Chapter 23: Departure

  After the induction ceremony ended, the newly joined police force members happily took their scrolls and returned home. Meanwhile, Uchiha Douhuan returned to his office—only to find a grim-faced Fugaku sitting in his chair.

  "Douhuan…"

  "Fugaku-sama, I'll bring back more money on this trip." Douhuan preempted the inevitable financial discussion. Given the newly promised 6,000 ryō transportation stipend on top of saries, the funds they had extracted from the Yamanaka cn wouldn't st long.

  "This time, which cn is it? Koharu's? Homura's?" Fugaku asked curiously.

  "A ninja cn? They barely have any money." Douhuan chuckled. "Think bigger, Fugaku-sama. In this ninja world, who has the most wealth?"

  Fugaku's pupils contracted. He hadn't expected Douhuan's ambitions to reach such a scale. What Douhuan was pnning was far beyond a simple coup—it was a challenge to the existing power structures of the ninja world itself. Compared to this, a Uchiha rebellion within the vilge seemed almost trivial.

  Looking at Douhuan's confident smile, Fugaku felt the urge to stop him. But then he recalled the visions his Mangekyō Sharingan had granted him—the path that Uchiha Douhuan was carving out, leading the cn toward a future far grander than even their ancestors had dreamed. In the end, he suppressed his doubts and simply said, "Be careful."

  "I will," Douhuan replied. "Now then, Fugaku-sama, while I'm away, I'll leave the police force in your capable hands."

  "I understand," Fugaku nodded and stood up, ready to leave the office.

  "Oh, and one more thing—send me one million ryō in cash. I'll need it for this mission."

  "A million? That much?" Fugaku was taken aback. "What kind of mission needs that amount of money?"

  "It has nothing to do with the mission itself," Douhuan expined. "This mission isn't what's important—what's important is making sure our allies feel Uchiha's generosity."

  "Fine, I'll have it delivered soon," Fugaku agreed before departing.

  After a short wait, a cn member arrived with a sealed storage scroll containing the requested sum. Douhuan stored it properly before preparing to leave for the day.

  However, as he reached the entrance of the police force headquarters, he spotted an unexpected figure—Uchiha Shisui, standing there as if waiting for him.

  "Care for a chat?" Douhuan raised an eyebrow at his cousin.

  Shisui nodded and fell into step beside him.

  The two strolled leisurely through the vilge, neither speaking for a long time. The streets were filled with ughter as academy children ran past them, heading home after school. The sight seemed to stir something in Shisui, prompting him to break the silence.

  "Douhuan… what is your goal?" Shisui asked hesitantly.

  "I thought I told you from the beginning," Douhuan replied, pausing at a dango stand to buy two skewers. He handed one to Shisui before taking a bite of his own.

  "You only said that to shake my resolve, didn't you?" Shisui countered. "Everything you're doing now—uniting the cn and bringing it closer to the vilge—proves that you want peace."

  "Is that so?" Douhuan smirked. "Maybe what I said back then was the truth."

  "Douhuan, please… there's no need to lie to me anymore," Shisui sighed. "You were right before—I was too arrogant. The power of Kotoamatsukami in my hands was dangerous. If I had used it recklessly, I could have doomed both the cn and the vilge."

  Douhuan studied Shisui for a moment, suppressing the urge to chuckle. His cousin was almost too na?ve.

  "By the way, why were you at the police force today? I know your position is technically still listed there, but ever since you joined the Anbu, you've barely set foot inside."

  "The Hokage ordered me to return," Shisui admitted. "He wants me to keep an eye on the cn's more… unstable elements."

  Douhuan burst into ughter. "So he finally remembers the spy mission he gave you? And by 'unstable elements,' does he mean me?"

  "No," Shisui shook his head. "The Hokage believes you to be a ninja who upholds the Will of Fire."

  Douhuan barely held back his ughter. "Is that so? Well then, I should thank you. If you hadn't stepped in earlier, things might have been harder for me to resolve."

  "It was my duty," Shisui responded sincerely. "After all, you're working for peace between the cn and the vilge."

  "Regardless, now that you're back, I expect you to do good work at the police force," Douhuan said, patting Shisui's shoulder.

  At a crossroads, the two parted ways. When Douhuan returned home, he entered his study and pulled out a scroll. It contained the intelligence reports gathered from interrogating the Shimura cn members—specifically, the addresses of noblemen and wealthy merchants in the Land of Fire who had close ties to Danzo.

  Marking the locations that y along their upcoming mission route, Douhuan rolled up the scroll and stowed it away before reviewing his ninja gear for departure.

  ---

  The following morning, Douhuan met with Uchiha Inaho and Uchiha Saito at the cn's main entrance. The three of them then made their way toward Konoha's gates.

  By the time they arrived, the rest of the mission team had already gathered.

  Though their numbers weren't huge, the team naturally split into small cliques.

  The two civilian-born shinobi stuck together. The representatives from the Koharu and Homura cns paired up. Gekkō Hayate, a lesser cn member, conversed with his lover, Uzuki Yūgao, while also exchanging words with an Inuzuka shinobi—who was busy petting his rge, jet-bck ninken.

  Meanwhile, the two Hyūga members stood aloof from the rest, exuding their usual aristocratic air.

  As for the mission's appointed captain, Kakashi, he was squatting under the eaves of a still-closed shop at the vilge gates, completely absorbed in his Icha Icha book.

  Douhuan took in the scene and smirked.

  Things were about to get interesting.

  …