Uchiha Tonan had barely returned home, putting a few incense sticks in front of his several wood carvings, when the Great Elder, much like an old dog that smelled a familiar scent, came knocking at his door.
He entered the house and sized Tonan up, finally sitting down at the tea-table. Brewing some tea for him, Tonan said, “Great Elder, if you are curious about something, please don’t hesitate to ask.”
The Great Elder didn’t open his mouth to ask about the key issues but instead made small talk. “What happened at the Fire Capital has already spread everywhere. Fortunately, you are fine.”
Tonan shook his head with a smile, “I am but a small person. As long as I don’t intentionally step forward, what trouble could I be in?”
The Great Elder nodded and stared at the boy in front of him. He noticed Tonan was almost as tall as him now and his stature was no longer as juvenile as before. He couldn’t help sighing, “Tonan, you’ve grown up.”
A small smile came on Tonan’s face, as he took a sip of tea, “My body developed early. And the life in the Fire Capital was also not bad.”
The Great Elder nodded, staring at the tea leaves floating in the teacup. “You have to be careful of that old man. Since he lost both his sons, he might be looking for someone to vent his anger. And you just happen to be the sole survivor of this trip to the Fire Capital.”
Tonan shook his head and replied, “I think this is an opportunity.”
Tonan’s words got the Great Elder thinking, “Do you want to become the next Hokage?”
Tonan raised his eyebrows, “Am I not worthy?”
The Great Elder was startled. He shook his head and replied, “Your surname is Uchiha…. it’s impossible.”
Tonan picked up the teacup and took a sip. He narrowed his eyes slightly and countered, “There are just a few competitors, and I might be the dark horse. After all, there are so many accidents in this world.”
“Tonan,” the Great Elder suddenly asked in a somber voice, “Will you betray the Uchiha clan someday?”
Tonan was dumbfounded for a moment but replied with a smile, “Great Elder, are you unable to trust me anymore?”
The Great Elder lowered his eyes and thought for a bit. He then leisurely replied, “It’s not that I can’t trust you, but when all is said and done, it has already been several years and I think some clan members would know about you by now. You can rest assured that my judgment is accurate. They will never leak it.”
The Great Elder had been staring at Tonan the whole time, trying to capture every detail and every minute expression on his face. If Tonan truly showed any signs of betraying the clan, he would immediately leak Tonan’s secrets.
These might not be able to directly harm Tonan but they would definitely make Sarutobi Hiruzen stay away from him. When that happened, Tonan could only tie himself to the clan in the future.
Tonan, however, didn’t immediately reply. He took some melons and fruits from the table and quietly ate them.
“Grandpa~”
Just at this moment, Uchiha Shisui came to Tonan’s door and continuously knocked as he called out for his grandfather. The Great Elder was surprised. He retracted his thoughts and got up, rushing to open the door.
His first reaction after seeing his grandson was to yell at him. “Why are you running around all day? Did you complete the homework I gave you?”
Seeing his usually affectionate grandfather this fierce, Shisui pouted, feeling a little sad. He glanced at the Great Elder and quickly lowered his head. He weakly said, “It’s all done.”
The Great Elder felt a little defeated. He coughed lightly and pretended to be serious, “Go back and do it all over again.”
“Alright…” Shisui reluctantly left.
After the Great Elder returned to the room, Tonan filled his cup with tea and said with a smile, “You can let Shisui come here to play more. I like children very much.”
The Great Elder picked up the teacup and forced a smile, “No need. It will just trouble you.”
The corners of Tonan’s mouth rose slightly, and he suddenly spoke, “Great Elder, I wanted to ask you a question.”
“Yes?”
“Are your eyes awakened?” The Great Elder understood Tonan was asking whether he had unlocked the Mangekyo Sharingan. He immediately laughed, “Had I awakened it, would I be placing my hopes on you?”
Tonan nodded and picked up his teacup, “Great Elder, after today’s tea, don’t meet me as much as possible in the future. I’m afraid Hokage-sama will misunderstand.”
The Great Elder picked up the teacup and lowered his head to blow on it. A hint of coldness flashed through his eyes but he calmly asked, “What about the matter I just said?”
Tonan drank the tea and placed the teacup on the table gently. He said with a warm smile, “It’s all up to you, Great Elder.”
After the Great Elder left, Tonan drank tea taking in the scenery in his yard. He also began summing up the inadequate areas of this trip in his mind. Killing Shinnosuke and Asuma was not difficult but dealing with the aftermath was. Moreover, he couldn’t let Hiruzen vent his anger on him.
Tonan believed that all crimes couldn’t be hidden forever. With Konoha’s powerful investigation system, as long as Hiruzen was determined to find things out, it was very likely that he would be found out.
This was why Tonan spent so much effort shifting the conflict to the Daimyo Residence. Everyone knew there were many doubts behind this incident, but no one was willing to investigate it. Because the direct and main factor of this incident was Naraku, the First Highness and the only remaining heir of the Land of Fire’s Daimyo.
If anyone wanted to investigate the mastermind behind-the-scenes, then the starting point would be the First Highness’ patricide. Some things were known to everyone, but for the sake of the overall situation, people could only tacitly regard it as if it didn’t happen.
For the next few days, Tonan stayed at home. He used Wind Communication to listen to all kinds of gossip among the clan members to gather information.
Among them, there was information about Naraku’s succession to the throne. It was just that the person invited to attend the ceremony was not Hiruzen, but Shimura Danzo.
Tonan sat in front of the table and squinted his eyes. If this situation continued, the First Highness would definitely support Danzo, and Danzo would willingly be his shield.
As long as Danzo didn’t fall, Hiruzen would never be able to find out the truth of the Fire Capital’s incident. There was also some news about the new graduates of the Ninja Academy.
Tonan heard a few familiar names, such as Maito Guy, Uchiha Obito, and others.
“Times flies so fast. If you two hadn’t died, you would’ve graduated by now as well.”
Tonan muttered looking at the wood carvings of Hyuga Chyrio and Uchiha Mina while carving out a new figure with his kunai. So far, this carving only had a body but not a face.
Halfway through the carving, Tonan patted off the sawdust and got up to walk outside. Walking to the courtyard, he looked sideways at the Great Elder’s residence.
After a long time, Tonan seemed to have thought of something funny, and he laughed out loud. He then shook his head and walked into the room.
“Treating me as a soft persimmon, squeezing whenever you want…”
