Chapter 49: Conspiracy and Preparation

Having hit a brick wall with Sarutobi Hiruzen, the two advisors did not part ways immediately after leaving the Hokage's office. Instead, they gathered in a secret chamber belonging to the Mitokado clan to plot their next move.

"Homura, Hiruzen is still far too indecisive. Even if we need to nurture the Jinchuriki through standard procedures, we must never allow individuals with ulterior motives to get close to him," Koharu Utatane could not help but say.

"Indeed. From the last mission, it isn't difficult to see that Kakashi has already established ties with that inherently evil Uchiha brat and can no longer be trusted," Mitokado Homura said gravely. "Once Kakashi leads the Jinchuriki to side with the Uchiha faction, all the groundwork the teacher laid out over the years will be utterly destroyed."

"That's right. The Jinchuriki must remain solely in our hands," Koharu nodded. "Let's proceed according to that incident from years ago. Although Danzo was the one who carried out the dirty work back then, duplicating those methods won't be difficult for us."

"Use the same methods we used against the White Fang? Won't that be a bit too extreme?" Mitokado Homura frowned.

"Hmph, who told Kakashi to harbor desires for things he shouldn't touch, just like his father?" Koharu said coldly. "What, are you turning as soft and indecisive as Hiruzen now that you're old?"

"If we do this, will it disrupt the peace of the village...?" Homura pondered aloud.

"What we are doing is precisely for the peace of the village! Only by completely crushing the ambitions of the Uchiha can the village truly know peace!" Koharu declared.

"I understand," Homura nodded. "Then let's do it your way. I will instruct the clan to await your orders."

***

While the two advisors were conspiring in secret, Uchiha Tohuan, having finished his duties for the day, was practicing Sage Mode in his courtyard.

Having memorized the precise ratio for Sage chakra, Tohuan sat in meditation under the moonlight for some time. Once his entire body was suffused with Sage chakra, he snapped his eyes open. Slit pupils appeared in his eyes, accompanied by purple eye shadow at the corners.

Clenching his fists and feeling the surging power within his body, Tohuan calculated mentally, "The strength in this state is indeed much greater than before. However, I still need to practice refining Sage chakra faster; otherwise, it will be difficult to use in actual combat."

Tohuan closed his eyes once again, relaxed his mind, and attuned himself to the rhythm of natural energy between heaven and earth, circulating the secret arts of Ryuchi Cave.

On his first attempt, Tohuan's sensory range easily enveloped the entire Uchiha compound. Before long, he noticed fluctuations of Lightning Release pulsing intermittently from the backyard of Uchiha Fugaku's house, not far from his own. Taking a closer look, a faint smile appeared at the corners of Tohuan's lips.

That brat Sasuke was practicing the technique Tohuan had taught him the other day. It had to be said that Sasuke's talent for Lightning Release was truly astonishing. It had only been about a week since the technique was taught, and Sasuke was already able to compress the generated sphere of lightning to a certain degree and have it orbit his body twice.

However, the boy's stability with ninjutsu still needed improvement. Within the span of a mere few minutes, the kid had twice blown himself black and blue with his own unstable lightning spheres.

After watching for a while, Tohuan decided to pull back his sensory range. After all, it was late at night, and it would be impolite if he accidentally saw something he shouldn't.

Just before retracting his perception, however, Tohuan suddenly sensed a figure moving at high speed within the clan grounds, heading directly toward his home.

"This chakra signature? Kakashi?" Tohuan raised an eyebrow. Why would Kakashi come looking for him at this hour?

Moments later, Kakashi's figure materialized in Tohuan's courtyard. The instant he entered, Kakashi caught sight of Tohuan sitting in meditation under the eaves.

The aura Tohuan currently projected secretly startled Kakashi. If the combat-ready Tohuan he had seen previously resembled a violent, bursting thunderbolt, he now looked like storm clouds gathering before a tempest—seemingly calm, yet imbued with the majesty of nature itself.

"What are you...?" Kakashi asked.

"Sage Mode," Tohuan replied with a slight smile as he looked at Kakashi, who had already removed his mask. Having no intention of hiding it from him, he spoke frankly, "Consider it spoils of war from when I killed Orochimaru that one time."

"Sage Mode?" Kakashi murmured inwardly. As a student of the Fourth Hokage, Namikaze Minato, he was not entirely unfamiliar with this state. The Fourth had already mastered entry into this form before his death, though due to a lack of practice time, he could not activate it at will during combat.

[If the teacher had been able to use this form that night, the outcome might have been different,] Kakashi thought, feeling the immense power radiating from Tohuan.

"Is there something you need from me so late?" Tohuan asked.

"There is indeed a matter I'd like to ask a favor for," Kakashi said after regaining his composure.

"Care for a round? We can talk while we play," Tohuan said with a smile, glancing at the archery targets fifty paces away.

"Alright," Kakashi nodded.

***

At Tohuan's instruction, the butler quickly brought out two longbows and two quivers of arrows for them.

Tohuan pulled the bowstring to warm up, picked up an arrow, nocked it, and drew the bow.

With the sound of tearing wind, the arrow struck dead center in the bullseye fifty paces away.

After releasing his shot, Tohuan turned to Kakashi. "You must have practiced since that day, right?"

Kakashi nodded silently. Nocking an arrow and drawing his bow, he loosed it without a wasted motion. Following a dull thud, his arrow landed firmly right beside the one Tohuan had just shot.

"Hah, it seems you've put effort into practicing," Tohuan laughed. "Did you come here because of Naruto? Toutou already told me about what happened today."

"That's right," Kakashi nodded. "I want to ask a favor. Could you have the Military Police Force look out for that boy Naruto, even just a little?"

"That shouldn't be a problem in itself. The Uchiha hold the Fourth Hokage in equally high regard. However, as you know, that boy's identity is a bit sensitive. If the Military Police Force makes contact with him too rashly, certain people won't be able to sit still."

Hearing Tohuan's words, Kakashi fell silent.

Arrow after arrow, the two men shot in turns. Before long, the centers of several targets in the courtyard were completely filled with arrows.

Finally, Tohuan released his final arrow, lowered his longbow, and spoke. "Regarding what you asked for, I will issue the instructions tomorrow after I report for duty. The village might not be very peaceful in the near future."

With that, Tohuan looked at Kakashi, who had removed his mask, and smiled. "However, it looks like you're already prepared."