With a nervous heart, Yōkō entered the command tent.
Yellow Dog presented a mission scroll:
"Commander, Vice-Commander, the ambush battle was a great victory.
We killed Kirigakure's elite jōnin, Hōzuki Muragetsu, four other jōnin, and 337 Kiri-nin."
The assistant handed the scroll to Danzo, who looked down at it for a while.
Danzo saw that Fox had scouted the Kiri-nin intelligence by the seaside and entered the battlefield a day earlier than the pre-established operation plan.
The five battalions happened to catch the Kiri-nin setting traps, leading to their great defeat.
Danzo's left eye, not covered by bandages, constricted for a moment, making his pupil appear smaller and more dangerous.
The growth speed of Yellow Dog's subordinates is too fast. Why has this Fox, who appeared out of nowhere, already become a serious threat?
After reading the scroll, Danzo said:
"Very good. For this mission, the main credit goes to Yellow Dog for formulating an excellent operation plan and comprehensive intelligence reconnaissance.
I will apply for an S-rank mission reward for you."
Yellow Dog waited a few seconds but didn't hear a follow-up. He asked:
"Commander, what about the four jōnin squad leaders, Yamashiro-dera, Uchiha Tōka, and the others, and the ANBU squadron leader Fox? Can they receive S-rank mission rewards?"
Danzo frowned: "Yellow Dog, you are not qualified to question the mission rating.
The mission rating is decided by the command. If everyone questions the mission rating, how can the mission system operate?"
Hearing this, Yellow Dog said nothing more.
He had no intention of continuing to argue with Danzo. After dealing with a few more words, he left the command tent.
Uchiha Tōka, Uchiha Michi, Yamashiro-dera, and Gekkō Sō were indignant but didn't show it on their faces.
After walking some distance away, Uchiha Tōka said:
"My apologies, Yamashiro-dera, Gekkō Sō. It's our Uchiha clan that has implicated you two.
Commander Danzo is extremely dissatisfied with the Uchiha clan's performance and won't easily grant us S-rank mission rewards.
If we weren't in this mission, with such a great victory, you two would definitely have received S-rank mission rewards."
Yellow Dog turned his head and looked at Uchiha Tōka with a strange expression.
His impression of Uchiha Tōka had greatly improved.
As expected of the team leader responsible for the Uchiha young master. Both his strength and intellect are worthy of being called elite among the Uchiha clan.
Yōkō thought, Uchiha Tōka, why did you steal Yellow Dog's line?
In this mission, there's Danzo's disliked Yellow Dog and the Uchiha. As the commander, Yellow Dog couldn't be denied an S-rank reward for such a great victory.
But it's impossible for anyone else to get an S-rank mission reward from Danzo.
After seeing the other jōnin off, Uchiha Tōka and Uchiha Michi went to find the Clan Head.
The two greeted Uchiha Kane and returned together to the Uchiha clan's tent area.
After entering his tent, Uchiha Kane sat down tiredly on a chair and said:
"Why does Advisor Danzo hold such great hostility towards us Uchiha? I wouldn't say I've been reverent, but at the very least I've paid attention to every detail and haven't offended him in any way..."
Uchiha Tōka pointed outside. Uchiha Michi quickly went out to check for surveillance.
After a safe hand signal came from the gap in the tent flap, Uchiha Tōka said: "Clan Head, I have a guess."
"What guess?"
Uchiha Tōka said:
"I've handled many cases in the Military Police Force. One case left a deep impression on me.
A criminal accidentally killed a Konoha old man and managed to evade investigation at the time.
In the following years, that criminal successively killed several of the victim's sons.
When I interrogated him, I asked him why he did it.
He said that after he accidentally killed the old man, he was afraid the old man's sons would discover he was the killer, so he constantly observed and provoked the sons.
Any son who showed hostility towards him, he believed that son had already discovered he was the murderer.
Thus, he held a grudge against that family, wishing to kill them all.
This behavior could be called 'Retaliatory Attribution,' believing that the family's reporting, testifying, or seeking revenge would lead to his own harm.
Or 'Psychologically Twisted Projection' – rather than waiting for the victim's relatives to seek blood revenge, it's better to strike first.
Clan Head, we cannot stop the investigation into Kagami's death..."
"Enough!" Uchiha Kane stopped Uchiha Tōka. His eyes flickered, but he ultimately deflated: "Tōka, your most important task now is to train Fugaku, to help him realize his potential. I will handle other matters."
"Alright, I understand."
Uchiha Tōka said no more.
He felt some doubt again, unsure if Fugaku could lead the Uchiha clan to revival.
He knew Fugaku. Just as ANBU Copper Fox said, the young master lacked aggression.
"No, you don't understand," Uchiha Kane said:
"The Uchiha clan carries original sin.
Uchiha Madara defected after the village was founded and returned twice threatening to destroy the village.
The second time he brought the Nine-Tails back, he died by the First Hokage's hand, but also caused the First's premature decline.
For the Uchiha clan to survive in the village, we must learn to compromise.
During the Nine-Tails' transfer seal riot, the Senju clan was heavily hit. The village still said it was Uchiha Madara's doing.
That ancestor is truly a troublesome ancestor, not considering the Uchiha clan at all.
Look at the Uzumaki clan. Their strength wasn't weaker than the Uchiha's. Uzushiogakure and the Land of Whirlpools formed a unified nation and village.
Uzushiogakure was so strong, but so what?
Without Konoha's sincere protection, such a powerful shinobi clan was still wiped out overnight.
If we leave Konoha, the other four great shinobi villages will pounce on us like starving wolves and gouge out our Sharingan.
If we stay in Konoha, we must learn to endure and wait.
Perhaps the clan will have a bright future under Fugaku's leadership.
All shinobi die.
Whoever holds hostility towards us might die in some accident.
What we must do is wait, and pass on our legacy, not make enemies everywhere."
Uchiha Tōka thought, Perhaps the young master Fugaku's mild temperament is the result of the Clan Head's constant teachings.
He also felt a headache for the clan, unable to find a way to break the situation in the short term.
They could only endure.
Ever since Uchiha Kagami died, the clan lost its bridge of communication with the village leadership, and everything became difficult.
The Military Police Force, as the village's law enforcement department, could easily tarnish the Uchiha's reputation by sensationalizing any case.
Strict enforcement was called heavy-handed.
Lax enforcement was called incompetence.
If Konoha villagers were to judge, every Uchiha shinobi would get the death penalty.
Seeing Uchiha Tōka's worried look, Uchiha Kane said: "Tōka, no need to worry. The war in the Land of Whirlpools is about to end."
"End? It's ending?"
Uchiha Kane said:
"I saw the battle report. The war in the Land of Earth is already in negotiations.
Once the Land of Earth war ends, the Land of Whirlpools war will inevitably end.
Genji also doesn't want to face Mitokado Homura and Orochimaru on the battlefield.
Orochimaru earned the title 'The Cold Snake' in the Land of Grass and Land of Earth.
For no other reason than he killed too many.
When Iwa-nin encounter Orochimaru, they can't even keep their bodies; some are even swallowed alive by Orochimaru's summoning snakes.
Aside from the influence of the Land of Earth battlefield, the reason ANBU Yellow Dog's battalion came to the frontlines was precisely to end the war.
ANBU already had a battalion managed by Otsu on the frontlines, yet the Third Hokage still sent Yellow Dog's battalion.
Yellow Dog's battalion achieved a glorious victory. I suspect the Third Hokage will use this victory to force Kirigakure to the negotiating table.
Our Uchiha clan has sacrificed over 150 people on the frontlines. The war is about to end; we can return to the village."
***
Dive deeper into the story with 50+ advance chapters, available now on Patreon!patreon.com/CNBLUE
If you're enjoying the novel, please consider leaving a review. Your support is crucial and helps the story grow immensely. Thank you!
(Chapter End)