Chapter 23: Departure

After the orientation ceremony concluded, the new members of the Police Force headed home, joyous as they clutched the ninjutsu scrolls distributed by the vice-captain.

Returning to his office, Uchiha Touhuan found Fugaku sitting in his chair, wearing a grim expression.

"Touhuan..."

"Elder Fugaku, I will bring back more money from this trip," Touhuan said, preempting the conversation. He knew Fugaku would bring up the finances; the 6,000 ryo travel stipend he had promised wasn't a small sum, and combined with the regular payroll, the funds extracted from the Yamanaka clan wouldn't last long.

"Which clan is it this time? The Utatane? Or the Mitokado?" Uchiha Fugaku asked with curiosity.

"A ninja clan? How much money could a ninja clan possibly have?" Touhuan laughed. "Think bigger, Elder Fugaku. In our ninja world, who truly holds the most wealth?"

Uchiha Fugaku’s pupils contracted. He had not expected Touhuan’s ambition to reach such a level. This was a direct challenge to the existing rules of the ninja world; compared to this, the Uchiha’s potential armed rebellion within the village seemed like child’s play.

Watching Touhuan’s smile, Fugaku felt an urge to stop him. However, recalling the events since Touhuan took office and the increasingly clear future revealed by his Mangekyo Sharingan—a future where the Uchiha clan attained glory far surpassing their ancestors—Fugaku suppressed his doubts and simply cautioned, "Be careful."

"I will. In the meantime, Elder Fugaku, I leave the Police Force in your capable hands while I am away," Touhuan said.

"Understood." Fugaku nodded and rose to leave.

"Oh, and Elder Fugaku, please have someone send ten million ryo to my office shortly. I need cash for the mission," Touhuan added.

"Ten million? That much? What are you planning?" Fugaku was stunned. What kind of mission required such a vast amount of money?

"It has nothing to do with the mission itself; the mission itself is trivial," Touhuan replied. "What matters is ensuring the other ninjas participating in this mission feel the grace of the Uchiha."

"Very well, I will have it delivered to you," Fugaku nodded before turning to leave the office.

After sitting for a while, Touhuan received the delivery of the ten million ryo. Once he had sealed the cash into a scroll, he tidied up his desk and prepared to head home.

***

At the gates of the Police Force, Touhuan encountered an unexpected figure: Uchiha Shisui was standing there, seemingly waiting for him.

"Care for a chat?" Touhuan raised an eyebrow, extending an invitation to the genius who was once considered his equal within the clan.

Shisui nodded and fell into step behind him. Under the sunset, the two walked toward the clan district in silence, strolling leisurely. Children from the ninja academy ran past them, laughing and playing, a scene that stirred something in Shisui, prompting him to break the silence.

"Touhuan, what is your true objective?" Shisui asked, his voice strained.

"Didn't I tell you that from the very beginning?" Touhuan replied as he stopped at a roadside stall to buy two skewers of dango. He handed one to Shisui and began eating the other.

"You only said that back then to unsettle me, right?" Shisui asked. "Everything you have done has clearly been to bridge the gap between the clan and the village, to foster peace."

"Is that so? Perhaps what I said back then was the truth?" Touhuan replied ambiguously.

"Touhuan, don't lie to me anymore," Shisui said. "You were right back then. I was too arrogant. The power of Kotoamatsukami is too dangerous in my hands; one slip could lead to the total destruction of both the clan and the village."

Touhuan looked at Shisui, inwardly lamenting how foolishly lovable his clansman was.

"By the way, why were you at the Police Force today? Although you still have a position here, I recall you rarely visited after joining the Anbu," Touhuan remarked.

"The Hokage ordered me to return and keep a close watch on unstable elements within the clan," Shisui replied.

Touhuan laughed. "So you finally remembered the spy mission you were entrusted with? And by 'unstable elements,' do you mean me?"

"No," Shisui shook his head. "The Hokage believes that you, Touhuan, are a ninja who carries the Will of Fire."

***

Touhuan suppressed a laugh and said, "Is that so? Regardless, I must thank you. If you hadn't stepped forward today, I might have had a hard time wrapping things up."

"It was the right thing to do. After all, you are working toward harmony between the clan and the village," Shisui said sincerely.

"In any case, now that you're back, do a good job at the Police Force," Touhuan said, patting Shisui on the shoulder.

They parted ways at an intersection. Back at his home, Touhuan retrieved a scroll from his study containing the addresses of fire-country nobles and wealthy merchants who had close ties to the Shimura clan, all obtained through recent interrogations.

After marking the locations he would pass during his mission, he put the scroll away and began checking his ninja gear for the journey.

...

The night passed. Early the next morning, Touhuan waited at the clan gates for Uchiha Inabi and Uchiha Yashiro, who were already there.

The three of them set off toward the village gates. Upon arrival, the other members of the mission had already assembled. Although the group was small, they had naturally divided into cliques. Two civilian ninjas stood together; the ninjas from the Utatane and Mitokado clans stayed in their own circle; Gekko Hayate and his partner, Uzuki Yugao, were chatting with a member of the Inuzuka clan while petting a large, pitch-black dog.

As for the two Hyuga clansmen who had been requisitioned, they stood apart, aloof and noble.

The team leader, Kakashi, was squatting under the eaves of a closed shop near the gate, engrossed in his "Icha Icha" novel.