After being called out by its owner as a picky eater, as if it was angry, the white pigeon turned around and pointed its butt towards Uchiha Tonan. It cooed some more before spreading its wings and flying away.
Tonan also packed up his things, left the house, and walked up the path along the cliff. After a while, he arrived at the top, and he looked down at the platform below with an indifferent face.
Slowly, he took a few steps back, and he made hand seals.
“Earth Style – Great Mud River.”
The ground in front of Tonan turned into a mudflow and gushed down the cliff in torrents. The mudslide submerged the hut on the platform, after which, there was silence again.
Tonan disinterestedly looked at everything with the face of the old man. He then turned around slowly and walked towards the Fire Capital.
The next day at dawn, Tonan, who had transformed into Abe Seimei, leisurely walked towards the northern gate. According to the information he had seen in the booklets, Seimei lived in the forest mountain throughout his years. He had not been in the Fire Capital for at least two decades.
Therefore, he was not worried about someone seeing through his disguise. Since Seimei’s proof of identification had long expired, he needed to register again to enter the capital. Tonan lined up and lowered his eyes, trying his best to show the appearance of an old man who had seen the vicissitudes of life.
The North City Guards held weapons, and their physiques were large and imposing. Standing in front of ordinary people, they exuded a strong sense of pressure. At present, they were checking identity proofs of those who were queuing up to enter the city.
When it was Tonan’s turn, a North City Guard glanced at the empty-handed old man in front of him. He picked up a sheet and asked as he noted down, “Name, address, occupation, and why do you want to enter the city?”
Tonan hunched over and lightly said, “My name is Abe Seimei, and I’ve been living in the Zifu Mountain, Dan Tengai. During my younger days, I used to teach in the village. Later, I returned to the mountains to make a living by planting and hunting. But because of the heavy rain a while ago, my house was destroyed by a mudslide. As a result, I’ve nowhere to go. I’m entering the city to make a living and to plan for the future.”
The city guard recorded the general information and handed the sheet to Tonan, pointing him to the pavilion next to the city gate. “Take this sheet, and hand it over to the city guard there. Once he has checked it, you’ll get the proof of identification.”
Tonan nodded, staggered to the pavilion, and handed over the sheet to the staff inside.
“I know Zifu Mountain, but where is Dan Tengai?” The staff pondered for a long time. In his job, and he has been doing this for a long time now, he knew the names of large and small places outside the northern part of the city. However, he had no impression whatsoever of a place called Dan Tengai.
Unexpectedly though, after the staff searched the cabinet for a long time, he found Zhifu Mountain’s register. Browsing through it, he finally found Seimei’s information. He picked up a pen and added the words ‘Dan Tengai’ after Seimei’s old address.
After that, he picked up an old black-and-white photo from the register and compared it with Tonan in front of him. Tonan had complete confidence in his transformation. Although deep-layered things couldn’t be imitated, the outward appearance was at least ninety percent on point.
This was more than enough to deal with the city guards.
“Old gentleman, you’re still full of vigor.”
Pop.
The city guard confirmed there was no error and stamped on the proof of identification document, handing it over to Tonan. “This is your proof of identification. It’s valid for only three days. After it expires, it needs to be reissued. You can enter the city now.”
Tonan took the identity proof and nodded, “Sorry to bother you, little brother.”
Meanwhile, Tonan’s shadow clone that was left behind in the North City Guard Residence noticed that it was almost time. He ordered Yoshiwara Ao to post a recruitment notice on the external wall of the residence gate.
As soon as the notice was posted, it attracted several onlookers. After the last incident, the North City Guard’s reputation had become extremely positive among civilians. The recruitment notice quickly spread.
Anyone who had voluntarily read some books or had some educational background came to the North City Guard to recommend themselves to Ao, who was standing at the gate. The chief attendant followed Tonan’s instructions and didn’t refuse anyone.
“Ladies and gentlemen, please wait and rest for a while. There is plenty of time, you can please restore your energy first. Tonan-sama prepared this test and it will begin in the afternoon.”
“No problem, no problem, Tonan-sama is so kind-hearted. It doesn’t matter if we have to wait a few hours.”
“Yes, yes, Tonan-sama not only adopted these orphans, but he’s also looking for someone to teach them. I’m very happy to be a part of such a good thing.”
Because of the notice, and coupled with Tonan’s usual strategy of planting con artists among the crowd to manipulate mob mentality, the news spread faster and faster. More came to apply for the job.
On the other side, after wandering a few laps around the city, Tonan slowly came to the North City Guard Residence, and like others, he recommended himself and entered the residence to wait.
By the afternoon, hundreds of candidates had gathered in the hall of North City Guard Residence. Not long after, Tonan’s shadow clone came to the hall from the study, bowed slightly to everyone, and apologized, “Sorry, I was tied up with some of the North City Guard’s affairs, and made everyone wait.”
“No, no, it’s alright, we’ve also just arrived.”
“Tonan-sama, you’ve been working very hard.”
