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

3. 65

Konoha Hypocrite #Chapter 65: Failing Mission, Turmoil Begins - Read Konoha Hypocrite Chapter 65: Failing Mission, Turmoil Begins Online - All Page - NOVEL NEXT

Chapter 65: Failing Mission, Turmoil Begins

Uchiha Tonan returned to the town, had breakfast in a hotel, and went back to the inn to catch up on sleep. The next few days, the town was calm. Tonan stayed in the inn, continuously using white pigeons to monitor if anyone was coming from the border.

As each day passed, he felt something was amiss. With Hatake Sakumo's strength, he should have already returned by now. Could it be that Sakumo and the others arrived at the towns where the two Root ninjas were stationed?

Since there was no one there, no one released the signal flare to notify the rest of the team members?

This was possible. However, Tonan had no intention to go over and investigate.

If by chance he did run into them, how would he explain? Should he say he had some sort of telepathy and guessed the jonin stationed in that town had disappeared?

In the middle of the night on the tenth day, a red light streaked across the sky, flying over to the town. Tonan got up and rushed to the window to look over. He saw a red light arriving in the sky above the town and exploding like fireworks.

"Looks like this signal flare had tracing properties," Tonan muttered to himself.

Soon afterward, he jumped out of the window and ran toward the direction the red light had flown over. Kamiya Kazuki and Yoshida Taro had intentionally arranged for Tonan to be in the farthest border town to seize the Sharingan.

This place was the outermost from where the signal flare was released. Tonan ran for nearly five hours before he arrived at the location. The sky had already turned bright. This place was also a garrison town.

He saw Hatake Kakashi standing at the town's intersection. Seeing Tonan, he waved his hand. Tonan ran over and pretended to be panting as he asked, "What about the mission?"

"Failed." Kakashi shrugged indifferently.

Tonan frowned and asked, "What's going on? With White Fang-sama involved, how can it fail?"

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Kakashi looked behind him, then lowered his voice. "That guy was poisoned by Suna, and to save him, my father exchanged the hostage for the antidote."

Tonan suddenly realized, "So, that's what happened… That's the correct choice. After all, that person is the Root captain, and for Konoha, he's more important than the hostage. In any case, even if the hostage was handed over, Suna would also escort the hostage safely to the employer. Konoha just lost the rewards. It's not a major problem."

"That guy has a conscience. He said he'd make up for this mission's monetary reward after returning to the village."

After speaking, Kakashi pointed to a tea shop in the town behind him and said, "Minato-sensei has already arrived, you can join them. I've to wait for the other two guys."

Tonan smiled faintly and said, "You've been waiting all this while. How about I wait here instead? Your father failed the mission, you should go console him."

Tonan didn't want to meet the Root captain, lest he might give himself away when talking about the other two. Kakashi rolled his dead-fish eyes and said, "There's no need to console. It's just an S-ranked mission."

Tonan reached out, pushed Kakashi, and said, "Just go. In any case, it's the same whether you wait or I wait."

Since Kakashi failed to persuade Tonan, he could only nod. "Fine."

Time passed by slowly. It was already noon but there was no sign of the other two team members.

Sakumo, Aburame Ryoma, Namikaze Minato, and Kakashi had all come to the town's intersection. Sakumo said solemnly, "They're still not here. Perhaps, they ran into enemies. Let's divide into two teams and look for them."

However, Ryoma rejected this suggestion without hesitation. "No need, since they haven't arrived yet and haven't called for help with signal flares, they are dead."

"Shouldn't we go check in case they're still alive?" Minato scratched his head and asked. Ryoma replied, "It was clearly explained that in this mission, whether it's coming late, or not releasing the signal flare in case of danger, both are very serious crimes. Even if they're alive, they'll be executed when they return. This is the Root's rule."

Sakumo sighed and nodded, "We'll not delay in that case. Let's return to the village."

……

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In the Hokage Residence, Sarutobi Hiruzen looked at the four people in front of him. He appeared irritated as he smoked.

"White Fang, you did the right thing. Ryoma, after all, is your companion and also the Root captain. Whether it's for you or the village, saving him is more important than an S-ranked mission. Go back and rest for some time. This mission was hard on you."

After everyone left, Hiruzen couldn't help sighing, looking at the big monetary reward on the mission sheet. If he had known earlier, he would have sent White Fang alone for this mission.

Meanwhile, at the Root headquarter, Shimura Danzo looked at Ryoma, who was kneeling on one knee, with a gloomy face. "Do you know how much effort I wasted to get this opportunity? And what are the results? The hostage was handed over to Suna because of you. We didn't get that brat's Sharingan. And both Kazuki and Taro are missing."

Ryoma lowered his head and impassively replied, "Danzo-sama, this mission's failure was indeed my fault. As for Kazuki and Taro, I suspect they exposed flaws midway and made Minato suspicious."

A hint of chill flashed through Danzo's eyes, "You mean, Minato killed those two?"

Ryoma wasn't completely certain of this, and he stated another possibility. "It could be the Uchiha kid as well."

Danzo narrowed his eyes slightly and nodded. "This possibility can't be ruled out. As long as an adult Uchiha awakens the three tomoe, he would have an elite jonin's strength. Although this brat's still young, he's already in the golden stage of development."

"Last time, he was able to kill Ryosuke relying on traps, but this time he might truly be able to defeat two jonin by himself. It's just that the possibility is too small. After all, before Kazuki and Taro set off, I warned them to pay close attention to his genjutsu."

After speaking, Danzo looked at Ryoma who looked like a robot, and discarded his plan to punish him. He sighed, "Withdraw for now. We'll talk about this later."

"Yes."

After Ryoma left, Danzo leaned on the seat and muttered to himself, "Orochimaru's experiment has stopped completely now. I've to find a way to get Sharingan. But none of the Uchihas with the three tomoe Sharingan leave the village… That abominable evil clan…"

Everyone who returned to the village thought they would go back to their former calm lives. However, one piece of news from the Land of Waterfall pushed the entire Konoha into turmoil.

On that day, Hiruzen furiously rushed to the Root headquarter. Danzo stood opposite him and asked indifferently, "Hiruzen, how come you found the time to come to my place?"

Hiruzen threw a scroll at Danzo's feet and said with a solemn look, "Look at this information yourself. You need to give the village an explanation."

Danzo frowned and opened the scroll. Immediately afterward, his pupils shrank.

"How can this be!"

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Chapter 66: Rising Storm, Danzo's Scheme

Satutobi Hiruzen was agitated. He suppressed the anger in his heart and said, "Because of the hostage mission, the Land of Rivers Daimyo has now issued an edict. All their missions will be entrusted to Suna for the next ten years. Do you know how much Konoha lost because of Aburame Ryoma?"

Shimura Danzo put away the scroll and asked in a low voice, "Hiruzen, tell me, what do you want?"

Hiruzen decisively replied, "Ryoma must die."

"Alright." Danzo agreed without reluctance. Someone's head must roll for such a grave matter. Since Ryoma was a mere tool for him, he would simply forfeit it. However, this was not enough to placate Hiruzen. He continued, "Root will be downsized and its annual funding will be halved. The personnel will be let go on a large scale."

Danzo immediately raised his voice, "Hiruzen, do you want to destroy Konoha?"

Hiruzen snorted and replied indifferently, "Three days later, I'll hold a meeting with the patriarchs and senior officials from Konoha's various clans to discuss this. Prepare yourself."

Hiruzen left Root after throwing these words at Danzo, who was left alone and stood quietly on the same spot for a long time.

Later in the day, Ryoma's voice could be heard in the Root. "Danzo-sama, I failed to fulfill my duty in this mission, I'm willing to accept any punishment."

Danzo sat in his seat. In the shadows, his finger continuously tapped on the armrest.

Tap, tap, tap…

Time passed little by little. Finally, Danzo broke the deadly silence. "Send people to spread this news. I want everyone in Konoha to know about this before tomorrow's sunrise."

"Yes."

"You've to come together with me in the meeting three days later, where you must insist you were asking White Fang to save the mission back then. White Fang alone decided to give up on it. I don't believe Hiruzen will punish him. This is the only way to save your life and the Root."

"Yes."

……

The next day, the entire village began to talk about this S-ranked mission.

"Did you hear? Some time ago, White Fang-sama and Aburame Ryoma teamed up to save the Land of Rivers' Princess. White Fang-sama saved the hostage, but Suna poisoned Ryoma. White Fang-sama had to exchange the hostage for the antidote to save him."

"I also heard about this yesterday. Now, to show their gratitude, the Land of Rivers will entrust all its missions to Suna for the next ten years."

"It's a big loss. These missions should've been Konoha's."

"Yes, Konoha's already not receiving enough missions lately. My son has been resting at home for a month already, but he still has no mission to take."

"If you ask me, everything is Ryoma's fault. He's really useless."

"Yes, why did White Fang-sama save him? Shinobi should prioritize the mission."

"I heard that Aburame Ryoma is an Anbu, and he's stronger than most jonin. In these years, he has completed many S-ranked missions. Anyone would've chosen to save him at that time."

"Anbu? So he is White Fang-sama's comrade… no wonder."

"How do you think this will be resolved in the end?"

"I don't know. I heard the higher-ups will hold a meeting in two days to discuss this."

"The damage to Konoha is too heavy. I guess Ryoma will be executed."

……

Tonan also heard these rumors in his clan's district. His mind was filled with several thoughts. "This is bad. If Aburame Ryoma says this was entirely Sakumo's decision, the villagers will turn against Sakumo. Even if most people didn't want Sakumo to die, this concerns everyone's interest. Some unpleasant words will be said."

"For some people, words have no destructive power but for an overly sensitive person like Sakumo, it'll be like a blade scraping his bones. I must prepare."

Tonan slowly drew out the chakra tanto and caressed its shiny blade. In his mind, he repeatedly recalled the samurai spirit Sanbo Motoyoshi had described.

That afternoon, he headed to the Hatake household and trained with Kakashi as usual. Sakumo was sitting under the eaves, watching the two. On the surface, he didn't show anything unusual. Perhaps, it was because the villagers' words were not targeting him but Ryoma.

After their training, Kakashi said while panting, "Tonan, you've become stronger again."

Tonan stood there calmly, adjusted his glasses, and gently replied, "In order to make you train to your heart's satisfaction, I'm always pushing hard every time."

"Really?" Kakashi was doubtful. In the past, every time Tonan used this excuse, Kakashi believed it. But today, Tonan looked very fake.

Tonan shrugged his shoulders and smiled, "For us, true or false isn't important."

Kakashi was dumbfounded for a moment hearing his words. Then, the corners of his mouth slightly rose under the mask. He put his hands in the trouser pocket, recovering his usual sluggish look, and changed the topic, "These white pigeons are here again."

Tonan looked at a pigeon's flock in the courtyard's garden and walked over. Stroking a white pigeon's head, he said, "They've already become my ninja beast."

"Ninja beast?"

"Yes, I'm rearing them. It's just that they don't seem very intelligent. I don't know how they can help me."

Kakashi thought for a bit and said, "A weak ninja beast like this can be used for scouting at best."

Tonan nodded. "That was my plan as well but no matter how many special feeds they eat, they won't be able to speak or communicate."

Kakashi hesitated for a moment. "If you want, there are some sealed summoning scrolls in my house. You can pick a summoning beast you like."

Tonan, however, shook his head and said, "No, it doesn't matter if they can't help me. I feel attached to them after raising them for so long."

Tonan patted a white pigeon's head and said, "Alright, go."

The other white pigeons flapped their wings and flew away, but the one in front of him cooed twice and pointed its butt to Tonan.

Tonan said with a doting smile, "I just said a few words, and you're angry. Forget it, I don't care about you. Kakashi, I'll leave now."

Tonan bade farewell to Kakashi and walked towards the Hatake household's gate. When he was passing through the front courtyard, he bowed to Sakumo. "Sakumo-senpai, I'm sorry to disturb you."

Sakumo smiled and nodded. He looked at Kakashi after Tonan left and said, "Kakashi, you need to work harder."

"I know."

"Tonan has already surpassed you."

"I know…"

After saying this, Kakashi went back to the courtyard and began to train again.

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Chapter 67: High-Level Meeting, Condemnation

Two days later, in the Hokage Meeting Room, various clans' patriarchs and senior Konoha officials gathered. As the Anbu and its subdivision Root captains, Hatake Sakumo and Aburame Ryoma were also present.

Seeing everyone in attendance, Sarutobi Hiruzen lightly coughed and said, "I believe everyone already knows about the fallout of the recent Land of Rivers' mission."

Hiruzen had just started speaking, when the Aburame clan's patriarch stood up, deeply bowed to him, and said, "Hokage-sama, please give Ryoma a chance."

Hiruzen blew out a mouthful of smoke, ignored the patriarch, and continued, "The mission's failure resulted in a heavy loss to the village. Someone needs to bear the responsibility for this. Ryoma, what do you think?"

Hiruzen stared at Ryoma with a meaningful look.

Ryoma stepped forward under everyone's gaze, bowed impassively, and said, "Hokage-sama, please don't punish White Fang-sama."

Hearing this, everyone's expressions towards Ryoma turned strange. Sakumo himself was puzzled.

Hiruzen frowned and asked, "What do you mean?"

Ryuoma answered in a low voice, "A shinobi must prioritize the mission. In order to save the hostage, I didn't care about being poisoned and asked White Fang-sama to take away the hostage. I never imagined he would act on his own to give up the mission and exchange the hostage for the antidote, wasting my painstaking efforts."

Hiruzen never imagined Ryoma would blame the innocent. His complexion became gloomy. "You mean to say this was White Fang's fault."

Ryoma nodded and said, "Yes, I didn't do anything against the shinobi code during the mission. I was even willing to use my life to complete the mission. But White Fang-sama, despite having completed the mission, decided to give up. He's not qualified to be a ninja."

"You can ask him whether I asked him to save me or not back then. However, considering he was trying to save me, I don't want you to punish him."

Hiruzen looked at the silent Sakumo. He was so angry that he smiled as he said, "Good, you explained this so well. Even if it was his dereliction of duty, in the end, everything happened because you were poisoned. Could it be that you have no responsibility?"

Just as he said this, Hiruzen realized his error. And at this time, Danzo impatiently jumped in the conversation, "Hiruzen, the one who committed the fault was White Fang, not Ryoma. Ryoma was just not strong enough. Even if he died in the mission, no one would have said anything. But it's not fair to make him bear the responsibility."

"As the Hokage, how can you blatantly make Ryoma bear the blame for White Fang's blunder? Won't this dampen the spirits of Konoha ninjas?"

Hiruzen hastily explained, "I don't mean that…"

Danzo snorted coldly, "Even if you don't, from what you said just now, you've already agreed this was White Fang's fault."

Hiruzen took a deep breath, looked at the senior officials and patriarchs, and said, "Everyone should be able to see who was at fault here."

But who among these patriarchs and senior Konoha officials was not an old fox? They all thought this issue didn't concern them. Moreover, irrespective of what they said, it would offend one side.

Calling it White Fang's fault would offend Hiruzen and Sakumo. Calling it Ryoma's fault would offend Danzo and Aburame clan.

Seeing that no one was speaking up for Sakumo, Danzo inwardly scorned and thought, "Hiruzen, you still don't understand people's hearts."

"In any case, I can see it's White Fang's fault. As a shinobi, not giving priority to the mission was a mistake. White Fang, what do you have to say for yourself?"

Danzo used Hiruzen's tactic and turned the table on Sakumo. However, Sakumo was a proud person, who was not good at words play. He stammered, "I…"

Danzo sneered but pretended to be concerned, and said, "Can you explain why you, as a ninja, gave up the mission midway? Is it because your comrades are more important than the mission itself?"

"Yes." Sakumo nodded.

Hearing Sakumo's admission, a smile of success appeared on Danzo's face as he said to Hiruzen, "A ninja is just a tool. His mission must take precedence over all else. This is the agreement between every village and the employers. When the employer issues the mission, should we tell them that if the mission is dangerous, we'll first save our companions?"

After Danzo finished speaking, Sakumo immediately knelt to Hiruzen and said, "Sorry, this mission was my dereliction of duty. I'm willing to accept any punishment."

Hiruzen glared at Danzo and solemnly said, "In any case, I'm against punishing White Fang. After all, he has made military exploits for Konoha and carried out countless S-ranked missions. His contributions make up for this mistake."

Since Danzo had achieved his goal, it didn't matter whether Hiruzen punished White Fang or not. It was enough as long as someone else took the responsibility.

Danzo stood up leisurely and said in a victorious tone, "I can't stay in this meeting any longer. If you want to vote on whether to punish White Fang or not, just count my vote against it. Let's go, Ryoma, we don't have anything to do here now."

Hiruzen looked at the Danzo with a gloomy look. He then turned to everyone present. However, they all chose to avoid his gaze. Hiruzen looked at Sakumo, who was kneeling in front of him, and deeply sighed, "Disperse… White Fang, return home and rest. Konoha needs you in the future."

"Yes…"

After walking out of the Hokage Residence, Danzo confirmed no one was around and whispered to Ryoma. "While Hiruzen hasn't reacted yet, spread what happened at this meeting as quickly as possible."

"Yes."

……

A few days later, a rumor spread throughout Konoha. The target of the villagers' verbal criticism shifted from Ryoma to Sakumo.

"How can White Fang-sama make such a stupid mistake? Aburame Ryoma was willing to exchange his life for the Land of Rivers' exclusive missions. But he still gave up the mission."

"A big figure like him isn't short of money. So, he doesn't care about the life or death of the lower-leveled ninjas."

"That Ryoma is from Anbu, and White Fang is Anbu captain. A person of White Fang's stature already doesn't care about money, he cares about power. I guess, he gave up this mission to gain Ryoma's allegiance."

"Is it so deep? I didn't even think about it."

"Sandaime-sama is already quite old. He might already be secretly looking for a successor in recent years. White Fang wants to compete for the position of Hokage."

"This explanation makes sense."

"The Hatake clan has only a few members. As long as White Fang becomes the Hokage, the Hatake clan will become wealthy in just a few years."

"Why is he so selfish, thinking about just himself and his family?"

"Why would other people consider us?"

"In any case, regardless of what others think, when White Fang wants to run for the Hokage, I will be the first person to object."

"Stop talking, White Fang is here, if he hears it, you're done for."

"I'm not afraid."

Chapter 68: Tonan's Visit, Issuing A Challenge

In the past two days, Hatake Sakumo too had heard the rumors in the village. But those were facts. He couldn't explain anything. Just when he passed by the two gossiping people, one of them spat at him.

Sakumo didn't dodge it, and the saliva stuck to his trouser. The passerby sarcastically said, "I'm sorry, White Fang-sama, I didn't see you."

Sakumo paused for a moment, then lowered his head and left quietly.

"He didn't even greet us back. If Konoha has a few more selfish trash like him, then we will be done for, sooner or later."

……

In the Hatake household, Sakumo sat alone in the bedroom in a daze. Kakashi pushed open the door and stood with his fists clenched. He said, "Father, you shouldn't have saved that bastard Ryoma."

Sakumo was startled hearing his son's words. He turned to look at the furious Kakashi and asked with a withering look, "You also think I shouldn't have saved my companion?"

Kakashi lowered his head, remained silent for a long time, and replied in a low voice, "Didn't you always tell me a shinobi's mission was the most important?"

A hint of loss flashed through Sakumo's eyes. He nodded and said, "I'm sorry, Kakashi." Kakashi took a deep breath, slammed the door shut, and ran to the backyard to vent his emotions on the wooden stake.

His right fist's skin was already torn and bleeding, but he didn't stop.

Knock, knock, knock…

At this time, Kakashi heard a knock on the door, and his hands stopped. He looked at the sky and knew that Uchiha Tonan had come. He lowered his head and walked to open the door.

Tonan was standing outside with a smile and asked, "Kakashi, it's time for training, why do you look so desolate?"

Kakashi shook his head and said, "Tonan, I want to rest for some days. I don't want to train."

While speaking, he subconsciously hid his bleeding right hand behind him. Tonan narrowed his eyes slightly. Staring at Kakashi, he nodded and said, "Well, then you should spend more time with White Fang-sama. He must be going through a hard time. You shouldn't blame him. He did the right thing. It just affected the interests of other people."

After speaking, Tonan turned around and left.

In the evening, at a barbecue shop, Namikaze Minato, Uzumaki Kushina, and Tonan were chatting while eating barbecue. Kushina put a large piece of moderately lean meat into Tonan's bowl.

"How is Kakashi doing lately? I went to invite him, but he didn't come."

Tonan smiled at Kushina and immersed himself into eating. "He has been locked up at home, unwilling to leave. He doesn't even want to see me."

Kushina moved the bangs in front of her forehead. She supported her chin with one hand and watched Tonan eat while using the other hand to feed him more with her chopsticks. "This isn't good. The entire village is abusing White Fang-senpai. I wonder when this storm will subside."

Minato said in a deep voice while moving meat in front of Kushina's mouth with his chopsticks. "People have short memories. It'll pass in a few days. I'm planning to meet Kakashi early tomorrow. The ninjutsu he used last time was very interesting and gave me some inspiration. I wanted to discuss something with him anyway, I'll console him as well."

Kushina gave Minato a thumbs up. "Great idea!" She put another barbecue meat into Tonan's already full bowl and added, "Come on, Tonan, eat more, you're still growing."

"Thank you, Kushina-senpai." Tonan answered trying to look happy. Under the table, his hand was continuously rubbing his bulging stomach. But in his heart, he had dark thoughts, "Tomorrow, is it…"

Early next morning, Minato came to the Hatake household and dragged the unwilling Kakashi away.

At that time, in the breakfast shop located at the street corner of Hatake household. "It's my turn to enter the stage," Tonan put down his chopsticks and took a tissue to wipe his mouth. He took out a 1000 Ryo banknote from his wallet, put it on the table, and got up to leave.

"Your change!" The shopkeeper called out as he rushed behind him.

"Keep the change." Tonan waved his hand without turning back.

The shopkeeper looked at the money in his hand and couldn't help sighing, "Ninjas are so extravagant."

Tonan came to the Hatake household. Using the white pigeon's vision he had left in the Hatake household last time, he knew that Sakumo was in the house.

Tonan was worried that Sakumo would commit suicide too soon but he didn't dare use Byakugan to monitor him. He hastily knocked on the door.

Knock, knock, knock…

Sakumo was at the heart of his struggle now.

Tonan's action made passersby stop and watch. After a while, the door was opened, and Sakumo stood behind it. Tonan saw that his eyes were lifeless.

Sakumo forced a smile and said, "It's you, Tonan. Kakashi just left with Minato."

Tonan placed his hands on his knees, bowed to Sakumo, and said, "I've come to meet you, senior."

Sakumo was a little surprised. He shook his head and said, "I'm sorry, it's not convenient today, please return."

After speaking, Sakumo was about to close the door but Tonan's hands were quicker. He held the door that was about to be shut, and there was a hint of determination in his eyes as he said, "No, today is the right time. Senior, you can't avoid the samurai duel."

Tonan retracted his hand after speaking and said with a serious look, "The successor of Sanbo Style, Uchiha Tonan, challenges the successor of Hatake Style, Hatake Sakumo."

Sakumo was dumbfounded for a moment and thought about rejecting Tonan. However, out of the samurai spirit, he nodded and said, "Come in."

Tonan nodded and followed Sakumo into the courtyard.

"Did I hear it correctly? That kid wants to challenge White Fang?"

"White Fang has triggered the wrath of Heaven and anger of men. It's expected for that kid to be so disgusted he wants to sort him out."

"I remember that kid. He seems to be an Uchiha clan member, called Uchiha Tonan."

"That was him… No wonder he looks so familiar."

"Although the Uchihas are horrible, this Uchiha Tonan is notoriously affectionate and righteous."

"I hope he can defeat White Fang and settle the villagers' grievances."

"How's that even possible? Although I don't want to admit it, Tonan's strength is not comparable to White Fang."

"Do you think Tonan will be fine?"

"He should be. White Fang isn't so tactless. He wouldn't be heavy-handed towards a junior."

"What can a scum like White Fang not do? This is not good, I've to inform the guards."

"I'll go to inform Hokage-sama."

"If White Fang dares to harm Tonan, I'll…"

"What'll you do?"

"I'll come to his door every night to throw feces."

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Chapter 69: The 'Gentleman' Blade, Retreating To Advance

Notes:

Kenjutsu are sword techniques of both shinobi and samurai. They can be used along with taijutsu, ninjutsu, and even genjutsu to achieve more devastating techniques

In the Hatake household backyard, with a wooden sword in hand, Hatake Sakumo walked to the open space, and lightly said, "Come, Tonan."

Uchiha Tonan, however, shook his head expressionlessly. He slowly pulled out the chakra tanto from his back and solemnly countered, "White Fang-sama, prepare everything you need. This is an honorary duel between two samurai factions. Today, if you don't die, then I won't live."

Sakumo was stunned. He looked at Tonan who was holding the chakra tanto and fell into a daze. Soon afterward, a small smile played on his face. He bowed to Tonan and said, "Alright, thank you, Tonan."

After speaking, he gently cast the wooden sword to a corner and walked into his bedroom. In there, he didn't directly go to retrieve a weapon but instead crumpled a will lying on the table and threw it into the trashcan.

He then wrote a new will and tied a white scarf around his forehead. Finally, he grabbed the chakra tanto, came to the backyard, and stood opposite Tonan.

Sakumo slowly pulled out the chakra tanto and leisurely said, "This blade is called White Fang. What's your blade's name?"

Hearing the question, Tonan brought the chakra tanto in front of him, stroked it lightly, and said, "I've named it Gentleman."

Sakumo was confused, "Gentleman?"

"The benevolent are not worried, the wise are not confused, and the brave are not afraid. This is my samurai spirit, and also the virtue of my life. So, I call it Gentleman."

Sakumo was a little moved, and reflected with admiration, "It's a good name."

Tonan slowly shut his eyes and opened them suddenly, activating his Sharingan. "White Fang-sama, can we begin the duel?"

Sakumo nodded solemnly and said, "Come at me."

Tonan went all out in the next moment, and his figure disappeared. When he reappeared, Sakumo discovered there were three Tonans around him, all rushing over from different directions.

'Profound Meaning – Flicker Clone Technique.'

Ding, ding, ding…

Metal collision resounded in the air. Sakumo stood still on his spot, brandishing the White Fang, blocking any attacks from the three Tonans.

As the challenge proceeded, his surprise towards Tonan's strength increased. In the past, when he watched Tonan training with Kakashi, he could see Tonan always had surplus energy. However, he didn't expect his strength to improve so fast. He was already approaching the jonin level.

"This kind of talent… Kakashi, I'm afraid you won't be able to keep up with Tonan's pace for the rest of your life."

Sakumo narrowed his eyes slightly. He accurately discerned a flaw in Tonan's movements, swung the White Fang to repel one, retracted the tanto to block the other attack, then kicked the one that was attacking from the front.

Bang!

Tonan was sent flying to the ground. He rolled a few times before getting up and rushed forward to attack Sakumo again.

"So, this is the main body, then the other two must be shadow clones."

Thinking this, Sakumo dodged the attack that he believed was from the real Tonan. Then, he appeared behind one of the 'clones' and swung his tanto. That 'shadow clone' was startled and immediately used the Body Flicker Technique to dodge.

Puchi~

Blood splatter around. A long wound appeared on the shadow clone's arm. Sakumo's pupils shrank slightly seeing this.

"It's not a shadow clone. Are they are all real? Tonan has mastered such powerful ninjutsu!"

Sakumo was unable to determine which one was the main body for a while. Therefore, he stopped attacking, afraid he would hurt Tonan. Facing the three Tonans, he just dodged and blocked.

At most, he would find flaws and kick Tonan away without causing any injuries. Tonan, however, didn't care so much. Today, he wanted to use everything he had to gain Sakumo's acknowledgment.

As long as he gained it, he would kill Sakumo in one swing as Sakumo wished. But if he didn't gain it until the end, he planned to beat Sakumo half to death, and give him some good advice.

To be fully prepared for all outcomes, Tonan's ninja bag contained various life-saving pills and bandages to stop bleeding. As long as Sakumo reined in his suicidal thoughts, for the time being at the very least, he could even win the slander war for Sakumo with a little trick.

On the surface, Tonan might be powerless but to toy with these shallow villagers in the dark, he had countless tricks. The simplest way was to advance by retreating. Sakumo needed to apologize in public and say he loved the villagers and his companions. And that he couldn't see any of his companions die in front of his eyes.

After this, he could easily win people's hearts. The most important thing about this trick was to win the ninjas over. Konoha was a ninja village. Their influence overshadowed that of civilians.

Time passed by quickly. The duel between the two fell into a one-sided stalemate.

Meanwhile, the guards who received the reports began to rush towards the Hatake household. Sarutobi Hiruzen also received the news, but he didn't care too much., Hiruzen knew that Tonan would go to the Hatake household to train.

At this moment, Tonan had already activated the Byakugan. He carefully observed Sakumo's chakra movement and muscle contractions. He used this to predict his next move. But even with this, he was unable to break through Sakumo's defense.

Sakumo, on the other hand, was getting even more astonished.

"This strong intrusive feeling… is it sensory ninjutsu? Tonan has greatly surpassed Kakashi."

"Tonan, let's see how powerful you are."

After speaking, Sakumo's speed increased by more than double. Tonan not only had Byakugan's insight to predict his movements, but also the three tomoe Sharingan's dynamic vision, which could clearly see the attack paths.

With all this and using the Body Flicker Technique without caring about chakra consumption, he was able to barely block or dodge Sakumo's attacks. The worst was that this was not Sakumo's full power.

Tonan realized Sakumo had not used ninjutsu in this fight at all. He hadn't even used his chakra. He was competing against Tonan using just taijutsu and kenjutsu.

"Is this Konoha's White Fang's strength?"

In this so-called samurai duel with White Fang, Tonan too could not use ninjutsu. He narrowed his eyes, preparing to use the ultimate Sanbo Style Sword Technique move.

He dispersed his clones, tightly held the chakra tanto, looked straight at Sakumo, and said, "White Fang-sama, please be careful."

Sakumo understood Tonan was about to make a big move but he didn't stop him. He just stood there and waited quietly. Tonan narrowed his eyes slightly, jumped up, and raised the chakra tanto high.

The tanto in his hands was instantly filled with a lot of white attribute chakra, turning into a long blade light.

"Sanbo Gale Slash."

Tonan yelled and slashed down at Sakumo.

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Chapter 70: Killing White Fang, New Inheritance

Notes:

Tsunade Senju is the fifth Hokage in the Naruto world, one of the three legendary Sannin, known for her Healing Transformation Jutsu among other skills

Bang!

The blade light slashed heavily into the ground, opening up a long and narrow crack that raised a cloud of dust and smoke everywhere.

"Tonan, I could've never imagined your strength would've reached this level." Hatake Sakumo walked out of the haze with a look of admiration. Tonan hadn't aimed that attack at Sakumo. Just in case Sakumo didn't dodge it, he would be cut into two halves.

If that happened, even if Tsunade herself returned to the village, she wouldn't be able to save Sakumo, let alone Tonan's little life-saving pills and bandages. Tonan retracted the blade light without batting an eyelid and said, "It's all thanks to your lessons, White Fang-sama."

Sakumo's expression changed as if he noticed something. He look up at the roof that now had several figures on it. He took a deep breath and said, "Alright, Tonan, it's getting late. I hope you can respect my choice. Make a move… the Hatake Style has lost today."

Tonan nodded hearing his words. Chakra fluctuation burst out from his body and his figure became illusory for a moment.

"Profound Meaning-Flicker Body Technique."

In the next moment, three figures appeared and they together released the Sanbo Gale Slash at Sakumo, who was standing at the center with his eyes closed.

However, just when those sword lights were about to pierce him, Tonan withdrew the blade light.

Puchi

The three chakra tanto stabbed Sakumo's abdomen, thigh, and waist respectively, all of them barely missing the vital organs.

Bang!

The clones disappeared, leaving behind just the one Tonan in the front. Sakumo opened his eyes, coughed out a mouthful of blood, and said, "Sure enough, you're too kind, you pulled back at the critical moment."

Tonan pursed his lips, shook his head, and said, "No, I just lost control of my hands."

Sakumo smiled a little, and some amount of relief flashed through his eyes as he said, "But you won."

Tonan looked dejected. "You let me win, White Fang-sama."

"Hereafter, I leave Kakashi to you. I hope you'll take good care of him for me," Sakumo sighed and added, "It seems I made a mistake leading to a huge loss this time."

Tonan used Byakugan to observe the degree of Sakumo's blood loss while resolutely saying, "No, you weren't wrong. It's just that in something like this, there will be losses regardless of right or wrong. You've not only made the right choice, but you took responsibility for your decision with your life. You're a true samurai."

"Is that so…" Sakumo's eyes lit up. He felt the burden weighing on his heart for several days become lighter. Tonan's left hand slowly entered his ninja bag as he said in a determined tone, "If there was ever a situation like this in which Kakashi encountered danger, I'll also give up the mission."

'Ding! Gained Hatake Sakumo's acknowledgment.'

The prompt's alert in his mind was a source of extreme joy for Tonan.

"Sure enough, the one you love the most is your son. And you want to leave all your inheritance to him. Just because I made a promise to you, you regard me as his guardian."

Immediately afterward, he pulled out the chakra tanto without hesitation.

Puff~

Blood poured out, and Sakumo heavily fell to the ground. After a while, the blood gushing out from the wound became lesser and Sakumo's eyelids gradually began to close. Before his death, he didn't forget to express his gratitude, "Thank you, Tonan."

A small smile appeared on Tonan's face as he faintly said, "Don't mention it."

"Captain, what just happened?"

"You all fell into White Fang's genjutsu."

"Why did he… how did he die?"

"White Fang wanted to commit suicide, and he intentionally died in Tonan's hands."

"So, are we going to arrest Tonan?"

"Let's go for now. We've to report this to the Hokage. This doesn't have anything to do with Tonan, it's White Fang's will."

The guards on the roof left one after another.

Step!

At that moment, Kakashi, who heard the news as well, came to the backyard with Namikaze Minato. Minato frowned looking at the leaving members of the Konoha Guard Unit and had some realization of what may have happened.

As for Kakashi, he looked at Sakumo who was lying on the ground in shock, then rushed over. "Father…" Kakashi held his father's corpse and hoarsely yelled again, "Father!"

Tonan silently stood in his place as if mourning for Sakumo. Kakashi cried for a while. He then turned to look at Tonan, who was expressionless. His gaze slowly moved and stayed on the chakra tanto that was still tainted with blood.

"Why… why you!" Kakashi's eyes flashed with killing intent, and he quickly made hand signs. A lightning ball appeared on his palm. At this moment, his expression was terrifying. Immediately afterward, Raikiri was thrust towards Tonan.

Bang!

Tonan, whose strength had skyrocketed, lightly kicked Kakashi away. He slowly put away the chakra tanto, turned around indifferently, and said, "White Fang-sama is a great samurai. If you want to avenge him, double your efforts. I'm someone who can kill Konoha's White Fang. The present you…," Tonan shook his head looking at Kakashi, and completed his sentence, "…is pitifully weak."

Tonan turned around and left the Hatake household. The moment he walked out of the gate, he took a deep breath and looked towards the Hokage Rock. The power emerging from his body was so potent it was driving him crazy with joy.

The sudden increase in strength gave him the urge to laugh loudly. But he forcibly suppressed it. If he truly laughed here, it would ruin his character.

Not long after, all Konoha senior officials were informed of White Fang's demise.

At the Root headquarter, Shimura Danzo was shocked when he heard the news. "How's this possible? How could White Fang let that Uchiha brat kill him?"

"According to the villagers, at the Hatake household gate, Tonan said he was challenging Hatake Style against his Sanbo Style."

"White Fang should've committed suicide. After all, that fellow still has the stupid belief of the so-called samurai spirit."

Meanwhile, at the Hokage Residence, Sarutobi Hiruzen slammed the smoke pipe heavily on his desk and stood up in shock. "White Fang died? How can Tonan kill him? Even if Tonan wanted to, how could he be White Fang's opponent?"

A Konoha Guard member replied, "White Fang-sama had been emotionally unstable the past few days. At the time, he even used genjutsu to stop us. Moreover, from what we saw, White Fang-sama did not resist. Even when he was dying, he even thanked Tonan."

Hearing this, Hiruzen slumped back on his seat and narrowed his eyes slightly, "Is that so… is this the so-called samurai spirit…"

"Hokage-sama, should we issue Uchiha Tonan's arrest warrant?"

"No need, just bring him to me. I'll ask him myself what exactly happened."

"Yes."

"Alas! this is a big loss for Konoha."

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Chapter 71: Inheritance Abundance, Playing Hard To Get

Notes:

Kirin is an extremely powerful Lightning Release technique created by Uchiha Sasuke

Just when Konoha's senior officials were digesting Hatake Sakumo's death news, Uchiha Tonan had returned home to comprehend the true strength in his body with his eyes closed.

The amount of chakra and spiritual energy had increased but not too much. The Hatake clan members were not known for their chakra reserves; they were even considered lacking in that department. The greatest gain was Sakumo's daunting secret techniques.

There was no dearth of low-ranked and high-ranked ninjutsu but Tonan was most pleased with a few unique secret techniques. The training difficulty of each one could be rated as terrifying.

Wind Style – Wind Communication. This was Sakumo's exclusive sensory ninjutsu that could sense tremors in the air, perceiving things within a certain range. It could even use air as a medium to condense sound waves for long-distance transmission.

Nin-taijutsu – Lightning Spirit Wind Flash. This could use lightning element chakra to stimulate the body's cells, and wind attribute chakra to manipulate air to reduce resistance. This move could greatly increase speed, and it was even faster and longer-lasting than Body Flicker Technique.

Lightning Style Secret Technique – Spirit of the Thunder God. This technique used lightning attribute chakra to stimulate acupoints in the brain, greatly enhancing spiritual energy in a short period. It could also resonate with ions in nature.

This ninjutsu could resist all spiritual attacks but the drawback of using it was that it could overdraw spiritual energy, enough for the user to blackout.

Lightning Style Secret Technique – Heavenly Lightning Tribulation. Only after activating the Spirit of the Thunder God, this ninjutsu could be used. It was very similar to Kirin. It summoned natural thunder and lightning to attack. However, it was convenient in comparison and did not require too many preconditions.

Lightning Style Secret Technique – Myriad Heavenly Lightning Prison. This also required activating the Spirit of the Thunder God but it needed some time and a large amount of chakra to gather natural lightning. This move was large-scale destruction-type ninjutsu, equivalent to multiple Heavenly Lightning Tribulation. It was best used to slaughter villages and annihilate cities.

The final noteworthy asset was the Hatake Style Sword Technique. With this technique, the two chakra attributes of wind and lightning could be attached to the chakra tanto. The tanto would simultaneously possess both the wind element's cutting properties and the lightning attribute's temporary paralysis.

With this sword technique, Sanbo Style Sword Technique had become obsolete. Just as Tonan finished understanding these abilities, the Anbu had arrived.

"Uchiha Tonan, Hokage-sama wants to see you."

Tonan leisurely got up and said, "Let's go."

An Anbu member came to his side, preparing to take him using the Body Flicker Technique as in the past but Tonan raised his hand to stop him, "Hereafter, you don't need to trouble yourself."

Just after speaking, Tonan's figure disappeared.

In the Hokage Office, Sarutobi Hiruzen solemnly looked at the indifferent Tonan in front of him, "Why didn't you dissuade White Fang? He was Kakashi's father."

Tonan coldly answered, "I respect White Fang-sama's choice. He's a true samurai. For a samurai, dying in a duel is the greatest honor."

Hiruzen gave Tonan a deep look, wondering why the usually clingy child was being so distant with him today.

"Could it be I only focused on Shinnosuke and treated him too coldly? Or, was he brainwashed by that samurai spirit when he was living with Sanbo Motoyoshi?"

Konoha has lost its White Fang, and now Tonan too had become like this. Hiruzen was getting a headache. He got up and walked to Tonan's side and reached out his hand to stroke his head.

He said with a very concerned look, "This must've greatly affected you. Although Kakashi and you had a good relationship earlier, you've done something like this in front of him. He might not be able to accept it for the time being. I'll notify Minato and transfer you out of Team Nine for now. Rest well at home for some time. Don't think too much. Come meet me any time if you need something."

Tonan nodded quietly, and in the next moment, he used Body Flicker Technique to leave. Hiruzen was stunned for a while. He retracted his hand and returned to his seat. After thinking for a while, he picked up the smoke pipe and muttered to himself.

"From what I understand of Tonan, he shouldn't be dissatisfied with my recent treatment. Is he truly brainwashed by the samurai spirit? Although the samurai spirit is silly, it attaches importance to loyalty. The current Tonan is more like a tool. This might not be a bad thing. The only thing to worry is that Tonan wouldn't walk the same path as White Fang."

Hiruzen blew out a mouthful of smoke, suddenly frowned, and muttered, "Speaking of which, how strong is he now? He's already able to use the jonin-leveled Body Flicker Technique. Such a talent… fortunately, he's on my side. I must speak to Shinnosuke again to ensure he pays enough attention to Tonan."

In fact, what happened today was serious enough for Hiruzen to forgot telling Tonan that he couldn't use the Body Flicker Technique in the Hokage Office.

The reason why Tonan had such a reversal in attitude towards Hiruzen was he was playing hard-to-get. In any case, as long as Sarutobi Shinnosuke and Sarutobi Asuma were in the picture, no matter how much he tried to please Hiruzen, it was useless.

Now, Tonan had all five chakra attributes, and Hiruzen, The Professor, was a big gift. Tonan didn't want to miss him, lest he might regret it later.

At this time in the Hatake household, Kakashi covered Sakumo's corpse with plain white cloth and placed him in the ancestral hall.

He realized something was wrong with what happened today. He wasn't stupid enough to think his best friend would come to kill his father for no reason. It was just that he was too grief-ridden at the time. He had lost his rationality and urgently needed someone to vent.

Kakashi came to Sakumo's bedroom and saw the will on the table at a glance. He picked it up and read his father's last words to him.

Kakashi, when you see this, I must already be dead. Konoha's loss this time was too significant, and I'm willing to take the responsibility, paying with my life. I had planned to drive the blade through my stomach and commit suicide, but Tonan just happened to come by.

Perhaps, he, who's also a samurai spirit inheritor, saw through my thoughts. I'm very grateful that he was willing to help me. He let me die in a duel. For a samurai, this is a more honorable way to die than what I had planned.

Kakashi, in this duel, the Hatake Style lost for certain. I hope you'll live well and carry forward the Hatake family. Remember, Tonan is your life-long friend. Don't blame him. He did this for me.

By the time he was done reading the will, Kakashi was already choking with sobs. "Father…"

……

Over the next few days, the news of Konoha's White Fang's death spread throughout the village. Tonan didn't go out during this time and locked himself up in his house.

He carved Sakumo's wooden sculpture and put it together with the others comprising his former relatives, friends, and lover. As for the rest of the time, he was either comprehending his new powers or self-reflecting.

As the Will of Fire's successor, he had to always think thrice. Think about what he didn't do well, and which words weren't rigorous enough. Or, the aftermath of not handling things properly, and flaws in his public persona.

If there were any deficiencies, how to resolve them. Moreover, how to prevent and improve them in the future.

It was hard to be a human.

It was even harder to be a pure human.

It was the hardest to be a pure, righteous human.

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Chapter 72: The Funeral, Sipping Tea On A Rainy Day

Today was Hatake Sakumo's funeral. The sky was overcast, and it was accompanied by fine drizzle. Regardless of how many people secretly cursed Sakumo earlier, when they heard about his death, almost everyone was worried.

The heroes that rose to prominence during the Second Great Shinobi War were the Legendary Sannin and Konoha's White Fang. Among them, Tsunade had left Konoha, Jiraiya's whereabouts were unknown and only Orochimaru was left.

And now, Konoha's White Fang had died. A big tree that could shelter the village from the wind and rain had fallen, and it fell because of its own villagers' slander. This was as much tragic as it was ironic.

Now, all those people, who cursed White Fang, felt some bit of regret. Therefore, the number of people that came to the funeral was unusually large. The senior Konoha officials, Anbu members, various clans' patriarchs, and most of the Konoha ninjas that were idle at home, all came.

Hiruzen personally engraved Sakumo's name on the cenotaph. Afterward, everyone attending the funeral gave Sakumo a bouquet to express their grief. Kakashi was kneeling in front of the shrine with listless eyes. His head was lowered, and he remained silent.

Suddenly, there was a commotion in the crowd. People stepped aside to open up a path. Tonan, who held a black umbrella, walked through with a blank expression and arrived behind Kakashi.

He stared at the name on the cenotaph quietly. He didn't say anything for a long time. The crowd behind him, especially the ninjas who fought alongside Sakumo in the past, glared at his back.

"He's weak-hearted, isn't he?" Kakashi's eyes twitched a little. He recognized Tonan's shoes and said with a dejected look.

Tonan bowed towards the headstone and lightly said, "You don't understand White Fang-sama."

Kakashi clenched his fists hearing this and roared, "Just because the villagers said a few words, he chose to seek death. How's he not weak?"

Tonan glanced at the trembling Kakashi and immediately cast the black umbrella aside. He grabbed Kakashi's collar and shook him, "White Fang-sama didn't die because of the villagers' slander. He used his life to take responsibility. He made the right choice in his heart, and he was also willing to be responsible for it. He's an outstanding ninja and a qualified samurai. He's a brave man who puts his responsibility first and is not afraid of life or death!"

A light mist rose from the earth with the summer drizzle. Just like Kakashi's misty eyes at this moment. Tonan closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and released him. Kakashi seemed to have lost all his strength and slumped on the ground.

Tonan bent down, picked up the umbrella, and sneered while patting off the dirt on it, "I doubt whether you can carry forward the Hatake Style with your ability. If that's truly the case, then my blade will be too lonely."

After speaking, Tonan turned around and looked at Kakashi with a side glance, "By the way, I won't come to your house to train with you anymore. If you want revenge, you can challenge me any time. But if you can't even pull yourself together, then you'll never be my opponent."

Tonan firmly stuck the umbrella on the ground, which just happened to block the rain for Kakashi, and strode away.

After his performance, the gazes of the surrounding ninjas and villagers changed from hatred to gentle while looking at him.

Namikaze Minato came to Kakashi and hunkered down beside him, "Kakashi, cheer up, White Fang-senpai definitely hopes you can catch up to Tonan."

Kakashi nodded and then raised his head, muttering, "That bastard…" His words were broken with soft sobs.

Tonan went straight back to the clan district after leaving the funeral. Since this matter was now settled, he had nothing to do. He, therefore, came to meet the Great Elder for some tea.

After all, in Konoha, only with the Great Elder, he didn't need to disguise himself too much.

Jingle

A gentle breeze was blowing the wind chime under the eaves continuously on a rainy day. In the spacious living room, Tonan and the Great Elder were sitting in seiza-style, facing each other while enjoying tea leisurely.

The Great Elder brought the teacup in front of his nose and sniffed lightly, "There are rumors everywhere in the village that you killed Hatake Sakumo."

Tonan smiled lightly. He picked up the teacup, gently blew it, and took a sip, "He was going to go away anyway. Since we were acquaintances, why not help him on his way?"

The Great Elder chuckled, "I like your character. No matter how you look at it, you don't resemble an Uchiha."

Tonan put down his teacup. He lifted the teapot and leaned forward slightly, adding tea to the Great Elder's teacup, "If people want to achieve something in life, they need to break the stereotype and constantly surpass themselves."

The Great Elder nodded and looked at Tonan with narrowed eyes, "But there's one thing I don't understand. There was no benefit for you to kill White Fang. Not only did it cause you trouble, but you've also fallen out with Kakashi. Don't tell me that you deeply respected him. And I don't think his death can help in evolving your Sharingan as well."

Tonan refilled his teacup and put down the teapot. He then raised his cup and said, "Is White Fang strong?"

"Of course, he's very strong."

Tonan leaned forward slightly, and meaningfully smiled, "But his surname is Sarutobi, not Uchiha."

"Hahaha…" The Great Elder immediately understood Tonan's inference, and he also raised his teacup with a big smile. The two lightly bumped their teacups as if celebrating.

At this moment, a two or three years old child ran into the living room from the backyard. Sucking on his thumb, he looked at the Great Elder with his innocent eyes and called out, "Grandpa."

The Great Elder affectionately took the child in his arms and said, "Come, give me a hug."

Tonan took a sip of tea and casually asked, "Is this your grandson?"

The Great Elder smiled and replied, "Yes, his parents have recently been busy with work, so they sent him over to my place to live with me. Shisui, say hello to Tonan-san."

Shisui curiously looked at Tonan and sweetly greeted, "Hello, Tonan-san"

Tonan smiled faintly and said, "Shisui is so cute." The Great Elder already had a big smile. "Children are like this. When he grows up, I'm sure as the other Uchihas, he'll also not be this cute."

"No, Shisui will definitely be a gentle child. I've always been able to judge people accurately." Tonan pulled out his wallet, counted 800 Ryo, put it in a red envelope that was already there, and handed it over to Shisui. "Come, I'll give some pocket money to you."

Shisui stared blankly at the red envelope and then turned to the Great Elder. The old man smiled and said, "Take it."

Only then, Shisui reached out his chubby little hand and took the red envelope. "Thank you, Tonan-san."

Tonan dotingly rubbed Shisui's head and said, "I like well-behaved and sensible children the most. Moreover, it looks like Shisui is also very talented."

"You don't have to overpraise him. He's still too young, how can you tell what kind of talent he has."

The Great Elder noticed Tonan's expression while speaking, and his heart suddenly thumped, thinking of something bad. He hastily put Shisui to the ground, "Shisui, don't stay at home all day long. Go out and play with your friends for a while."

"Alright…" Shisui obediently left the living room and ran into the curtain of rain.

Tonan pointed at the sky outside with a perfunctory smile. "It's raining outside…"

The Great Elder coughed lightly and said, "Children like to play with mud, and the rain is just perfect."

Tonan nodded as if he just realized this and chuckled lightly. He raised the teacup in his hand, and said, "The tea today tastes very good."

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Chapter 73: Long-Term Mission, Winning Sarutobi Over

Notes:

Kohais are junior members of a group in Japanese arts; mentees, underclassmen, or younger students

A few days later, in the Uchiha clan district, Uchiha Tonan was sitting cross-legged under the eaves with his eyes closed, listening to the voices across the entire district.

This was Wind Style – Communication obtained from Hatake Sakumo. It belonged to wide-range sensory ninjutsu. Not only could one hear subtle sounds within a certain range, but through the airflow, one could also sense whether there was something amiss.

Suddenly, Tonan's ears moved a little. In his perception, a person appeared outside the district's center area. This person's speed was fast like he was using the Body Flicker Technique.

"Why did you come to the Uchiha district?"

"Hokage-sama ordered me to look for Uchiha Tonan."

"Enter."

Tonan slowly opened his eyes and looked straight at the door. Three, two, one, he silently counted.

Knock, knock, knock…

The accuracy of this sensory technique seemed quite high. Tonan smiled and said lightly, "Please come in."

An Anbu, wearing a cat-face mask, pushed open the door. He had no other way but to be this respectful because this was the Uchiha district's central area. He could no longer just break into Tonan's house like before. If he did that, it would cause a lot of trouble.

The Anbu said in a deep voice, "Uchiha Tonan, Hokage-sama wants to see you."

Tonan nodded and gently said, "Thank you for taking the trouble of coming here to notify me."

After speaking, Tonan's figure disappeared without a trace. In the Hokage office, he calmly entered. He formally bowed to Sarutobi Hiruzen, whose entire face was filled with compassion, and said, "Hokage-sama, may I ask why you're looking for me?"

Hiruzen maintained a kind smile on his face as he looked at him. He said, "Tonan, I know that the White Fang issue has hit you hard. Moreover, there are talks about you everywhere in Konoha, causing you a great deal of trouble. However, it doesn't matter, young people should relax when they're unhappy. It just so happens there's a long-term A-ranked mission in the Fire Capital. This mission has a high reward and less work. I had to spend a lot of effort to get it for you."

Hearing this, Tonan frowned a little, "A-ranked mission? Me alone?"

Hiruzen smiled, blew out a mouthful of smoke, and replied, "Don't worry, first just listen to the details. The Fire Capital's Northern Wall Guard Unit captain is relieved from his duties, so someone needs to fill the post. This mission is completed once a month, and once a week during the war."

"In other words, it's equivalent to completing an A-ranked mission every month. The remuneration is given by the Daimyo Residence. As for the specific duty, it's to lead genin and soldiers to guard the city gate. And also manage the security within a certain range outside the city."

Tonan understood the details and said with a serious look, "I'll do my best to complete the mission."

Hiruzen blew out a mouthful of smoke and smiled while waving his hand, "No need to be so serious. This mission rarely comes across danger. By the way, Shinnosuke is one of the Twelve Guardian Ninja, and his vacation is almost over. You two could travel together. Both of you are Konoha ninjas. In the Fire Capital, he can look out for you."

After speaking, Hiruzen lightly coughed, and Sarutobi Shinnosuke immediately pushed open the door and walked in. Tonan bowed to Shinnosuke and said, "Shinnosuke-senpai, I'll be relying on you."

Shinnosuke smiled and patted Tonan's shoulder. He warmly said, "You don't need to be so polite. I'm very happy to help the village's talented kohais."

Hiruzen chimed in, "Your mission sheet is with Shinnosuke. When you get there, he'll help you with the formalities."

Tonan nodded, and said to Shinnosuke, "Thank you, Shinnosuke-senpai, I'm truly bothering you."

"We'll set off tomorrow morning. Prepare whatever you need," Shinnosuke said with a smile.

"Hokage-sama, I'll leave then," Tonan bowed and left the Hokage office. Hiruzen signaled Shinnosuke with his eyes, following which the younger man locked the office door and moved a chair to sit opposite his father.

Hiruzen shook the smoke pipe and solemnly said, "I'm going to retire in a few years. Remember what I told you. You must gain His Majesty's trust, and after he becomes the Daimyo, ask him to support you in the Hokage election. The Sarutobi clan and Ino-Shika-Cho will support you unconditionally. I'll try my best to win over other clans for you as well."

"After observing for these few years, I've found two good seedlings for you in the younger generation. One is Kakashi. He can take over Anbu for you in the future. I was planning to use Minato in the past, but his personality is not suitable to use as a tool, and he's too close to Kushina. We can't let him come into contact with higher-level power. If he has any thoughts, it'll be difficult to deal with."

"The other one is Tonan. He's different from the rest of the Uchihas. He's simple and suitable for brainwashing. It's just that I haven't been paying much attention to him lately, and he has gone through so much. Now, he has become a little reticent, and his personality might have also changed. After going to the Capital, you should get close to him often. If everything goes well, when I abdicate, even if he doesn't reach the point where he can completely control the Uchiha clan, he can at least become a powerhouse. In the future, he can become your confidant and take over… Root for you."

Shinnosuke nodded solemnly and said, "I understand. By the way, what about Asuma? He has been wanting to go to the Capital recently."

Hiruzen narrowed his eyes, smoked a mouthful of smoke, and said, "Since he wants to go play, take him with you. Also, take out some time to teach him things. As long as he returns before the graduation to take the exam, it's enough."

"Alright, father."

……

After returning to the clan, Tonan did some shopping. He bought poison, antidotes, kunai, shuriken, food pills, explosive tags, food for white pigeons, and so on. He stored all this in a storage scroll. He also informed the Great Elder about the mission in passing.

That night, Namikaze Minato and Uzumaki Kushina came to his house and took him away for a feast. This could also be considered his farewell party.

Late at night, Tonan was lying on the bed, thinking aloud his next steps.

"Now that I've strength, I'm qualified to seek dignity. Hiruzen raising me like a dog for his son is trampling on my dignity. This trip to the Capital is perfect to look for a chance to kill Shinnosuke. But he seems to be pretty strong. Although he might not be able to defeat me in a head-on battle, he might have some life-saving cards."

"No, no, fighting and killing are reckless. While doing anything, I've to attach the most importance to tactics, and force should just be supplementary."

Tonan could feel he had gotten stronger recently, and his thinking had begun to slip a bit.

"In a situation where I'm not completely certain, I should prioritize safety. Don't take risks unnecessarily, lest I'll capsize in a drain. As for Shinnosuke, I can figure things out after reaching the Capital. My top priority is to work hard to improve my strength. I already have powerful ninjutsu. Now, what I need the most is to increase chakra and spiritual power."

"The best way for it is to establish a welfare institution and proceed from those children. Teach them how to cultivate chakra, then harvest them when needed. For this, I need to accomplish two things. First, earn enough money to establish a welfare institution. I can think of a way to make money in the Capital. After all, the capital city of the Land of Fire is a wealth hub."

"Second, find a way to quickly cultivate chakra. It doesn't matter even if it sacrifices potential and lifespan. But I can do nothing about this now. I can only look around while traveling."

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Chapter 74: Setting Out, The Fire Capital

Early morning, the next day, Uchiha Tonan got up and packed for travel. Before leaving, he walked over to the altar with wooden sculptures and lit three incense sticks.

"I'm leaving. There's a lot I must do this time, so I'm afraid I won't be back for a while. If you all miss me, remember to appear in my dream."

He bowed thrice to the lifelike statues, and stuck the incense sticks for these relatives, friends, and loved ones.

Three hours later, he was still standing under a big tree at the village entrance, quietly waiting. At the street's intersection, Sarutobi Shinnosuke and Sarutobi Asuma appeared. They were late.

Shinnosuke said while rubbing Asuma's hair, "Asuma, if you laze around in bed in the future again, I won't take you anywhere."

Asuma impatiently hit Shinnosuke's hand away and said, "Alright, alright, I got it. Yesterday, I was so excited, I was unable to sleep for most of the night."

When the two arrived at the entrance, Shinnosuke apologetically said to Tonan, "Sorry for making you wait so long."

Tonan adjusted his glasses, and shook his head, "It's alright. I just reached myself."

Shinnosuke smiled a little and tugged at Asuma's clothes, "Asuma, Tonan is your classmate, why don't you greet him?"

"Humph!"

Although Asuma was Tonan's classmate, for some reason, he didn't even look at him, as if he held some grudge. Tonan narrowed his eyes and smiled at this. He was not angry. He had already guessed the reason.

However, Tonan hadn't expected Asuma to also go to the Fire Capital. If things went smoothly, he might be able to sort out two people in one fell swoop.

Shinnosuke scratched his head and interrupted, "Let's go, if you've any problem, you can ask me along the way."

They completed the village's departure procedure at the Registration Office, and then left Konoha, setting off for the Capital.

Just after stepping out of the barrier, Tonan slowed down a little and looked back. At the end of the street, a figure disappeared in a flash. He quietly turned his head back, waved his hand, and continued to walk forward.

……

A few days later, the three finally arrived at the Fire Capital. The Capital was located in the plains region. There were large and small villages scattered outside the city.

At one time, these villages didn't exist. The Capital's land was so expensive that the people living inside the city were either ninjas or high-ranking officials. As a result, many chose to live in the villages outside the city, and only entered the city to work or for business.

The three people came to the Capital's southern gate, where a guard asked them to show their entry pass. Shinnosuke took out his proof of identity and handed it to the guard. The guard immediately bowed and said, "Welcome back Shinnosuke-sama, please enter."

Shinnosuke turned to Tonan and said, "Let's first go to the Five Guard Residence so you that can take up your duty."

Soon afterward, he led the two into the Fire Capital. They walked down the street lined up with stalls and vendors were shouting, soliciting business from customers with smiling faces.

Asuma had stayed in Konoha since he was a child. Such a bustling scene was a novelty for him. He muttered in awe, "Wow, the Fire Capital is huge."

Shinnosuke glanced at the unaffected Tonan and then at Asuma, who looked overwhelmed. He wondered why there was such a big difference in their bearings despite being of the same age.

"The Fire Capital is the largest and most prosperous city in the Ninja World. You won't be so surprised after getting accustomed to living here."

At this moment, Tonan asked, "Shinnosuke-senpai, I heard you're among the legendary Twelve Guardian Ninja."

Shinnosuke nodded, "Yes, the Twelve Guardian Ninja is responsible for guarding the Daimyo. Of course, so many are not needed usually. Generally speaking, we work in two shifts. Four people guard the Daimyo at all times, one guards the First Highness, and one guards the Second Highness."

Tonan asked curiously, "First Highness and Second Highness?"

Shinnosuke smiled, "Yes, I am relatively weak among the Twelve Guardian Ninja. So, I'm responsible for guarding the safety of the First Highness at night."

When Asuma heard this, he immediately muttered, "Why does it sound like you are useless?"

Shinnosuke hadn't expected his own younger brother would pull him down in front of outsiders. His face turned red, and he explained, "What would you know? The Daimyo will be abdicating in a few years, and First Highness will inherit the position. The current First Highness represents the future of the Land of Fire. Do you think anyone can do this?"

Tonan's eyes flickered slightly, and he asked, "Why wouldn't the Second Highness inherit the position?"

Shinnosuke thought for a moment before he explained, "Generally speaking, the eldest son would inherit the position and there are several signs indicating that the Daimyo wants to do that."

Tonan nodded and no longer pursued the subject. Asuma, however, seemed to have become a chatterbox and asked Shinnosuke, "Who is higher, the Daimyo or Hokage?"

"The Daimyo, of course, but the difference in their status is not too much. The Ninja World implements a system of one country, one hidden village. If there's a hidden village, there must be a country. But if there's a country, a hidden village is not absolutely necessary. The hidden village can't do without the country's economic help, but the country also needs the hidden village's military support."

"Then, why can't the Hokage become the Daimyo?"

Shinnosuke hastily covered Asuma's mouth and seriously warned, "Be quiet! Don't say such things in the future. You'll land yourself in trouble."

……

Half an hour later, the three arrived at the Five Guard Residence's work hall. The personnel here recognized Shinnosuke at a glance. He immediately stood up and bowed, "Shinnosuke-sama."

Shinnosuke nodded and pointed to Tonan next to him, "He's your newly appointed captain, Konoha's chunin, Uchiha Tonan. This is his mission sheet."

He handed the mission sheet to that person for checking. Once the person confirmed there was no error, he registered Tonan's information. He then bowed towards him and said, "Welcome, Tonan-sama."

Tonan smiled warmly and replied, "I'm looking forward to working with you all."

"Tonan, I'll take Asuma out for a stroll. I live in the east of Daimyo Residence. If you have any problem, you can…"

Before Shinnosuke could finish speaking, he was pulled away by Asuma, who was impatient to go out and play. Tonan watched the two leave. The smile on his face gradually faded, and an inexplicable meaning flashed through his eyes.

The staff member saw Tonan standing there without speaking and cautiously asked, "Tonan-sama, should I take you to your residence now?"

Tonan turned his head. He had already recovered his usual gentle expression. "That would be great, thank you."

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Chapter 75: Sizing Up Subordinates, Heavy Handed Means

Soon, the staff member from the Five Guard Residence's work hall guided Uchiha Tonan to a courtyard residence located in Fire Capital's northern district. A plaque with Northern City Guard inscribed on it was hanging at the residence's door.

Tonan walked into the courtyard when the staff member who was in the lead, asked, "Tonan-sama, do you think you have everything you need here?"

Tonan pointed at the rows of people standing in the middle of the front courtyard and asked, "These people are…"

The staff member explained, "They are your attendants, responsible for carrying out your orders and guarding the mansion."

Tonan nodded with satisfaction, and took out a red envelope from his bag, handing it to the staff member, "Not bad, thank you for your hard work."

The staff member took the red envelope, and happily bowed, "Many thanks, Tonan-sama. I will let you rest now."

After the staff member left, Tonan walked to the attendants and sized them up, "The Northern City Guard staff work in two shifts, right?"

The attendants' leader hastily replied, "My lord, we work in a three-shift system."

Tonan nodded and said while walking towards the house, "Summon everyone from the Northern City Guard including those who are resting. I want to meet everyone."

"Yes." A group of attendants left the courtyard residence in succession, leaving just the head attendant. After putting his things away, Tonan asked him to move the table to the backyard corridor, and also make him a pot of tea.

He then sat behind the table and drank tea while waiting. After about an hour, all resting personnel arrived and stood in formation in the backyard. However, even before Tonan could speak, one of them walked to his side and bowed, "I'm Shimokawara Shota, Northern City Guard's Vice-Captain. Although I was not born in Konoha, I became a ninja relying on myself. My strength is equivalent to that of a Konoha chunin."

After speaking, he sat down beside Tonan. Tonan didn't get angry. He just smiled faintly and addressed everyone, "My name is Uchiha Tonan. I'm Konoha's chunin, and also your newly appointed captain. Let's begin with the introductions with those in the management positions."

"Kawato Kozo, Northern City Guard's squad leader."

"Toyoda Uetani, Northern City Guard's squad leader."

……

Once the introductions were completed, Tonan nodded. He lifted the teapot from the table, leaned over slightly, and poured some tea into Shota's cup. Afterward, as if humbly seeking advice, he asked, "I'm new here, I don't know what I exactly ought to do. Can you explain it to me, Shota-kun?"

Shota grinned and replied in high spirits, "You don't need to do anything, just leave patrolling duties to the team. You are free to do whatever you please, Tonan-sama, and the Daimyo Residence will regularly deposit the mission remuneration in your bankbook."

Tonan said with a happy look, "Really? I didn't expect this mission to be so simple. I can make money just by relaxing."

"Tonan-sama, you should focus on training and not let these trivial matters bother you. If something urgent comes up, I'll be there to handle it. I can guarantee there'll be no problems."

Shota patted his chest and assured Tonan with an appearance of 'I'm doing this for your own good'. Tonan looked at him, took a sip of his tea, and meaningfully said, "I should be grateful to you in that case, isn't it?"

"Yes, yes!" Shota said while reaching for the teacup in front of him. Suddenly, a strong wind blew against his face.

Clang, clang!

Tonan attacked all of a sudden and two kunai pierced Shota's palms, nailing them to the table.

"Ah!" Shota screamed in pain. Seeing this, the Northern City Guard members, who were standing in formation in the courtyard, instinctively wanted to rush forward to help him.

"Earth Style – Dark Swamp."

Instantly, the entire ground in the backyard turned into a swamp, and everyone sank into it.

"Forgive us, Tonan-sama."

"Tonan-sama, we didn't do anything wrong."

"Why're you doing this to us?"

……

Tonan ignored Shota's wail and Northern City guard members' questions and pleads. He carefully lifted the teacup that was in front of Shota and took a sip, "I'm sorry, everyone. Since I'm young, I'm afraid you won't take me seriously. Therefore, this was the only way I could think of to establish my prestige. Don't worry, as long as you don't act recklessly, you'll be fine."

Tonan put down the teacup. The head attendant at the side had just come back to his senses after the initial shock. He leaned over and lifted the teapot to pour tea for Tonan. Tonan glanced at him and casually said, "You're very intelligent, what's your name?"

The attendant leader knelt and deeply bowed, "Tonan-sama, I'm Yoshiwara Ao."

Tonan nodded and waved so Ao could get up. He then reached out his hand and slowly turned the teacup. His gaze was focused on the patterns and using a puzzled tone, he asked, "Why do you think you are on equal footing with me? Do you truly think I'm an ignorant child? Did you want to make me a mere figurehead?"

He put down the teacup and took out a kunai from his bag, carelessly playing with it. Shota wanted to break free from the kunai that had nailed his palm to the table, but just moving his palm led to heartrending pain. He looked at Tonan, who was playing with a kunai, and swallowed, "What do you want? Let me tell you that if you dare to kill me, you'll be done for. This is not Konoha, it is the Fire Capital."

Tonan chuckled hearing his words, "You might've misunderstood me, Vice-Capitan Shota. I've always been a law-abiding, rules-following citizen."

But before Shota could sigh in relief, Tonan slammed the kunai in his hand on the table and looked at the people stuck in the swamp, "You all should be aware of his misdeeds and shady businesses. Does anyone want to speak up? Whoever tells me anything about it, will be the next Vice-Captain."

Everyone in the swamp became silent hearing Tonan's words. Shota resentfully glared at him, thinking of ways to retaliate in his heart. Time passed by slowly, but no one opened their mouth.

Clap, clap, clap…

Tonan smiled and shook his head, applauding. He looked at Shota and said, "I didn't expect you to be so popular."

"I've always acted fairly. Even if you force them to speak, they'll not say anything. Uchiha Tonan, was it? You're done for. I'll go to the Supervision Minister and report you."

Shota's eyes were red. He couldn't wait to bury Tonan on the spot.

Tonan tapped on the table and called out, "Ao."

Ao knelt on one knee and said, "Yes, Tonan-sama,"

"Go search Vice-Captain Shota's house, and see if there are any suspicious records. If you find anything, bring them here."

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Chapter 76: Divide Rule, Bribing Minister

Half an hour later, Yoshiwara Ao came back with a thick stack of documents and put it on the table, "My Lord, these were found in Shimokawara Shota's house."

Shota's back was drenched with sweat but he maintained his fierce look, "Tonan, I advise you not to look at these documents. Some things are too serious, not everyone can handle it."

"I understand this rationale. Why do people have two eyes? It's to sometimes turn a blind eye," Tonan flipped through the records, and then look at everyone in the swamp, "These are the reasons why you all don't dare report him, right?"

Everyone lowered their heads in silence. Tonan chuckled and instructed Ao, "Burn these."

Ao respectfully replied, "Yes, Tonan-sama." He brought over a fire pan and burned each of the documents one by one in front of everyone. Shota watched Ao burn it all and gloated, "You're completely done for now. Among the things you burned just now, there was also the city entry tax book, which had to be delivered to the Finance Minister. I'll see how you'll explain this."

Tonan frowned hearing this and asked with a surprised look, "Who said I burned anything? I just wanted to check the accounts, but you were so worried about your corruption being exposed that you burned even the tax books. Everyone here can testify to that."

Shota was startled and enraged, "You're framing me!"

"Everyone, I believe you're all law-abiding citizens and will not go along with this miscreant. Anyone who wants to report him can speak freely. These are all merits. You'll be rewarded even if you're not promoted. Ao, please record each of their reports along with their names and fingerprints. By the way, if there's someone who didn't report anything, record his name as well. I suspect that person is Vice-Captain Shota's accomplice."

After Tonan was done, he picked up the cup and lowered his eyes to sip on his tea. There was silence for a bit, but soon, someone broke it.

"I've something to say, Shimokawara Shota privately took protection money from gangsters outside the city."

"He also privately released prohibited items into the city."

"He also sheltered several human-trafficking organizations."

……

The clock ticked second by second. Tonan released everyone who exposed Shota's crimes and Ao diligently noted it. Once everyone was done, he handed the notebook over to Tonan.

Tonan waved it in front of Shota and asked, "Is this enough for you to die?"

Shota took a few deep breaths and pretended to be tough, "There's no real evidence. According to the Land of Fire laws, you can't do anything to me."

"I'll burn the evidence for you later. If you've any grievances, appear in the Daimyo's dream and report it," Tonan chuckled and shook his head. He then pointed at a Northern City Guard, "As his colleague, why don't you put an end to his pathetic life? I remember you reported the most crimes."

That Northern City Guard looked to his right and left, and then wobbled forward in trepidation. He reached out to pick up a kunai and hesitantly looked at Shota. After all, he knew so much about Shota's misdeeds because they shared a good rapport and he too was involved in all of it.

By now, Shota was truly frightened and couldn't mask his fear, "No! I submit to you, I'll do whatever you want me to do…"

Tonan was not in a rush. He rubbed his chin, pretending to think, "If you submit to me, you'll still be the Vice-Captain, and all that happened today would just be a misunderstanding. Later, wouldn't you want to get back at everyone who reported you?"

Puchi

Immediately after he spoke, that Northern City Guard stabbed Shota's heart with the kunai. Seeing his dying body, Tonan patted his forehead, looking vexed, "It's my fault. I was thinking about it for too long, but it's useless to regret now. Hereafter, you will be the Vice-Captain."

"Many thanks, Tonan-sama."

The Northern City Guard knelt on the ground and heavily kowtowed towards Tonan. Nodding with satisfaction, Tonan pointed at the few people who were still in the swamp and said, "I'll leave these few to you all. No need to be polite, everyone will have a share."

Seeing Shota dead, the people who hadn't spoken against him panicked and began shouting…

"My Lord, we'll speak, Shimokawara Shota had forcefully kidnapped many women."

"Shimokawara Shota has bribed Uekawa Ozora, the Head of Guardian Residence."

Puchi

Puchi

"So, there was collusion with the Guardian Residence Head…" A thought flashed through Tonan's eyes and he leisurely stood up.

"You all, go and wash up lest people say the Northern City Guard's people are sloppy. Also, go back and inform about what happened today to the others who were on duty as well. Hereafter, remain within bounds and don't knowingly violate the law. Usually, I'll be training hard. If there's any problem in the future, I'll follow my attendants' arrangements."

He headed to his bedroom after issuing the instructions. Taking the sealed storage scroll, he left the mansion. When he reached the main street, he randomly asked a passerby, "Excuse me, who should I look to report an official's corruption?"

"You should look for Supervision Minister Fukuda Masaki, just northwest of the Daimyo Residence. There'll be guards at the door. You can just ask them, and you'll know it."

"Thank you very much." Tonan turned around and walked in the direction the person had pointed. After a while, he arrived at the Supervision Minister's mansion and met Masaki.

In the living room, Tonan sat in front of a table in seiza style, respectfully bowed to Masaki on the other side, and said, "It's nice to meet you, Masaki-sama."

Masaki solemnly said, "You're the newly appointed Northern City Guard captain, Uchiha Tonan. I wonder who you're reporting."

"I want to report Shimokawara Shota, the Vice-Captain of the Northern City Guard, for taking bribes, engaging in corrupt practices, and acting as a protective umbrella for underworld forces. These are his crimes, collectively reported by his subordinates."

Tonan handed over the crime book to Masaki. Once he opened it, Masaki was shocked by the densely recorded charges and countless fingerprints.

At this moment, there was only one thought in his head – when a wall is about to collapse, everybody gives it a shove.

"This is a grave matter. If there's no substantial evidence, I can only report it to His Majesty, and he will make the final decision," Masaki calmly informed.

Tonan nodded but he seemed to suddenly recall something. He took out a sealed storage scroll from his bag and spread it out on the table. He then made a hand sign to release the things stored in it.

Bang!

Piles of colorful banknotes appeared in front of Masaki, who merely glanced at them. Being a veteran, he roughly estimated this was almost five million Ryo in total.

"When I saw these charges, I was too furious. I killed him and a few of his accomplices on impulse. Also, this is five million Ryo that Shimokawara Shota wanted to bribe me with. The illicit money should be turned over. I wonder if my course of action has broken the rules," Tonan finished speaking with a smile on his face and pushed the banknotes towards Masaki.

Masaki narrowed his eyes and took a deep breath. He righteously said, "What this guy did was enough to anger the heavens. As long as one has an upright mind, who can one hold back? I understand Tonan-sama's course of action very well. You can rest assured, His Majesty will not understand it as well."

"Many thanks, Masaki-sama. I'll take my leave now. I'll order someone to deliver the criminal's corpse later," Tonan smiled politely but then he paused and reached his hand out, lightly tapping on the banknotes, "In context to everything that happens in the Northern City Guard, I'll report it to you once a month. At that time, I'll hand over the prisoners and the illicit money as well."

Tonan got up to leave after saying this. Masaki was experienced enough to immediately read between the lines. It meant that Tonan would give him achievements and money every month.

This move would not only bring him many benefits but also represent that Tonan was standing on his side. He was immediately overjoyed. He enthusiastically got up and said, "Tonan-sama is truly of noble character and sterling integrity… let me walk you out."

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A point in Narutoverse history, Warring States Period, was a timespan of two centuries where the Ashikaga Shogunate (a centralized system of government) collapsed and Japan was torn into various factions amid a bloody civil war

Uchiha Tonan returned to the North City Guard's residence hall, where he drank tea. The attendant had already dispersed the Guard members. Not long after, Yoshiwara Ao respectfully drew his attention to hand over a scroll, "Tonan-sama."

Tonan put down the teacup to spread out the scroll and made hand signs to undo the seal.

Bang!

After a smoke cloud dissipated, more than a dozen boxes appeared in the open space in front of them. Tonan asked Ao to open each of them. The boxes were filled with either gold, silver, and jewelry, or antiques and land deeds. Expectedly, there was also cash and banknotes. This was Shimokawara Shota's savings over the years.

Tonan nodded with satisfaction, "Are these all his assets?"

Ao quickly took out an account book and handed it over with a bow, "Yes, this is the account book. You can please check it."

Tonan took the account book and examined it for a while.

"This guy's total assets are worth about 200 million Ryo! It's enough to buy the land for the welfare institution. This trip was worthwhile. That Shota character really… died well."

"A mere vice-captain can accumulate almost 200 million in savings. Fire Capital deserves to be called Ninja World's most prosperous city. Just the entry and exit tariff paid by the caravans should be astronomical. Deducting a bit of profit is enough to cover an A-ranked mission."

Suddenly, Tonan inquired, "What about his family?"

Ao replied while pouring tea, "He has seven directly-related family members including both young and old. I've arrested and detained them under the North City Guard's temporary custody."

Tonan nodded. He was satisfied with this newly acquired subordinate, who matched a bit of his own style. "Keep them for now, and send one corpse plus five million Ryo to the Supervision Minister Residence every month."

Ao nodded and asked lightly, "Do we need to write a report?"

Tonan shook his head with a smile, "Masaki-sama will write it for us. This is his political achievement. Oh yes, from now on, you'll manage the North City Guard for me. Smuggling, tax fraud, bribing, and what was collected earlier should all be continued. We must not break rules, lest the other three City Guard guardian lords feel uneasy."

Ao was overjoyed, and respectfully replied, "I understand."

Tonan picked up his teacup, and lightly asked as he took a sip, "By the way, if asked, who instructed you to do these things?"

Ao's eyes flashed with a smile, "Tonan-sama was busy with training. The others and I deceived you to embezzle money, it was our arbitrary action."

Tonan chuckled and waved his hand, "Withdraw."

……

Three months later, Tonan had completely consolidated his position in the Fire Capital. Every month, North City Guard would give him a grey income of almost 20 million Ryo. Five million Ryo from this was used to pay a tribute to the Supervision Minister.

The past North City Guard captains paid a tribute to the Guardian Residence chief too, hoping to gain a chance at promotion. But Tonan was here just for a mission. Regardless of how well he did, he wouldn't get promoted.

Even if he made a mistake, only his nominal employer, the Daimyo, was qualified to dismiss him.

The Guardian Residence chief couldn't control him. Only if someone reported him to the Supervision Minister, and then he reported it to the Daimyo, was it possible to shake Tonan from his position.

In that case, too, the result was just a failed mission, and he would be sent back to the village. Tonan, hence, didn't bother to appease the Guardian Residence and instead directly pulled the Supervision Minister into his camp.

Of the remaining 15 million Ryo, Tonan distributed about two million to his subordinates. Being a boss, one must know how to win people's hearts. And to be an upright person, one must share.

During these three months, Sarutobi Shinnosuke visited Tonan several times, trying to win him over. Shinnosuke's control methods were too crude, he couldn't compare with Sarutobi Hiruzen.

However, in order to reduce his guard, Tonan tried his best to cater to him. In one of the conversations with him, Tonan learned that Sarutobi Asuma would leave the Fire Capital in two months to take the graduation exam in the village.

This gave Tonan a sense of urgency. After Asuma returned to the village, it would be very difficult to make a move against him…

At night, the full moon flickered under the cover of the dark clouds.

"Don't hit me… lord, please spare my life… lord… please spare my life… ah"

Tonan was reading under lamplight in the night. While flipping through the books he purchased at the Fire Capital's largest bookstore, he listened to heart-breaking wails in the newly built dungeon in the backyard, using Wind Communication.

Although these books were not related to ninjas, they contained knowledge of all trades and professions. People keen to self-improve must use leisure time to supplement and enrich their knowledge.

Especially Tonan, since he was very interested in the Ninja World history. In fact, he had the same confusion as Asuma — why couldn't the Hokage rule the country despite the military power?

Now, Tonan knew the answer to this question. The reason was very simple. Hokage came from the military field and was not adept in matters concerning people's livelihood. Training ninjas needed money. Assuming ninjas couldn't earn money from missions, what were their options? Business or farming?

Then, what would be the difference between a ninja and ordinary people? Moreover, ninjas might not necessarily be able to do it as well as ordinary people. Besides, with great strength, who would be willing to do such things?

Some people might think that ninjas could just make a living by robbing civilians. Many ninjas in the past did exactly that. They didn't engage in production activities and relied on looting to obtain resources.

However, civilians weren't stupid. They attached themselves to powerful ninja clans and handed over a certain amount of resources for protection. This situation finally led to almost every ninja clan being affiliated with civilians.

The consequent resources imbalance led to war. And in the war, the ones fighting were still ninjas. This was how the Warring States Period started after the end of the ninja sect era.

As for why the Hokage cannot become the Daimyo, and directly control common people — this involved the basic human nature of class-climbing.

Hokage is a ninja, and in a country ruled by a ninja, all higher-ups must be ninjas. Since no one wanted to be in the low rung, people would spare no effort to groom their next generations as ninjas.

This would lead to a large number of people refining chakra and learning ninjutsu from childhood. Most people would become ninjas, which meant a lot of money spent on training them.

The social productive force would decrease rapidly, and ninjas would eventually have to engage in business and farming like ordinary people. What would then be the difference between this state and the ninja sect era?

People progress, not regress. The ninja village system was to separate ninjas from ordinary people and avoid conflict.

From another perspective, the country was the ninja village's estate, where ordinary people worked hard to produce. The Daimyo was the estate's manager, responsible for producing and accumulating wealth, then handing it over to the ninja village in the form of funds and missions.

While supporting the village, he also seeks its protection. The true bigwigs had already seen through this point.

Therefore, in recent few years, the Land of Fire's wealthy and powerful continuously immigrated their younger family members to Konoha, to let them win at the starting line. This was also one of the reasons why Konoha's land prices skyrocketed.

Hokage, therefore, didn't rule the country that had to be run with a separate government. Ninjas and civilians must be in two worlds. If they were placed together, various problems would arise due to power imbalance. As for whose status was higher between the Hokage and Daimyo, that depended on person to person.

Since Hokage had absolute military force, his right to speak outclassed the Daimyo. However, the Daimyo had absolute authority in the common people's hearts and had economic power. Now, in the time of peace, when the economy was growing rapidly, the people's right to speak surpassed the military force. But the capital could only contain military force, it was incapable of flipping the table.

While Tonan was thinking, Ao knocked on the door and reported, "My Lord, he has fainted five times already. If we continue beating him, he'll die."

Tonan put down the book, took a sip of tea, and said, "That's miserable, what did he do?"

"When he was handing over money today, he hid three hundred Ryo."

"Three hundred Ryo…"

Tonan sighed, "Ao, you know me. I've always hated evil like an enemy, and I hate people who take bribes and bend the law the most. In the North City Guard, the rules I set are the law. Since he violated my rules, that's breaking the law, and it's a crime."

"Although it's only three hundred Ryo, we shouldn't judge evil by the number. It's his heart that's already filthy. Once there's a first time, there'll be more, and we can't catch him every time. To prevent him from making grave mistakes again, it'd be better to kill him and send him to Masaki-sama."

"Yes."

"By the way, what about the human trafficking organizations I asked you to pay attention to."

"As per your instructions, I've figured out their hiding places. It's just that they seemed to have hired wandering ninjas."

Tonan nodded and narrowed his eyes hearing this information, "Gather people tomorrow night. I'll personally lead the team to raid them, and save those poor children."

"My Lord is truly benevolent," Ao flattered Tonan.

Tonan instantly looked gentle and solemnly said with righteousness, "As the North City Guard captain, I should punish traitors and eliminate evil for the benefit of common people. You don't need to praise me, it's my duty."

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Kekkei Genkai, literally meaning Bloodline Limit, is a DNA anomaly that allows the wielder to use unique techniques; dojutsu such as Byakugan and Sharingan are among these

On an otherwise scorching summer night, a cool breeze blew over the treetops, and the birds on trees chirped. In the villages outside the Fire Capital, just a few houses were still lit.

Stray cats were sprawled in the corners of the dimly lit street. Sudden heavy footsteps startled them and they dashed into the darkness.

A large-framed man carrying a bag poked his head out stealthily. He looked left and right and then quickly crossed the street to enter an alley. He walked until he reached a house with a courtyard located at the edge of the village and entered it.

Creak

The man opened the door of a dimly lit basement and untied the bag. Inside it was a young, barely three-year-old boy, who was tied up. Seeing the light again, the boy struggled instinctively with all his might.

The man untied the rope that bound him and picked up a leather-thonged whip. When the young boy saw this, his face was filled with horror, and he desperately wailed. The man showed a hideous grin and swung the whip, ruthlessly hitting the little boy.

The boy rolled on the ground in pain, screaming. After beating him for a while, the man pointed the whip at him and ferociously warned, "If you don't shut up, I'll continue to beat you until you die."

The boy responded to the threat and firmly bit his lip, not letting any sound come out. The man nodded with satisfaction, then looked at other lifeless children hiding in the corner, his eyes flashing with admonition.

He then opened the basement door and walked out.

Bang!

The basement plunged into darkness again. The young boy squirmed over to a wall and tightly hugged his knees. Only like this, he could feel the slightest sense of security.

The basement was eerily silent… only the boy sobbed in a low voice, "Mama…"

Bang!

The basement door was kicked open again. The boy was shocked and trembled, and didn't dare make another sound. The man raised the whip with a hideous smile and glared at him.

"Humph!"

The basement door was shut again. The boy finally understood why the other children inside were silent. He too soundlessly curled up into a ball.

Above the basement, a group of burly men was seated at a round table that was full of banknotes. Among them was a person in ninja clothes, with a ninja bag around his waist. It was obvious he was this set-up's leader. He turned to the man that just came out of the basement and asked, "Where did you get the goods this time?"

The man's earlier ferociousness disappeared, and a flattering smile appeared on his face, "It's the best quality goods from the Land of Water, related to the Yuki clan in some way."

The leader's eyes lit up as he whistled, "Not bad… if he awakens the Yuki clan's Kekkei Genkai, he'll be more valuable."

The man hadn't expected the boss to have some expectation despite his b* being so unrealistic. He coughed awkwardly and explained, "How can he awaken it? His family has been civilian for quite a few generations."

The leader just laughed and waved his hand, "Even if he cannot, it doesn't matter. He can still bring more money. Those bigwigs like this kind of goods with a bit of ninja clans' bloodline."

The man nodded in agreement and sat on the seat with a face full of joy. He rubbed his hands and said, "Let's play…. I haven't played for a long time, my hands are already itching, I'll sit here."

Seeing the man's wretched appearance, the leader's mouth twitched. He pushed the dice cup in front of him and said, "Be careful not to lose your pants."

"It's not a big deal even if I did, I can just make another trip and bring back a few more top-quality goods."

The man picked up the dice cup, and shook it vigorously, "Quick, quick, quick… place the bet, place the bet."

His colleagues began to put in money one after another.

"I bet on big."

"Me as well."

"Since you all bet on big, I bet on small!"

—-

"I bet on leopard."

The man placed the dice cup on the table and lifted it. Everyone immediately put their heads forward.

"Open!"

Everyone stared with focus and saw that all three dice had rolled six.

The man cursed, "F, it's truly leopard, this hand's too bad."

Although other colleagues also didn't win money, seeing that the man suffered a setback, they strangely felt happy.

"Give me the money, leopard pays tenfold."

"Why're you so impatient? Would I not give you this small amount? Come again!"

"I don't believe it, I still bet on big."

"No, this time, I will bet on big…. I have a hunch."

"Scram, you are a bad luck bearer… I bet on small."

……

"I bet on leopard."

"Open!"

"Damn it, it's demonical, it's leopard again."

……

"Open!"

Every time, all three dice rolled six in succession.

The big man looked at the person sitting opposite him and doubtfully said while picking up the dice cup and shaking it, "Strange, why's only the leopard rolling today? You're not cheating, are you?"

Another person also felt that something was amiss. He turned to look at that person and said, "I also think that it's impossible, are you… brother, I might be a little muddle-headed, but what's your name again?"

That person took the money on the table, then said with a gentle look, "I'm Uchiha Tonan, what's your name?"

"Me? I'm…"

Everyone was stunned for a moment and looked at each other. Then they suddenly retreated, opening up a distance, and surrounded Tonan.

Clang!

The swords were unsheathed, and the atmosphere became tense.

The leader yelled at Tonan, "Who are you?"

"The current Captain of the North City Guard, Uchiha Tonan."

Tonan sat on a chair, leaned back, then picked up a banknote and tossed it forward. The banknote knocked down the dice cup, revealing the dice inside, which still rolled six.

"Does this count?"

Hearing Tonan's self-introduction, the leader narrowed his eyes and said, "It counts, of course, it counts, Tonan-sama. But I wonder why you came looking for us this late in the night…"

Tonan smiled a little and said with a negotiating tone, "I've come with a presumptuous request. I want to take those children away."

Killing intent flashed through the leader's eyes, but he immediately covered it. A stiff smile appeared on his face and he said, "Lord, those children are all adopted and nurtured by us brothers… we are emotionally connected to them."

After speaking, he discreetly signaled one of his companions with his eyes. As for Tonan, he frowned hearing the leader's words, and rubbed his chin as if he was deeply pondering on something, "In that case, it would truly be unreasonable if I forcibly took them away."

Tonan's words eased the leader's stiff face considerably. At this time, the companion handed a small box to him, which the leader opened and placed on the table, pushing it towards Tonan.

Then, with a fawning smile, he said, "My Lord, this is our tribute of respect to you. I hope you'll take more care of us hereafter." Tonan's eyes lit up looking at the banknotes-filled box and he sat up straight. He reached out his hand and said while caressing the banknotes, "So much money, but it's a pity."

The smile on the leader's face gradually disappeared, and he squinted his eyes as he asked, "My Lord, what's a pity? Is our respect not enough?"

Tonan shook his head, "I'm a rather greedy person. I want money, I want people, and I want achievements as well…. You all tell me, what should I do?

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Hearing Uchiha Tonan's self-claimed greed, the leader's face instantly darkened, and he roared, "Attack!"

The traffickers raised their weapons, one by one, and attacked Tonan. However, he continued to sit on the chair facing the incoming swords and swayed his body to dodge them.

Two burly men then thrust their tachi at his chest from either direction so that he could not escape but at the critical moment, Tonan leaned forward, and the swords streaked across behind him.

Then, the corners of his mouth rose slightly, as he reached out his hand to grab their wrists and pulled them gently.

Puchi!

The two people stabbed each other and collapsed on the ground. Tonan's actions frightened the others, and no one dared to step forward for a while. He was still on the chair as he tapped on the table in front and said, "Do you want to continue resisting?"

At this time, the leader, who was hiding at one side, finished making hand signs and shouted, "Fire Style – Great Fireball Technique."

A huge fireball wrapped in heatwaves flew towards Tonan.

"Challenging an expert with your juvenile skill," Tonan indifferently said and made a one-hand sign blowing out a wind column.

The moment the fireball came into contact with the column, it was split into two and flew in two sides. The wind column advanced with irresistible force and slammed onto the leader, sending him flying.

Tonan stood up slowly and glanced at the trembling crowd, "I suggest you all be sensible. Admit your guilt, and after entering prison, transform properly and start your life afresh."

Puchi

Suddenly, Tonan's eyes widened, and he lowered his head, his eyes filled with disbelief. He saw a bloody sword tip coming out from his chest. In the next moment, he fell on the table and stopped breathing.

"Humph! A Konoha chick wants to fight with me!" Behind Tonan, the leader snorted with disdain. As it turned out, just a moment before he was hit by the wind column, the leader had used the substitution technique.

The traffickers were relieved seeing this and asked, "Boss, what should we do now?"

The leader glanced at Tonan's corpse and ordered, "You all sort out everything, pack up the goods and wait for me here."

After speaking, he turned and left. He walked around the dimly lit village a few times and came to an abandoned house. Inside, he lifted a floorboard and took out a scroll.

"So, this was where you hid your money?"

The leader was scared out of his wits hearing a calm voice from nowhere. He immediately pulled out his sword and turned around, "Who's there?"

To his great shock, in the next moment, he noticed his surroundings shattering like glass. When the leader came back to his senses, he found he was still in the earlier room.

At some point, it was already packed with North City Guard's personnel. All of his companions were tied up.

As for the dead Tonan, he was sitting on a chair beside the window, feeding a white pigeon. At this moment, the leader understood he had fallen into genjutsu.

His forehead was filled with cold sweat, and he gulped, hastily begging for mercy, "My Lord, please spare me. I know you want money. You can ask for any price, how much ever you want."

The other traffickers also began to chime in succession.

"My Lord, we won't dare to do it again."

"I have only been in this business for a few days."

……

Tonan squinted his eyes as he looked at the leader. He flicked his finger and an air bullet hit the leader's forehead, exploding it. Everyone felt nauseated and their pleading also came to a halt.

At this moment, Yoshiwara Ao came to Tonan's side and leaned over, "Tonan-sama, the children are in the basement."

Tonan stretched out his hand and pushed the white pigeon. The ninja beast understood his master's instruction and flew out of the window.

"Send people to escort them to my residence. Remember, everything will be arranged only after I return."

"Yes."

"Let's go, leave a few people here to guard, and we'll go to the next place."

……

The next day, at the capital city gate, Tonan led the North City Guard and a group of traffickers into the city.

"Step aside, step aside!"

People along the way stopped to watch and inquire about what was happening.

"What's going on? So many people."

Among the crowd, there were also some people pretending to be North City Guard that Tonan arranged in advance. At this point, they began to work separately, holding similar conversations.

"Damn it! Yesterday was my day off and I missed participating in such an important operation."

The eyes of an elderly woman beside him lit up hearing this, and burning for gossip, she hastily pulled the 'guard' aside and asked, "Are you also a member of North City Guard? Tell me, what's going on?"

The people around also perked up their ears, ready to eavesdrop on the latest grapevine.

"The one walking upfront is our North City Guard captain, Uchiha Tonan. Recently, we found several hideouts of human traffickers in secret. After confirming the news was correct, Tonan-sama led the North City Guard to destroy all the hideouts in one fell swoop last night. Do you see those people being escorted now? All of them are human traffickers."

When the woman heard this, she clapped with great joy and said, "This young man, Tonan-sama, has really done a great deed."

The 'guard' moved his head closer, pretending to be secretive, and loudly said, "You don't know how dangerous it was. There were quite a few ninjas among those human traffickers, two of them were even chunin."

The joy faded from the woman's eyes and she became worried, "Two chunin? I heard Tonan-sama is also a chunin. He isn't injured, is he?"

The 'guard' pretended to not know. "Tonan-sama is a Konoha genius. He should be more than enough to deal with those wandering ninjas."

Seeing more and more people gathering around, he immersed himself into the act and explained, "Don't you know? On the very first day Tonan-sama arrived at the North City Guard, he began cleaning up the internal affairs. As soon as he came, he discovered the previous vice-captain was sheltering gangsters and human traffickers. In a fit of rage, he killed the vice-captain."

"He did the right thing! I support his decision."

"Long live, Tonan-sama!"

"Long live, Tonan-sama!"

"Long live, Tonan-sama!"

Several people began cheering.

"Hey, tell me why are you shouting like that?"

"Regardless of anything else, look at so many prisoners. Tonan-sama must've completed a good task. Besides, isn't it awkward to not shout when everyone else is?"

"Long live, Tonan-sama!"

……

Soon, Tonan and his group arrived outside the North City Guard Residence. The human traffickers were escorted to the street outside the residence and were made to kneel.

Tonan glanced at Ao behind him and asked, "Are you ready?"

Ao nodded and slightly bowed, "Rest assured, Tonan-sama, I have memorized everything last night, I won't omit a word."

Tonan nodded with satisfaction and said, "Relax, don't be nervous."

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Chapter 80: A Victor's Speech, Winning People's Hearts

Yoshiwara Ao took a deep breath, slightly bent his knees, and jumped onto the North City Guard Residence gate. Then, he coughed softly, "Hello, everyone, I'm Yoshiwara Ao, the attendant leader of the North City Guard's Captain, Uchiha Tonan."

"In recent years, the North City Guard received several anonymous reports on people trafficking young children. But it's a pity that under the leadership of previous captains, no progress was made in the investigation. Since Tonan-sama assumed the post and heard about it, he attached great importance to this grave issue. He led the entire team and launched 'Rescue Hope' to resolve this crime."

"Under his heroic leadership, the North City Guard secretly investigated this for three months. After sacrificing several brave undercover agents, not long ago, we were able to thoroughly locate all human traffickers' hideouts outside the northern city."

"Last night, the North City Guard was finally ready to make a move. Under Tonan-sama's command, we fought a fierce battle with the underworld forces. In the end, North City Guard achieved a complete victory, wiping out three large-scale and six small-scale human trafficking organizations."

"Killed 26 stubbornly fighting people, that included 13 ninjas, 74 criminals were captured alive. We saved 63 young children. Now, let us welcome Tonan-sama to speak."

After Ao finished speaking, he jumped down from the gate.

Clap, clap, clap…

The North City Guard members took the initiative to applaud, and the onlooking civilians joined in, going with the flow. Tonan's figure flashed, and he instantly appeared on the gate.

This trick caught the onlookers' attention. Tonan raised his hand slowly. The North City Guard members stopped clapping, and the onlookers followed suit. Everything was completely under Tonan's rhythm.

Tonan coughed lightly and said with a stern look, "Ladies and gentlemen, we won a perfect victory in the operation to crackdown human trafficking organizations. But this is not my credit alone. It is the effort of all North City Guard members."

"In particular, I would like to commend the undercover agents of this operation. Their efforts, dedication, determination, and fearlessness allowed us to achieve such a positive outcome. I would also like to commend the spirit of the North City Guard itself for perseverance to exert, and not being afraid of hardships…"

(26,000 words omitted)

"Through this special 'Rescue Hope' operation, we have greatly frightened the capital's criminals, and effectively curbed the rising trend of the underground forces. We vigorously defended the public security and stability outside the northern city and even the entire Fire Capital."

"But we cannot be conceited or satisfied because of this victory. As the solid line of defense for the people, we must understand the present situation. Crime is not limited to these vile acts. Various factors inducing and breeding crimes still exist in large numbers. The public safety situation is still a concern."

"Therefore, the work is still not over. Today, on behalf of the entire North City Guard, I take an oath. We will never shield or condone any criminal activities. We'll have a firm conviction, stick to our purpose, and refuse to live under the same sky as the underworld forces."

Tonan looked determined as he held his right fist high. In the next moment, a tsunami-like response resounded across the area.

"Long live, Tonan-sama!"

"Long live, North City Guard!"

"Long live, Tonan-sama!"

……

'Ding! Gained Nizato Tomoya's acknowledgment.'

'Ding! Gained Koshikawa Sota's acknowledgment.'

'Ding! Gained Kasai Kazumi's acknowledgment.'

……

Tonan raised his eyebrows slightly when he heard the system's prompt sounds in his ears. This was an unexpected gain! It was just that these ordinary people were not very useful. After they die, he would inherit some craftsmanship or similar abilities.

Tonan coughed and raised his hand. Immediately, the tsunami-like hubbub ceased. He then called out with a strict face, "North City Guard, heed my order."

"We are here, Tonan-sama."

"Squad leaders, step forward and execute these criminals."

More than a dozen North City Guard squad leaders stepped forward in succession, pulled out their swords, and walked behind the human traffickers.

Knowing they were about to die, the prisoners began to frantically beg for mercy.

"Spare my life… our crime isn't enough to execute us."

"We didn't kill anyone. According to the Land of Fire law, we shouldn't be executed."

Tonan snorted coldly and righteously said, "I knew you would use laws to pressure me. Do it, I want to see who'll trouble me after killing monsters like these. Going against the public is the same as going against me. Is there anyone who dares to go against the people?"

After Tonan finished speaking, he glanced at the Guardian Residence's Chief, Uekawa Ozora, who was rushing over. Ozora's step suddenly halted and his complexion turned ugly and strange.

"My Lord, what's wrong?" a trusted subordinate asked in confusion. Ozora glanced at Tonan with a deep look and gritted his teeth, "Return." He ordered all his subordinates to turn back.

Puchi

Puchi

North City Guard executed all human traffickers and the onlooking civilians clapped in high glee.

'Ding! Gained Ishide Keigo's acknowledgment.'

'Ding! Gained Matsunoo Asami's acknowledgment.'

'Ding! Gained Hanaya Megumi's acknowledgment.'

……

After the execution was over, the North City Guard began to clean the bloodstains on the ground. Tonan waved to the enthusiastic crowd and returned to the mansion using the Body Flicker Technique.

In a large room in the mansion, the rescued children were curled up in a corner. Many of them weren't aware they were already saved. They thought they were imprisoned in a different place.

No one dared to make a sound since last night. Even though they were enough, they could only endure it. There was even a little girl, who had fainted due to hunger.

Creak

Tonan pushed open the door with a bright smile but immediately saw the fainted girl. He rushed to her and hugged her in his arms, asking with a frown, "What's going on here?"

At this time, Ao quickly walked to Tonan's side, leaned over, and replied, "My Lord, she must've fainted due to hunger."

Slap!

Tonan slapped Ao and yelled, "Why didn't you give them food yet?"

Ao immediately knelt on the floor and lowered his head, "Sorry, this was my negligence."

Tonan snorted and waved his hand, "No salary for a year. Leave immediately and arrange food for all of them. Also, bathing water and new clothes."

"Yes, My Lord," Ao quickly got up and ran outside. Not long after, a group of attendants came into the room with food and placed them in front of each child, one by one.

These children swallowed a mouthful of saliva and stared at Tonan with vigilant eyes. Tonan scooped rice porridge with a spoon to feed the little girl in his arms.

He then said in a gentle tone, "Eat, no need to worry, there are no bad people here. With me, no one will bully you in the future."

Hearing his words, the children immediately reached out to grab the food in front of them and continuously stuffed it into their mouths. Tonan looked at them with a sad face and softly said, "Eat slowly or else you'll choke. Later, tell me what you want to eat."

After being fed for a while, the little girl in his arms also woke up. Getting Tonan's permission, she too grabbed the food and stuffed it into her mouth.

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Chapter 81: The Bathing Task, Discreet Inquiries

Half an hour later, the rescued children had eaten their fill, regaining some of their strength. Uchiha Tonan smiled, wiping the residual food off the little girl's mouth. He then said to the children, "Let's go, I'll take you to clean up."

The children had already lowered their guard against him. They followed him to a bathroom. Although it was said to be a bathroom, it was no smaller than a bathhouse. Tonan, after all, was the North City Guard's captain, which was considered neither too big nor too small an official in the Fire Capital. Even with a group of children dipping in, the bathing pool didn't seem crowded.

Since the children were all young, Tonan didn't separate the boys and the girls. It was unknown how much filth they were contaminated with because the pool turned black as soon as they entered the water.

However, Tonan didn't mind. In any case, the source of this pool was flowing water. After a while, when he felt they had dipped in enough, he began calling them over individually to personally help wash their bodies.

Looking at the little girl in front of him, he said in distress, "Poor child, you're so dirty."

The girl's mouth shriveled, and her eyes were filled with tears as she weakly said, "Lord…"

Tonan smiled and dotingly flicked her forehead with his finger, "No need to be so formal, call me Oni-san."

The sudden and unexpected gentleness made the girl, who had been frightened for the past few days, unable to restrain her emotions. She threw herself into Tonan's arms and sobbed, "Oni-san…"

Tonan smiled and lightly patted her back. He said to the children in the pool, "You all can address me as Oni-san hereafter, and just treat this place like your own."

"Boo hoo…"

"Oni-san…"

"Oni-san…"

……

After washing the little girl up, he used clean water to rinse her. "Alright, soak in for some more time. This hot spring water is good for the body."

Tonan put the little girl back into the pool and pulled another little boy out. While washing him, he asked, "What's your name?"

The little boy raked his brain but couldn't answer. He shook his head blankly. Tonan smiled faintly and asked, "You can't remember? It's alright. I'll find a sensei in a few days for you all and ask him to name you as well."

The little boy hesitated for a moment, and then moved his head closer and kissed Tonan's face, "Thank you, Oni-san…"

Although the little boy was not particularly sensible, he liked the man in front of him, who gave him a deep sense of security. Tonan gently rubbed the little boy's head, "You're really a good child." The water in his hand soaked the little boy's hair, and his big palm seemed to be able to wrap his entire head.

By now, Sarutobi Shinnosuke was informed about what happened in the morning and he hastily arrived at the North City Guard Residence.

Yoshiwara Ao greeted him and brought him to the living room. He poured a cup of tea and bowed, "Shinnosuke-sama, please drink tea and wait for a while."

Shinnosuke nodded and looked around, but couldn't see Tonan, "Has Tonan gone out?"

Ao smiled and put down the teapot. He pointed towards the backyard and answered, "Tonan-sama is bathing the orphans. Do you want me to notify him of your arrival?"

Shinnosuke touched his chin and shook his head, "No need, I'll find him myself." He got up and walked towards the backyard. In some aspects, Shinnosuke inherited Sarutobi Hiruzen's true qualities. Even though he was green in some aspects, the apple doesn't fall too far from the tree.

While passing by the bathroom window, he stopped and looked in through the gap. He saw Tonan instructing the children while washing their bodies.

Tonan's movements were very gentle as if he was afraid of hurting the children. Shinnosuke had an understanding smile. After staying at the window for a while, he returned to the living room and sat down, waiting for Tonan while drinking tea, and thinking to himself.

"Even if father hadn't said anything, from what I just saw, it's not hard to see that Tonan is different from the other Uchihas. Not only is he kind, but also caring. Perhaps, for ordinary people, this is a good character and a rare virtue. But for ninjas, it's a fatal flaw, if taken advantage of…"

"But… those who have flaws are easier to control."

Bathing the children was a big task. Tonan was busy all the way to the afternoon by the time he finally finished up. After bathing them, he led the children to the dormitory prepared for them.

The dormitory was warm. Tonan had instructed the attendants to clean it meticulously so that the homeless children could feel the comfort. After going through so much, they were physically and mentally exhausted.

Finally seeing a warm, livable place, perhaps, because the previous experience was still fresh in their memories, the children didn't dare cry even though their eyes brimmed with tears.

"Alright, you all wouldn't have got good rest yesterday. This is your dorm and you all have your beds. If you're hungry, eat some snacks by the bedside, and rest."

Under his supervision, the children settled on the beds and looked at him with attachment. Seeing they had finally relaxed, a gentle smile appeared on Tonan's face.

Tonan had long known that Shinnosuke had come to visit, so after the children were settled, he came to the living room. But the moment he saw Shinnosuke, he pretended to be surprised, "Shinnosuke-senpai, when did you come here?"

As if he was deeply apologetic, he stepped in front of Shinnosuke and bowed before sitting down. "I'm truly sorry for making you wait. I was busy all day long. Why didn't you ask the attendant to notify me?"

Shinnosuke smiled. He didn't seem to mind the wait. He looked at Tonan and said, "It's alright. I heard that you did an amazing job earlier today."

Tonan smiled and shook his head, "That's my duty. I've accepted this mission, I've to do it diligently."

Shinnosuke had seen Tonan dedicating himself to missions and practicing what he preached in many matters. He valued Tonan even more.

"If such a person became loyal to me in the future…"

With the thought of getting closer to Tonan, Shinnosuke began to chat, "How're you doing recently…"

……

The two chatted a lot but because Shinnosuke appreciated Tonan, he kept speaking, and Tonan just smiled or nodded along.

However, Shinnosuke was not too familiar with him and couldn't find common topics. Other than repeatedly expressing concerns, he had nothing to say. Tonan was a little impatient after a while but masked it well.

He shook his head inwardly. He had still not pledged loyalty to Shinnosuke, but Shinnosuke was already behaving so enthusiastic. Shinnosuke hardly realized that trying to get close like this would only make people think he was too anxious and desperate to recruit talent.

Letting anyone think he had no lower limit would just make others lose the sense of reverence. His means of control were unrefined.

Tonan coughed lightly and wanted to change the topic, "The work in the Daimyo Residence must be very boring."

Shinnosuke paused, not quite understanding Tonan's intention behind the question. He replied, "That's not true. I'm guarding First Highness at night, so there's nothing to do at daytime."

Tonan helped Shinnosuke refill his cup while asking casually, "Is First Highness easy to get along with?"

Shinnosuke took the teacup and nodded to express his thanks. Without much thought, he said, "First Highness has a very good temperament, it's just that he's too honest. Compared to Second Highness, who plays around all day long, he's much better though."

Tonan nodded. During this time, he had also learned about the important people in the Fire City through special channels.

"Second Highness must be young… it's expected he'd like to play around."

Shinnosuke drank the tea and said, "First Highness is in his twenties, and Second Highness is also sixteen already. I heard that Daimyo is thinking about finding a tutor for the two. Firstly, to teach First Highness about the miscellaneous government affairs and secondly, to properly control Second Highness's naughty temper. I guess there'll be news soon."

"Looking for a tutor? This might be a chance…"

Tonan narrowed his eyes, mentally noting this information, beginning to make calculations in his heart.

"How is Asuma lately? He should be returning soon to take part in the graduation examination."

When Shinnosuke heard Tonan mention Asuma, he had a worried look and sighed, "He's hanging around prodigal sons all day long these days. Last time, I caught him smoking secretly. I don't even know how to explain it to father when we return."

Tonan smiled faintly and consoled, "He might just be curious, the novelty will pass."

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Chapter 82.1: Reconstruction Technique, Being Abe Seimei

By the time it was dusk, Uchiha Tonan pretended to urge Sarutobi Shinnosuke to stay several times. Shinnosuke, however, was worried that Sarutobi Asuma would go fooling around, so he insisted on leaving.

After sending him off, Tonan returned to his study and sat down. He thought for a moment before calling Yoshiwara Ao and instructing, "Bring me the name list of all residents outside the North City."

Ao was a little startled and carefully asked, "Would that be all, My Lord?"

"That's all."

Although Ao was very confused, he didn't dare guess Tonan's intention. He only did what he was ordered to do. After a while, several attendants entered the study, one after another, with stacks of booklets and placed them on the table.

Because of the sheer volume, it took a lot of time just to move them. After about fifteen minutes, all the booklets were in Tonan's study. Signaling the attendants to withdraw, Tonan used Shadow Clone Technique, creating six clones, and began to read them all.

He completed the task by midnight. After dispersing the shadow clones, his face turned pale and he staggered a little. He returned to the seat and took a sip of tea to relieve his exhaustion.

He also filtered the qualified people in his mind, and after a while, an inexplicable light flashed through his eyes. He muttered, "Abe Seimei…"

The next day, late at night, at the edge of the village outside the Fire Capital, range upon range of hills appeared hazy under the dim moonlight, making people wonder if it was a mirage. On the hills, there were peasant houses scattered here and there, but at this moment, they had already extinguished their lights, leaving tranquil darkness.

These peasant families didn't live in the villages partly because their ancestors hailed from here and partly because they couldn't afford the expensive village houses.

The more one climbed up the hill and walked further from the periphery, the fewer traces of human presence, and denser the forest. The tread forward would gradually lead to remote, densely forested mountains.

Coo coo

The deeper one went, the more cries of birds, snakes, rats, and insects could be heard among the grasses and trees, enough to scare the weak-willed away.

Halfway up a cliff, there was a natural platform. A closer look showed a dilapidated hut on it. The bright moon gently glided in the night sky. The chain of mountains was shrouded under the moonlight, appearing bright but obscure.

The moonlight dyed this side of the cliff silverish white, making it look like a clear mirror. At this moment, an old man, who already had one foot in the grave, was lying in the room, sleeping soundly.

Although the hour was late, the bleak moonlight spilled into the room through the window, illuminating it. Suddenly, a shadow rose gradually, blocking the moonlight, shrouding the entire room.

In the blink of an eye, the room was bright again. Tonan retracted his finger from the fatal acupoint on the old man's stomach. Although there was no expression on Tonan's face, he gave people a sense of indescribable pressure.

He used Sharingan to carefully scan the old man's facial features and body structure. Then, his hands turned into afterimages as he used the Secret Art – Reconstruction Technique.

Tonan's stature slowly became taller, his skin gradually became wrinkled, and many age spots appeared. His pitch-black hair began to change from the roots until his head was fully white.

After ten minutes, Tonan's transformation stopped, and he already looked 80 percent similar to the dead old man. This was also a flaw of the Reconstruction Technique. It could transform people only up to a point because the foundation was that of the technique's user, and hence complete transformation was unachievable.

However, this was enough for Tonan. He took off his clothes and put them in the storage scroll. He retrieved another set from the closet and wore them. He then walked to the chair beside the window and sat down, taking out items from his ninja bag.

He had inherited this Reconstruction Technique from Sanbo Motoyoshi. As the former Anbu Captain, Motoyoshi knew the flaws of the technique as well. To offset these, he had spent a lot of time studying makeup techniques that could fine-tune the face. Tonan named it – Light Makeup.

Outside the window, white pigeons were hovering in the air. Under the moonlight, they looked even whiter and perfect. Tonan stretched his hand out of the window, and a white pigeon landed on it, jumping twice as if it was expressing its excitement.

Tonan smiled gently, caressed its feathers, and instructed, "Remember to lick the blood clean."

The white pigeon nodded as if it was human. Soon after that, Tonan made hand signs and used the Secret Technique – Beast Infestation. The pure white pigeons, turning into pitch-black ferocious birds, pounced on the old man's corpse.

Cloth ripping and flesh-tearing sounds that could send cold shivers down the spine filled up the small house. But Tonan set up a small mirror, carefully fine-tuning his face, not minding what his ninja beasts were doing behind him.

After a short time, as much as to drink a cup of tea, Tonan looked at the mirror. There was a reflection of an old man. The cheekbones on both sides were protruded sharply, and the withered triangular face looked pale grey under the bleak moonlight.

The eyes, however, were deep and serene like an ancient pond, very unlike this body's age. But there was no contact lens in this world. Tonan had no means to change it. Except for the eyes, his current appearance was practically the same as that of the dead old man.

"These eyes are the defect, but it shouldn't be a problem," Tonan muttered to himself, stroking his beard. The old man's appearance initially looked like that of a starving victim. But with this set of eyes, it strikingly resembled a hawk.

The old man's corpse, along with his clothes, had been devoured by the white pigeons. The beasts had also already returned to their original appearance. They had thoroughly followed Tonan's instruction and licked even the bloodstains. Once done, they flew out of the hut in succession.

One of the white pigeons flew over to Tonan and gently pecked his head as if to express dissatisfaction. Perhaps, today's meal was not delicious enough for it.

Tonan reached out his hand, grabbed the white pigeon above his head, put it on the window sill, and helplessly said, "You're the pickiest eater. Isn't it good enough to have something to eat?"

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Chapter 82.2: Reconstruction Technique, Being Abe Seimei

After being called out by its owner as a picky eater, as if it was angry, the white pigeon turned around and pointed its butt towards Uchiha Tonan. It cooed some more before spreading its wings and flying away.

Tonan also packed up his things, left the house, and walked up the path along the cliff. After a while, he arrived at the top, and he looked down at the platform below with an indifferent face.

Slowly, he took a few steps back, and he made hand seals.

"Earth Style – Great Mud River."

The ground in front of Tonan turned into a mudflow and gushed down the cliff in torrents. The mudslide submerged the hut on the platform, after which, there was silence again.

Tonan disinterestedly looked at everything with the face of the old man. He then turned around slowly and walked towards the Fire Capital.

The next day at dawn, Tonan, who had transformed into Abe Seimei, leisurely walked towards the northern gate. According to the information he had seen in the booklets, Seimei lived in the forest mountain throughout his years. He had not been in the Fire Capital for at least two decades.

Therefore, he was not worried about someone seeing through his disguise. Since Seimei's proof of identification had long expired, he needed to register again to enter the capital. Tonan lined up and lowered his eyes, trying his best to show the appearance of an old man who had seen the vicissitudes of life.

The North City Guards held weapons, and their physiques were large and imposing. Standing in front of ordinary people, they exuded a strong sense of pressure. At present, they were checking identity proofs of those who were queuing up to enter the city.

When it was Tonan's turn, a North City Guard glanced at the empty-handed old man in front of him. He picked up a sheet and asked as he noted down, "Name, address, occupation, and why do you want to enter the city?"

Tonan hunched over and lightly said, "My name is Abe Seimei, and I've been living in the Zifu Mountain, Dan Tengai. During my younger days, I used to teach in the village. Later, I returned to the mountains to make a living by planting and hunting. But because of the heavy rain a while ago, my house was destroyed by a mudslide. As a result, I've nowhere to go. I'm entering the city to make a living and to plan for the future."

The city guard recorded the general information and handed the sheet to Tonan, pointing him to the pavilion next to the city gate. "Take this sheet, and hand it over to the city guard there. Once he has checked it, you'll get the proof of identification."

Tonan nodded, staggered to the pavilion, and handed over the sheet to the staff inside.

"I know Zifu Mountain, but where is Dan Tengai?" The staff pondered for a long time. In his job, and he has been doing this for a long time now, he knew the names of large and small places outside the northern part of the city. However, he had no impression whatsoever of a place called Dan Tengai.

Unexpectedly though, after the staff searched the cabinet for a long time, he found Zhifu Mountain's register. Browsing through it, he finally found Seimei's information. He picked up a pen and added the words 'Dan Tengai' after Seimei's old address.

After that, he picked up an old black-and-white photo from the register and compared it with Tonan in front of him. Tonan had complete confidence in his transformation. Although deep-layered things couldn't be imitated, the outward appearance was at least ninety percent on point.

This was more than enough to deal with the city guards.

"Old gentleman, you're still full of vigor."

Pop.

The city guard confirmed there was no error and stamped on the proof of identification document, handing it over to Tonan. "This is your proof of identification. It's valid for only three days. After it expires, it needs to be reissued. You can enter the city now."

Tonan took the identity proof and nodded, "Sorry to bother you, little brother."

Meanwhile, Tonan's shadow clone that was left behind in the North City Guard Residence noticed that it was almost time. He ordered Yoshiwara Ao to post a recruitment notice on the external wall of the residence gate.

As soon as the notice was posted, it attracted several onlookers. After the last incident, the North City Guard's reputation had become extremely positive among civilians. The recruitment notice quickly spread.

Anyone who had voluntarily read some books or had some educational background came to the North City Guard to recommend themselves to Ao, who was standing at the gate. The chief attendant followed Tonan's instructions and didn't refuse anyone.

"Ladies and gentlemen, please wait and rest for a while. There is plenty of time, you can please restore your energy first. Tonan-sama prepared this test and it will begin in the afternoon."

"No problem, no problem, Tonan-sama is so kind-hearted. It doesn't matter if we have to wait a few hours."

"Yes, yes, Tonan-sama not only adopted these orphans, but he's also looking for someone to teach them. I'm very happy to be a part of such a good thing."

Because of the notice, and coupled with Tonan's usual strategy of planting con artists among the crowd to manipulate mob mentality, the news spread faster and faster. More came to apply for the job.

On the other side, after wandering a few laps around the city, Tonan slowly came to the North City Guard Residence, and like others, he recommended himself and entered the residence to wait.

By the afternoon, hundreds of candidates had gathered in the hall of North City Guard Residence. Not long after, Tonan's shadow clone came to the hall from the study, bowed slightly to everyone, and apologized, "Sorry, I was tied up with some of the North City Guard's affairs, and made everyone wait."

"No, no, it's alright, we've also just arrived."

"Tonan-sama, you've been working very hard."

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Chapter 83.1: A Comprehensive Exam, Gaining Reputation

Uchiha Tonan's shadow clone walked over to the main seat in the hall and sat down. He sipped a mouthful of tea and said, "The time limit for this test is two hours. When it is completed, I will select only one person among you all. I'm not a professional in this, so the final judgment might not be completely accurate. I can only hope those who are not selected will not be discouraged."

After explaining the terms, shadow clone Tonan signaled Yoshiwara Ao with his eyes. Ao understood his cue and distributed the test papers among the examination participants. When most people saw the content of the test paper, they were dumbfounded.

How was this looking for a teacher for orphans? Those who could answer all these questions correctly would be more than enough to be a teacher of His Highnesses.

The questions on the test papers were all-encompassing. They touched upon different walks of life from the strategy of national governance to craftsmanship to survival in the wild, the questions included everything.

Without a great knowledge reserve, except for the first few, they basically couldn't write the answer to other questions.

However, shock was just shock, they must answer the questions or at least attempt to do so. What if they made a lucky guess? Or, perhaps, their answer would be better than the other people's. With these kinds of thoughts, everyone raised their pens and began to diligently write answers to each of the questions.

The first question was the easiest. It asked them to write a section about themselves, and explain their areas of strength and what they were good at. Most of them honestly wrote they were literate, they could manage people's livelihood, they had studied the ways of business management, and so on.

As for Abe Semei Tonan, the corners of his mouth rose as he wrote…

I started to learn how to read and write from the age of three and began learning the works of the sages at the age of seven. At the age of ten, I lived in the town and refined my heart in the mortal world for twenty years. When I was thirty-seven, I returned to my hometown and lived in seclusion in Dan Tengai.

With rivers and creeks as companions and birds and beasts as neighbors, I concentrated on understanding the world. After staying in Dan Tengai for forty years, I comprehended one technique, two strategies, and six arts.

One technique. Its name is Emperor Heart Technique. It can control civil and military affairs, detect people's hearts, recognize loyal and traitors, and be good at recruiting talents.

Two Strategies. One is called Sweep Over Strategy, which can make the spear of another country attack the shield of the other country, creating great chaos, then sitting back and taking the benefit of the fisherman. The second is called Peaceful Strategy, which can make common people submit willingly, then even the whole country will submit themselves.

After learning one technique and two strategies, the poor can dominate a region, and the rich can acquire the world.

Six Arts – Rites, Hunting, Business, Farming, Reading and Writing, and Arithmetic.

Those who have learned all six arts can become ministers in the palace, and they can be wealthy and noble in front of others.

Abe Seimei Tonan began to officially answer other questions after finishing the self-introduction. Compared to others, who were frowning and barely writing anything, Tonan's pen was moving smoothly without any pauses.

Seeing this, the eyes of people who were sitting beside him almost popped out. It was not that Tonan's knowledge truly broke through the heavens and was unmatched, but these problems, which were difficult for others to answer and almost extraordinary, were, in fact, very easy for him because he was already familiar with the answers.

Half an hour later, Tonan gently put down the pen. He didn't even review his replies and just sat in the same position, closing his eyes. Shadow clone Tonan sitting on the main seat pretended to look around, and his gaze stopped in this direction. He immediately said in confusion, "Old gentleman, why aren't you writing? Are the problems too difficult?"

Tonan didn't open his eyes. He just stroked his beard and said, "They are just questions for children. How can they take so much time to be answered?"

Shadow clone Tonan frowned and looked a bit unhappy. He said, "Old gentleman, you shouldn't be arrogant. These problems span across subjects and are very comprehensive. Even the person who set the questions might not necessarily know the exact answers. Look at everyone here, some of them have not even reached the second set of the questions yet."

Abe Seimei Tonan opened his eyes a little and glanced at other extremely anxious participants. Then, he closed them again and shook his head, "I can't say that I can score hundred points, but it'll not be difficult to score ninety at least."

Seeing his confident demeanor, plus hearing such an arrogantly rude remark, the surrounding participants laughed at Tonan for being conceited.

Since ancient times, scholars tend to scorn each other. Even though he was unable to answer all the questions, he actually opened his mouth to say these questions were for children. It was simply absolute nonsense!

Some people were dissatisfied with Abe Semei Tonan in their hearts and snorted inwardly. He, however, sat still with his eyes closed, retaining his calm look, and completely ignoring people's gazes.

Meanwhile, shadow clone Tonan seemed to be unable to bear his rudeness and slight. Therefore, he got up with a displeased look, walked over to Abe Seimei Tonan, and picked up the test papers to look at them.

Everyone secretly rejoiced and looked over to watch the North City Guard Captain put the old man in his place. Contrary to their hopes though, the captain trembled and nearly fell to the ground. Eventually, he collected himself and placed his hands on the table to support himself, barely able to stay upright.

Ao quickly stepped forward to support shadow clone Tonan. By now, everyone's attention was attracted and they all turned their gazes towards the shadow clone.

They all saw that the shadow clone was trembling. His forehead was filled with cold sweat, and his lips were trembling as if he had seen something unbelievable.

"Impossible… impossible…"

Chapter 83.2: A Comprehensive Exam, Gaining Reputation

Just when everyone thought that something had happened to the North City Guard captain, who was Uchiha Tonan's shadow clone, the captain turned to look at Abe Seimei, who was none other than the real Tonan in disguise, with a shocked expression.

The exam participants were expecting Tonan to rebuke the old man who thought that this tough, all-encompassing test was fit for children but the mighty captain was barely able to stand after seeing the answers. Immediately after, the shadow clone knelt on the ground, and paid respect to Tonan, "Elderly gentleman, your talent can bring both heaven and earth under your control. Please accept this bow as a sign of my deepest respect."

At this moment, Abe Seimei Tonan opened his eyes under everyone's stunned gazes, and calmly said, "Lord, you don't need to do this, I made this trip just to make a living."

The shadow clone got up from the ground, and instructed Ao, "Immediately go and prepare a banquet for the elderly gentleman." He then stepped forward to help Abe Seimei Tonan get up, and diligently said, "Elderly gentleman, let's please go over to my study so you can rest for some time."

After helping Tonan get up, the shadow clone looked around the hall, "Everyone, please accept my apologies but the test for this position ends here."

All the participants were extremely curious seeing how the events unfolded. Finally unable to restrain themselves, someone asked, "My Lord, may we please ask you to show us this elderly gentleman's answers so that we can be convinced of our loss without regrets."

These people did come with good intentions given the growing goodwill towards the North City Guards after Tonan's feat of cracking down the human trafficking organizations. Inevitably, however, human nature wouldn't be satisfied being rejected even before they had a chance to answer all the questions.

Especially, since the person who won against them was an old man, who looked like he had a foot in the grave. The shadow clone hesitated for a moment but shook his head and resolutely replied, "Sorry, the words of the sages cannot be disclosed lightly. Please return."

Hearing this, everyone felt even more restless. They looked at each other in dismay, wanting in their hearts nothing more than to figure things out. However, since they had been firmly refused, albeit unwilling, they could only get up and leave.

Some people still took the unfinished test papers with them, planning to carefully think about the questions after they went back. Not surprisingly, a few days later, the test questions were widely circulated among the capital. As days passed by, more people came to know about what transpired in the North City Guard on the examination day for teacher recruitment.

Someone even managed to access Seimei's information using unusual channels. Gradually, all the Fire City scholars were discussing the deeds of Abe Seimei. Everyone was curious as to why Seimei, who had appeared out of nowhere, was deemed a sage.

Most of the Fire Capital officials were civil officials, who belonged to the literary circle. These conversations gradually made their way to their ears as well. At first, many didn't believe there would be such a distinguished man, but when they saw the very comprehensive test questions, they too bought into the rumors.

As the saying goes, there was no vain scholar of great reputation. The more people discussed Seimei, the more the officials became curious about him. Some even came to the North City Guard Residence in person, hoping to meet this so-called heaven-defying sage.

However, no matter how high the officials' positions were, they were all turned away by the attendants as per Tonan's instructions.

"Seimei-sama doesn't want to meet guests at the moment. Your Excellency, we can only request you to kindly return."

"Didn't you inform him that I'm the Internal Affairs Minister?"

"I did, but Seimei-sama said he just wanted to study at ease and teach the younger generations."

"In that case, could you ask Tonan-sama to show me Abe Seimei's answers to the test questions?"

"Sorry Your Excellency, Tonan-sama said that the words of the sages cannot be passed lightly. If they fall into the hands of people with ulterior motives, it can shake the very foundations of the Land of Fire."

The more the attendants explained, the more mysterious Seimei's image became in front of these officials. The Internal Affairs Minister was no exception and became even more eager. After being rejected several times, there was nothing he could do to dispel his edginess.

"Alas…" The Internal Affairs Minister sighed deeply but he could only turn around and leave dejectedly once again. There were many passers-by outside the North City Guard Residence. When they saw this, they gathered together to converse with greater interest.

"Seimei-sama must really be truly amazing. This is already the twelfth high-ranking official that had come to visit him."

"I heard that he is very knowledgeable. He had completed the entire test before the others had yet to finish the first few questions."

"Moreover, he said that… the questions were for children."

"I have seen the questions. Honestly speaking, except for the first part that was about self-introduction, I couldn't answer any of the other questions."

At night, the Fire Capital was brightly lit. In the North City Guard Residence attic, Tonan, who had turned into Seimei, stood at the window with his hands behind his back.

His face filled with wrinkles had a pair of black eyes that resembled the abyss. He turned his head slightly and looked towards the Daimyo Residence located at the center of the Fire Capital.

"The line is long enough…. how much more will it take for you to get hooked?"

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Chapter 84.1: A Seething Daimyo, Ministers' Recommendation

The next day brought in a clear, cloudless sky. The sunlight appeared indistinct, and looking around, only a few birds could be spotted here and there, painting a rather desolate picture.

At the Daimyo Residence, the spacious courtyard was spotless, lined up with many neatly trimmed flower beds. The red pillars along the corridor were vibrant as if they were just painted. A few rare birds moved around in the flower garden on both sides of the path, from the residence's gate to the main hall.

Their chirps and tweets added some vitality to this otherwise serene residence. Many servants were busy bustling about their chores with their heads lowered. Everything seemed to be in perfect order.

In the main hall, the Land of Fire Daimyo was seated behind a curtain. A step below, a group of ministers and aides sat in a seiza-style on both sides. In the middle, two young men sat in a seiza-style as well. One looked thin and gentle, but a little dull on a closer look. The other one was fat and younger, a hint of cunningness occasionally fleeting through his eyes.

These were the First Highness and the Second Highness of the Land of Fire. When the Daimyo looked at the First Highness, his eyes were filled with appreciation. The smile on his face couldn't be concealed as he softly said, "Naraku, I heard that you've been shutting yourself in your room to read all day long. You should also go out for some leisure activities when you have got the time. Don't exhaust yourself."

"Thank you for your concern, father," the First Highness bowed at the figure behind the curtain, but the expression on his face didn't change. The Daimyo shifted his gaze to the Second Highness, and his expression changed completely.

He frowned, looking at this troublesome son, and sighed, "As for you, Nahara, do you even reflect on the kind of things you do?"

The Second Highness objected to the Daimyo's question, "I've been honestly staying in the mansion this entire time, father."

"And what have you been doing in the mansion? You're old enough to know the good from the bad or do you still need me to tell you about your actions?"

The Daimyo was trying his best to control his temper. There was much he wanted to say but he couldn't ruin his son's reputation else he would become a topic of gossip, which would be unbecoming of the family's stature.

Unable to differentiate the good from the bad, Second Highness muttered in response, "I was just having fun with a few girls. I bought them with my money, what's wrong with that?"

The Daimyo hadn't expected his son to make such indecent remarks in front of so many high-ranking officials. His restrain finally broke and he rebuked, "You dare to speak like this!"

Initially, the ministers sitting in the front had a neutral attitude, as if this did not interest them. After all, there was nothing new about this kind of conversation between this father and son but when the Daimyo was visibly enraged, it was a bad idea for them to continue this. They hastily consoled…

"Your Majesty, calm your anger. Second Highness is young and ignorant. Don't get furious over something like this."

"Yes, Your Majesty, your health is most important."

"Your Majesty, please calm your anger."

The Daimyo also realized by now that he had lost his sense of propriety at that moment. After calming down, using a tone of being completely disappointed, he said, "Two days later, I'll find you a teacher, and let him handle your temperament. Naraku, this teacher will also explain government affairs to you. Be attentive and do your best to learn from him."

The First Highness earnestly replied, "Thank you, father."

Seeing his eldest son being so obedient, well-behaved, and hardworking, the Daimyo's heart was comforted a little. The Second Highness on the side looked reluctant and perfunctorily replied, "Thank you, father." Seeing his expression, the little comfort faded and the Daimyo was upset again. He waved his hand and said, "Alright, this is enough for today. Both of you withdraw now."

After his two sons bowed and left the main hall, the Daimyo calmed down and looked at his many ministers, "I wonder if any of you have any recommendations of suitable candidates who could take this teaching position."

Just when the ministers were discussing among each other, the Internal Affairs Minister stepped forward and said, "Your Majesty, a genius has appeared in the Fire Capital recently, and his fame has spread throughout the city. I think he is qualified to teach the two Highnesses."

But the Daimyo only lowered his eyes in response. He didn't think a civilian genius could teach the sons of the ruling family. Therefore, he waited for the other ministers to give their suggestions =.

Hearing the Internal Affairs Minister's recommendation though, another minister immediately stepped forward and added, "Your Majesty, I too have heard that the rumored person is very talented, and he was able to answer several questions which ordinary people cannot handle with ease."

The Daimyo raised his eyebrow with interest and asked, "Is that true?"

"The rumor has spread throughout the city. I too think we should give this person a chance."

Many ministers supported the suggestion of the two ministers. They had been subjected to the discussion among people for a long time now but they had never seen the person in question's real appearance. Because everyone who went to visit him was turned away, they couldn't help but be more curious about this genius.

If the Daimyo was to send someone to invite him to teach the two highnesses, the North City Guard's people would have no way to refuse them. Then, they would also be able to sate their curiosity.

The Daimyo thought for a moment, and asked the Internal Affairs Minister, "In that case, do you know where he lives and his identification details?"

The Internal Affairs Minister immediately lowered his head hearing these questions and said with an embarrassed look, "I only know that this great talent is named Abe Seimei, and he is from the Zifu Mountain area outside the northern city. As for other particulars, I don't know anything."

The Daimyo's interest faded and there was dissatisfaction in his tone, "When you don't know him well, how can you recommend him? What if he's a spy sent by an enemy country?"

Although the Daimyo didn't know Seimei's background and had apprehensions, eventually he too wondered about this amazing genius. After thinking for a while, he asked, "What are the rumors about him? Tell me."

"It all started when the North City Guard…"

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Chapter 84.2: A Seething Daimyo, Minister's Recommendation

The Internal Affairs Minister recounted the entire story from the beginning of the North City Guard's hunt for a teacher for the orphans rescued from human traffickers to the extremely difficult and comprehensive test paper and finally, the extraordinary performance of one examination participant, whose answers were described as words of the sages that would shake the pillars of a country is carelessly shared.

Based on the rumors that were not only doing the rounds in the literary circles but also on the streets among common people, the other ministers also pitched in from time to time showing just how much this matter had been fanned in recent days. After listening to his ministers, the Daimyo stroked his beard, and narrowed his eyes slightly, "But these, after all, are just rumors. There is no basis for them or even something promising about it How can we be sure of anything or decide anything based on just this."

The Internal Affairs Minister replied, "Your Majesty, as far as I have been told, Abe Seimei is already teaching the orphans in the North City Guard Residence. I was also told that the captain of the North City Guard is an elite ninja from Konoha who has a good relationship with Shinnosuke-sama."

"How about we ask Shinnosuke-sama to go to the North City Guard and bring back the test papers answered by Abe Seimei? That way, we will be able to tell with some confidence whether this is all just made up or whether he is a truly amazing talent."

Daimyo agreed with this suggestion. In his heart, he too had decided to take a look at these highly rumored test questions. Immediately afterward, he said, "Alright, ask Shinnosuke to go and get the answered test papers. I want to see how good this Abe Seimei is."

If he truly was so incredible, then the Daimyo would bring a person of such intelligence into the Daimyo Residence and make good use of him. The attendants immediately went to Shinnosuke's residence and asked him to go to the North City Guard Residence to ask for Abe Seimei's test papers.

Sarutobi Shinnosuke did not ask too many questions. Just half an hour later, he hastily returned to the Daimyo Residence and came to the hall to hand the test papers to the attendant. He then turned to the Daimyo and respectfully said, "Your Majesty, Uchiha Tonan, the North City Guard Captain, advised that only you can see this content. After reading it, it is up to you to decide whether you would like to show its content to the ministers or not."

"Is that so?" The Daimyo became even more interested in these answers now. After the attendant ensured there were no problems with the papers from a security standpoint, he took them over to the Daimyo, who immediately began reading them.

These test papers had become quite the mystery among the capital's people for some time now. When the ministers saw the actual papers, their eyes lit up and some even stretched their necks in an attempt to see the content. However, because of the curtain, this action proved even more futile than it would have been otherwise.

The Daimyo noticed the restlessness among the ministers below and coughed twice to indicate them to calm down. He then began to start reading from the self-introduction. "Dan Tengai… this name sounds too artistic. Does anyone know where Dan Tengai is?"

The ministers looked at each other in blank dismay and shook their heads, "Never heard of it."

Daimyo nodded and continued to read. When he saw the Emperor Mind Technique, his pupils instantly shrank, and his entire body trembled in shock. He took a deep breath to stabilize his mentality. He subconsciously looked at others on the other side of the curtain, as if to ensure no one could peek into this content, and then slightly raised the test papers as an extra measure.

Immediately afterward, his entire mind was immersed in the answers. Although Tonan didn't write the specific content of one technique, two strategies, and six arts on the test papers, after reading the all-encompassing content on the paper, the Daimyo had already determined that this so-called Abe Seimei was a great talent, who knew everything from the past to the present.

He even believed in the one technique and the two strategies that were introduced in the paper upfront. After reading the test papers, the Daimyo slammed on the table and exclaimed, "Excellent, excellent… this is wonderful!"

Soon, he excitedly instructed an attendant, "Go over right now. Hurry up and bring the information about Abe… Seimei-dono, I want to check it all myself."

Seeing the Daimyo's excitement and his respectful address towards Seimei, the ministers were even more curious. It was like tiny ants were pricking right at their heart and bones. They very much wanted to see those test papers now.

After his command, the Daimyo Residence attendants brought the life history of Seimei invoking various channels. The Daimyo took the information handed over by the attendant and looked at it very carefully.

For a ruler of a country, when a capable person was found, all his information must be investigated thoroughly. Especially if that person would become the teacher of his sons, and therefore gain first-hand entry not only to the Daimyo Residence but also have some access to the internal affairs of the family.

He had to investigate whether the person in question's background was completely clean. If even one small flaw stood out, he wouldn't dare to engage the person at all. Such was the sensitivity a position like this entailed.

The Daimyo read the information several times over, picked up the black and white photo, and scrutinized it while muttering, "His appearance… just at a glance, he's very different from ordinary people. It seems that Seimei-dono's standard is truly very high and he is of a different caliber altogether."

The Daimyo was relieved, and he handed over the information back to the attendant and said loudly, "The morning meeting is over. Summon the guards. I'm going to visit Seimei-domo in person."

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Chapter 85.1: Audience With Daimyo, Draining Pond For Fish

Just when the Daimyo decided to take a trip to the North City Guard to personally meet Abe Seimei, a gate sentry of the Daimyo Residence hastily came to the main hall and leaned his head very close to the hall guard's ear. He whispered something, hearing which, the hall guard was visibly surprised.

"Are you certain he said his name is Abe Seimei?"

The sentry nodded. From their position, the hall guards were privy to the discussions happening inside. They knew the Daimyo was preparing to visit this very same person, who was standing at their doorsteps at this moment.

This coincidence was too much and the guard hastily ran into the hall. He went down on one knee and said, "Reporting to Your Majesty, a person who calls himself Abe Seimei has come outside and is requesting an audience with you."

Hearing this, the Daimyo was dumbfounded. He inwardly thought, "This truly is extraordinary!" He promptly ordered, "Be quick and immediately invite him in."

Soon, Uchiha Tonan who had transformed into Abe Seimei walked into the Daimyo Residence with an attendant leading the way. His steps were steady and unhurried. With one hand in front of his chest and the other hand behind his back, he walked with a noble bearing.

He ignored the curious eyes of the ministers and aides on both sides and went straight to the curtain. He said with a bow, "Abe Seimei of Dan Tengai pays respect to Your Majesty, the Daimyo."

The ministers finally saw the rumored genius, and couldn't restrain themselves from breaking into hushed discussions…

"Is he the rumored Seimei-dono? Just at a glance, anyone can see that he's a gentleman."

"Yes, I agree…. his aura, his walking posture, ordinary people could never be able to exude such an aura."

"On a solemn occasion like this, it is questionable whether ordinary people could even stably stand. But I can see there is no fear in Seimei-dono's eyes. Moreover, his gestures are outstanding."

Hearing the hall break into a buzz, the Daimyo sat up straight and coughed twice. The ministers realized their behavior was rather unsophisticated and silence was restored.

The Daimyo began to size up the venerable gentleman in front of him through the curtain and waved his hand, "You don't need to be so polite, Seimei-dono."

Tonan slowly raised his head and looked straight at the Daimyo behind the curtain. It was a gaze that made the seasoned ruler subconsciously hold his breath. Although the aged man looked well along in years, his eyes were deep and serene, giving off a suffocating sense of pressure.

The Daimyo subconsciously swallowed a mouthful of saliva, and with a stiff smile on his face, he asked, "Is it possible that you guessed I was about to pay a visit to you, Seimei-dono?"

Tonan slowly stroked his beard and looked around, smiling without saying a word. This demeanor made the Daimyo feel the person in front of him was mysterious and unpredictable.

He hesitated for a while and glanced at the ministers behind. It took him a moment but he then understood what Seimei's gesture meant. He instructed his ministers, "You are all dismissed now. I would like to speak to Seimei-dono alone for some time."

The ministers looked at each other and responded in unison, "Yes, Your Majesty." They then proceeded to leave the hall in succession following the order. However, after stepping out of the Daimyo Residence, they stopped at the door and waited as if they had a tacit understanding. Looking at each other, some of them admitted…

"It appears you have the same thoughts as me."

"Such a talent… we must definitely befriend him and seek advice."

"It would be foolish if we didn't."

………

After everyone left the hall, Tonan and the Daimyo were left alone. However, neither of them spoke, and the atmosphere was turning to be a bit awkward. After a few minutes of stalemate, it was the Daimyo who was the first to open his mouth.

He solemnly asked, "Seimei-dono, I wonder if you can tell me about your one technique and two strategies."

Tonan narrowed his eyes. He had expected the Daimyo would be interested in these concepts and he was prepared with the response that most suited his purpose. He replied, "Your Majesty, one technique and two strategies are not ordinary. Even if one is aware of them, it is not easy for just anyone to use them."

"The Emperor Heart Technique, in particular, requires supervision of a great teacher and hard training of the mind for a long time. Only this can help achieve a state where the mind is free of worries, joy, and rage. The process is painful and long. It's beyond conventional human tolerance. More importantly, the younger the one who is learning it, the better."

One reason why Tonan didn't explain it now was that he hadn't thoroughly compiled the content of this so-called one technique and two strategies. Saying too much might just arouse suspicion.

The Daimyo remained silent for a long time after hearing Tonan's reply. He understood the implication of these words after mulling over them for a while. One technique and two strategies should emphasize tempering people's dispositions.

The younger the age, the simpler the temperament. No matter what one learns at this age, they have to the ability to accept it faster.

The Daimyo nodded his head and asked, "Seimei-dono, I do have a question. If my successor learns this, will he be able to reach the stage you mentioned in the test papers?"

Tonan stroked his beard and answered, "I wouldn't dare to make any absurd claims but I am confident that after learning them, he can absolutely unify the world and end the turbulent days. I'm seventy percent certain that he can become worthy of the name, the Daimyo of the Land of Fire."

Tonan's words were like a spell that left only silence in its wake. The prevailing quietness was such that one could even hear the slightly rapid breathing of the Daimyo as if he was suppressing his restless frame of mind.

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Chapter 85.2: Audience With Daimyo, Draining Pond For Fish

After a long time, the Land of Fire Daimyo seemed to have made up his mind and said in a sincere tone, "In that case, I earnestly request Seimei-dono to teach my children. Naraku is my successor. I want you to teach him one technique and two strategies. I want him to also gain broader knowledge so that he'll be able to govern the Land of Fire better in the future."

"As for Nahara, he is mischievous and unruly. I want you to discipline him and tone down his temper."

As soon as the Daimyo said this, Uchiha Tonan's objective was achieved. He didn't bother to continue being pretentious and directly bowed to him, "It's an honor for an old man like me to be able to teach the two highnesses. I had wanted to find a suitable person to pass down my knowledge. If the First Highness inherits them, I'll rest assured. I'll exhaust all that I've learned over the years and devote everything to teach the two highnesses."

The Daimyo was slightly excited hearing Tonan's solemn vow. If what Seimie said was true, then Naraku would be able to get rid of the ninja village and the Hokage's restraint, and the Daimyo could completely control the Land of Fire. Once the pattern was broken, the opportunity was limitless.

He suppressed the growing exhilaration in his heart and slightly nodded, "I can assure you Seimei-dono that after Naraku succeeds to the throne and truly becomes the Daimyo worthy of the name, you'll be a great official of the Land of Fire, enjoying the power to supervise the country."

"For the next few years, I'll not give you an official position but your treatment will not be lacking in any way. In fact, I advise you might as well move to the Daimyo Residence, it'll be convenient for you to teach them."

Tonan, however, shook his head and replied, "I've already promised Tonan-sama to teach the orphans. On human grounds, I cannot break my promise. I'd like to continue living in the North City Guard Residence with your permission, Your Majesty."

……

Tonan and Daimyo discussed several things. Only the two of them and the four secret guards knew what they talked about in the hall. It was noon by the time Tonan politely declined the Daimyo's request to stay and insisted on returning to the North City Guard Residence to teach the orphans.

As soon as he stepped out, the group of officials that had been waiting outside the mansion for a long time, rushed over and surrounded him. They respectfully greeted, "It's an honor to meet you, Seimei-dono."

Tonan returned the greeting calmly, "The pleasure is mine to meet the Lords."

"Seimei-dono, you don't need to be polite with us. I guess you've already agreed to His Majesty's wish to teach the two highnesses."

"Yes."

"In that case, after the First Highness inherits the Daimyo's position, you'll be given the official post of at least the Grand Minister. At that time, we'll have to rely on you."

"For me, authority is ephemeral," Tonan replied, shaking his head, bearing a remarkable resemblance to a great sage who was beyond the desires of the world.

"I wonder if I can invite Seimei-dono to my residence. Everyone wants to speak with you and hear some of your thoughts."

"I must apologize. I've to go back to the North City Residence to teach the children." Tonan bade farewell to the ministers after a short conversation, declining their repeated invitations, and quickly headed towards the North City Guard Residence.

"That was too disrespectful of him."

"Such a conceited and arrogant person is doomed to fall sooner or later."

"Don't make random guesses of such a talent."

"Yes, Seimei-dono has just accepted to become the teacher of the rescued orphans. He has to fulfill his duty."

"Let's just wait until he is free."

Looking at Abe Seimei Tonan's fast retreating back view, the officials behind him continued chatting and discussing.

………

In the evening that day, at the garden of the North City Guard Residence, the setting sun was emitting a soft and gentle light. The children were running around and playing in the garden.

Tonan sat under the eaves, taking in this scene quietly as he drank his tea.

"Alright, it's time to eat. Don't play any longer."

"Oni-san, why don't you come together with us?"

"I have some work to do. You all must eat in time and go to bed early. If you don't get enough sleep, you won't grow taller. Come on, go ahead…"

"Oni-san, hug, hug…"

"I also want it, I also want it…"

Tonan hugged the children one by one and coaxed them to go into the house. After getting along for the past few days, exactly as he planned, he had gained the acknowledgment of all the children.

"Tonan-sama is truly affectionate," Yoshiwara Ao, who was standing at a side, said in a pandering tone.

"They are gifts bestowed to me by the heavens, delicate like these flower buds," Tonan said as he picked up a watering can and carefully sprinkled the flowers in the garden.

"I hope you all will grow up quickly."

Ao, who had been accompanying Tonan, smiled, "Are you talking about these flowers or those children, Tonan-sama?"

Tonan chuckled and shook his head without answering. After a while, he handed the watering can to Ao and took the gardening shears from him. He carefully trimmed the flowers and plants.

Other than the sounds of insects, there were only the sounds of him trimming flowers and plants. A long time later, Tonan suddenly said, "Ao."

Ao hastily bowed, "Did you need something, Tonan-sama?"

Tonan's hands kept moving, and without a change in his expression, he casually said, "I'll give you three days. Find out all black casinos, black brothels, smuggling dens, and gangs' strongholds in our jurisdiction."

Ao frowned hearing this and said, "My Lord, you want to…"

Tonan interrupted, "Obviously, it is to serve common people, and remove these cancers of society."

Ao hesitated for a bit, not comprehending why Tonan wanted to do this. These underground organizations handed over a significant sum of money to the North City Guard Residence every month.

If they were pulled out in one fell swoop, they could earn a huge fortune quickly but it would be like draining the pond to get all the fish. For a long time in the future, there would be no underground organizations outside the northern part of the city.

In his opinion, this was not a good strategy. Therefore, looking confused, he said, "But My lord, if you did this…"

Before he finished speaking, the scissors in Tonan's hand suddenly stopped. He turned around and gave Ao a deep look. Ao was so frightened that his back was drenched with cold sweat.

He immediately knelt on the ground and kowtowed Tonan, "My Lord, forgive me, I spoke too much."

Tonan quietly looked at Ao, who continuously banged his head on the ground. Only after a considerable period of time, by when Ao's forehead was already bloody, did Tonan turn around and continued to trim the flowers and plants again.

"Knowing one's mistake is good. You've been with me for some time now. Considering our time spent together so far, I'll spare your life this time."

Ao was frightened out of his wits and instantly felt joy. He hastily thanked, "Many thanks, My Lord."

Tonan brought the scissors in front of him, and gently wiped off the bits and pieces of plants from it. He then threw it in front of Ao, and looking down at him, he said, "Come here, teach yourself a lesson."

Ao gulped and glanced at Tonan. He knew how terrifying the temperament of the person in front of him was. Therefore, without begging for any mercy, he picked up the shears with a trembling hand and stretched out just his little finger.

He immediately closed his eyes and hardened his heart, gritting his teeth.

"Ah," Ao let out a muffled groan and a little finger fell to the ground. Bright red blood flowed out of his hands, looking very gory.

Ao felt great pain, but he forcibly tolerated it and didn't dare make a sound. He only covered his wound. His face was already filled with cold sweat, blue veins popping out.

Tonan glanced at him, and said, "I don't think it's enough."

Ao gritted his teeth and nodded. Continuing to endure the pain, he stretched out his ring finger again.

"As I was saying Ao, people must always know their position. Don't get carried away with just small contributions. Your job is to only comply with my instructions and not do anything lesser or more than that."

Tonan shook his head while plucking out a daisy flower from the flower garden. He then brought it near his nose and sniffed it. His face was filled with an intoxicated hue.

"Go and bandage your hand. Remember to disinfect it to prevent the wounds from festering."

Ao kowtowed heavily and said while trembling, "Many thanks… for your concern…, My Lord."

Tonan carelessly threw the daisy flower and strode past Ao, who was still kneeling, and walked towards his study with both hands on his back.

"When you go back, ask someone to clean up this place. It's reeking of blood."

"Yes…"

Chapter 86: Teaching Begins, Ruthless Punishment

Early the next morning, Uchiha Tonan changed into Abe Seimei's appearance and came to the Daimyo Residence. Looking at the magnificent surroundings, Tonan put his hands on his back and walked in slowly.

"Seimei-sama, please come with me." The guards outside the Daimyo Residence were notified about his arrival earlier and led him to the study hall. Naraku and Nahara hadn't arrived yet.

"Seimei-sama, please drink tea here, and wait for a while."

Tonan sat down and took a sip of tea. He also instructed the attendant, "I need a whip, rope, stake, cold water, candle, and also a sword."

The attendant was slightly taken aback, not knowing why this old gentleman wanted these things. However, he didn't ask much and just nodded, "Alright, Seimei-sama."

Soon, the attendant brought everything. He put the stakes in the courtyard as instructed, and the other things were placed in the corridor outside the study hall.

Half an hour later, both the highnesses walked into the study hall together. Along the way, the Nahara was playing around. He looked here and there, touching this and that. He hardly had any intention to go to the study hall.

In stark contrast to his younger brother, Naraku seemed to be a lot more sensible. When Nahara entered the door, he smiled perfunctorily at Tonan, who was sitting with his eyes closed. He then walked to the seat and casually sat down.

As for Naraku, he stood at the door and bowed to Tonan, greeting politely, "Seimei-sensei."

Only after Tonan slightly nodded did he walk to the seat and sat upright. At this moment, Tonan opened his eyes and leisurely said, "I'll lecture you both for three hours every day and then spend another hour testing you. Now, we'll start the class, listen to me carefully."

Immediately afterward, Tonan began his lecture. Naraku listened carefully. Sometimes, he frowned, and sometimes, he nodded a little. As for Nahara, his drool was already dripping on the table.

……

The time passed quickly and the lecture was complete. Tonan gave them the test papers and signaled they could begin answering. Naraku picked up the pen and recalled the lecture's content. Adding his understanding, he began answering sincerely.

Whereas, Nahara's drool was now soaking the test papers…

After an hour, Tonan looked at the dazzling sun outside. It was already noon. He got up and walked over to collect the test papers.

Perhaps, his movement was a bit too strong waking Nahara up. He straightened a bit and wiped the drool off his mouth. "Is the class over?"

Tonan, who had already returned to his seat, put his blank test paper aside and picked up Naraku's test paper.

While looking at it, he said, "Second Highness, you can go back and rest."

As if waiting to hear this, Nahara got up and left the study hall.

"As for the First Highness, you…" Tonan's complexion became very gloomy, and raising the test paper, his frown became deeper.

Soon after, he crumpled the test paper into a ball and threw it at Naraku's face. "Look at your answers, it's a load of crap! Even a three-year-old child can answer better than you."

Naraku was dumbfounded, looking at the enraged Tonan. He couldn't understand why this teacher was so angry. He had taken the test very seriously, and all the questions were answered after careful consideration.

However, he was always well-behaved and had paid attention to etiquette. Facing Tonan's rebuke, he could only stammer, "Seimei-sensei…, I…"

Tonan took a deep breath as if to calm his anger. He then pointed at the stake in the courtyard outside the study hall, and said with a serious look, "Take off your shirt and stand there with your back against the stake."

Naraku hesitated for a moment but he took off his shirt and walked to the courtyard and stood. Tonan then picked up the rope and tied him to the stake. With a rough rope tied tightly around his body, Naraku was very uncomfortable. Tonan had tied him so tight that he could barely breathe.

"Seimei-sensei, why are you tying me up?"

Naraku was completely unable to move and he suddenly felt anxious. Tonan picked up the whip and replied with a cold smile, "If you don't study properly, you have to suffer a bit."

Crack!

Crack!

Crack!

"Save me!"

Tonan was very heavy-handed. The thick whip lashed at Naraku's body, making him feel so much pain he wanted to die. Anyone who was whipped like this would find it unbearable, not to mention a person like him, who was pampered since childhood.

"The Daimyo has instructed me that if you two don't study properly, I can punish you as I please."

"Why? At least, I wrote the answers but Nahara handed in a blank paper! So why am I being punished?"

Naraku was in great pain and felt injustice. He felt that Tonan was targeting him.

"You dare to talk back to me. Today, I'll teach you what it means to respect a sensei."

Crack!

……

After whipping Naraku for half an hour, Tonan threw the whip away. "Report to the study hall at four o'clock tomorrow morning. Remember to be on time."

The afternoon sun was vicious. After the torture, Naraku's face was pale and his body was sweating. When the sweat touched his wound, it enhanced the sharp pain.

"Yes…" Naraku replied and passed out. Tonan glanced at him and walked out of the courtyard. He called an attendant, and instructed, "Take the First Highness back to rest."

The attendants had already heard the Naraku's wailing. However, the Daimyo had ordered that they couldn't step into the study hall's courtyard without Tonan's command.

As for their First Highness' safety, they didn't need to worry about it. After all, there were secret guards in the Residence. The attendant hastily untied Naraku and helped him leave.

The next day, at four o'clock in the morning, Sarutobi Shinnosuke, who was hidden in the dark, was looking at the stars in the sky, feeling bored. Suddenly, he heard footsteps. He immediately raised his guard and looked in the direction of the sound. He saw Tonan, who was disguised as Abe Seimei.

"He's the First Highness's sensei, Seimei-dono…"

Recalling the Daimyo's special instructions issued to everyone in the residence, Shinnosuke didn't show up. Tonan went straight to Naraku's residence and kicked the door open.

The First Highness, who was in deep slumber, was startled awake and fell off the bed. His head hit on the floor, making him dizzy.

"Do you know what time it is? Disobeying sensei's instruction should be punished."

Tonan picked up Naraku who was only wearing his nightclothes and dragged him to the study hall's courtyard. He tightly bound him to the stake with the rope again.

"Since you like to sleep until late, you can sleep here." Tonan picked up a bucket of cold water and splashed it on him.

Yesterday, Naraku was tortured by Tonan, and now, he was drenched with cold water. Who could endure such treatment?

He was in shock and instantly sobered up. Seeing the white-haired man in front of him, he couldn't help trembling. Meanwhile, Tonan took a sword and a candle from the corner of the corridor and stuck the sheathed sword into the soil.

"If you want to resist me, then pick up the sword and kill me. But now, you're not even qualified to hold a sword."

After speaking, he lit the candle and slowly walked toward Naraku, whose pupils shrank, his face filling with fear. He struggled frantically while screaming, "Let me go… I don't want to study… I don't want to study."

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Chapter 87.1: Wishing Son To Become Dragon, Sowing Discord

"Seimei-dono…" Suddenly, the Daimyo's figure appeared not far away. Uchiha Tonan could instantly sense several pairs of eyes watching him from the shadows. When Naraku saw his father, there was hope in his eyes, and he cried out, "Father, save me."

Tonan put the candle on the ground and walked towards the Daimyo. "Your Majesty, may we speak somewhere else?"

The Daimyo nodded and left the study hall together with Tonan. They walked into the Daimyo Residence's back garden. The Daimyo then asked with a worried look, "Seimei-dono, isn't that too cruel to Naraku?" After all, he was the person who would inherit his position in the future.

Although he believed in Seimei's capability, it was still distressing to see his son in such pain. Seimei's teaching method was truly difficult to accept.

Tonan paused his step and lightly said, "Your Majesty, I wonder if I can say something."

The Daimyo looked at Tonan and nodded, "Seimei-dono, please go ahead."

Tonan placed his hands behind his back and said, "Compassion doesn't control the army, righteousness doesn't control wealth, affection doesn't establish things, virtue doesn't handle officials, and benevolence doesn't hold power. Otherwise, even if you sat in the highest position, you'll easily become a puppet in someone else's hand. There's no construction without destruction…"

The Daimyo was dumbfounded hearing this and stood in the same position in a daze as if he was considering what he just heard.

Tonan bowed to the Daimyo, "This being said, if Your Majesty thinks that it's truly ruthless, then I'll go and untie the First Highness now."

Tonan turned and walked towards the study hall.

"Wait a minute."

Behind him, the Daimyo called Tonan to stop, "Seimei-dono, you can educate Naraku in accordance with your method. If there's anything I need to do, you can just tell me."

Tonan smiled, "Your Majesty, you just need to ignore the First Highness. Even if he wants to complain to you tearfully, you need to endure and not see him."

"No problem," the Daimyo knew now was not the time to be soft-hearted. His great ambition was to have complete authority over the Land of Fire, unlike now when everything relied on Konoha's protection.

Tonan pondered for a while, and added in a low voice, "In addition, Your Majesty, you need to do one more thing, so that it would be smoother for the First Highness to inherit great power in the future."

The Daimyo asked curiously, "What's that?"

"You should pay more attention to the Second Highness. Have him beside you at all times. It's best to go out for a walk with him from time to time. Moreover, in front of other people, don't berate him. Instead brag about him. You must give him enough importance."

"Why?"

"Your Majesty, you've already decided to pass the most honorable thing to the First Highness. You can only compensate the Second Highness in other ways. The First Highness is your son and successor, but the Second Highness is only your son. You should give him fatherly love."

"Or else if the Second Highness holds a grudge in his heart, I'm afraid that after the First Highness succeeds to the throne, they might draw swords at each other. But as long as you act according to my suggestion, even if the Second Highness harbors resentment in the future, his determination would've eroded and he could only be an idle vassal for the rest of his life, unable to do anything worthwhile."

The Daimyo was enlightened and nodded, "You make sense. You are free to do whatever you please and teach him as you want."

After that, they continued to chat for a long time. The Daimyo approved of Tonan's teaching philosophy all the more and he tried his best to cooperate with his plan.

The sky was already bright by the time Tonan alone returned to the study hall's small courtyard. Naraku, who was still tied to the stake, stretched his neck, wanting to see if his father had sought justice for him.

However, he didn't see the person he hoped to and his heart was instantly heavy. Looking at Tonan, who was approaching him step by step with a cold look, he was very frightened. However, he couldn't move. He could only timidly ask, "Where's my father?"

"Humph," Tonan coldly snorted. The candle had already burnt half and was full of liquid wax. The corners of his mouth rose. He picked up the candle and dripped the wax on Naraku's body.

"Ah!" The scalding liquid stuck on his body, making him wail in pain. But the smile on Tonan's face became wider.

"It seems a father's mindset in the ninja world for wishing his son to become a dragon is too strong… he can even endure something like this. The gap between Konoha and the Daimyo is bigger than I thought."

On the other side of the study hall's courtyard wall, the Daimyo hid at one side and eavesdropped. Because he couldn't bear it, he closed his eyes hearing his son's miserable scream, and sighed. He then gritted his teeth, turned around, and left.

At the same time, Tonan felt that the secretly monitoring eyes in the dark had completely disappeared. Presumably, the Daimyo was wary of the guards and didn't want them to hear the content of Tonan's class.

After a while, the half-asleep Nahara staggered into the small courtyard of the study hall. Just as he entered, he was terrified out of his mind seeing the scene in front of him.

When Tonan looked in his direction, he stammered, "Seimei-sensei…, am I… late…"

However, Tonan unexpectedly smiled and nodded, "Second Highness, you came just in time. Go ahead and sit down. I'll come and give a lecture later."

"I thought I'd also be tortured, but I wasn't." Nahara couldn't believe his ears. He swallowed a mouthful of saliva with a guilty conscience and quickly walked into the classroom.

At that moment, Tonan untied Naraku, who fell to his knee and gasped for breath. He wanted to take this chance to relax a little, but he was doused with a bucket of water again, which made him feel especially cold.

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Chapter 87.2: Wishing Son To Become Dragon, Sowing Discord

Uchiha Tonan was cold-blooded and ruthless. Seeing the tortured and drenched Naraku, he said, "Why are you not going into the classroom?"

A hint of resentment and fear flashed in Naraku's eyes, but he didn't dare to utter a word and ran into the classroom. Tonan came to the podium, and gently said to the restless Nahara, "Second Highness, if you haven't slept well, then you can lie down and rest for a while. You need a proper balance between study and rest."

Nahara glanced at the badly beaten Naraku beside him and shook his head, "No thanks, I'm not sleepy."

He was afraid this old man would torture him as well. Therefore, he thought it would be better for him to be obedient. Tonan nodded with a smile at him, and then looked at Naraku with a cold gaze, "First Highness, pay attention to the lecture. The content will be in the test later. If your answer is unsatisfactory, then physical suffering is unavoidable."

The tormented Naraku was still feeling unbearable pain, but he used all his willpower to answer, "Yes…"

"This fellow's physique is much better than I imagined." Tonan narrowed his eyes a little and began the class…

"Sweep Over Strategy is also known as Attack the Heart Strategy. There are three hearts — the king's heart, the minister's heart, and the people's heart. In layman's terms, a country has three forces — the ruler, influential officials, and common people."

"To do anything, the country needs the support of at least two forces. And if you want to secretly control a country, you've to be able to control the will of these three forces. In conclusion, the force is made up of many people. And all people have a common inherent weakness, which is selfishness. So, use benefits to manipulate their will…"

………

Time passed by, and it was near noon. "Time's up, hand in the test papers," Tonan said coldly. Naraku trembled as he handed the test papers to Tonan.

Tonan glanced at it and yelled, "What kind of crap did you write? Did you just mechanically memorize my lecture? Don't you have any insight of your own? You are not allowed to eat at noon, stand still in the courtyard until six o'clock. Don't think you can sneak away. I've eyes and ears everywhere."

Naraku was already in a state of utter exhaustion. Hearing this, he felt dizzy for a while and swayed. But he used all his willpower to stand still. He then nodded lifelessly and said, "Yes…"

After speaking, he felt like a thousand-pound iron ball was tied to his legs. He took a heavy step at a time towards the courtyard. Tonan ignored the sleeping Nahara and took a deep look at Naruko. With his hands behind his back, he left the Daimyo Residence.

Honestly speaking, he hadn't expected Naraku to be so tolerant. If it were someone else, then Tonan wouldn't have been so surprised. But Naraku was pampered from childhood. It was a surprise that facing such a ruthless education method, he was able to endure until now without collapsing.

However, the higher the endurance, the more ruthless one would become after the emotions accumulated to a certain level, explodes. After a while, an attendant hastily came to the small courtyard of the study hall and immediately saw Naraku standing still as a punishment.

He lowered his head right away, as if he saw and heard nothing, and directly entered the study hall.

"Second Highness, Second Highness, wake up," The attendant shook Nahara, who was lying on the table.

"Is the class over? So fast," Nahara wiped the saliva from the corners of his mouth and stretched his body. As far as he saw, the class was simply a first-class lullaby after he discovered that Tonan truly didn't care about him.

The attendant said respectfully, "Second Highness, His Majesty wants to see you."

Hearing the attendant's words, Nahara woke up instantly.

"It's over… that old man must have complained to my father. He'll criticize me again for not studying hard." Thinking this, Nahara nervously followed the attendant to the Daimyo Residence.

After entering the residence, his eyes were fleeting. He didn't dare to look straight at the Daimyo. He was ready to take the punishment. However, to his extreme surprise, his father didn't explode as he had imagined. Instead, he waved toward him with a gentle look and said, "Nahara, how are your classes?"

Nahara sat down beside him and replied cautiously, "It's not bad… not bad…"

The Daimyo smiled gently, "Let's dine together. Hereafter, you'll come here after the class is over every day. Just tell me what you want to eat."

"Ah? Alright…" Nahara was completely confused.

"Eat more," the Daimyo put some vegetables into Nahara's bowl. Nahara was not used to this abnormal behavior of his father. And unlike the earlier days, he seemed to be a lot more reserved, and honestly replied, "Thank you, father."

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Chapter 89: Six Hundred Million, Drawing The Last Straw

That night, Uchiha Tonan led the North City Guard members to wipe out all the big and small underground organizations in the entire North City area. To get his hands on a sizeable sum of money in the shortest possible time, he could only use these means.

In his rough estimate, he had harvested total assets of nearly 300 million Ryo in this trip.

The next morning, the street outside the North City Guard Residence was filled with members of several underground organizations. Tonan's shadow clone once again gave a passionate speech on the duties of the North City Guard and the need to end the scum of society in the interest of the people.

He harshly criticized these prisoners' crimes and even added fuel to fire in some aspects. Not to mention the serious crimes, even the smaller ones were exaggerated in great detail. As a result, the onlooking people were indignant and their sense of justice soared.

Regardless of whether these people would have been executed according to the Land of Fire's rules or not, each of them was slaughtered by Tonan's people. Not that he had an option in this matter. After all, he had taken their wealth secretly, and if they were judged according to the rules, then these properties would be confiscated. His only choice was to kill every last one of them.

Many civilians witnessed this act of righteousness. In recent years, they were more or less oppressed and bullied by these underground organizations. Now that they were finally brought to justice, the masses applauded it wholeheartedly. For a moment, Tonan's reputation spread far and wide in the Fire Capital. There was no one who had not heard of his feats. He gained the acknowledgment of many people as well.

With the last haul, Tonan's total assets now reached roughly 600 million Ryo. His short-term objective of coming to the Fire Capital was achieved.

Just like this, some time had elapsed. These days, every morning, Abe Seimei-Tonan went to the study hall on time to teach the two highnesses. And he would find various opportunities and reasons to whip Naraku out of his teacherly love.

The Daimyo obeyed Tonan's advice. He kept Nahara with him at all times and treated him warmly, letting him play around as he pleased.

After some time, this differential treatment fell into the eyes of the people who harbored their own agendas. Soon, the entire Daimyo Residence and even some influential officials were secretly discussing the situation.

"His Majesty has been very kind to the Second Highness recently… why do I feel like he wants to pass the throne to the Second Highness?"

"No, let's not talk about the long tradition of passing the throne to the eldest son, just taking character and temper into consideration, the First Highness is far ahead of the Second Highness."

"But didn't you notice a point? Although the First Highness has a steady character, he looks a bit dull. Although the Second Highness's character is different, he is more assertive. He dares to break convention and he is a lot smarter in some aspects."

"Speaking of this, we haven't seen the First Highness for a long time."

"He seems to be having big problems in his studies."

"What leads you to think that?"

Naraku had always devoted himself to studying. In everyone's opinion, he was a rare outstanding genius. There was no possible scenario in which he would face problems in education or any form of learning.

"I heard from the Daimyo Residence's attendants that the First Highness is whipped by Seimei-dono almost every day because of his studying problems."

"How can Seimei-dono treat the First Highness like that? And why is the Second Highness fine?"

"I think that Second Highness, in fact, is more intelligent than the First Highness. Haven't you noticed it? The Second Highness' temper has been a lot more restrained recently."

"People grow. Otherwise, there is no reason for Seimei-dono to just teach the First Highness a lesson."

"I think there is another possibility. The Second Highness has been concealing his true self."

"Really!? Such endurance is truly…"

In all these years, everyone had seen Naraku's hard work and eagerness to learn, and they all had believed he would definitely inherit the Daimyo's position.

Therefore, many direct descendants also stood on his side, supporting and paving the path for him so that they would be placed in important positions after he inherited the throne. But now that the Second Highness suddenly gained power, many people began to gradually shift towards him.

This evening, Naraku, who had just finished applying medicine to his wounds, met his trusted confidant. During this period, not to mention having time to go out, he didn't even have time to rest. Therefore, he could only inquire about the situation outside, from his trusted confidant.

This confidant informed the recent change in alliances and everyone's guesses about the First Highness. After hearing him, Naraku replied with a blank expression, "I see, you can leave now."

"Your Highness, I'll leave you to it then." After the trusted confidant left, Naraku sat alone on a chair. The hall seemed very empty now. Suddenly, a ferocious expression appeared on his face, and he kicked the table to the ground. Then, gasping for breath, his eyes were filled with madness as he muttered, "So what Seimei-sensei said was true after all…"

Naraku was suspicious of Tonan's words because he was unwilling to believe that his father, who valued him greatly, would abandon him like this one day.

"I did nothing wrong, then why, father…"

Naraku sat alone in the hall until late at night. At three o'clock in the morning, he slowly got up and went to the study hall alone to wait for Tonan. After fifty minutes, Tonan stepped into the study hall and saw a dazed Naraku. His lips were pale. He blankly raised his head and stared at Tonan, "Seimei-sensei, am I too late to realize the truth?"

Tonan narrowed his eyes and solemnly asked, "Why do you say so?"

A hint of madness flashed through Naraku's eyes but he replied in a calm voice, "My father's transformation was too quick. I always thought I was much better than Nahara. Even so, he chose Nahara. I guess, no matter what I do in the remaining time, I won't be able to make him change his mind."

Tonan nodded, "You finally see it."

A hint of a manic smile appeared on Naraku's face, "My status is special. I always need my father's approval if I want to leave the residence. So, it's almost impossible to win people's hearts."

"That's right," Tonan nodded in agreement.

Naraku continued, "And those ministers seem loyal, but in fact, they are all people who sail with the wind. I guess, other than the few direct descendants that still walk beside me, all others would've already joined Nahara's faction. If I had known it earlier, I would've thought of a way to completely control them. Unfortunately, I missed the chance."

Recalling how they were flattering and praising him before, Naraku's face became hideous, and his eyes were wide open. He gritted his teeth and added, "I never felt the Daimyo's position was so important because I thought it was prepared for me since I was born. Everyone around me also said I'll be the future Daimyo, and as long as I studied hard, my father will favor me. But now, when everything has left me, I realize how important this position is to me."

Suddenly, he knelt in front of Tonan and crawled forward, hugging his thigh, "Sensei, please teach me. As long as you can get my position back to me, I'll give you anything you want. Power, wealth, women, even if you want an independent land, I'll give it to you."

Tonan looked calm on the surface, but he was laughing in his heart. Everything was under his control. He stared at Naraku and said in an inexplicable tone, "I don't have any solution for you right now. There's a silver lining to everything. You would need to pay a certain price, but I wonder if you can afford it."

When Naraku heard Tonan's words, hope appeared on his face. He immediately nodded, "As long as I can regain my position, I can afford any price."

Tonan pretended to think, and also pretended to have some inner struggle. He then patted Naraku's shoulder and firmly said, "When the slumbering dragon awakens, it dares to replace the sun and the moon."

Tonan pulled his leg out of the Naraku's hold. He took out a sealed scroll from his pocket and put some chakra papers in front of him. "In this time, I have already taught you everything I can. So, I'll give you a vacation. Carefully consider your future path. This is my gift to you. Perhaps, it can help you."

After speaking, Tonan ignored Naraku's expression and left.

In the study hall's classroom, only Naraku was left muttering.

"Dares to… replace… the sun and the moon."

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Chapter 90.1: Delivering Secret Letters, Winning Over Danzo

Uchiha Tonan walked out of the small courtyard of the study hall, and when he passed the back garden, he happened to encounter the Daimyo, who had come to 'eavesdrop'.

Tonan immediately greeted, "Your Majesty." Realizing he was found, the Daimyo said with an embarrassed look, "Seimei-dono, how is Naraku doing lately?"

Tonan smiled lightly, "The First Highness is very talented. He has already begun to possess the bearing of a great ruler. It's just that he has received too much knowledge in this period, which he needs to digest. Therefore, I plan to give him a break for a few days."

Hearing Tonan's words, the Daimyo was overjoyed. His eldest son had endured bitter hardships for so many days. Now, he could finally take a break. He hastily asked, "I wonder if there is anything I need to do? Or do I need to encourage Naraku?"

In his heart, he always wanted to find a chance to take good care of his elder son. He felt like he hadn't cared about him for so long, and this son of his had drifted away from him.

Tonan pondered for a while, "Your Majesty, you still shouldn't meet the First Highness for the time being. He needs to overcome some difficulties by himself. Your Majesty just needs to continue to care for the Second Highness."

"Also, you need to order some people to guard the First Highness's residence in secret, lest other people might disturb his study. Now is the best time for him to transform."

After hearing Tonan's words, the Daimyo paused for a while, "Alright, then I bid farewell to Seimei-dono."

……

That afternoon, Naraku, who had just finished using the chakra test paper, opened the curtain and looked at the figures walking back and forth at his courtyard's gate. The guard was tight and strict as if they were guarding a prison, which made it difficult for Naraku to breathe. He felt suffocated in his heart.

His eyes turned cold and he closed the curtain. Returned to his seat, he muttered, "Father, have you already begun to guard against me? Your action today has truly frozen my heart."

He looked down at the crumbs on his palm. "Earth-attributed chakra…"

Although a little hesitant, he finally took a deep breath and spread out a scroll. There were five C-ranked ninjutsu written on the scroll, belonging to five attributes respectively.

A few days later, late at night, Naraku opened the door, and called out in a light voice, "Shinnosuke-senpai, are you there?"

As soon as his words fell, Shinnosuke appeared in front of him instantly. "Your Highness, do you have any instructions for me?"

Naraku waved toward Shinnosuke over and said, "Let's talk inside, Shinnosuke-senpai."

After the two of them walked inside, Naraku took a deep breath and looked at Shinnosuke. He then somberly asked, "Shinnosuke-senpai, have you also heard the recent rumors?" Shinnosuke nodded. He knew that Naraku was referring to the rumors about the succession to the Daimyo's position.

Naraku put on his calmest appearance and said in a serious tone, "Shinnosuke-senpai, you can rest assured that if I became the Daimyo, I'll definitely support you to become the next Hokage of Konoha."

"Thank you… Your Highness," Shinnosuke nodded absent-mindedly. From his demeanor, it was obvious he believed he had made the wrong bet after hearing the recent rumors. Naraku was carefully observing the man in front of him. Even though the change in Shinnosuke's expression was small, it didn't escape his eyes.

He felt even more unpleasant inside, thinking about how Shinnosuke would use every possible way to get close to him in the past. However, still maintaining a genial expression, he took out four envelopes and handed them over to Shinnosuke. He then explained, "I have four letters here. I request you to help me deliver these to the four lords of Konoha."

Shinnosuke frowned and said, "Your Highness, I…"

"Do you want to turn me down?"

Naraku was enraged but he had no other way. He needed Shinnosuke's help, so he could only force himself to smile and convince the man. "Although the current situation is not good for me, I will still fight for my right. When that time comes, my father will seek the opinions of Konoha's lords before making his final decision. I hope that the four lords will express their support for me. This will help sway father's decision in my favor."

Naraku tried his best to persuade Shinnosuke. If he was unable to, he truly would be left with no other choices as he knew he couldn't find anyone other than him in his current plight.

Shinnosuke hastily shook his head, "Your Highness, the Ninja Village can't interfere in this matter. Besides, if I leave, who will safeguard you at night?"

Naraku pointed towards the gate, "Do you think I'm not safe enough?"

Shinnosuke felt that the First Highness in front of him was a bit aggressive. After hesitating for a while, he thought of a way out and said, "Alright, but I do need to inform the Daimyo about this."

Hearing this, Naraku couldn't maintain his smile anymore. He took a step towards Shinnosuke and coldly said, "Shinnosuke-senpai, people should help each other. Seimei-sensei once said that adding flowers to brocade is not as good as sending charcoal in snowy weather."

"Those who will help me at this time, I'll remember them with gratitude forever. But I'll also remember those who hit a person when he was down. There are some matters whose results remain uncertain till the very end. Have you ever thought about what I would do if I became the Daimyo after you rejected me today?"

"Although the Daimyo doesn't have much say in the Hokage election if I support a person, I can give that person enough funds to splurge. I wonder how many ninjas can resist that. Besides, you are already tied to my boat. If you want to jump off now, you can. But do you think Nahara will let you climb in his boat?"

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Chapter 90.2: Delivering Secret Letters, Winning Over Danzo

Sarutobi Shinnosuke's mind was alerted by First Highness, Naraku's thinly veiled threat. In fact, he did not know the best way to get into Nahara's good books now after having spent so much time with Naraku's personal shadow guard. Weighing the overall situation, he immediately replied, "Your Highness, you have my word. Not only will I complete this mission for you but I'll also not tell anyone about it."

Naraku narrowed his eyes and the coldness in them instantly dissipated. His smile was restored, and he said, "I believe in you, Shinnosuke-senpai. And after your return, I'll humble myself to persuade Nahara to make a pledge for you. I'll make him promise that if he becomes the Daimyo, he'll unconditionally support you to become the next Hokage."

Naraku's words guaranteed a minimum benefit to Shinnosuke that could be availed immediately. This consoled Shinnosuke's heart considerably and tilted his final decision towards carrying out this favor for Naraku. Shinnosuke put away the four letters and said with gratitude, "Thank you, Your Highness. I'll leave for Konoha immediately."

After Shinnosuke left, the smile on Naraku's face disappeared. His eyes became cold and serene. A cold shadow loomed in the room giving a dreary and desolate vibe. Abe Seimei-Tonan was right when he told the Daimyo that this was the time for Naraku's transformation. The current him had become someone strange.

"Father, it's you who forced me to do this…"

Tonan was secretly observing the movements outside the Daimyo Residence. He noticed the moment Shinnosuke had left the Residence at the time of his duty.

"What is Naraku planning exactly?" Tonan's original plan was to use the various coincidences he helped create to make Naraku misunderstand the Daimyo. He wanted him to resent his father and think of a way to kill him.

When that would happen, Shinnosuke would definitely be implicated as the First Highness' shadow guard. At that time, he would use public opinion to publicize the matter and make up a few more rumors, pushing both of them where the wind was the fiercest.

Among the rumors he had already thought of, one was that Shinnosuke colluded with Naraku, wanting his support for him to become the next Hokage. But now that he discovered that Naraku might not become the Daimyo, and Nahara didn't trust him, he could only instigate Naraku to secretly kill the Daimyo and forcibly push him to the throne.

When this would spread, Shinnosuke would be done for. Even Sarutobi Hiruzen wouldn't be able to maintain his position. At that time, when the Fire Capital will be in immersed in chaos, he could get rid of Sarutobi Asuma and blame whoever he wanted to blame.

The original plan was flawless, but now, the situation had deviated from this plan and too many variables came into play. The reason why Tonan chose Naraku instead of Nahara was mainly that the latter was truly and completely a useless person in his view.

Although Naraku was inarticulate and simple-minded, Tonan knew that it is precisely this kind of person who was stubborn to the end. Once such people are pushed to a corner and erupt, they would become much more ruthless than ordinary people.

Three days later at the Hokage Office, while listening to Shinnosuke repeating Naraku's words, Hiruzen read the content of the secret letter. After hearing everything, he finally said, "If the First Highness can truly make the Second Highness make that promise, then that would be a good thing."

For Hiruzen, it didn't matter who eventually became the Daimyo as long as the person in question completely supported Shinnosuke. Shinnosuke nodded, then asked curiously, "Father, what did the letter say?"

Hiruzen blew out a mouthful of smoke and said, "What else can it say? It's just that he hopes that I will express support for him and put on good words for him whenever the Daimyo asked for advice on his successor. Alright, now quickly go and deliver the other three letters to the other advisers and also to Danzo. You should also return now."

At the Root Headquarters, Danzo sat on his seat and read the letter he had just received from Shinnosuke. Gradually, a hint of pleasant surprise flashed through his eyes. He put the letter down and called out, "Ryoma."

Aburame Ryoma, the Root Captain, appeared in front of him in an instant and knelt on one knee, "Danzo-sama, what can I do for you?"

"Go and call Akimichi Matsuken and Yamamoto Ichimura."

Soon, Matsuken and Ichimura, two Root members, came to Danzo.

Danzo instructed, "You two will set out to the Fire Capital and wait outside the Daimyo Residence in secret. Wait for the First Highness's signal. When you see colorful fireworks rising from the Daimyo Residence, you'll go and meet him. At that time, you two must obey whatever commands the First Highness gives."

"Yes."

The First Highness' letter to Danzo didn't mention that his position was not guaranteed. Instead, he said that he planned to support Danzo to become the next Hokage after he inherited the Daimyo's position.

He also mentioned that at the moment he was lacking powerful subordinates. And apart from his shadow guards, the other ninjas couldn't enter the Daimyo Residence at random. Therefore, he asked Danzo to place people outside the Residence, and that he would send a signal when he needed them.

In order to have a good relationship with this future Daimyo, Danzo naturally wouldn't be stingy in using two trifling tools. He expressed his full support to the First Highness.

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Chapter 91: Making A Pledge, To Retrieve The Net

A few days later, Sarutobi Shinnosuke finally returned to the Fire Capital from Konoha after completing his mission. As soon as he reached, his first stop was Naruko's residence.

"Your Highness, I have delivered the letters."

Naruko nodded and said with a gentle look, "You truly have worked hard. Go and instruct the attendant to go to Nahara's place and invite him over here. I'll honor what I promised you."

Shinnosuke was overjoyed hearing this, "Many thanks, Your Highness."

Not long after, Nahara came over to Naruko's residence in high spirits. In recent days, his life had turned on its head, and he was living in a fantasy world. Every day, many people came over to his residence to flatter him. His father's attitude towards him changed for the better, and everything was done according to his wishes.

Over time, even Nahara believed his father was going to hand over the Daimyo's position to him.

In the past, Naruko had always displayed his intelligence and wisdom. He pretended to be diligent and studious all day long, and many people sided with him, which caused Nahara to live under his shadows. Nahara did not harbor any good sentiment for his elder brother, who had always been stepping on his head.

Now that the situation had reversed, he naturally wanted to take his revenge. Nahara entered the room and sat down arrogantly, "Naraku, why did you ask me to meet you?"

Nahara's disrespectful address infuriated Naruko but there was little he could do.

"With just a little change, this incompetent brother of mine is actually being so impudent, addressing me by name? If he really became the Daimyo, wouldn't he get rid of me first?"

Naruko himself didn't realize that the way he thought was already very different from his past self. Although he was angry in his heart, he didn't show it. He took a deep breath and after stabilizing his emotions, he said with a humble smile, "Nahara, I wanted to talk to you about something. Shinnosuke has protected me for so long, and I know him very well. He is an upright and remarkable ninja, who is very suitable to be the next Hokage."

Nahara raised his eyebrows and asked doubtfully, "Why are you telling me this? It's not like I know him."

"Truly a worthless person who knows nothing."

Naruko stood up and said while making tea for Nahara, "From childhood, I was stupid, not as intelligent as you. In the future, I guess Daimyo's position will be yours. Since I have had a good relationship with Shinnosuke, I would like to ask you to write a pledge. The pledge is to express your support for him during the Hokage election after you become the Daimyo. Treat it as your elder brother begging you for the first time."

After speaking, he pushed a teacup in front of Nahara. This humble gesture made Nahara feel particularly content. Even his hostility towards Naruko decreased. He picked up the teacup and blew over it, "It's just the position of the village chief. I'll agree to it."

After speaking, he sipped on the tea but it was still too hot and burned his mouth. At that moment, Naruko got up to take a pen, paper, and an ink pad from his study, placing them in front of Nahara.

"Nahara, as the future Daimyo, I believe you'll not go back on your words. But you have to write a pledge so that Shinnosuke will be loyal to you in the future. I presume you'll not mind this tedious point."

Naruko had already grasped Nahara's temperament. As long as someone flattered him enough, and gave him a dunce's cap to wear, he would wear it. Hearing these words, Nahara was overjoyed and nodded in agreement.

He then coughed lightly, straightened his collar, and picked up the pen to write the pledge. Once he was done, Naruko pushed the ink pad in front of him. Nahara didn't think too much about it and just placed a fingerprint on the paper.

Naruko put the written pledge away as if it was a treasure. This careful gesture, for some reason, made Nahara feel dull in his heart. The person, who he always considered an opponent, suddenly surrendered before he made a move.

He immediately got up and said, "If that is all, then I'm leaving. Father is still waiting for me to have dinner together."

Naruko hastily followed behind him and flattered, looking very humble, "Nahara, I'll send you off."

"Hmm." After Nahara left, Naruko stared at his brother's back and the smile on his face disappeared. Even he didn't know how disgusted he was in his heart. He hated everything! Why was this trash regarded so highly, whereas he was discarded?

Nahara had barely walked out of the courtyard when Shinnosuke appeared in front of Naruko, staring at the written pledge. His eyes were full of desire. Naruko noticed his expression and smiled a little, handing over the written pledge to Shinnosuke.

Shinnosuke took the pledge and held it carefully. He was moved by Naruko's action. "Your Highness… thank you."

Naruko shook his head, "Never mind, I was just fulfilling my promise. This written pledge is very important. You shouldn't keep it with you. Put it somewhere safe in the residence. Don't lose it."

Shinnosuke nodded. After he left, Naruko locked himself in the study room alone. And while practicing to make hand seals of the scroll, he muttered, "Emperor… solitary…"

"Sure enough, sensei was right. When it comes to benefits, no one can be trusted."

Time passed by, a day at a time. Uchiha Tonan had already taught the orphans how to refine chakra. He had also taught them some basic taijutsu and a few simple C-ranked ninjutsu. The orphans' aptitude, as expected, was no match for the children of the Konoha Academy. But they were better in terms of diligence, and they cherished this rare opportunity. Even though they couldn't use all ninjutsu, they firmly remembered the hand signs and the theoretical principles.

Late one night, Tonan was reading a book in his study. Yoshiwara Ao stood quietly beside him, pouring tea and water. He didn't even dare breathe heavily during the entire time.

Suddenly, Tonan's eyes lit and he stood up. In the next moment, he came to the courtyard in a flash, looking in the direction of the Daimyo Residence.

He saw a colorful firework blooming in the sky above the Residence.

Has it begun…

Tonan closed his eyes and increased the perception range of Wind Communication, blatantly covering the entire Daimyo Residence. After a while, he opened his eyes, and the corners of his mouth slightly rose.

He instructed Ao, who had just come over from the study, "Ao, call all the servants in the house."

"Yes, my lord."

Soon, all the servants were gathered together, waiting for Tonan to issue an order. Tonan was sitting on a chair, and the sheathed chakra tanto was placed on the table beside him. After seeing everyone gathered, Tonan coldly said, "You all have helped me a lot during this time. But I have discovered that someone has leaked information about me."

Immediately after he spoke, Tonan activated his Sharingan to capture the facial expressions of these servants. All the servants knelt in succession and looked terrified.

"My Lord, be fair, I've always been loyal to you. I've never leaked anything."

"Yes, My Lord, if I've leaked anything, then may I be struck by lightning, and not have a good death."

After working in the residence for so long, they knew Tonan's character very well. All traitors would die miserably. For a moment, these servants were trying their best to prove their innocence, in fear of losing their lives.

Tonan looked at their expressions, and there were no suspicious changes other than sheer fear for their lives. Therefore, his expression softened, and he apologetically said, "It seems it's not someone among you. I must've made a mistake."

Everyone breathed a sigh of relief hearing this.

"It's good that you all didn't leak anything. This way, I can now silence you all at ease," Tonan grabbed the hilt of the chakra tanto, and his figure suddenly disappeared.

Puff~ Puff~

After a few flashes, Tonan returned to his seat and sat down. And all the servants fell to the ground one after the other. He picked up a white cloth on the table and gently wiped the blood on the chakra tanto.

There was a smile on his face, but his eyes were expressionless. "It's time to retrieve the net."

He created a shadow clone to deal with the corpses in the next moment and his main body wiggled and turned into Abe Seimei.

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