Chapter 17: Arrangements for Yamato
That night, within the Uchiha clan shrine, the nine Sharingan eyes taken from Danzō's arm were placed before the altar. A solemn priest chanted a long incantation as incense smoke curled upward, carrying the clan's grief into the heavens.
Once the ritual ended, the clan members dispersed one after another, their footsteps fading into silence. Only Uchiha Tōhan remained behind. He turned and strode back toward the underground interrogation chambers.
Inside, Shimura Reto and his two companions were half-dead from a day's worth of torture, their bodies limp and their wills nearly broken. The latest prisoner, Shimura Hiroshi, however, still had enough strength left to curse bitterly at Tōhan the moment he appeared.
Tōhan casually scratched his ear, as if brushing off an annoying insect.
The interrogator at his side, misreading his silence, responded with another heavy strike from his baton, the sharp thwack echoing through the stone walls.
But Tōhan's attention was elsewhere. He moved directly toward the cell of another captive—one far more dangerous. A young man sat there in chains, the boy who would later be named Yamato by the Third Hokage.
Tōhan had already decided to hand this one over to Kakashi as a gift. For that reason, he didn't intend to torment him further. After the initial beating on the first day, the boy had been placed in solitary confinement. Of course, Tōhan had also layered his own seals over him. Wood Release was no trivial ability—even if this boy was a pale shadow of the First Hokage, leaving him unchecked would make him impossible for the average chunin guard to restrain.
In the corner of the dark cell, the boy stirred at the sound of approaching footsteps. His name for now was Jia. He raised his head, eyes widening as the torchlight flared to life. The sudden brightness made him squint, his chains rattling as he instinctively tried to move—only for sharp pain from the seals to drag him back to reality.
"Let's talk," Tōhan said, pulling a chair across the floor and sitting down casually in front of him.
"Hmph. I won't say a word," Jia spat.
Tōhan smirked. "Really? Tell me, how much does Danzō pay you to buy that kind of loyalty?"
"We follow Danzō-sama for the sake of Konoha," Jia shot back with fierce conviction. "Loyalty cannot be measured with money!"
"Oh? So you're not even paid." Tōhan chuckled softly. "Then why risk your life for him?"
"You'll never understand," Jia sneered. "The Uchiha are born twisted. How could you comprehend the sacrifices Danzō-sama has made for this village?"
Tōhan only shook his head at the boy's fanatic eyes. "Take Yamanaka Fū and the others. At least they had families who could be used as leverage, so Danzō manipulated them into ruin. But you? An orphan? You had nothing, yet still you let yourself be shackled to his will."
He gestured, and a guard brought a tray of food and set it beside the prisoner.
Jia snorted but kept his silence, glaring at him with unyielding eyes.
Tōhan leaned forward. "Tell me how you gained the Wood Release. Your crimes aren't as severe as you think. Yes, you were ordered to assassinate the Third Hokage—but he is merciful, eager to gather new talent. He won't pursue it too harshly. And Kakashi himself has spoken for you. For his sake, I'm willing to overlook much. If you speak the truth, you might still walk out of here alive."
"I will never betray Danzō-sama!" Jia roared through clenched teeth.
"It's not difficult to guess anyway," Tōhan said with a faint smile. "It was Orochimaru, wasn't it? That experiment with artificial Wood Release was hardly a secret. The Senju clan, once proud, was tricked into decline by it. When sacrifices grew unbearable and results failed, the Third Hokage called it off.
"But old Danzō never stopped. He kept experimenting in the shadows—with Orochimaru as his partner. And you," Tōhan's gaze sharpened, "are the only surviving product of that project, aren't you?"
Jia's eyes widened with shock.
"Don't look at me like that," Tōhan laughed quietly. "I'm not a fool. Orphans disappeared from the village orphanage often, and all of it is recorded in the Security Department's archives. Every time Orochimaru was in the village, disappearances spiked. After his defection, the cases dropped dramatically. Considering your age, the conclusion is obvious."
Jia's silence spoke louder than words.
"You should think carefully," Tōhan pressed. "Why would an orphan, stolen and remade, owe loyalty to Danzō? Your loyalty should belong to the Hokage, to the Will of Fire—not to a man who sees you only as a tool."
His voice lowered, almost cold. "You have two paths. Confess, and earn leniency—live out your days in the sun as a true shinobi. Or cling to blind loyalty and let yourself be buried alongside Danzō. The seal that once bound your tongue has been undone. Don't waste the chance Kakashi fought for."
With that, Tōhan stood, leaving the food and water untouched before Jia, and walked away.
In truth, he had little hope of winning over Yamato. Tōhan knew his limits; he didn't have Naruto's gift for swaying hearts. His method was simple: benefit and survival. And besides, he had never intended to keep Yamato within the Uchiha. A wielder of the First Hokage's Wood Release was far too valuable for the village to relinquish. Once Sarutobi Hiruzen recovered, he would demand the boy back.
To Tōhan, this was nothing more than a favor for Kakashi's future rise. Everything he said was crafted so the boy would believe his survival came solely thanks to Kakashi's intervention.
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Meanwhile, in the Hokage's office, Sarutobi Hiruzen sat silently in a haze of pipe smoke. Across from him, his two advisors—frustrated after failing to check Tōhan earlier—watched him with dark expressions.
"Hiruzen," Mitokado Homura finally spoke, breaking the silence. "We can't allow Uchiha Tōhan to continue unchecked. He's clearly using the investigation as an excuse to crush his opponents. He even dared to arrest the head of the Shimura clan. If this goes on, it won't be long before even we are dragged into his interrogation cells."
"Khh… Tōhan wouldn't go that far," Hiruzen said after a pause, though his words lacked conviction. In truth, the memory of Danzō's grotesque corpse still haunted him—and the knowledge that Tōhan wielded the fearsome Kotoamatsukami weighed heavily. Only days had passed since the battle at the village gates; most of the core shinobi had seen the truth with their own eyes. Forcibly halting the Uchiha investigation now would only spark suspicion.
"Hiruzen! Have you forgotten your teacher's teachings?" Utatane Koharu pressed, her voice sharp.
"…Fine," Hiruzen relented at last, exhaling a long stream of smoke. "But we need a reason. We can't simply shut the Uchiha down without cause."
He turned toward the shadows of the office. "Kakashi. Go to the Uchiha compound tomorrow and request a full report on the investigation from Uchiha Tōhan."
"Yes, Hokage-sama." Kakashi stepped out from the darkness, received his order with a bow, and disappeared just as swiftly.
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