Uchiha Touhan walked out of the Root base without once looking back.
Behind him, Hatake Kakashi stood frozen, shaken by the name Touhan had casually mentioned.
Obito's grandmother…? After all these years, I've never even once visited her. Always hiding behind guilt…
I… what a failure.
"Captain…" one of the ANBU stepped forward, noticing Kakashi's silence.
"I'm fine." Kakashi exhaled, steadying himself. He waved his subordinate away. "Clean this place up, then report back to the Hokage."
---
Back within Uchiha territory, Touhan headed straight for the security department's interrogation room.
The Wood Release user captured yesterday had already endured a full day of questioning. Meanwhile, the Yamanaka operative they had brought in this morning had regained consciousness only a short while ago. Now both sat strapped to reinforced chairs, their chakra sealed away.
But the interrogation was far from productive. These were Root operatives, hardened shinobi. The clan's interrogation room, designed for dealing with petty thieves, was laughably inadequate for men like them.
Touhan stepped into the chamber. The moment he entered, the Uchiha interrogators broke off and bowed.
"Clan leader," they greeted.
"How's it going?" Touhan asked.
"Stubborn as ever," one chunin answered. "Especially the one from yesterday. We worked him all night and still got nothing. We were about to call one of our three-tomoe jonin to try with genjutsu."
Touhan shook his head. "No need. I'll handle it myself."
He walked up to the Yamanaka shinobi, who glared up at him with bloodshot eyes. Bruises mottled his face, but hatred burned hotter than the pain.
Touhan gave a faint, almost amused smile. He signaled behind him, and his clansmen resumed their rough treatment, fists and boots landing until the captive slumped weakly.
Even Touhan sighed softly at their zeal. Clearly, old grudges with Root ran deep. The Shimura faction had long been at odds with the Uchiha, and now that they had one of Danzo's dogs at their mercy, they weren't about to hold back.
When the beating finally paused, Touhan stepped closer.
"I… won't say… anything," the Yamanaka rasped, each breath ragged but his eyes defiant.
Sunlight spilled through the narrow window, half-blinding him. Touhan's figure stood in the glare, sharp and imposing.
"I visited your Root base," Touhan said quietly, almost conversational. "It was… quite the sight."
He leaned closer, voice calm yet edged. "You wanted Danzo to be Hokage? To rid the village of the Uchiha?" His hand brushed away the blood trailing from the prisoner's lips.
"Step outside sometime. Look around. The world hasn't changed. The village… is still the same."
The words sank like stones.
Touhan's expression was unreadable. "Whether you confess or not makes no difference to me. I never expected answers from you."
He turned, speaking over his shoulder. "Keep them alive. Watch them closely."
Then his gaze shifted. "Inahori."
"Here!" Uchiha Inahori stepped forward with a salute.
"Call the second team. You're coming with me."
"Yes, clan leader. Where are we headed?"
"To the Shimura compound," Touhan replied with a faint smile. "It's time to pay them a visit."
Inahori blinked. "You mean… arrest them?" A flash of excitement sparked in his eyes. The Uchiha and Shimura clans had never been on friendly terms.
"Arrest?" Touhan chuckled. "No, nothing so crude. Danzo attacked fellow shinobi and defiled the First Hokage's remains. And conveniently…" He pulled a half-burned ledger from a scroll, "…I found proof of the Shimura clan's dealings with him in the Root base."
"We're merely inviting them back for questioning."
On the chair, the Yamanaka's eyes widened. Impossible… all Root accounts should have been destroyed!
Touhan's smile flickered as he noticed the reaction. Their gazes met, and the captive's horror told him everything.
The man struggled wildly, about to shout, but an Uchiha silenced him with a swift blow and a gag.
All he could do was watch helplessly as Touhan left with his men.
---
Soon after, the Second Security Squad assembled. Though grumbling at first for being disturbed during their break, their spirits rose quickly when they heard they were heading for the Shimura clan.
"Clan leader! The second squad is ready!" reported Uchiha En'e, their captain.
Touhan nodded.
"Salute the clan leader!" En'e barked.
The squad straightened and called out in unison: "Chū! Makoto!"
Touhan couldn't help but laugh softly, his chest tightening with a rare warmth. Ever since he had saluted Hiruzen the day before, this little ritual had spread like wildfire among his people.
"Chū! Makoto!" he returned, before leading them out toward the Shimura compound.
---
Such a spectacle could hardly escape notice.
In the Hokage's office, Sarutobi Hiruzen rubbed his temples wearily. He had hoped to gather the remnants of Root for himself. But that morning, the report had arrived—Touhan had already slaughtered them all.
Worse still, Uchiha Itachi had just come forward with details of yesterday's clan meeting.
Learning that Touhan had risen as the new head of the Uchiha, Hiruzen sighed heavily.
The only silver lining… Touhan seems to have suppressed the clan's hunger for rebellion. And though his motives are questionable, opening the Security Force to civilian shinobi is, at least in principle, a step in the right direction.
The Hokage leaned back, troubled yet resigned, as the storm gathered outside his control.
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