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.”
