Chapter 8: Uchiha Douhuan's Pn

  "The first matter—I don't want to hear anyone in the cn talking about rebellion anymore."

  Uchiha Douhuan's voice was firm, leaving no room for argument.

  "…Huh?"

  The young Uchiha, who had been fired up just moments ago, froze in confusion.

  Meanwhile, Shisui and Itachi both let out a sigh of relief—at least Douhuan still had some sense and understood that the cn couldn't afford to rebel.

  But—

  The very next moment, their relief vanished.

  "This vilge was founded by Madara and the First Hokage together. In a way, we Uchiha are supposed to be co-rulers of this vilge."

  "Our goal isn't to start a rebellion—it's to recim our rightful authority."

  "That's right! The Uchiha should have a pce in this vilge's leadership!"

  Uchiha Inaho excimed, his enthusiasm reigniting.

  Douhuan continued, dropping another bombshell.

  "Second—the Konoha Police Force is understaffed."

  "Starting tomorrow, we will begin recruiting civilian shinobi. Within a week, I want to see our numbers doubled."

  "Furthermore, their saries must be at least equal to D-rank mission pay, and we will open access to all Uchiha ninjutsu except those reted to the Sharingan."

  "Additionally, the accumuted war spoils stored in our cn's treasury will be distributed as rewards to those who excel."

  This time, the entire room erupted in chaos.

  Even Shisui and Itachi were left completely bewildered.

  If the first announcement was merely a shift in ideology, the second was a direct blow to the cn's internal wealth.

  "Silence!"

  Douhuan finally raised his voice.

  Once the murmuring died down, he continued—

  "Many of you work in the Police Force. Tell me, how many times have you faced resentment from vilgers despite doing your job fairly?"

  "The Police Force seems powerful, but in reality, it has only isoted us from the rest of the vilge."

  "This was the trap set by that old bastard Senju Tobirama!"

  "If we want to recim power, our first step isn't war—it's to win the vilgers' trust."

  "The First Hokage once said something very true—you don't become Hokage and then earn people's respect."

  "You gain the people's respect first—and then become Hokage."

  "The Uchiha have been alienated from the vilge for too long. Now, we will reconnect with them."

  His words resonated powerfully throughout the chamber.

  Even Shisui found himself momentarily questioning his own judgment.

  Was Douhuan really… trying to do what he himself had wanted all along?

  One of the cn elders hesitated before speaking—

  "Recruiting civilians makes sense, but… sharing our ninjutsu? That's… too valuable."

  Douhuan merely smirked.

  "Our bloodline is the true foundation of our strength. Those jutsu are just tools."

  "Rather than let them collect dust in our archives, why not use them to forge connections between us and the vilge?"

  Fugaku, who had remained silent up to this point, finally spoke—

  "But Douhuan, have you considered the costs? Recruiting so many new shinobi and offering them D-rank mission saries will drain the cn's finances."

  "Ever since the incident six years ago, our cn was forcibly relocated away from the vilge center. Our resources are already stretched thin."

  Douhuan grinned.

  "Don't worry, Fugaku-dono."

  "I'll get us the money."

  Fugaku raised an eyebrow.

  "Then I trust you have a pn."

  "As per tradition," he continued, "the Cn Head also serves as the Police Force Captain—"

  "Ah, no, no," Douhuan cut him off.

  "I want you to remain as the Police Captain."

  "I have more important things to do."

  Fugaku's expression twitched.

  "…More important things?"

  "Of course," Douhuan said with a mischievous smile.

  "Completing the task given to me by the Third Hokage."

  One of the elders suddenly spoke up—

  "But Douhuan, if you're investigating Danzo and Root, shouldn't we start immediately?"

  Douhuan's eyes gleamed.

  "Now? No, no, no."

  "We need to give them some time first."

  Time to destroy their evidence.

  Then, he turned to Inaho and Saito.

  "Starting tomorrow, you two are coming with me. We will investigate Root together."

  "Understood!"

  "Yes!"

  ---

  Meanwhile, at the Root Headquarters

  Deep within Konoha's Root base, Yamanaka Fū and Aburame Ryōma were working tirelessly, overseeing the destruction of cssified documents.

  As two of Danzo's most trusted subordinates, they had been left behind during the mission against Douhuan.

  Fū, as a Yamanaka, had his abilities countered by the Uchiha's Sharingan.

  Ryōma, an Aburame, had once been severely injured in battle against Douhuan during the Third Shinobi War.

  His insects had been rendered useless by Douhuan's Lightning Release electromagnetic field—forcing him to barely escape with his life.

  Now, with Danzo dead, the only thing they could do was ensure that all of Root's darkest secrets were erased.

  For the entire night, Root operatives worked like machines, collecting cssified documents and burning them all with Fire Release.

  By dawn, almost everything was gone.

  But just as the final burning process was underway, a messenger arrived—

  "Uchiha Douhuan is approaching the Root base."

  Fū and Ryōma exchanged a knowing gnce.

  They looked at the st few unburned documents…

  Then nodded to each other.

  Without hesitation, they stepped outside the base to confront Douhuan directly.

  ---

  Near Root Headquarters

  Douhuan, Inaho, and Saito walked at a leisurely pace toward Root's hidden base.

  "Tch, this old bastard really made his nest way out in the middle of nowhere."

  Inaho muttered as they traversed the winding, secluded path.

  Douhuan chuckled—

  Then, his expression sharpened.

  "They're here."

  In that instant, blue lightning flickered around him.

  Suddenly—

  The air around them buzzed with movement.

  Dozens of insects materialized from thin air, swarming toward them.

  The moment they touched the ground—the pnts beneath them withered instantly.

  Inaho and Saito immediately drew their kunai, dropping into battle stances.

  From the shadows, a voice echoed—

  "Still the same old tricks, Aburame. You never learn, do you?"

  A series of shuriken came flying toward them.

  But just before they reached Douhuan—

  They froze mid-air.

  A puff of smoke erupted from one of them—

  And Aburame Ryōma appeared, kunai aimed straight for Douhuan's throat.

  ---