Chapter 108: Buried Under Inducements, Admitting Embezzling
Uchiha Tonan tilted his head slightly and said, “Why do I always feel the Great Elder is very strange towards me. Although he’s always smiling, it gives me a dangerous and insane vibe. I even suspect something…”
Sarutobi Hiruzen lit up the smoke pipe and inhaled it. Smoking after the meal, this taste…
“Suspect what?”
Tonan hesitated for a moment before replying in a low voice, “I suspect the Great Elder murdered Teno-san.” Hiruzen frowned hearing this and asked, “What made you think that?”
With an unsure expression, Tonan looked at Hiruzen and said, “Because Tetsugo-san had a very good relationship with Teno-san. When the incident happened, they were exchanging pointers. But Teno-san died under the Great Fireball Technique. I suspect that the Great Elder wanted to make Tetsugo-san’s Sharingan evolve.”
“It’s just that I, who was useless at the time, witnessed the scene, and awakened the Sharingan by accident. And the Great Elder thinks I have more potential than Tetsugo-san. So, he simply executed Tetsugo-san to avoid exposing this.”
Hiruzen blew out a mouthful of smoke and nodded, thinking that the conjecture was plausible. After all, the Anbu did want to investigate the incident but the Great Elder obstructed it citing it as the clan’s internal matter, which was indeed somewhat suspicious.
It appears there were secrets to this after all. But a long time had passed, and these were two young geniuses of the Uchiha clan. Even if the clan killed each other until only the last one remained, Hiruzen wouldn’t bother to intervene.
However, in front of Tonan, his new student, Hiruzen had to maintain the right image. “Do you have any evidence?”
Tonan shook his head and said, “I don’t have evidence. I was too weak at that time and didn’t notice anything. I was also naive enough to believe what I saw. But over the years, I keep recalling what happened and the more I think about it, the stranger I feel. Perhaps, I’m thinking too much.”
Hiruzen smiled and said, “A long time has passed since the incident. Even if you wanted to investigate, you won’t find anything. Honestly speaking, Tonan, you are truly a good person. I fear not even a handful still remember those two dead young Uchihas. You’re probably the only one still thinking about them.”
Tonan sighed and said, “I hope this is just my wild guess. Oh, that’s right, I recently discovered a genius.”
Hiruzen blew out a mouthful of smoke, immediately becoming interested.
“Who?”
Tonan drank the soup without raising his head and said, “The grandson of the Great Elder. His name is Uchiha Shisui. I feel his talent is stronger than Kakashi’s. I’m thinking of finding a chance to teach him about the Will of Fire. He is a gentle and intelligent child. He’ll definitely be able to absorb such advanced ideals.”
“Genius is great but is his character good? If I remember correctly, that little guy is also Kagami’s descendent.”
Hiruzen narrowed his eyes making it difficult to guess what he was thinking. Not long after, the two finished their meal. Hiruzen pretended to reach out to help wash the dishes. Tonan hastily got up and covered the leftovers on the table. He said with a frown, “I’ll do it, father.”
Just as these words fell, both of them were stunned for a while. The atmosphere was a little warm… Tonan’s ears tips became red, and he kept scratching his head. Finally, Hiruzen coughed lightly to break the awkward atmosphere.
Tonan picked up the dishes and chopsticks and brought them to the kitchen to wash. At this moment, Hiruzen came to the kitchen door while smoking, and a smile couldn’t help appearing on his face.
“Tonan, it’s hard for you.”
“These are trivial things, sensei…”
When saying the word ‘sensei’, Tonan’s tone was a bit low-spirited. A little dissatisfaction could be vaguely heard… Hiruzen felt an impulse but he instantly suppressed it due to various misgivings.
Tonan changed the subject and said, “Sensei, I want to build a welfare institution in Konoha.”
Hiruzen raised his eyebrows slightly, “Why did you think of doing something like this?”
Tonan looked sympathetic and raised his head. He sighed softly. “The war has brought many sufferings to people. Especially to the elderly and children. Although Konoha has a compensation mechanism and special welfare to guarantee their survival, loneliness and pain need love to be healed.”
Tonan’s movement paused after saying this and his eyes were full of yearning, “I want Konoha’s orphans to grow up under the sunlight. I want the elderly to always have younger generations take care of them and show care for them.”
Hiruzen looked at Tonan and felt that even he, as a Hokage, could be considered unworthy compared to the young boy. “Alright, I’ll draft a report tomorrow, and make the higher-ups cast a vote. I believe something like this will be approved smoothly. It’s just that Konoha’s funds are a bit tight right now, and it may take a long time to build the institution.”
“When it’s done, you can become the dean. And I can issue a long-term mission to you in Konoha’s name. But this mission can only be set as an A-rank at the highest.”
Tonan was speechless. Going by Hiruzen’s words, there was basically no need for him to spend money, and his wish would be achieved in the name of the village.
Moreover, Hiruzen would give him the dean’s position and issue him a long-term A-ranked mission. In other words, the village would spend money and effort, and he just needed to sit back and reap the benefits.
The issue was whether this mission was safe.
“Is this how Konoha’s crown prince is treated!?”
“Sensei, I’m actually rich,” Tonan turned around and said to Hiruzen with a serious look. A hint of a smile flashed through Hiruzen’s eyes as he blew out smoke and asked, “Do you know how much it would cost to build a welfare institution?”
Tonan shook his head and hesitated for a moment. Then he lowered his voice, “I only have 600 million Ryo. Will that be enough?”
Hiruzen’s eyes widened and the smoke pipe in his hand almost fell to the ground. Realizing that he lost his self-control, he straightened his expression and curiously asked, “Where did you get so much money?”
Tonan lowered his head and stared at his toes. He cautiously replied, “When I was in the Fire Capital, I wiped out all the underground organizations in my jurisdiction. But I didn’t hand over the black money, instead I… I embezzled it.”
Tonan lowered his head in front of Hiruzen, waiting for a scolding, much like a child who made a mistake.
