Chapter 101: Immortals Arrayed Like Hemp
After the two left the Naka River Grand Hotel, Kakashi went to take the still-sleeping Naruto home, while Uchiha Douhuan headed alone towards the Hokage Building.
Upon arriving at the Hokage Building, Uchiha Douhuan nodded in greeting to the members of the Security Force's First Division, who had taken over security duties for the building, and then walked straight into the Hokage's office.
Sarutobi Hiruzen was standing alone by the office window, smoking. Hearing the door open, he turned to look at Uchiha Douhuan.
"Has the masked man been dealt with?" Sarutobi Hiruzen asked.
"Lord Third, do you wish that I had dealt with him, or that I hadn't?" Uchiha Douhuan replied sarcastically.
Seeing Uchiha Douhuan's attitude, Sarutobi Hiruzen sighed helplessly and said, "Douhuan, if I told you I truly have no connection to that masked man, would you believe me? My wife died at his hands six years ago."
"Believe you? Of course, I believe you," Uchiha Douhuan said with a hint of a smile, then found a chair in front of the Hokage's desk and sat down. "But, do you know what technique that guy used when I fought him? Wood Style! Do I need to spell out what that implies?"
Sarutobi Hiruzen's pupils constricted sharply, his expression one of utter disbelief.
"Lord Third, you people are really something else. So your Wood Style experiments actually yielded results back then. However, one result was hidden away by that old dog Danzo to fulfill his own ambitions, while the other orchestrated the Nine-Tails Incident, leading to the death of the Fourth Hokage. If Lord First in the Pure Land knew about this, wouldn't he rise from the grave out of anger?"
Sarutobi Hiruzen's lips trembled, wanting to say something, but ultimately he remained silent. He knew he was too deeply implicated in this matter; anything he said would sound like an excuse.
After a moment, Uchiha Douhuan sighed and said, "That guy has been dealt with by me. The traces of his Wood Style have also been erased by my ninjutsu. I used Sage Mode throughout the entire battle, so your crystal ball probably couldn't see the visuals. Therefore, this matter should only be known to the two of us."
Hearing this, Sarutobi Hiruzen let out a long sigh of relief. It seemed Uchiha Douhuan didn't intend to make a big issue out of this, which eased his mind somewhat.
"Thank you," Sarutobi Hiruzen said.
"Don't thank me. You should thank the Hokage hat on your head and the robes on your body!" Uchiha Douhuan retorted irritably. "A Hokage can retire for any reason, even resigning due to failure in war, but absolutely not because they are forced out for something like this! If the Hokage's name is stained, the village's unity won't be far behind!"
Uchiha Douhuan made this choice not because Sarutobi Hiruzen held any great sway over him, but simply because Douhuan didn't want to inherit a Hokage title inherently tainted from the start.
More importantly, he didn't want to set a precedent for prosecuting a former Hokage.
Sarutobi Hiruzen understood Uchiha Douhuan's meaning now and nodded silently.
After another pause, Uchiha Douhuan slowly began to speak:
"That masked man was a weapon secretly cultivated by Danzo. The Nine-Tails Incident six years ago was orchestrated entirely by Danzo, aiming to kill the Fourth Hokage and seize the Hokage position himself. His appearance this time was merely for revenge on Danzo's behalf. How about using this explanation to provide closure for everyone?"
Uchiha Douhuan placed the heavy blame squarely on Danzo, whose grave probably had weeds growing on it by now, then looked at Sarutobi Hiruzen. "And the reason for tonight's curfew: Lord Third, you discovered this lingering historical issue, so you mobilized the Security Department and Anbu together, aiming to lure out the remnants of the rogue ninja Shimura Danzo, and eliminate them in one fell swoop. This way, your problem, Lord Third, amounts to negligence at most."
"Danzo?" Sarutobi Hiruzen's mind stirred. Although he felt it was somewhat unfair to Danzo, the plan Uchiha Douhuan proposed seemed to be the best solution currently available. It could preserve his reputation, allowing him to retire peacefully, while also providing a reasonable explanation for last night's village-wide curfew.
[I'm sorry, Danzo. This is truly the last time.]
"So, Douhuan, what are your conditions?" Sarutobi Hiruzen asked, looking at Uchiha Douhuan. He knew Douhuan wouldn't help him like this without expecting something in return.
"In the future, I plan to conduct a comprehensive audit of the shinobi numbers within the village. It's not right for shinobi cultivated with the village's resources to not be listed in the village's official shinobi roster," Uchiha Douhuan stated. "Therefore, I hope the Sarutobi clan will cooperate on this matter."
Hearing this, Sarutobi Hiruzen took a drag from his pipe and fell into contemplation.
In the current situation, the vast majority of the village's power was already under Uchiha Douhuan's command. Douhuan could essentially be considered the de facto Hokage, only lacking the Jounin nomination vote and the Daimyo's approval to make it official. The condition Douhuan now proposed aimed to completely dismantle the last vestiges of power held by him, the former Hokage.
"Alright," Sarutobi Hiruzen nodded after a period of thought. "I will have them cooperate with the village's actions within the next couple of days."
Sarutobi Hiruzen understood that handing over the last of his influence meant he would truly become just a retired old man.
[However...]
Sarutobi Hiruzen looked up at Uchiha Douhuan before him. This man possessed courage, skill, and strength that ranked among the top in the shinobi world.
[Perhaps under his leadership, the village will reach new heights of glory.]
[Being a retired old man isn't so bad, either.]
Having made up his mind, Sarutobi Hiruzen voiced his final concern: "Douhuan, how do you plan to handle Jiraiya?"
Sarutobi Hiruzen knew full well that Jiraiya had been completely screwed over by him in this affair. Lacking the talent for the position, he was nonetheless pushed into it. Now, finding himself in trouble, Sarutobi Hiruzen still wanted to help his student if possible.
"Regarding Lord Jiraiya, let's charge him with endangering public safety through peeping, as well as creating and distributing inappropriate books. He'll be stripped of all rank and forced into retirement. How about that? From now on, let him just be a writer who travels and enjoys the scenery," Uchiha Douhuan proposed.
Sarutobi Hiruzen nodded, stood up, and walked towards a storage cabinet in the office, taking out a tea set.
"I've heard that Clan Head Douhuan possesses exquisite tea ceremony skills. I wonder if this old man might have the honor of tasting it?"
Having made his decision, Sarutobi Hiruzen's entire demeanor shifted. At this moment, he was no longer the frail, incompetent politician, but once again exuded the bearing of the former "Shinobi God," Sarutobi Hiruzen.
Watching this transformation, Uchiha Douhuan smiled, took the tea set from Sarutobi Hiruzen's hands, and replied with a grin, "Of course."
Kakashi returned Naruto home, leaving him a note instructing him to attend school normally the next day, then also came to the Hokage Building. Upon entering the Hokage's office, he saw the sight of Uchiha Douhuan intently preparing tea.
"Looks like you two have settled things," Kakashi said with a smile.
"Sit down," Sarutobi Hiruzen said to Kakashi.
Soon, Uchiha Douhuan presented two cups of tea to Sarutobi Hiruzen and Kakashi.
Sarutobi Hiruzen accepted his cup, quickly performed the complete tea ceremony etiquette, drank the tea, and then set the cup down, saying, "Clan Head Douhuan's tea ceremony skills are indeed worthy of their reputation."
"Lord Third flatters me," Uchiha Douhuan replied with a smile. "If you enjoy it, feel free to come find me anytime in the future."
"Let's forget it," Sarutobi Hiruzen shook his head, smiling. "In the future, Douhuan, I'm afraid you won't have the time for making tea. The work of a Hokage is very demanding."
"Douhuan, can you tell this old man a little about what you plan to do after becoming the Fifth Hokage?" Sarutobi Hiruzen asked.
"After becoming the Fifth Hokage?" Uchiha Douhuan picked up his own cup, took a small sip, and then spoke. "There will be so much to do. The village's system has many problems. To speak disrespectfully, the current village system was basically slapped together by Lord First and Lord Madara, two illiterates who grew up in the chaotic Warring States period. Although Lord Second later patched up some issues, some problems inherited from that era, if not fundamentally resolved at the institutional level, will inevitably cause major trouble in the future."
"Is that so?" Sarutobi Hiruzen nodded thoughtfully.
Subsequently, Uchiha Douhuan and Sarutobi Hiruzen began discussing various issues concerning the village.
Uchiha Douhuan picked out some less critical aspects from his future plans to answer Sarutobi Hiruzen's questions.
The three continued chatting over tea until the first light of dawn.
The sun of December 13th rose as usual, dispelling the darkness. This day's sun seemed particularly bright.
...
The next day, the village operated as usual. Villagers went to school or work as scheduled.
Sarutobi Hiruzen first appeared publicly to issue an announcement, explaining the reason for the previous night's curfew according to the plan Uchiha Douhuan had provided.
Then came the handling of Nara Shikaku and others who violated the curfew order the previous night: the three were dismissed from their posts, and shinobi from the Yamanaka, Nara, and Akimichi clans across various village departments were stripped of their ranks.
Finally, there was the resolution regarding Hokage Advisor Jiraiya's offenses of peeping and creating/distributing inappropriate books.
Beyond these announcements, some shinobi from the Sarutobi clan compound who were not listed in the official village shinobi roster also arrived sequentially at the Hokage Building to register.
And within the Uchiha clan, Fugaku's family held a simple funeral for Uchiha Itachi.
...
Three days later, a row of chairs was set up in front of the Security Department's main gate.
Inside the Security Department's small meeting room, it was packed with people. With a ripple of space-time ninjutsu, Shiranui Genma and two others arrived, bringing Might Guy with them.
Sitting at the head seat, Uchiha Douhuan clapped his hands upon seeing them. "Alright, everyone's here. Genma, you guys go change into fresh clothes next door, then come downstairs."
Shiranui Genma and the others nodded with smiles, though Might Guy still hadn't figured out what was happening.
"What are we doing?"
"Guy, go change first," Kakashi said. "Later, after the group photo, there's a banquet."
Might Guy wanted to say more but was quickly pulled away by Shiranui Genma and the others to change clothes.
After the three had changed, the group emerged smiling from the Security Department building in single file, with Kakashi and Uchiha Douhuan leading the way.
Outside, the winter sun felt warm and exceptionally bright.
"Nice weather today," Kakashi remarked with a smile.
"Yeah, this weather is perfect for a group photo," Uchiha Douhuan nodded.
The group walked towards the row of chairs, and Uchiha Douhuan cheerfully directed those behind him: "Come, come, have a seat."
"Clan Head Inuzuka, Clan Head Aburame, you sit over here! Guy, sit next to Kakashi. Elder Fugaku, move a bit closer this way towards me!"
"Brother Seiichi, you and Captain Fu, come stand a little more towards the center, don't be reserved!"
Amidst a harmonious and cheerful atmosphere, everyone found their suitable positions.
A civilian Chuunin from the Security Department, whose family ran a photo studio in the village, was given this rare opportunity. As for why such a simple task was assigned to a Chuunin, it was simple: until the next recruitment drive, the Security Department had no Genin left!
Once everyone was seated or standing properly, they all looked towards the camera lens.
At this moment, Uchiha Douhuan reached out and gently took hold of Kakashi's left hand, which was resting on his knee beside him.
Kakashi turned his head. Both wore radiant smiles as they exchanged a glance, before placing their hands back on their knees.
"Commanders! Everyone in position!"
With the click of the camera shutter, a photograph that would change the entire Hidden Leaf Village—no, the entire Land of Fire, and even the entire shinobi world—was forever preserved in history.
Later historians would offer mixed assessments of the individuals in this photograph, but they couldn't deny that this was a group of people who completely altered the course of shinobi history.
The populace of later generations, however, had only one evaluation for this photograph: "Immortals Arrayed Like Hemp."
...
After the photo was taken, the group rose amidst laughter and proceeded to the venue where the Uchiha clan had previously held a banquet.
The banquet site was already decorated. This time, the spread was even more lavish than the last. At the very front of the long banquet table, an ice bucket held a bottle of champagne adorned with ribbons.
Uchiha Douhuan walked forward, picked up the champagne, shook it vigorously a few times, then flicked the cork open with his finger. A huge amount of foam sprayed out.
"Yeah!" Thunderous applause and cheers erupted at the banquet site.
Uchiha Douhuan poured drinks for those nearby. Meanwhile, banquet staff moved forward to fill the glasses of the others below.
"Everyone, our success this time in crushing the conspiracy of the rebels attempting to subvert the village, and in safeguarding the Will of Fire within our village, is all thanks to the timely decisions of everyone present." Uchiha Douhuan raised his glass. "To celebrate the complete success of our operation, let's toast! Cheers!"
Everyone raised their glasses, but just then, Kakashi stepped forward and called out, "Wait a moment!"
All eyes turned towards him.
"If you ask me, while everyone here deserves credit for us being able to drink and celebrate our success today, the one who made the most difficult decision and led us to victory was our Captain Uchiha Douhuan. Let us toast Captain Douhuan!"
"Indeed!" Nagai Seiichi, now reassigned as a Jounin Squad Captain, spoke up. "Thanks to Clan Head Douhuan's decisive action, we were able to achieve such great merit!"
"Here, let me offer the toast," Kakashi said, then looked towards Uchiha Douhuan.
"To Chief Captain Uchiha Douhuan's continued military fortune! Good health and long-lasting victory!" Kakashi raised his glass high.
"Good health and long-lasting victory!" everyone present echoed, raising their glasses.
After the shout, everyone clinked glasses with those around them and then drank the contents of their cups.
"Excellent," Uchiha Douhuan clinked glasses sequentially with Kakashi and Uchiha Fugaku beside him. After finishing his drink, a brilliant smile spread across his face.
"Today, I am the happiest!"
...
(End of Chapter)
♧♧♧
-> SUPPORT ME WITH POWER STONE
-> FOR EVERY 200 PS = BOUNS CHAPTER
♧♧♧
-> 20 Advanced chapters Now Available on Patreon!!
-> https://www.patreon.com/c/Segais
(Just remove the hyphen to access patreon normally)
If you like this novel please consider leaving a review that help the story a lot Thank you