The Master of Konoha's Legacy

Uchiha Tonan reached out and gently ruffled the little boy's hair, saying with a doting expression, "Good boy."

The water in his hands wet the little boy's hair; his large hands seemed to be able to cover his entire head.

At this moment, Sarutobi Shinnosuke heard about what happened this morning and rushed to the Kitajo Guard Headquarters.

Yoshihara Ao welcomed Sarutobi Shinnosuke into the living room and made him a pot of tea, bowing and saying, "Shinnosuke-sama, please have some tea and wait a moment."

Sarutobi Shinnosuke nodded, looked around but didn't see Uchiha Tonan, so he asked, "Is Tonan not at home?"

Yoshihara Aoi smiled, put down the teapot in his hand, and pointed towards the backyard, saying:

"Lord Tunan is bathing those orphans. Should I go and inform him?"

Sarutobi Shinnosuke stroked his chin and shook his head, saying, "No need, I'll go find him myself."

After saying that, he got up and walked towards the backyard.

In some ways, Sarutobi Shinnosuke inherited the true nature of Sarutobi Hiruzen, after all, "like father, like son".

As he passed the bathroom window, Sarutobi Shinnosuke stopped and peered through the crack in the window at the scene inside the bathroom.

Uchiha Tonan was gently guiding the children while washing their bodies.

His movements were very gentle, as if he were afraid of hurting these fragile orphans.

Sarutobi Shinnosuke smiled knowingly, lingered at the window for only a moment, then returned to the living room, sat down, and waited while drinking tea.

He thought to himself:

Even if the father didn't say it, it's not hard to see from the details just now that Tu Nan is different from the other members of the Uchiha clan.

He is not only very kind-hearted, but also very caring.

Perhaps in the eyes of ordinary people, this is a fine virtue, a rare advantage.

However, for ninjas, if this characteristic is exploited, it becomes a fatal weakness.

However... people with flaws are easier to control.

Bathing these kids is a huge undertaking.

Uchiha Tonan worked alone from morning until afternoon before finally cleaning up all the children.

After washing them up, he led the group of children to the dormitory prepared for them.

The dormitory was clean and cozy, having been meticulously cleaned at Uchiha Tonan's special request, so that these children without a home could feel warmth.

The children had been through so much and were exhausted, both physically and mentally. Seeing that they finally had a cozy place to stay was a relief.

Perhaps because their previous experiences were so vivid in their memories, tears welled up in the children's eyes, but they dared not cry out loud.

"Alright, you must not have slept well last night. This is your bedroom."

If you're hungry, just eat some snacks from the bedside table, and everyone should get some rest.

Under Uchiha Tonan's arrangement, the children lay obediently on the bed, looking at him with affection.

Seeing that the children had finally relaxed, Uchiha Tonan smiled gently.

Uchiha Tonan already knew that Shinnosuke was coming. After settling the children in, he went to the living room.

The moment he saw Shinnosuke, Uchiha Tonan began his performance, feigning surprise:

"Shinnosuke-senpai, what brings you here?"

As if expressing deep remorse, he quickened his pace, bowed to Shinnosuke, and then sat down.

"I'm so sorry to have kept you waiting. I've been busy all day."

Why didn't you have a servant inform me?

Shinnosuke smiled, seemingly unperturbed by his slight, and simply looked at him and said:

It's alright.

I heard that you did something amazing this morning, Tu Nan.

Uchiha Tonan smiled and shook his head, saying:

"It's my duty. I accepted this task, so I should do my best to complete it."

Shinnosuke admired Uchiha Tonan even more for his dedication to his missions and his ability to keep his word.

Thinking about how such a person might one day serve me loyally...

Wanting to get closer to Uchiha Tonan, Shinnosuke began with some small talk: "How have you been lately...?"

.......

The two talked for a long time.

Shinnosuke kept talking to Uchiha Tonan.

On the contrary, Uchiha Tonan simply smiled and nodded.

However, Shinnosuke wasn't very familiar with Uchiha Tonan and they couldn't find common ground.

They just kept repeating the same words of concern and comfort, and there was nothing else to say.

Uchiha Tonan was getting a little impatient, but he didn't show it on his face.

Uchiha Tonan shook his head inwardly. He hadn't even pledged allegiance yet, and this guy was already so enthusiastic.

Little did he know that his seemingly friendly demeanor only made people think he was eager to recruit talent and desperately needed someone.

Making others think he has no bottom line will only cause them to lose respect for him.

That's a really crude way of managing subordinates.

Uchiha Tonan coughed lightly, trying to change the subject, saying, "Working in the Daimyo's mansion must be very boring."

Shinnosuke paused, unaware of Uchiha Tonan's intention, and replied:

"No, not really. I'm mainly responsible for guarding His Highness at night, so I'm usually fine."

While pouring tea for Shinnosuke, Uchiha Tonan casually asked, "Is His Highness an easy person to get along with?"

Shinnosuke took the tea, nodded his thanks, and said without much thought, "His Highness has a very good nature, but he seems a little too honest."

But compared to the Second Prince, who only knows how to have fun all day long, he's much better.

Uchiha Tonan nodded. During this time, he had also learned about many important figures in the City of Fire through special channels.

"The Second Prince should be quite young, so it's normal for him to enjoy having fun."

Shinnosuke drank the tea in his cup in one gulp and said, "Your Highness is twenty years old, and Your Highness is sixteen."

I heard that the daimyo is currently considering finding a teacher for the two princes.

Firstly, to instruct His Highness on the complexities of government affairs.

Secondly, we need to properly manage the Second Prince's mischievous nature.

We expect to hear from them soon.

Looking for a teacher?

This might be an opportunity...

Uchiha Tonan narrowed his eyes, noted down the information, and began to make plans in his mind.

"How is Asma doing lately? He should be going back to take his graduation exam soon."

Upon hearing Uchiha Tonan mention Asuma, Shinnosuke's face showed a hint of worry, and he sighed, saying:

“He’s been hanging out with a bunch of rich kids all the time lately. I even caught him sneaking around smoking last time.”

I don't know how I'm going to explain this to my father when I get back.

Upon hearing this, Uchiha Tonan smiled slightly and offered words of comfort:

"He's probably just curious for a moment; the novelty will wear off."

.......

[Chapter 82. The Art of Transformation: Abe no Seimei]

As dusk approached.

Uchiha Tonan feigned trying to persuade Shinnosuke to stay several times.

Shinnosuke was worried that Asuma might be out fooling around, so he insisted on leaving.

After seeing Shinnosuke off, Uchiha Tonan returned to his study, sat down and thought for a moment, then called Yoshihara Ao to his side.

"Go and bring me the list of residents outside the North City."

Yoshihara Aoi was slightly taken aback and asked, "May I ask, sir, is it all?"

"All."

Although Yoshihara Ao was very puzzled, he dared not presume to guess what Uchiha Tonan meant and could only obey orders.

Soon, servants came into the study carrying stacks of books and placed them on the table.

Because the list was so long, it took a lot of time just to move it.

It took a quarter of an hour to finally finish moving everything.

After dismissing the servants, Uchiha Tonan used the Shadow Clone Technique to create six clones, and began to peruse the booklets.

It wasn't until midnight that Uchiha Tonan finished reading through the booklets.

After dispelling the shadow clone, Uchiha Tonan's face appeared somewhat pale, and his body swayed slightly.

I returned to my seat, took a sip of tea, and relieved my fatigue.

Quickly filter people in your mind who meet the criteria.

A moment later, a strange look flashed in Uchiha Tonan's eyes, and he murmured:

"Abe's eyesight..."

The following night.

The edge of the villages and towns surrounding the City of Fire is a ring of rolling hills, which appear hazy in the vast moonlight, making it difficult to discern what is real and what is not.

Scattered among the hills are farmhouses, whose candles have long since been extinguished.