Chapter 41 To Eat a Loyal Orange or a Green Garlic (Part 1)
Having decided to take Uchiha Sasuke as his disciple, Uchiha Touhuan naturally intended to teach him well.
Choosing Confucian classics as Sasuke's introductory texts was a careful consideration. First, Sasuke was not yet seven years old, and given his brother's past tendency to overthink things, establishing a basic moral compass was crucial. It was important to teach the child good and bad qualities—in other words, to first establish his moral standing.
When Sasuke discovered that this system was insufficient to explain the world, he would naturally become confused. That would be the time to teach him the real stuff, filling the gaps in his moral foundation.
In this era, the master-disciple relationship was no less important than that of a biological father and son. Having accepted Sasuke as his disciple, Sasuke was qualified to inherit Uchiha Touhuan's political resources in the future. Uchiha Touhuan would certainly not raise Sasuke to be a cynical scholar spouting classical phrases.
After Sasuke left, Uchiha Touhuan also set off with his Swift Lightning Blade.
Soon after, within the Aburame clan's territory, the current clan head, Aburame Shiki, received information from the clan's scout insects that Uchiha Touhuan was heading towards their clan's territory. He was immediately on high alert and quickly summoned the clan's Jonin. The
Aburame clan's territory was even more remote than the area the Uchiha clan had moved to after the Nine-Tails' attack. Uchiha Touhuan, with Swift Lightning Blade at his waist, walked unhurriedly along a narrow path, barely visible by moonlight, devoid of streetlights.
The subtle chakra fluctuations in the surrounding bushes did not escape Uchiha Touhuan's notice, but he paid them little attention.
Soon after, Uchiha Touhuan arrived at the gate of the Aburame clan's compound. He spoke warmly to a genin guarding the gate, a man wearing the Aburame clan's signature sunglasses, and said, "Please go in and announce that Uchiha Touhuan has come to visit."
"Yes, please wait a moment." The genin guarding the compound gate nodded and then turned to enter the compound.
Uchiha Touhuan waited patiently. Before long, Aburame Shiki personally came to greet him with two jonin from the clan.
"I apologize for keeping the Uchiha clan head waiting." Aburame Shiki bowed after stepping out.
"Clan head Aburame, there's no need for that. Arriving so late, I should be the one disturbing you." Uchiha Touhuan smiled. "Besides, clan head Aburame, there's no need for such formalities. Today, I've come to visit you personally."
"Clan head Touhuan, please." Aburame Shiki extended her hand in invitation.
After Uchiha Touhuan followed the others into the Aburame clan's territory, they arrived at the reception room. Looking around, he could see that the Aburame clan's situation hadn't been too good in recent years; even the reception room, a place meant to represent the clan, looked rather simple.
"Our clan is humble and cannot compare to the Uchiha clan. I apologize for the humble appearance," Aburame Shiki said.
After everyone was seated, Aburame Shiki waved to a maid to bring tea. After a few words of conversation, Aburame Shiki asked, "I wonder what brings Clan Chief Touhuan here so late at night?"
"Clan Chief Aburame," Uchiha Touhuan replied, "our Security Department, entrusted by the Third Hokage, has made significant progress in thoroughly investigating the traitor Shimura Danzo and his criminal gang. However, Shimura Danzo has been a malignant tumor within the village for many years, and his influence is deeply entrenched. During the investigation, it's inevitable that some ninja clans within the village will be implicated. Out of concern for the village's current stability, the Third Hokage has repeatedly instructed our Security Department to handle this matter with utmost caution." "That's why I'm here." When the subject was brought up, Aburame Shiki's expression turned serious.
He sighed deeply and said with a hint of helplessness, "Is it because of Ryuma? He was taken to Root by Danzo when he was very young, and our clan lost contact with him afterward."
"I understand," Uchiha Touhuan nodded. "Our Uchiha clan has heard about how Shimura Danzo forcibly recruited talented ninjas from the village through coercion." "
It's good that Clan Head Touhuan understands." Aburame Shiki breathed a slight sigh of relief upon hearing Uchiha Touhuan's words.
"But..." Uchiha Touhuan's tone shifted, causing Aburame Shiki's heart to tighten again.
"Ryoma Aburame's position in Root is quite high. Conservatively speaking, he should be the second or third leader within the organization, second only to Danzo. Furthermore, according to the Security Department's investigation, he played a crucial role in the crimes planned and carried out by Danzo Shimura, and violently resisted arrest during the arrest, attempting to destroy evidence of Root's crimes. This adds another layer of severity to his crimes."
"This…" Aburame Shiki's forehead was covered in cold sweat. After a long pause, she continued, "Our Aburame clan was unaware of what Ryoma did. We implore Clan Chief Touhuan to understand."
"From the perspective of a ninja clan, I can completely understand Clan Chief Aburame," Uchiha Touhuan said calmly, picking up his teacup and taking a sip. "After all, which clan can guarantee that it won't have a few ungrateful individuals? Moreover, Ryoma Aburame was brainwashed by a naturally evil old devil like Danzo from a young age, which led to his current predicament."
"However…" Uchiha Touhuan put down his teacup and looked directly at Aburame Shiki, "My understanding is useless; the Aburame clan needs the village to understand."
"What does Clan Chief Touhuan mean?" Aburame Shiki asked, puzzled.
"Clan Chief Aburame should know the nature of most of the villagers." Uchiha Touhuan took out a document and placed it in front of Aburame Shiki.
Aburame Shiki glanced at the document, and her pupils contracted behind her sunglasses.
The document listed Aburame Ryuma's crimes within Root, including but not limited to assisting Danzo in assassinating fellow villager ninjas and kidnapping a bloodline clan child.
Once this evidence was released, the villagers of Konoha wouldn't care about the details; they would only blame their Aburame clan. As the head of a not-so-small ninja clan, he knew the villagers' personalities perfectly well. Even the legendary White Fang, who once shook the ninja world, was driven to suicide by village gossip. Could their small Aburame clan withstand that?
"Clan Chief Touhuan, what should we do about the Aburame clan? Please advise," Aburame Shiki said.
"Clan Chief Aburame, haven't I already said that I personally believe in the Aburame clan's innocence?" Uchiha Touhuan chuckled. "However, if you want the village to believe this, the Aburame clan needs to show some commitment."
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(End of Chapter)