It didn't help. I just learned what Buddha is."

Chigo was amused despite himself. He didn't believe that the six-year-old boy could comprehend the difficult age-old question of 'What is Buddha' by just reading an ordinary scripture.

But he still curiously asked, "Will you tell me what is Buddha in your heart?"

Tonan looked devout as he said, "Buddha is the symbol of wisdom and enlightenment."

"Your perception is very unique." Chigo nodded, not commenting on whether this way of thinking was correct or incorrect.

Tonan struck while the iron was hot, "I read a sentence in the scripture, drop one's cleaver and become a Buddha."

Chigo smiled and explained, "Legend has it that Master Segen, a great eminent monk in ancient times, said these words and also instructed later generations to spread it widely. According to rumors, Master Segen was closest to Buddha himself."

"Throughout the ages, many monks wanted to comprehend the arcane truth of this sentence, but they gained nothing. No matter how you think about it, it seems illogical."

Tonan nodded and said, "This sentence is a fallacy in itself. It's used to deceive people."

Chigo retracted his smile and pretended to be stern, "Child, you shouldn't slander the great ancestor. How could this sentence be a fallacy? It's just that we are not proficient enough in Buddhist doctrine, and we can't fully comprehend it yet."

Tonan shook his head and argued in earnest, "The reason why this sentence was spread widely was to give a person holding a cleaver, a reason to lay it down. It was to save people under the cleaver. If someone had already killed many people, he might feel his sin was beyond forgiveness. And he may continue to go down the wrong way."

"But if he recalled this sentence when he's going to kill the next person, he just might stop. This was Master Segen's wisdom."

Tonan's perspective stunned Chigo and he fell into deep thought. But after thinking for a while, he noticed a glitch and asked Tonan, "Your argument made sense, but monks can't deceive anyone, otherwise, they'll go to hell. Master Segen was the first-generation monk, who set the rules. How could he deliberately violate them? So this point doesn't make sense after all."

"This must be Master Segen's enlightenment."

Tonan stood up, and facing the rising sun on the horizon, he spread his hands as if he was trying to embrace the light.

"If I don't go to hell, who will…"

Chigo's scalp tingled, and as if he had gone insane and was raving, he muttered to himself, "If I don't go to hell, who will… wisdom, enlightenment, become a Buddha…"

Facing the first rays of the morning sun, the corners of Tonan's mouth gradually rose, and he softly said, "This world is very simple. But when the heart is in chaos, we'll not be able to see it. Heaven gave us eyes and ears. Why do we still neglect the root and pursue the tip?"

Chigo hastily nodded and closed his heart-eye. The evil aura that was lingering in his heart immediately vanished. The first rays of sunlight were dazzling. But it was soft in Chigo's eyes because Tonan was blocking it.

"Night and day coexist. When one side of the world falls into darkness, the other must be luminous… it's dawn."

'Ding! Gained Chigo's acknowledgment.'

Tonan heard the system prompt and slightly slanted his head. He smiled gently as the sun lit up his face, making him look youthful and bright.

"Good morning, Master Chigo."

With that greeting, Tonan left, leaving behind Chigo, sitting alone in the same spot. After a long time, the old monk slowly regained his senses and let out a long sigh. He got up and walked into his monastery room while continuously chanting.

"Wisdom… enlightenment… become a Buddha… if I don't go to hell… who will…"

After returning to his room, Tonan sighed in relief and a smile of success played on his face. He had invested so much time and effort to trick Chigo because when he had activated the Sharingan, with his Byakugan ability, he saw profound chakra inside the monastery room.

He then recalled Chiriku, a Ninja monk from the Fire Temple's Twelve Guardian Ninja team who was able to send Kakazu flying in the anime story from his previous life.

How was Tonan to know that Chigo, who seemed to have a foot in the grave, was actually a big shot?

At first, Tonan just wanted to stabilize his relationship with him, deeply worried that Chigo may just kill him regardless of the consequences. However later, he discovered he was able to fool him with just some fancy words.

Therefore, he simply put more effort into it and took advantage of the time when Chigo's mind was in chaos to trick him to shut his heart-eye and gain his acknowledgment in one fell swoop.

Now that he had a big fish like Chigo in his pocket, he didn't need to worry about small fry like Kakazu.

Moreover, he gained his acknowledgment. So far, this mission brought him great tidings.

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Chapter 53: A Sincere Gift, Facing Midway Attack

Notes:

Iwagakure is the hidden village of the Land of Earth, one of the five great Shinobi countries.

Kohona, Kiri, Kumo, Iwa, Suna are also known as Leaf, Mist, Cloud, Rock, Sand

Rogue-nin, criminals in effect, are ninja who abandoned their villages

The Buddhist doctrine debate progressed smoothly. When Chigo talked about his understanding of Buddha, the onlookers felt his words were astounding. Despite not truly comprehending them, these words were the arcane truth in the ears of the monks and Buddhist believers.

The debate conference concluded in the evening. Chigo stayed for two more days under the enthusiastic request of the Hot Water Temple monks before leaving for Konoha.

In these past few days, Uchiha Tonan regularly observed Kakazu's movements. Kakazu stayed calm and seldom left the inn. It was as if he was awaiting something. Given the circumstances, it was obvious that it was for them to leave the temple. As time passed by, Tonan discovered several more jonin-leveled rogue-nin. These people too became his observation targets.

The group traveled down from the hilltop where the Hot Water Temple was located. When they reached Rose Street, Tonan suddenly asked, "May I take some time to buy something, please? Will you all wait for me?"

"Well…" Namikaze Minato awkwardly looked at Chigo. Since they were in the midst of a mission, they would need their employer's approval to do any personal work.

Chigo kindly smiled at Tonan and said, "Go on, we'll wait here for you."

"Thank you so much, Master Chigo."

Tonan came to a gift store on the street and began exploring. Today was February first. It would take about five days to escort Chigo back to the Fire temple, and two more days to return to the village.

In other words, if there was not much delay on the road, they would reach the village on February eighth. That would be just in time for Sarutobi Hiruzen's birthday.

Tonan had written in his diary that he wanted to give him a birthday present. And the most important aspect of an upright person was to be true to his words.

When buying a gift for elders, one needed to pay attention to certain aspects. The gift must display sincerity and move the receiver's heart. The second part depended on whether the gift was usable or not, but the first depended on whether it was expensive or not.

Expensive of course meant much higher-priced compared to similar gifts. Tonan walked to the counter and asked politely, "Excuse me, do you sell tobacco here? The kind that is used in a smoking pipe?"

The shopkeeper nodded and said, "You mean tobacco shreds, right? We do keep it. Do you want to give it to someone?"

"Yes, I want to give it to my grandpa as a gift."

"What a filial child… come, come, this is…"

Even before the shop owner could say anything further, Tonan waved his hand and said, "I don't need to see it all. I just want the most expensive one that can't be bought in the Land of Fire."

The shopkeeper was momentarily taken aback. He glanced at Tonan's ninja headband and immediately plastered a flattering smile. He took out a box of tobacco shreds from the top shelf.

"This is what you want. It costs 16,000 Ryo, thank you for the patronage. Do you want to pack it?"

Tonan nodded and said, "Yes, I will give you an extra grand. Use the most luxurious packaging box to wrap it. More importantly though, please give me a receipt of 66,000 Ryo."

"Excuse me?" The shopkeeper was dumbfounded once again, and this time he didn't respond for a while.

"You can't do it?"

"I can."

"Pack the receipt together in the box."

Tonan cheerily paid the money. He took out a small scroll from his ninja bag and sealed the gift box inside. Ordinary tobacco shreds cost only about 100 Ryo, and the tobacco shreds Hiruzen smoked cost about 500 Ryo. Tonan could already imagine the shocked expression on Hiruzen's face when he received the gift.

……

Coo coo

Minato's party was crossing a dense forest. The closer they reached the Land of Fire's border, the taller were the trees. At this moment, it was almost dusk. The forest was already filling up with mist, and everyone could smell the moist and cold fragrance in the air.

With every step, the soil below would slightly sink. It was clear there was a light rain here not long ago. They would encounter puddles occasionally, on and off seeing their reflections passing through in them.

Swish

Suddenly, several kunai flew out from the surrounding forest.

"Watch out! Enemy attack!"

Minato was the first to react. With a few kunai, he took point in front of Chigo and knocked the incoming attacks one after another.

Hatake Kakashi and Tonan were also on guard and surrounded Chigo. Minato looked solemn at this moment. His ears moved slightly like he picked on some noise, and he flung three more kunai towards the rear.

Dang, dang, dang

The kunai pierced deeply into the tree trunk and three ninjas, who were standing on the branches, had already jumped away. One of them was a rogue-nin wearing Kumo's forehead protector. He crossed his arms in front of his chest and yelled, "Konoha's ninja team, we just want this old man's life. If you are sensible, you'll get lost now."

These were the rogue-nin of Cloud, Mist, and Rock.

"I wonder if Minato can handle them." At this moment, Tonan had already activated his Sharingan, pretending to be serious.

"Looks like you don't agree." A grin appeared on the Cloud rogue-nin's face. He said to the other two beside him, "Leave this yellow-haired jonin boy to me. You two take care of the rest. But don't even think about monopolizing the bounty for yourselves."

The Rock rogue-nin also had a violent temper. He shouted back, "Why're you speaking so much nonsense? Just kill 'em all!"

"Earth Style – Mobile Core!"

Rumble

Tonan and the others noticed the change below their feet and deftly jumped away. The place where they were standing just a moment ago completely sunk in, becoming a bottomless pit.

Minato took out a kunai and said, "Kakashi, Tonan, take Master Chigo to a safe place. Leave these people to me."

Tonan nodded, carried Chigo on his back, and took off along with Kakashi. Just when the Rock and Mist rogue-nin wanted to chase after them, Minato suddenly appeared on the tree and ruthlessly thrust his kunai towards the Rock rogue-nin.

"Such speed… what's this ninjutsu?"

The Rock rogue-nin's pupils shrunk. Minato's pace shocked him but he used a kunai to block the attack. Minato was patient enough to not make follow-up attacks seeing this one was blocked. In the next moment, he disappeared and appeared behind Cloud rogue-nin.

"Damn it, you're underestimating us!"

The Cloud rogue-nin shouted as he punched Minato with his right fist covered in electricity.

Bang!

The tree was smashed into smithereens. However, just when his fist was about to make contact, Minato vanished and appeared on the other side and accurately threw specially-made kunai all around the battlefield.

Whenever he was about to be hit, or whenever someone wanted to chase after Tonan and the others, Minato would immediately repeat this attack format.

The three of them had no choice but to fight against him.

……

Not long after, Minato noticed a flaw in the Mist rogue-nin. He instantly used the Flying Thunder God Technique to appear behind him and kicked him away.

Bang!

Water splashed everywhere.

"It's a water clone."

Minato was alarmed but he thought that by now the others would have put some distance between them.

"I can only get rid of these two right now. I'll have to believe that Kakashi and Tonan can stop the Mist rogue-nin."

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Chapter 54: Silent Killing, Face-Off With A Rogue-Nin

Notes:

A tachi, nearly as popular as the katana, is a traditionally made Japanese sword, used by the samurai class of feudal Japan

At this moment, Uchiha Tonan, carrying Chigo on his back, and Hatake Kakashi were running furiously. If they could continue for another half hour, they would reach a small town at the Land of Fire's border.

Leaf ninjas were permanently stationed at this junction. While running, Tonan noticed a puddle of water ahead of them. Its chakra was too conspicuous to his eyes. Just when they passed it, a figure jumped out and swung his tachi at Chigo.

Just as that blade was about to strike his neck, Kakashi reacted quickly. He drew out his tanto, blocked the blade, and shouted, "Leave quickly." He began to fight the attacker.

Although Tonan was aware that a trifling rogue ninja couldn't kill Chigo even in the wildest imagination, he secretly thought it was a pity. He ran quickly without looking back.

"Tonan, aren't you worried about your companion?" Chigo, who was still on Tonan's back, calmly asked. Tonan was silent for a while and replied, "Kakashi is very strong. He'll definitely beat the enemy."

Even if Kakashi truly died, Tonan would just make a wooden sculpture of him, and pray daily. Chigo nodded and smiled slightly, "You must be stronger. After all, you've awakened the three tomoe Sharingan. In fact, sometimes, you don't need to hide your inadequacy."

Tonan's heart thumped, but he replied without batting an eyelid, "Kakashi is strong."

Chigo muttered, "In that case, why are you thinking of sticking out for your companion?"

The two people moved forward in this fashion for about ten minutes, and the surrounding mist gradually became denser. Tonan saw the Mist rogue-nin, who was waiting ahead through the eyes of a nearby white pigeon.

At this moment, Tonan had no intention to pretend in front of Chigo. The old monk had already seen through him. Even if he continued the charade, he would only make a joke of himself like a clown. He stopped and placed Chigo on a rock. "Master Chigo, rest here for now."

Chigo nodded and said with a smile, "You've worked hard."

When Tonan got up, the mist around had already become so dense that it turned milky white. "Silent Killing Technique?" The three tomoe in Tonan's eyes spun as he looked straight ahead.

"I love killing Uchihas. The three tomoe Sharingan? That's commendable… but too bad it's useless against the dense mist… I'll personally gouge out your eyes and drink your blood."

In the thickening mist that significantly impaired visual ability, the Mist rogue-nin wanted to break Tonan's fighting spirit with daunting words. As he continued his claptrap, he didn't realize that each of his moves was under Tonan's scrutiny.

He very much resembled a clown.

"Guess where I am."

Swish

Tonan bent to one side, dodging a blade swung towards him from behind. At the same time, he looked at the rogue Cloud ninja behind, who looked slightly surprised.

"You're very lucky, you actually dodged it."

The Mist rogue-nin gave a ruthless smile and disappeared in the dense mist that was equivalent to his perception range. He could observe every enemy move within this mist.

The ambiance was silent, and the damp moisture continuously blew against Tonan's skin, disturbing his senses. The rogue-nin seemed to have turned into a beast in the dark forest, coldly eyeing its prey.

Such a situation would get the better of ordinary people, as they would rack their brains on where the next sudden attack could come from. It wouldn't take long for their spirit to collapse. However, for Tonan, who had the Byakugan, all this was ineffective.

He quietly stood in the same place, waiting for the real prey to take the bait. As time passed by, Tonan's endurance surprised the rogue-nin. He decided to not wait any longer and attack.

The moment he swung his long blade though, Tonan turned around and raised a kunai.

Ding

The kunai easily blocked the tachi. "In front of my eyes, you've nowhere to hide."

The rogue-nin's eyes shrunk and he distinctly saw a pair of slowly spinning Sharingan amid the dense mist. Since this attack failed, he retreated, and asked with an ugly expression, "How did you predict my attack?"

The Mist rogue-nin noticed the surrounding mist was denser than before. Worse still, his perception ability was abruptly cut off. Just then, Tonan's indifferent voice resounded in the dense mist.

"Silent Killing Technique."

At this moment, it was clear who was the hunter and who was the prey.

"Guess where I am."

A sharp kunai made an arc. The Mist rogue-nin subconsciously dodged, but his arm was still cut.

"That brat actually injured me? How can he use Silent Killing Technique? Is this the Sharingan's copy ability?"

A sudden realization came to his mind. "No! When I used the technique, that brat didn't see it. Also, Uchihas don't have a water-attribute chakra. That means…"

The rogue-nin grinned hideously, and a pallid light flashed through his eyes.

"The Sharingan's illusion is truly powerful. But it also depends on who's using it."

The rogue-nin rapidly circulated the chakra within his body.

"Genjustu, dispel."

The next moment, the mist's concentration reduced a little, and his sense of perception resumed. The wound on his arm also disappeared.

"Sure enough! It must've happened when I looked at his eyes just now?"

At that moment, Kakashi, who had been fighting against the water clone on the other side, slashed it. The clone immediately turned into water.

Kakashi's eyes shrunk, and his complexion became ugly. He rushed towards the direction where Tonan had taken off. "You better be fine."

………

"I was careless just a moment ago and got caught in a genjustu." The Mist rogue-nin frowned as he sensed the disappearance of his water clone.

"I can't waste any more time. I must finish this mission now." Immediately afterward, he used Water Clone Technique.

"You've completely pissed me off now." The Mist rogue-nin emerged from the puddle below Tonan, who looked at it and instantly finished making hand seals. When just half of his head had come out, Tonan's leg slightly moved.

"Lightning Style – Ground Travel."

An electric current instantly spread around from the bottom of his feet.

Bang

The rogue-nin's body turned into a water splash. Tonan smiled, "Water Clone?"

At this moment, the rogue-nin's real body had quietly appeared behind Chigo, who was chanting scriptures with his eyes closed.

"I'll take care of you first, then go to kill that brat."

The blade in his hand slashed Chigo's neck.

Bang

"What? How can it be a water clone?"

The Mist rogue-nin was confused. He was certain that the old monk had been sitting there from the very beginning. He had sensed it from his perception ability.

"What's going on here? Where did that old man go?"

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Chapter 55: Chigo Taking Action, Mission Accomplished

Notes:

Taki, a village hidden by a waterfall, is located in an unnamed country

Senjutsu, sage techniques, is a specialized field of jutsu that uses natural energy

After a failed attack, the Mist rogue-nin noticed his perception ability was cut off again. A cold chill ran down his spine, and he exclaimed in disbelief, "No, this isn't my technique."

Tapping on his back, a finger slowly appeared.

Puchi

Crackle, crackle, crackle

The Mist rogue-nin lowered his head with difficulty and saw lightning was flickering in his chest.

"Sorry, this is my technique."

Uchiha Tonan's cold voice came from behind.

Thump

Everything in front of the Mist rogue-nin became dark, and his corpse heavily fell in the water. The mist dissipated, and Tonan jumped and carried Chigo who was sitting cross-legged on a branch.

Kakashi arrived just then. "Tonan… are you alright?"

Tonan looked at a breathless Kakashi and adjusted his glasses. "We are fine, this rogue-nin was a little weak and he underestimated my eyes."

"Is that right?" Kakashi looked down at the enemy's corpse but had some doubts. He had faced Tonan's genjutsu in the past. Was it this strong?

Looking at his teammate, Tonan's eyes slightly moved. He took out a pill from his ninja bag and gave it to Kakashi. "For you, it's very delicious, eat it."

"Alright." Although Kakashi didn't understand why he had to eat this now, he still did so given his trust in Tonan. It tasted sour and sweet and was crispy.

Soon after, they spotted Namikaze Minato not far away. Minato jumped on a few branches and landed in front of the three of them. Seeing them uninjured, he sighed in relief. "Fortunately, you're all fine."

Tonan narrowed his eyes and said, "Uzumaki-sensei, did you take care of that rogue-nin?"

Kakashi frowned a little. Minato nodded and looked at Chigo on Tonan's back. "They are already dealt with. Let's take Master Chigo away from here right now."

Just when Minato wanted to approach Tonan, the surrounding mist suddenly thickened again, engulfing everyone.

"There are more attackers." Amid the dense mist, Tonan shouted.

Minato frowned, and immediately charged towards the voice. A ball of black fluid came out from his body and surprise attacked Tonan and Chigo.

Simultaneously, his appearance also changed from Minato to Kakazu.

Bang

Water splashed on the ground.

"Water clones! Damn it, that brat tricked me!" Fury filled Kakazu's head, and he formed hand seals.

"Wind Style – Pressure Damage." But even before Kakazu could release his ninjutsu, he realized something was awry with him. The accumulated experience from years of contract killing and bounty hunting made him instantly identify the reason.

The mist was poisonous. Kakazu could barely wrap his mind around this when explosive tags buried under the ground began to activate.

Crackle, crackle, crackle

Bang!

In the forest, a miniature mushroom cloud rose leaving only the burning smell of smoke behind. Tonan had laid the explosive tags stealthily when he was fighting against the Mist rogue-nin.

On the branch not far away, Kakashi glanced at the gentle-looking Tonan beside him with a strange look and said, "You prepared so much before leaving?"

Tonan adjusted his glasses and smiled slightly. "Yes. The clan's ninja store was running a promotion. Buy two explosive tags and get a bottle of poison for free. I thought it was a good deal, so I bought six of them. Later, I found the poison had expired. I'll report them to the clan after returning."

Just after Tonan finished speaking, Kakazu's roar came from the midst of the smoke and dust. "You've truly infuriated me now! All of you die for me!"

Before the smoke completely dissipated, a ball of black matter suddenly rushed out and attacked Tonan's group of three. They immediately jumped, narrowly dodging the danger.

Kakashi's expression turned ugly as he said, "What the hell is he? Even that didn't kill him?"

After landing on the ground, Chigo, who was on Tonan's back, patted his shoulder. He got off and explained. "That's Earth Grudge Fear… You must be a Taki's traitor ninja, the famous bounty hunter, Kakazu."

Chigo pushed Kakashi and Tonan behind him. "You two, step aside. He's not someone you can deal with."

Tonan grabbed Chigo's hand and said with a solemn look, "Master Chigo, rest assured, you are our client. We will protect you even if we have to risk our lives."

Chigo looked at Tonan and smiled. He said while shaking his head. "You truly are intelligent."

At this moment, the mist had dispersed. Kakazu got up staggering, and there was a ball of black matter with a doll mask next to him. Tonan knew his tactic just now had taken one of Kakazu's lives.

Kakazu made hand signs rapidly. "Fire Style – Searing Migraine."

A scorching hot column of flame shot towards the three. Chigo opened his eyes in anger, and an illusory golden thousand-armed Bodhisattva appeared behind him. He gently raised his right palm and pushed it forward.

Bang

The column of flame that was flying towards them extinguished. In addition, with the remaining power, Kakazu was sent flying dozens of meters away, breaking countless trees.

Kakashi's jaw dropped seeing this. And a question appeared in his mind — is this the person we are protecting?

After the smoke dissipated, Kakazu had disappeared without a trace. Chigo relaxed his posture and said lightly. "Alright, the assailant has been driven away."

Tonan looked at Chigo with reverence. He put his hands on his knees and bowed. "Thank you, Master Chigo."

"That move just now didn't resemble ninjutsu. Is it senjutsu? Or something else."

At this moment, Tonan couldn't wait to inherit all of Chigo's abilities. However, considering the great difference in strength between them, he had to hold back this little ambition.

Kakashi felt Chigo was powerful enough to not need their protection. He thought of Minato, who was still fighting, and couldn't help ask, "Are we going to help Minato-sensei?"

Tonan pondered for a while, then shook his head. "No, let's go to a town first. Minato-sensei can easily escape if he can't defeat his opponents. We'll just be a burden if we go."

He then took the initiative to carry Chigo on his back again and ran towards the town. Not long after, Minato got rid of the Cloud rogue-nin with some difficulty. He was worried that Tonan and Kakashi wouldn't be able to stop the Mist rogue-nin, so he exchanged a few moves with the remaining Rock rogue-nin and got away.

As for that rogue-nin, after experiencing Minato's strength first hand, he didn't dare chase after him.

Five days later, Minato's team safely escorted Chigo to the Fire Temple.

"Thank you all."

After Chigo signed the mission sheet, he turned to Tonan. With a smile, he said, "Tonan, if you become tired of the ninja life, you can consider coming to the Fire Temple."

Tonan put his palm together and replied, "Thank you for your kind consideration but my dream is to gain all villagers' acknowledgment, then use my life to protect them. I will never leave the village."

"That's all right. If your mind changes one day, you're welcome any time."

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Chapter 56: The Returning Prince, Health Checkup

Notes:

Sarutobi Shinnosuke and Konoha's eight colors appear to be completely made by Naruto fans

At the Underground Bounty Station, a group of trembling staff shrank in a corner.

"Didn't you say that Chigo was just an ordinary monk?" Kakazu grabbed the person in charge's collar with a gloomy face. Not only did he fail this mission, but he also lost two lives. If he hadn't escaped quickly, this miscalculation would have turned fatal for him.

Facing the furious bounty hunter, the trembling station boss said, "Kakazu-sama, that's what the intelligence said. We investigated him as well and there was no record of him ever taking any action."

Kakazu didn't let go and pursued, "Do you know that I almost died there?" The person quickly replied, "Since this happened due to an error in the information, our bounty station will compensate you."

"Compensation!" Kakazu snorted with disdain before asking, "How much?"

……

In the Hokage Residence, Namikaze Minato and his team reported the successful completion of the mission. Listening to the report and reading the Fire Temple's letter, Sarutobi Hiruzen nodded with satisfaction and said, "You all did a very good job. Because you encountered three jonin rogue-nin and the rumored bounty hunter, Kakazu, the Fire Temple has increased the reward to 600,000 Ryo. This mission is now promoted to A-rank. Considering Tonan and Kakashi's excellent performance, both will be promoted to chunin as special cases."

Tonan and Kakashi bowed to Hiruzen. "Many thanks, Hokage-sama."

Hiruzen put away the mission sheet and continued, "The mission reward is recorded in your bankbook. Now, take some rest. Hereafter, you don't need to take any D-ranked missions."

Seeing the official matter concluded, Tonan smiled. He then took out the gift he bought and placed it in front of Hiruzen. "Hokage-sama, I got you something from Rose Street. Happy Birthday."

Contrary to expectations, Hiruzen didn't react as enthusiastically. He merely nodded towards Tonan and said with a smile, "Just the thought was enough. I'll leave it here, for now, and open it later tonight." He moved the gift to the side as he spoke.

"Alright." Tonan nodded without any change in expression. At this time, a middle-aged ninja in high spirits walked into the office. "Hokage-sama!"

The moment Hiruzen saw this person, a sincere smile appeared on his face. "Shinnosuke, you're back. Come in and meet them, they're Konoha's future pillars."

Minato nodded at Sarutobi Shinnosuke and said, "Hello, Shinnosuke-senpai, I'm Namikaze Minato."

"Hello." Shinnosuke nodded with a smile and turned towards Tonan and Kakashi.

"These two are Konoha's famous geniuses, Hatake Kakashi and Uchiha Tonan." Hiruzen laughed and introduced them to Shinnosuke. "Shinnosuke, as a senpai, you should look after them. These two young fellows just completed an A-ranked mission, and are promoted to chunin. Especially Tonan, he killed a Mist rogue-nin."

When Shinnosuke heard this, an inexplicable emotion flashed in his eyes. Looking at Tonan, he said, "Truly admirable."

Tonan adjusted his glasses, and replied with a smile, "It's not worth mentioning. The opponent was careless and fell for my illusion. I haven't seen Shinnosuke-senpai in the village before."

Shinnosuke reached out and patted Tonan's shoulder. "I've been staying at the daimyo's. A few days ago, I applied for leave and came back to look around. Since I was here, I thought I could also find some outstanding ninjas and take them to the Fire Capital to help maintain order."

Tonan quietly nodded his head. Minato finally opened his mouth at this time, "Hokage-sama, we'll leave now."

Hiruzen's eyes on Shinnosuke didn't move and he casually waved his hand. "Go on."

Tonan bowed towards Hiruzen and turned to leave. "No wonder Hiruzen's being so cold to me. His biological son's back. If I recall correctly, Shinnosuke should be among the Konoha eight colors. He has been staying with the daimyo all along… It seems Hiruzen intends to help his son ascend to a higher position."

"And here I was wondering why I never gained his acknowledgment! Looks like I was nothing more than a dog he wanted to gift to his biological son. Everything he has done so far was to domesticate me for the son in his heart." Tonan's steps didn't pause. But just before leaving the office, he glanced at the happily chatting father and son pair.

……

The next day, in the Konoha Hospital's corridor, Tonan pushed Sanbo Motoyoshi to the window to bask in the sun. "Grandpa, rest here for a bit. I'll go get the medical report."

"Alright." Motoyoshi waved his hand indifferently. Tonan came to the doctor's office and handed the token he received after completing the health checkup procedure. The doctor inspected it and took out a medical report from the drawer. "Are you Sanbo Motoyoshi's relative?"

"Yes, I'm his grandson."

The doctor looked at various tests results in the report and explained, "There's nothing wrong with your grandpa. It's just that, as a person ages, the bodily function inevitably declines."

Tonan nodded and asked, "Does the decline in bodily function have any effects?"

"It more or less affects the lifespan. Your grandpa is seventy-one this year. He's already advanced in age."

"Can he accompany me to adulthood?"

The doctor coughed and handed over the medical report to Tonan. "How's that possible? In his condition, if he stayed happy, he can live for about five more years. But he has to rest more, and get enough sleep."

Tonan looked at the medical report, and with a solemn look, he said in a low voice, "Doctor, may I make a request?"

The doctor frowned and asked, "What?"

Tonan continued, "Please don't tell my grandpa that he can live for only five more years. No matter how he asks you, please say he can live a long life. He wants to see me get married and have children. I know how he is. Once he learns his time is limited, he won't be able to stop thinking about it."

The doctor appreciated Tonan's concern and nodded, "We also understand this. It's a white lie after all. Don't worry, I won't tell him."

Tonan bowed and thanked, "Thank you, Doctor."

He crumpled the medical report and threw it into the trash. Smiling brightly, he left the doctor's office. "Alright grandpa, let's go home."

"What took you so long? Where's the medical report?"

Tonan appeared like he was hiding something and said, "The doctor said that there's no problem with your body, and you can live a long life. There's no need to take the report."

This made Motoyoshi suspicious. "Are you lying to me?"

Tonan smiled stiffly and replied, "Why would I lie to you? You just live to be a hundred years old and hold your great-grandchildren."

After speaking, he hastily pushed Motoyoshi away. In the corridor, the doctor, who had just come out of the office, saw this and couldn't help sighing in admiration, "I haven't seen such a filial young fellow for a long time."

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Chapter 57: Tonan's Anomaly, A Suspecting Motoyoshi

After returning home, Uchiha Tonan began cooking passionately. In the past, he would make two or three dishes, but today, he was uncharacteristic. He prepared eight dishes in one go.

At the dinner table, Sanbo Motoyoshi's heart became restless seeing this. "Why did you cook so much today? The two of us can't finish it."

Tonan explained while serving Motoyoshi a bowl of rice, "The doctor said that I should give you more food and replenish your nutrition. If you want to eat something specific, just tell me. I'll make it for you tomorrow."

Motoyoshi shook his head and said, "I'm not picky. Everything's delicious."

He picked up the rice bowl and began eating. For some reason though, Motoyoshi lost his appetite today. The dishes he relished in the past turned tasteless in his mouth. After the meal, Tonan didn't go to Hatake Kakashi's house for training either.

Instead, he chatted with Motoyoshi in the courtyard while watching flowers. In the past, Tonan used to listen to Motoyoshi talk about his glory days. Today, however, he was the one who kept chatting, as if he would never have the chance to say these words again.

Later at night, Tonan took the initiative to wash Motoyoshi's feet and was at it for over two hours. Motoyoshi saw Tonan's dull eyes, and his hands that kept washing his legs repeatedly. A trace of melancholy appeared on his face. Unable to finally endure, he sighed, "Stop washing, child. If you continue, the remaining skin will be gone."

Tonan nodded quietly and took the water away before helping Motoyoshi to the bed.

Coo coo

Late at night, birds kept chirping outside the window. Motoyoshi tossed and turned on the bed. He couldn't fall asleep. He kept thinking about what was wrong with his body that made Tonan behave so odd today.

"If there was a cure, that child would've definitely admitted me to the hospital for treatment. Since he didn't, does that mean the issue with my body is incurable?"

"I'm just a crippled old man. The way I dealt with hunger in the past… it would be a wonder if my health was good. But what's the problem?"

Motoyoshi kept fidgeting, thinking about several things. In the end, though, he tired out and gradually fell asleep. In the darkened room, snoring sounds began to resound.

Just when Motoyoshi was about to enter deep sleep, he was awakened by a light sob. Moreover, this sound was coming from right beside him.

Out of the instinctive reaction he developed since he was young, he immediately opened his eyes and turned to look over. He saw a dark figure sitting by his bedside. Motoyoshi recognized it was Tonan from the outline.

He asked in confusion, "Tonan, what're you doing here? Why didn't you go to sleep?"

"Nothing… I couldn't sleep… I wanted to see you more." Tonan replied in a low voice.

After a long time, Motoyoshi sighed and asked, "Tell me honestly, is something wrong with my body?"

Tonan shook his head vigorously and answered, "There truly isn't. Don't think too much and sleep. I'll leave after watching you for a while."

"Fine…"

In the dark, Tonan stared at Motoyoshi quietly. Motoyoshi, who was feeling sleepy earlier, was no longer in the mood. He looked back at Tonan with a warm gaze.

The next day, the sun had just risen. Motoyoshi sat in a wheelchair with dark circles under his eyes. He was being pushed around Konoha streets by Tonan as they strolled around.

"Grandpa, look, that used to be my school."

"This school looks pretty good."

"Grandpa, look over there… Hokage-sama works there."

"Hokage Residence is being renovated again."

"Grandpa, look, look…"

……

At noon, Tonan made another table full of dishes. Motoyoshi listlessly ate the food and asked in a tone full of vicissitude, "Tonan, are you going to train with Kakashi this afternoon?"

Tonan shook his head and replied, "I'm not going, I want to spend more time with you."

Motoyoshi looked at Tonan with affection and said, "You don't need to accompany me. Just go and train. I can hold on."

Tonan hesitated for a while, then pursed his lips and agreed, "Alright."

After the meal, he put a red envelope in Motoyoshi's coat pocket and worriedly said, "Grandpa, if you've any problem, you must immediately call the neighbors. After calling them, hand over this envelope first. They'll be more attentive then."

Motoyoshi patted Tonan's hand and nodded, "You're just going for half a day. Don't worry, I'll be fine."

Tonan nodded and reluctantly left. After about ten minutes had passed, Motoyoshi shook his head, trying to forcibly lighten his mood. With a sense of determination, he pushed his wheelchair out of home and headed towards Konoha Hospital alone.

After half an hour, Motoyoshi found the doctor's office they met yesterday. "Doctor, I came for a health checkup yesterday."

The doctor was surprised to see Motoyoshi alone. He looked around and discovered Tonan was not there. Therefore, he nodded and said, "I remember you, you are Sanbo Motoyoshi, right?"

Motoyoshi nodded and said, "Yes, I came today to ask about my health condition."

The doctor smiled, "Your health is very good. There's no illness. Rest assured."

Motoyoshi did not believe this and asked again, "So, how long can I live?"

The question caught the doctor off guard for a moment. Recalling what Tonan had said yesterday, he coughed lightly and said, "According to my years of medical experience, you'll live a hundred years without any problem."

Motoyoshi, who was observing the doctor's expression, noticed the change. "Really?"

"Of course… I'm a doctor, I'm responsible for what I say."

"It's not a white lie, right?"

The doctor's smile stiffened and he weakly said, "How can that be…"

Looking at the doctor's expression, the experienced Motoyoshi understood everything. He nodded and said, "Alright… that's good… thank you, doctor."

After speaking, he pushed the wheelchair outside of the office. Behind him, the doctor shouted, "Eat whatever you want, stay in a good mood, and get enough sleep."

This sentence made Motoyoshi even surer he didn't have long to live. After returning home, he took his chakra tanto hanging in the bedroom and gently stroked it.

"It seems I won't live long. No wonder Tonan has been so strange. I wonder when I'll die. Is it a year from now or two? Or is it in a few months? I never thought death was already this close to me. It seems it's time to pass the Sanbo Style Blade Technique to Tonan. After that, I'll have no regrets."

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Chapter 58: Deteriorating Health, Re-Examination

At night, Sanbo Motoyoshi looked at a dazzling lineup of food and sighed, "Tonan, when are you going to test your chakra attribute to see if you have the wind attribute?"

Uchiha Tonan raised his head, put the remaining rice of the bowl into his mouth, and said while chewing, "I tested it. I just have the water, earth, fire, and lightning attributes… no wind attribute."

Motoyoshi was stunned for a moment hearing this and asked again, "Are you certain?"

Tonan nodded, and while picking up the rice grains from his bowl with chopsticks, he stressed, "I really don't have it."

"If you don't have it, then you don't have it. It can't be forced."

Motoyoshi felt empty in his heart. He nodded and hesitatingly said, "Today, I went to meet the doctor."

Tonan was dumbfounded for a moment. He raised his head slightly, and said without a change in expression, "What did he tell you?"

Motoyoshi smiled warmly and replied, "Everything that should've been told."

Tonan's expression became gloomy, and the chopsticks in his hand paused. He continued to quietly pick the rice grains. He had already finished the food in his bowl, but he didn't seem to realize it.

Motoyoshi sighed inwardly and put on a smile. "There's no rice in the bowl… let me fill it for you."

Tonan put down his chopsticks and wiped his mouth with a paper towel. His hand was trembling slightly. Without warning, he swept all the food on the table to the ground. His face was red, the veins on his neck bulged, and he was breathing heavily. Only after some time had passed, he composed himself and said in a calm tone, "I'll go find him and settle the account."

Motoyoshi frowned and said in a deep voice, "Tonan, calm down!"

Tonan pursed his lips and squatted down. He covered his eyes with one hand, and his whole body was quivering. Motoyoshi's eyes were full of anguish. He pushed his wheelchair to Tonan's side and reached out his hand to gently stroke his head. He comforted, "Everyone has to die someday."

Tonan shook his head frantically while sobbing, "It's all my fault, I'm an ominous person. I harmed you. If you didn't have me, then you would've been able to live a healthy life for a long, long time."

Motoyoshi shook his head and replied, "It has nothing to do with you. If you weren't here, no one would even know if my corpse had rotted. In these last moments, just accompany me, alright?"

Tonan nodded, and he seemed to suddenly remember something. He grabbed Motoyoshi's hand and said, "You won't die. I'll find a specialized doctor to examine you in a few days. Perhaps, that doctor was not skilled enough and made an error. When I met him, I felt he was not very reliable."

Motoyoshi was reluctant. "There's no need, Tonan. Accept the reality, don't waste money."

"No, he must be wrong!"

"Alright, alright he slipped up. For now, though, it's enough as long as you stay with me."

Over the next few days, Tonan was always with Motoyoshi. Every day, before dawn, he would push the old man on the wheelchair to look around the village. In the afternoon, he would chat with him in the courtyard.

At night, he would sleep until midnight and then go to Motoyoshi's bedroom to quietly watch him. Motoyoshi's situation deteriorated at a rate visible to the naked eyes. Sometimes, he even seemed to hallucinate and his speech gradually became unclear.

On this day, Tonan went to the Hokage Residence to look for Sarutobi Hiruzen. Just as he entered the door, he saw Sarutobi Shinnosuke sitting on Hiruzen's desk, chatting with him while drinking tea.

Seeing Tonan walk in, Shinnosuke hastily got off the desk and looked at him with a kind expression, "Tonan, how come you're here?"

Tonan put his hands on his knees and bowed to Hiruzen, "Hokage-sama, there's something wrong with grandpa Motoyoshi. I want to issue a mission. Please help me find a medical-nin to examine him."

"Is that so!? Cough cough," Hiruzen secretly winked at Shinnosuke and the latter helped Tonan get up. As if he was the older brother next door, he said with concern, "Tonan, you won't need to issue a mission for this. I happen to know a top medical-nin. How about we meet him now? I believe he'll definitely try his best if I request him."

Tonan looked at Shinnosuke's seemingly sincere eyes and nodded with a moved expression. "Thank you for helping me, Shinnosuke-senpai."

"Let's leave, I'll take you to him." Shinnosuke put his arms around Tonan's shoulder and led him out of the Hokage office. Hiruzen looked at the receding back of the two and took a deep breath. "These tobacco shreds are truly good."

Half an hour later, Shinnosuke and Tonan found the medical-nin, and Tonan accurately reported Motoyoshi's recent situation. The more he listened, the more the medical-nin frowned and solemnly asked, "You're saying your grandpa's morale began to collapse after learning he has only five years to live?"

Tonan nodded and answered, "Yes, grandpa hoped to live until he could hold a great-grandchild. This news gave him a big blow. No matter what you discover later, please tell him that the last result was wrong, he has no health problems, and he can live a long life. Please!" Tonan bowed deeply towards the medical ninja.

The medical-nin sighed and agreed, "I understand, don't worry."

………

In the courtyard, Motoyoshi was in the wheelchair basking in the sun and sleeping soundly. Suddenly, with a loud 'bang', the door was roughly pushed open by Tonan.

Motoyoshi was awakened with a start. He saw Tonan hastily come over while pulling a medical-nin. Shinnosuke stood outside the door and didn't go in to disturb.

"Grandpa, this is Konoha's famous medical-nin."

Motoyoshi glanced at the doctor, nodded, and said, "We've troubled you."

The medical-nin nodded, and without wasting time, started to check Motoyoshi's condition. As time passed, he frowned more deeply. Seeing his expression, Motoyoshi weakly asked, "Doctor, can I be saved?"

The medical-nin retracted his hands and answered with a smile, "What're you talking about? Your health's very good. According to my experience, you can easily live to a hundred years."

Motoyoshi paled at this reply and said with a forced smile, "Good… that's good. Thank you."

Seeing the medical-nin was preparing to leave, Tonan hastily followed, "Doctor, I'll see you off."

"Alright."

Tonan left the courtyard with him.

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Chapter 59: Death With No Regrets, Visiting An Elder

Notes:

Summoning: Impure World Reincarnation is a jutsu that binds a deceased person's soul to a living vessel, restoring the dead as they were when alive to do the summoner's bidding

Kinjutsu, meaning Forbidden Techniques, are techniques that have been banned from being taught or used

After Uchiha Tonan walked out of the courtyard with the medical-nin, Sarutobi Shinnosuke, who was waiting outside, curiously asked, "How's his condition?"

The medical-nin signaled the two of them with his eyes. Tonan and Shinnosuke took the hint and followed him to some distance along the street. Only after that, the medical-nin stopped. Taking out a pen and paper to write the medical report, he said, "His condition's serious. I estimate it's a psychological problem and it's severe enough to leave him only a few months to live. You've to be prepared."

Tonan looked startled but slowly nodded. "I understand…"

Shinnosuke patted Tonan's shoulder lightly and said, "I'll request Hokage-sama to approve a leave for you. You should spend time with that grandpa."

The medical-nin sighed and asked, "Do you need me to give you a medical report?"

"No need. I'll leave now. If I take too long, I'm afraid he'll notice," Tonan shook his head, bowed, and turned to leave.

Just before he turned around, Sanbo Motoyoshi, who was observing from a distance, retracted his head and pushed the wheelchair back to the courtyard. Although he was unable to hear their conversation because of the distance, he could guess its gist from their actions and expressions.

Motoyoshi had thoroughly given up hope now. "It seems I truly can't live on…"

After a while, Tonan walked in with a smile. "Grandpa, the doctor said you're in good health. I was panicking unnecessarily. I'll cook us a fine meal."

Motoyoshi nodded with a smile and said, "Cook less. In any case, we can't finish it… don't tire yourself."

………

Half a month later, lying in a bed in the Konoha Hospital, Motoyoshi, who had become skin and bones, used all his willpower to open a small crack in his eyes. With his last gasp, he said "Child, I've put my will in the bedside cabinet. Don't be sad. Promise me you'll live happily."

Tonan reached out and grabbed Motoyoshi's withered hand. He said with a calm look, "You can rest assured, I'll inherit everything from you and live well. If you're tired, close your eyes and rest. Don't force yourself."

"Good child…" Warm memories of the two of them getting along flashed through Motoyoshi's mind.

"Don't worry, grandpa. I'll do my best to clean your house."

"Grandpa, were you a ninja in the past?"

"Grandpa, I'm Uchiha Tonan. I'm not sure how to address you."

"An hour in the morning is worth two in the evening, I always like to get up early. After all, early birds get the insects."

"I want you to accompany me forever. After all… I'm an ill-fated person."

……

There was some unwillingness in Motoyoshi's eyes as his eyelids slowly closed, and was replaced with a hint of a smile as he passed away peacefully. The medical device sounded an alarm.

One of the hospital staff came in and stood behind Tonan, and comforted, "The patient's heart has stopped. My condolences, child. Your grandfather reached the end of his lifespan."

"I understand, please let me accompany him alone for a while." Tonan quietly sat beside the hospital bed.

In the last few days, Motoyoshi wanted to commit suicide a few times. But Tonan was by his side and didn't give him a chance. This was because Tonan wanted to test something. He wanted to see how much power he would get from a person dying a natural death.

Just now, a warm current surged in his body, slowly spreading through every nerve and muscle. As Tonan examined it, he noticed the chakra hardly increased and the spiritual power was not much either. But there were many ninja experiences and about a dozen new techniques including the Sanbo Style – Blade Technique that he got.

"Although the effect is much worse than expected, it's not that bad. After all, to a certain extent, chakra just increases battle endurance. If chakra could decide everything, then wouldn't the people summoned by the impure world reincarnation be invincible?"

"Of course, I do belong to an inadequate chakra group and I need to continuously take extra nourishment. In addition, if I can, I should start to think of ways to get high-powered ninjutsu. In any case, with the system in my hands, as long as I hunt diligently, I'll definitely not lack chakra."

"Returning to the key point here, though, this old fellow had some interesting things when he was young."

Among them, there were quite a few techniques, whose practical value was no less than kinjutsu in Tonan's eyes. Not only the Body Flicker ninjutsu that was mastered by all Konoha jonin, but Motoyoshi had also mastered the Shadow Clone Technique and the S-ranked ninjutsu called Reconstruction Technique.

The Reconstruction Technique was a kind of secret nin-taijutsu that could change one's height, appearance, and voice. But it took roughly ten minutes to activate this technique and one couldn't just turn into another person.

The advantage of this technique was that other people couldn't see through it. There would be no effect in battling as well. After reconstruction, as long as one didn't take the initiative to remove it, even Byakugan wouldn't be able to see through it.

Tonan had now mastered the Body Flicker Technique and the Shadow Clone Technique. These two would help him comprehend the Flicker Clone Technique.

He believed that as long as he worked harder, he would be able to comprehend this profound meaning, greatly increasing his combat power.

Soon, two days passed. Tonan found a scenic place to bury Motoyoshi. Following Motoyoshi's will, the land deed, money, and his chakra tanto all belonged to Tonan now. Once Motoyoshi's matter was settled, Tonan returned to the Uchiha district.

The first thing he did after coming back was to visit the Great Elder, whom he had not seen for a while. In the Great Elder's living room, the two of them sat seiza-style, facing each other.

The Great Elder looked at Tonan, who had gotten a lot taller and was carrying the chakra tanto. He nodded with satisfaction, "It seems you miscalculated this time. That old man died too quickly."

Tonan sipped the tea and calmly said, "That's alright. I managed to gain a lot."

The Great Elder also picked up the teacup, nodded with a smile, and said, "That's also true. I heard that old man's name when I was still a genin. He was a famous miser, who just stayed in his house, never going out. However, now, all those assets belong to you. And this chakra blade is worth a lot as well."

Tonan shook his head and commented, "These are just materialistic possessions. The biggest gain of this trip was Senior Motoyoshi's careful teaching."

The Great Elder frowned. He honestly couldn't figure out what a commoner ninja could teach Tonan. He asked in confusion, "What could he possibly teach you?"

Tonan smiled faintly and leisurely put down the teacup. He then slowly raised his right hand and pointed at a wall. The wind attribute chakra gradually condensed into a small ball at his fingertip and flew out.

Puff

A compressed air bullet shot out from his finger and hit the wall, leaving a hole in its wake. In the next moment, a beam of light entered the room through the hole, shining on the Great Elder's face.

This was B-ranked no-seal ninjutsu mastered by Motoyoshi, Wind Style – Air Bullet. Tonan had also thought of imitating Rasengan and rotating it, but he failed. After all, the size of the air bullet was too small, and it was very difficult to control.

The Great Elder didn't care about the damage to the wall. Instead, he got up with excitement, and carefully examined the hole.

"This is… you have the wind attribute chakra?!"

Tonan adjusted his glasses, and said with a veiled smile, "I tested it a while ago, and to my surprise, I'm fortunate enough to have all five chakra attributes."

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Chapter 60: Shelving The Plan, A-Ranked Mission

Notes:

The Land of Rivers is a country that borders between the Land of Wind and the Land of Fire.

The Land of Rain is a small country that sits between Land of Earth, Land of Fire Land of Wind

The Great Elder's beard trembled in excitement, and he returned to his seat looking ecstatic. "This is good, very good… you're truly an Uchiha genius. Sharingan innately has copy ability. But because most of the clan members are limited by chakra attributes, they can't display the full potential of this ability."

"You're different. You've all five attributes. As long as you have the time to grow, I believe you can even surpass Sarutobi Hiruzen, who is known as The Professor."

Uchiha Tonan nodded with a smile. He picked up the teapot, and pouring tea into the Great Elder's cup, he said, "Oh, I almost forget to inform you. I was fortunate enough to be promoted to chunin some time ago."

The Great Elder calmed down and looked at the courteous Tonan. The more he saw, the more he increased Tonan's evaluation in his mind. Soon after, he laughed and said, "I know about this, but since you had chosen ninjutsu not long ago, I thought I should let you train those for some more time before letting you choose again. However, I didn't expect you to have all five attributes."

"Since that's the case, you can learn as many of the low-ranked ninjutsu the clan has, as you want. As for advanced compound ninjutsu… Did you learn Flicker Clone Technique?"

Tonan shook his head and lightly answered, "I'm still studying it but it won't be long before I succeed."

The Great Elder nodded. "Don't be too impatient. After all, practicing the Flicker Clone Technique is extremely strenuous. Though with your talent, I believe you'll be able to practice it successfully. I'd suggest don't learn any other superfluous advanced ninjutsu before you master it so you can conserve energy."

Tonan smiled and said, "I'll comply with the Great Elder's suggestion."

"Alright, wait for a bit." The Great Elder got up and walked into the storage room. After a while, he returned to his seat and handed a sealed scroll to Tonan.

"This scroll records all low-ranked ninjutsu in the clan but other than lightning and fire style, the other attributed ninjutsu are relatively fewer."

Tonan smiled and said, "It doesn't matter. This is already enough. By the way, Great Elder, there's one thing I wanted to ask you. I want to buy some property with beautiful landscape in the village and build a welfare home."

"Welfare home?" The Great Elder frowned. Tonan nodded and explained, "The welfare home will include both orphanage and old-age home."

The Great Elder thought for a while and realized Tonan's plan. Although he didn't think this method would work, he chose to respect Tonan's decision. "How big a place are you thinking?"

"Let's begin with something as big as the Ninja Academy. We'll just expand it later if it's not large enough."

When the Great Elder heard this, he frowned as if he was thinking about something. After a long time, he sighed deeply and said with an embarrassed look, "Tonan, you know that although I control the clan's finances, the other clan elders also review the monthly financial reports."

Tonan shook his head and clarified, "I didn't intend to ask the clan to pay for it. I've inherited Senior Motoyoshi's properties and it's about 20 million Ryo."

After Tonan finished speaking, the Great Elder looked even more awkward.

"Is that insufficient?" Tonan asked in confusion.

The Great Elder nodded, "If it was twenty years ago, it would've been enough. But now, Konoha's land price is becoming much more expensive. Your money is not enough even to buy land in the suburbs."

"How much do I need then?"

The Great Elder raised two fingers hearing his question and said, "200 million, and that's just to buy the land in the suburbs."

Tonan inhaled a sharp breath and remained silent for a long time. He then stood up and bowed to the Great Elder, "I understand. I'll return to train now. Farewell."

At home, Tonan carved a wooden statue of Motoyoshi. He then came to a secret room and spread open the sealed scroll. While browsing through the ninjutsu, he mulled over his future course of action.

Tonan wanted to build a welfare home to adopt Konoha's orphans and the lonely old people. This way, he could gain their acknowledgment and then, quietly harvest them in secret. He planned to harvest one batch after another in a steady cycle, just like crops.

Orphans would replenish his chakra and spiritual energy, while the old people would provide him with various experiences and ninjutsu. He never expected Konoha's property price would reach such exaggerated levels that it would bring his plan to a grinding halt.

The guaranteed minimum reward for an S-ranked mission was just one million Ryo. With this as a benchmark, he calculated he needed to perform at least over a hundred S-ranked missions to collect 200 million Ryo.

It looked like he had to shelve this plan for the time being.

……..

In the coming days, Tonan followed Namikaze Minato and Hatake Kakashi to execute some ordinary C-ranked missions. Most of the time though, he either learned new ninjutsu or trained with Kakashi.

Since he was in the golden age of physical development, his strength grew rapidly every day. As for to what extent he had reached, Tonan himself was not sure because he had no target to test his strength. After all, it was not wise to display his true strength in front of Kakashi and the others.

It was also worth noting that Tonan would often encounter Sarutobi Shinnosuke in various places by coincidence. Every time they met, Shinnosuke taught him ninjutsu and inquired about his well-being. Tonan sensed Shinnosuke was intentionally showing goodwill towards him, trying to draw him to his side.

In addition, every time Tonan followed Minato to the Hokage Residence to report mission completions, Hiruzen would mention Shinnosuke by accident or by design. Konoha's considerate green sprout this and cherishes villagers that and so on. It was like introducing a blind date!

That being the case, Tonan also didn't resist getting closer to Shinnosuke. Hiruzen was after all still in power. But peaceful days were always short.

On this day, Minato received an emergency alert, and his team gathered at the Hokage Residence again. Hiruzen didn't take out the mission sheet but explained its content in a solemn tone.

"This is a sub-mission of an S-ranked mission, set to be A-ranked for the time being. Not long ago, there was a coup d'état in the Land of Rivers, which its daimyo suppressed. However, many participants in the coup were wandering ninjas. After the coup failed, they kidnapped Land of Rivers' Princess Haruka and fled to the Land of Rain. The Land of Rivers' daimyo was furious and issued an S-ranked rescue mission to Suna, Ame, Iwa, and Konoha, all at the same time."

"Because of this, the nature of the mission also changed. Whichever village rescues Princess Haruka will prove its ability and success in completing missions. Hatake Sakumo, captain of an Anbu unit, and Aburame Torune, captain of Root, have already set off. I believe with their strength, they will be able to rescue the princess."

"As for your mission, go to the five towns at the Land of Fire border respectively and stay there as reinforcement. After receiving the hostage, you'll escort the hostage together from the Land of Fire to the Land of Rivers. In this mission, saving the hostage is the top priority."

"As for your other two teammates, they are already waiting at the village's gate. When the time comes, you can just follow their instructions."

"Yes."

Team Nine responded in unison and left the Hokage Residence, heading towards the village gate.

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Chapter 61: Gauging Strength, Genjutsu Backlash

Notes:

Raikiri, an S-ranked jutsu also known as Lightning Blade, is Hatake Kakashi's signature technique

After Team Nine left the Hokage Residence, Sarutobi Shinnosuke walked into the office. "Old man, why didn't you let me take this mission? Even if you didn't want me to go to the hostage rescue, why didn't you let me take charge of this mission that's not dangerous?"

Sarutobi Hiruzen blew out a mouthful of smoke and said in a low voice, "With White Fang in the lead, this mission is essentially not an issue. You're aware Konoha is not receiving enough missions lately. This reinforcement mission's rank is high, but there's almost no danger, so all forces want to take it."

"Among the five available slots, Danzo asked for two. As for the remaining three, after careful consideration, I decided it'd be more appropriate to assign them to Minato's team. After all, I intend for Tonan to accompany you to the Land of Fire soon."

"Judging from his talent, he'll become a powerhouse sooner or later, which can help you tremendously. This mission is just to make his ninja career record look better. Don't compete with your future subordinates and just take a good break."

………

Ten minutes later, Uchiha Tonan's party arrived at the village gate. They saw two Konoha ninjas there, both wearing green flak jackets and forehead protectors, each carrying a tachi on their back.

"Are you Konoha's Team Nine? Let's introduce ourselves briefly, I'm Kamiya Kazuki."

"Yoshida Taro." The other jonin said coldly.

Both of them had deadpan, near paralyzed faces. They introduced themselves expressionlessly. Tonan adjusted his glasses. He was seventy percent certain these two were from the Root.

Minato nodded and said, "Namikaze Minato."

Kakashi said indifferently, "Hatake Kakashi."

And Tonan placed his hands on his knees, bowed very politely, and said, "Uchiha Tonan, please take care of me."

"Is he the mission target Danzo-sama mentioned?" Kazuki showed a stiff smile and said, "Let's first complete the formalities to leave the village, then I'll arrange the garrison sites according to your strengths."

The five of them headed to the registration office at the village gate and then passed through Konoha's barricade. After walking out of the village, Kazuki took out several maps from his ninja bag.

"There are five towns with garrisons stationed in them, and each has a different probability of reinforcing the two lords. You three, show the ninjutsu you excel at. I need to get a general understanding of your strength."

Minato scratched his head and said, "I'm proficient in the Flying Thunder God…"

"Stop talking nonsense, and just show it." Taro impassively berated, being completely discourteous to Minato. The interruption stifled Minato but he was easygoing by nature. He didn't get offended and instead sincerely demonstrated.

He threw a special kunai, and in the blink of an eye, he appeared in another spot.

Kazuki's stiff smile was back again. He picked out a map and handed it over to Minato. "Very good, your speed is excellent. This is the map of the town you'll be stationed in."

Kazuki turned to Kakashi, who simply raised his hands without saying anything.

Crackle, crackle, crackle

Harsh sounds of birds chirping reverberated. Kakashi crouched slightly as his left hand held his right wrist. His right hand was curved like a tiger's claw, ball-shaped lightning flashing violently in it.

The scattering electric current looked terrifying and everyone's pupils shrank. Even Tonan wondered, "Has he already developed the Raikiri? Kakashi's talent is simply absurd."

Kakashi suddenly rushed towards the big tree beside him.

Bang

A big hole appeared in the tree's trunk and Kakashi retracted his hand. His body trembled slightly as he panted.

Tonan raised his eyebrows slightly. "False alarm, that's just a half-done product. It flexibly transforms the chakra's shape and nature but it didn't use the lightning element to stimulate the body's potential and enhance the speed. Without incredible speed, this Raikiri's destructive power is mediocre. Not to mention, it causes high damage to the user."

The other three also saw through these flaws but they didn't undermine Kakashi even for a moment due to this. For a chunin, this move could be a clincher. It was evident that the present immature technique was self-created and no-seal ninjutsu. There was immense potential for development.

Kazuki nodded, and handed over a map to Kakashi. "It's a promising ninjutsu. This is your map."

Kazuki and Taro next turned to Tonan at the same time. Tonan adjusted his glasses and said with an embarrassed look, "Senpai, I'm good at the Sharingan genjutsu and it can only be used against human targets. It seems I cannot show it here."

Taro squinted his eyes and coldly said, "Use it against us, and use your full power."

Tonan nodded and said, "Alright." He closed his eyes and opened again as the three tomoe slowly spun in it.

Taro and Kazuki were both expressionless, not giving any inkling into their thoughts. Tonan finished making hand signs and asked politely, "Senpai, may I begin?"

Kazuki nodded.

"Senpai, please look at my eyes. If you don't do that, it'll not work."

Without any hesitation, the two stared straight at Tonan's eyes.

In the next moment. "Genjutsu – Hell Viewing Technique."

The surrounding vicinity underwent subtle changes, which unless closely observed, wouldn't be discernable at all. Kazuki and Taro noticed that Minato and his team disappeared.

Kazuki looked around and said lightly, "Is this the Sharingan's genjutsu?"

Taro stood there without any change in expression.

Swish

Suddenly, a ninja wearing an animal-style mask appeared in front of them, and said in a loud voice, "You two, the mission has changed, Dan…"

Before the other party finished speaking, Taro made a hand sign.

The illusion was shattered.

Ah

Tonan screamed in pain. They saw Tonan hunched over with his hands on his knees, blood and tears overflowing from his eyes. He was experiencing the genjutsu backlash.

Taro said indifferently, "Your genjutsu is rubbish."

His team member hurt and rebuked seemed to rattle Minato and he retorted on Tonan's behalf, "Genjutsu is not suitable for facing the enemy head-on. Tonan's genjutsu is very powerful. It's just that you were warned and prepared, so the effect was not as strong."

Kazuki smiled apologetically and handed a map to Tonan. "Sorry Tonan, Taro is always like this. Alright, this is your map. Let's head to the border together."

Had Taro not forcefully broken the illusion, Kazuki himself would've done it. The genjutsu caster could see what's occurring in the illusion. It was very likely that the information would be leaked. And regardless of whether it exposed Danzo's information or about their mission, both were not feasible for Kazuki and Taro.

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Chapter 62: Arriving At Border, Garrison Town

Notes:

Cursed Tongue Eradication Seal was given to Root members to ensure no information about the organization or Shimura Danzo was leaked

Swish

Suddenly, a ninja wearing an animal-style mask appeared in front of them, and said in a loud voice, "You two, the mission has changed, Danzo-sama has an order."

Kamiya Kazuki and Yoshida Taro instinctively knelt on one knee and lowered their heads. "Yes!"

Immediately though they both exchanged a look and reacted at the same time. It was impossible for Root members, who had the Cursed Tongue Eradication Seal, to call Danzo's name out loud.

Therefore, the two of them made a hand sign at the same time and sped up the flow of their chakra.

"Genjutsu, break."

"Genjutsu, break."

Puff

The moment the illusion shattered, Uchiha Tonan spat out a mouthful of blood, and his Sharingan automatically deactivated. Bloody tears spilled from the corner of his eyes.

Namikaze Minato and Hatake Kakashi immediately ran to his side to support him. Seeing Tonan's miserable appearance, Kakashi glared at Kazuki and Taro, his hand reaching into his bag to tightly grab a kunai.

Minato, who was always temperate in his demeanor, too was furious. He asked Kazuki and Taro with a standoffish look, "It's just a test, why did you have to forcefully break the genjutsu?"

Tonan hastily waved his hand and weakly interjected, "It's alright… it's me who didn't think it through. I forgot to tell senpai the code to stop the test. This was the only way for them to break the genjutsu."

Kazuki wanted to make an apologetic expression, but since he always had an impassive face, he didn't know how to. Therefore, he just bowed to Tonan and apologized, "Sorry, we didn't expect your genjutsu to be so potent. Out of instinct, we subconsciously broke it forcibly. Your Sharingan genjutsu is truly powerful."

Tonan smiled with a pale face and shook his head, "Senpai, you are praising me too much. If the enemies are on guard and keep their eyes shut, I can't accomplish anything."

When everyone present heard this, they couldn't help but frown a bit.

Kakashi and Minato both thought, "Tonan's too naïve. He divulged such vital information to others."

Kazuki and Taro looked at each other without batting an eyelid. Kazuki handed the map to Tonan and said, "This is your map." He then gestured at Taro, who took out three thumb-sized tubes with a small red button from his bag.

"This is a signal flare, one for each person. Release it when you come into contact with the two lords. At that time, everyone must immediately head to its location for support."

Since Tonan didn't argue with the two, Minato and Kakashi also kept their peace. In any case, they did apologize and their action didn't seem intentional. The three of them took the signal flare from Taro and put them in their bags.

"Tonan, rest for a bit, I'll carry you." Minato thoughtfully carried the weakened Tonan on his back. The five people advanced towards the Land of Fire border.

For about two days, the group was dashing across the forest. According to the map, after a short while, everyone would part ways and take off to their respective garrison towns. Along the way, Tonan was contemplating the abnormal aspects of this mission.

The first was the mission itself. An S-ranked mission that needed both Anbu and Root captains…

This was around the time that Hatake Sakumo was going to die, which implied this mission was most likely to fail. Unfortunately for him, even though he had worked hard for so long, he had not gained Sakumo's acknowledgment. Though he learned much about the Samurai spirit from Sanbo Motoyoshi, he had yet to find a suitable time to have a conversation with Sakumo alone.

"Am I really going to miss out on a big fish like Sakumo? No, if I can't get his acknowledgment, I should stop his suicide. Either way, once he acknowledges me, with his glass heart, it shouldn't be too difficult to put him to death."

There was one more point Tonan found fishy and it was regarding the two strange teammates for this reinforcement mission. Tonan had used the Hell Viewing Technique to see through their deepest fears but he didn't find much.

Fortunately, the genjutsu continued, which indicated those two did have people or things they dreaded, and from the illusion, it was obvious Danzo was one of them.

Coupled with their usual paralyzed faces, it was practically certain they were Root ninjas. Tonan wouldn't dare to relax his vigilance in front of the subordinates of a villain like Danzo, who stopped at nothing to do evil.

Especially since he knew that Orochimaru was already experimenting with the Sharingan. There had been no news of missing people in the clan recently, so Danzo might be lacking Sharingan now. But the Uchiha ninjas joined the Konoha Police Force and it was a bad idea for Danzo to make a move within the village.

Wasn't he the best prey then?

Three hours later, the group had already reached closer to the Land of Fire borders. As per the plan, the five of them parted ways and headed towards the towns according to their maps.

Tonan, however, kept an eye out. Some of his white pigeons followed Kazuki and Taro from a distance.

After about half a day, Tonan arrived in his designated town. This kind of a place that was closer to the border, was typically not prosperous. Most of the civilians engaged in farming and some simple business activities.

Being a border, the Land of Fire soldiers were stationed here and some genins, who had accepted C-ranked missions, were also here. Most of these genins were relatively older and had no promotion prospects.

Although the reward for a C-ranked mission was not too high, it had long-term stability, and there was also a certain amount of profit. Tonan greeted them briefly and checked into an inn following the duty captain's arrangements.

He put the tea leaves he carried along into the teapot, mixed it with water, and boiled it on the gas stove.

After that, he waited calmly. No matter how strong Sakumo was, he would have just about entered the Land of Rain. Calculating the distance and the inevitable battles along the way to rescue the hostage, it would take about seven or eight days for anything to happen.

He didn't need to be anxious. Since he knew the original plot, he knew Sakumo would fail this time. He just didn't know one thing — Sakumo chose to give up the mission to save whom.

The person he saved also blamed him so it was unlikely to be Kakashi or Minato. From this hypothesis, it could only be the three Root Ninjas involved in the mission.

"Now that I've not gained Sakumo's acknowledgment yet, should I first get rid of those two teammates? But then, the mission might not end up in failure. I do have time to figure things out."

Tonan's thoughts made him smile. He got up and lifted the steaming teapot from the gas stove, and returned to the table.

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Chapter 63: Rainy Night Assassination, Fleeing To Forest

Notes:

According to Chinese beliefs, the dead must pass three tests before passing to the next life, the first being the Bridge of Helplessness

Just when Uchiha Tonan was considering whether or not to kill the two dubious teammates, he noticed something through the white pigeon's sight. It was precisely those two who right now had briefly greeted the garrison towns' personnel and sneaked out.

A playful smile slowly formed on Tonan's face as he poured the tea into the cup and took a sip. A moment later he chuckled as if he thought of something funny. "Is living well not enough for you all? Why do you keep provoking me? I'm walking on the broad road, but you want to cross your Bridge of Helplessness. It's not very smart."

Time passed by and the sky gradually darkened. The town's civilians returned home to rest, leaving behind only a few small and dim lamps on the streets to battle the pervasive darkness. As if worried the gloom was not sufficient, it began to drizzle.

Since this place was near the Land of Rain, showers and downpours were commonplace here. The fine rain knitted into a soft net, like a sticky and wet cobweb, covering the entire town. Under its curtain, the sounds of insects and birds disappeared in unison, and the town was as quiet as a graveyard.

At this moment, two figures quietly appeared at the town's edge.

"Is he in your perception range yet?"

"Yes, I can sense him. He's in that inn, very likely on the second floor."

"That brat's genjutsu is a bit powerful. To be on the safe side, we'll close our eyes as soon as he activates the Sharingan. As long as we don't look at his eyes, he'll be defenseless."

The two looked at each other and slinked into the town. As for the soldiers and the genin on duty, they were very unlikely to detect their trace.

Rumble

With rumbling sounds, the rain became heavier, pouring down in torrents on the ground. The inn's second floor was pitch black but lightning flashes occasionally lit up the corridor. At this moment, two humanoid-shaped figures, hanging upside down from the ceiling, could vaguely be seen on either end of the corridor.

Yoshida Taro made a hand sign and sensed Tonan's exact location. The two treaded softly from both ends to the center of the ceiling. It was pouring heavily, the dense pitter-patter covering the sleeping sound of the inn rooms.

The two of them walked to a door, step by step, and lightly landed on the floor. Taro gave Kamiya Kazuki a signal with his eyes and they slowly pulled out their tachi.

Kazuki reached out his left hand and gently touched the door.

The next moment.

Bang!

The door was blasted open, and it was pitch dark inside. The two turned into shadows as they rushed in. Tonan, who was sleeping soundly, woke up with a start. He quickly turned over and sat up.

He looked at the two intruders and activated his Sharingan. But at that moment, the two simultaneously closed their eyes.

"It's you two!" Tonan exclaimed. Kazuki and Taro didn't care about his fuss and ferociously thrust their tachi in the direction of his voice.

Bang!

Tonan turned into a cloud of smoke. The two noticed something was wrong, and Taro used Sensing Technique. Immediately afterward, he frowned and said, "That was just a shadow clone. There's no one in the room, let me detect him." Taro began to increase his perception range.

Crash

Just at that moment, they heard the sound of a trashcan knocking over downstairs. The two opened their eyes, and Kazuki hastily rushed to the window and looked below. He spotted Tonan frantically trying to escape in the rain, running into the distance.

"Chase!"

The two jumped out of the window. One pursued him through the streets holding his tachi, and the other followed him from the rooftops.

"Help! Enemy attack!" Tonan yelled while running wildly. His every step was so heavy that the water on the ground splashed high. His bawl seemed to awaken the quiet town from its slumber. In the narrowly packed residential area, one window after another began lighting up.

"That damned brat." Kazuki cursed and nodded towards Taro on the rooftop. Taro understood his signal. He sheathed his tachi and formed hand seals. Kazuki joined him on the roof and placed his palms on Taro's back, transmitting his chakra.

"Nirvana Temple Technique."

Many white feathers appeared in the sky and fluttered down to the ground. These feathers seemed illusory. They bypassed the walls and fell into every household. The residents and the genin stationed in the town fell into a deep sleep one after another.

Because this technique's range was too large, Kazuki and Taro consumed over half of their chakra. But they had no time to recoup because Tonan was already out of the town and running towards the mountain not far away.

To avoid troubles that might arise due to a delay, the two decided to overlook their chakra consumption. They used the Body Flicker Technique to increase their speed but they were shocked to discover that Tonan too had learned this technique at some point.

Whenever they were close to catching up, he would use it to increase the distance.

Rumble

Furious thunderclaps were continuously reverberating throughout the mountain for a long time. In the blink of an eye, the sound of rain had turned deafening. The sky seemed to have countless holes, the abundant rain pouring on earth like a waterfall.

Coo coo

Coo coo

Shrill bird cries grew louder in the mountain forest, making people shudder.

Step, step, step…

The mountain forest soil was soaked by the rainwater and turned into mud. Tonan ran desperately. He turned back from time to time, his face displaying his panic and terror. Kazuki and Taro continuously jumped one branch after another with tachi in their hands not leaving sight of their target.

They were soaked by the rainwater but did not have a single mud stain on their clothes. The distance between them and Tonan was shrinking at a noticeable speed.

Tonan was a trifling chunin in the end. Using the Body Flicker Technique several times was challenging his limit. In their view, he was already a lump of meat on the chopping board waiting to be hacked.

Thump

Perhaps because the ground was too slippery, Tonan accidentally fell. He was covered in sludge from head to toe, his appearance miserable. But on the brink of death, he did not care about it. He heaved himself up and crawled on his limbs to get up and run away.

Suddenly, he stopped. He realized there was no way to run further because there was a cliff up ahead. He didn't think much or pause for long and ran in another direction. But he stopped again, his panic turning into utter despair.

Kazuki and Taro were standing on a big tree straight ahead, staring at him indifferently with tachi in their hands. On their otherwise wooden faces, only their eyes had a hint of disdain.

Tonan gasped for breath, knelt on the mud, and slammed his head on the ground. He begged them for mercy, "Senpai… please let me go…"

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Chapter 64: Real Memories, Feeding White Pigeons

Root members would not waste their words on an assassination target, especially when their objective was unambiguous. Ignoring his pleas, Kamiya Kazuki and Yoshida Taro jumped down from the tree and attacked Uchiha Tonan.

Tonan raised his head and activated his scarlet Sharingan.

"Genjutsu – Hell Viewing Technique."

However, the two were guarded against his genjutsu from the very beginning. As soon as he had moved his head, they closed their eyes in unison.

"Damn it." Tonan gritted his teeth and cursed. The moment they landed on the ground, they used Body Flicker Technique with all their power and disappeared in an instant. In the next moment, they were on Tonan's left and right sides respectively.

They ferociously thrust their tachi forward, aiming at his waist.

Puchi

Blood splattered everywhere. Tonan was stabbed. His eyes were wide open, his mouth slightly parted and blood spurted out like free-flowing water. Finally, he gave up and lowered his head.

Rumble

Thunder clapped all around. Lightning flashes made strange shapes and spread out in all directions, splitting the entire sky. It was like a doomsday scene.

Just when the two were immersed in the joy of completing the mission…

Coo coo

Coo coo

Impatient bird cries emerged from everywhere. In the dark forest, many pairs of scarlet and savage Sharingan lit up, looking like a blood-drenched swarm of fireflies.

"This… it's all… Sharingan…" Kazuki's eyes shrunk, and he gulped. Suddenly, the two of them felt a sharp pain in their abdomens and vomited a mouthful of blood at the same time. They intuitively looked at the source of their torment and their eyes widened in horror.

They saw Tonan's head had turned 180 degrees and he was looking at them with cold-blooded eyes. His Sharingan had begun to slowly spin.

"They're hungry, I'll have to trouble you two."

The next moment, Tonan exploded like an inflated balloon and white pigeons eagerly competed with each other to fly out. What alarmed them more was the realization that they had pierced through each other's bodies with their own tachi.

Their blood flowed along the blade and dripped on the ground. Kazuki and Taro simultaneously turned their heads with difficulty and looked at the white pigeons gathering on the cliff's edge.

The pigeons fused one by one and turned into Tonan. He didn't have the miserable appearance from earlier. On the contrary, he had gotten an umbrella at some point and was looking into the distance. There was not a speck of dirt on his body. He may even pass off as a relaxed sightseer.

Looking at his back view, holding an umbrella, the two of them became absentminded. After a while, they came back to their senses. The previous scenes in their memory collapsed inch by inch and they recovered their true memories.

……

The moment they opened the door, they wanted to kill Tonan. When Tonan used the Sharingan genjutsu, they closed their eyes to avoid it.

However, they hadn't closed their eyes at all, and they unknowingly fell into the genjutsu. In this illusion, they used all their strength to release the Nirvana Temple Technique, which almost exhausted their chakra. Tonan leisurely held up an umbrella and led the two, who were like walking corpses, out of the town…

All the way to this place…

Later, he controlled them to stab each other.

"But when…" Kazuki vomited blood and asked in disbelief. Tonan slowly turned around, and his cold and serene Sharingan was spinning slowly. He smiled politely and said in a gentle voice, "When we were at the village gate, I used genjutsu on you. Didn't you want to see it?"

"How is it? Was it any good? Never mind, I've got an even better technique to show you."

Tonan initiated the Secret Technique – Beast Infestation. Just after he finished, the white pigeons lurking in the forest shrieked at the same time. Their bodies enlarged by several times, and their feathers became raven black and glowed with a metallic luster.

Their soft beaks changed into hard black hooked fangs and they rushed towards the two people who were already a withering oil lamp.

Ah

Flesh tearing and bones crushing sounds filled up the forest.

In this place, the rain goes away as quickly as it comes. Soon, the dark clouds dissipated, and the downpour gradually stopped. The distant mountain range's outline was framed with a golden hue.

"What nice weather." Tonan narrowed his eyes, closed the umbrella, and casually threw it down the cliff.

Coo coo

A white pigeon that had eaten its fill turned back into its docile appearance and landed on his shoulder. It affectionately rubbed its head against Tonan's cheek. He smiled gently and reached out to caress the white pigeon's head. "Since my senpai asked to see the full power of my genjutsu, it would be really bad for me as a kohai to refuse."

The white pigeon nodded like a human. At this moment, another white pigeon flew over and landed on Tonan's other shoulder. He looked at this pigeon and said with a smile, "Thank you for your thoughts, but I'm not hungry."

The white pigeon's eyes flashed. It raised its head and swallowed the meat in its mouth. Soon afterward, several white pigeons landed on his body one after another. On the horizon, a red sun peeked from the range's morning mist, dyeing the morning red. It also dyed Tonan and the white pigeons in the same shade.

"Disperse, return and be alert." Tonan stretched himself and walked towards the town located at the mountain's foot. While passing by the place where the two Root members had died, he picked up the ninja bags with disgust. He took out the useful things and put them into his bag.

Coo coo

Behind, the white pigeons flew away chirping. The morning mist gradually dispersed under the sunlight, and the world became clearer. Not far from the cliff, there were bits and pieces of clothes and two Konoha forehead protectors on the mud.

The next moment.

"Earth Style – Dark Swamp." The soil turned into a swamp, swallowing all traces.

Tonan had in fact left behind a trick at the village gate itself. On one hand, he intentionally let out that his Sharingan genjutsu would have no effect if the opponents shut their eyes. On the other hand, he used the hypnotic eye to place a suggestion in their subconscious in the illusion world.

When those two violently broke his genjutsu, he had taken the initiative to dispel the illusion and went along with the flow after that. Tonan had thought it would take a long time before he would be able to use this trick. However, beyond his expectation, the chance came so soon.

When Kazuki and Taro broke into his room, Tonan had triggered the trick he placed in their subconscious before. As a result, when they saw Tonan activating the Sharingan, they subconsciously thought they had shut their eyes but their eyes were wide open, and they were affected by the full power of his genjutsu. In context to this, Tonan's evaluation of the two was only two words.

Offering themselves.