Naruto: Konoha Spring of the Uchiha Prodigies

On the security front, the Third Hokage clearly intended to let Uchiha Touhuan decide who would participate in the mission. As the other party to carry out the mission together, the Anbu, in addition to Kakashi leading the team, also sent three Jonin.

Of these three Jonin, one was from the Utatane clan, another from the Inuzuka clan, and the last was a commoner ninja without any clan affiliation.

In addition, there are four special Jonin, including Hayate Gekko and Yugao Uzuki, two rising stars known for their Konoha-style swordsmanship. As for the other two, one is from the Mitokado clan and the other is a commoner with no background.

In addition, for reconnaissance purposes, two members of the Hyuga clan's branch family, who were of considerable strength, were recruited.

After considering for a while, Uchiha Touhuan called out loudly towards the door, "Sister Keiko, go and tell Inahisa and Zaito that they will be going on a mission with me the day after tomorrow."

As the first members of the clan to openly follow Uchiha Touhuan, Uchiha Inahisa and Uchiha Zaito were naturally favored by Uchiha Touhuan.

Although this operation was dangerous, as it involved facing a renowned and powerful figure like Orochimaru, Uchiha Touhuan had no intention of fighting Orochimaru to the death this time.

Uchiha Touhuan formed hand seals, and after a flash of smoke, a ninja hawk flew out of the smoke and landed on Uchiha Touhuan's shoulder, gently rubbing its cheek against Uchiha Touhuan's cheek. The ninja hawk's eyes flashed with a special red light.

Uchiha Touhuan formed a series of hand seals, inscribing a special technique inside the Ninja Hawk's body, and then gently patted the Ninja Hawk's head.

uh~

After a loud cry, the eagle on Uchiha Touhuan's shoulder flapped its wings and soared into the sky, disappearing into the horizon in the blink of an eye.

……

The next day, after working two extra nights, Fugaku Uchiha finally assigned tasks to the newly joined civilian ninjas. Starting tomorrow, these newcomers will be able to begin their work. To celebrate, Fugaku Uchiha held a small induction ceremony and invited Touhuan Uchiha to attend.

The large conference room of the security department was now full of people, including the original 227 Uchiha clan ninjas of the security team, plus 254 newly recruited civilian ninjas.

When Uchiha Touhuan and Uchiha Fugaku entered the conference room together, they glanced at the situation inside. It was clear that the Uchiha clan's bias still lingered in the eyes of these commoner ninjas. Although they had mustered up the courage to join the Security Department, they still chose to sit separately from the Uchiha clan ninjas at this formal occasion. The middle row of seats in the conference room, which could barely accommodate everyone, remained empty, becoming the dividing line between the two sides.

Upon seeing this, Uchiha Touhuan couldn't help but shake his head. The task of improving the image of the Uchiha clan was still a long and arduous one.

After the induction ceremony began, although Fugaku Uchiha was still the captain of the security department, he knew how much Uchiha Touhuan valued this event and knew that he could not steal Uchiha Touhuan's thunder at this time. So, after the ceremony started, he simply said a few words and then handed the venue over to Uchiha Touhuan on the grounds that his work was not yet finished.

Uchiha Touhuan stepped onto the podium, scanned the crowd below, and then slowly began to speak:

"First of all, on behalf of the original 227 ninjas of the Security Department, I welcome all of you newcomers to the Security Department. I believe that with your addition, under the leadership of the Will of Fire, the village's Security Department will have a completely new look."

Uchiha Inahisa led the applause from below, and the applause from the audience gradually grew louder.

After the applause subsided, Uchiha Touhuan continued:

"I imagine that you all chose to join the Security Force because you have full confidence in the Security Force and the Uchiha clan. Since we will all be colleagues in the future, I think there's no need for us to be so formal." Uchiha Touhuan said with a warm smile, glancing at Uchiha Inahisa and Uchiha Zaito below the stage.

At this moment, however, the two did not seem to understand Uchiha Touhuan's intentions, and simply looked back at Uchiha Touhuan on the stage with their clear eyes.

Uchiha Touhuan couldn't help but sigh inwardly at this; their clan did indeed have some issues with emotional intelligence.

Fortunately, Uchiha Shisui, who had been sitting in the corner, was the first to stand up and walk over to the other group of newcomers, inviting them to sit down.

Seeing this, Uchiha Inahisa and Uchiha Zaito understood the meaning behind Uchiha Touhuan's gaze on the stage, and the two of them also took action.

Inspired by them, some young people in the tribe also joined in.

After a brief period of chaos, the meeting room was no longer clearly divided, and the original Uchiha ninjas from the security department sat together with the newly arrived civilian ninjas.

Upon witnessing this scene, Uchiha Touhuan on the stage clapped his hands lightly, and the conference room erupted in enthusiastic applause once again.

"Then, let's work together to make our village even better in the future!" Uchiha Touhuan said, and applause rang out once again.

"Next, let's talk about the compensation you're all concerned about." After the applause subsided, Uchiha Touhuan smiled and said, "Captain Fugaku and I have taken into account the average income of the village's ninjas and the village's cost of living, and have temporarily set your salaries at 80,000 ryo per month. The salaries of the veteran members who previously worked in the Security Department will also increase by 20% on top of the amount originally paid by the clan."

As soon as Uchiha Touhuan finished speaking, the civilian ninjas below immediately showed expressions of disbelief.

It's important to understand that they were previously mostly genin who made a living through village missions. The average commission for a genin's D-rank mission was a little over 10,000 taels, but after accounting for the village's cut and the rule that the team leader would take half and the rest would be split equally, they could only earn a little over 1,000 taels for completing a D-rank mission. They could only complete a maximum of 20 missions per month, earning 20,000 to 30,000 taels. After deducting their daily expenses, they could still save a little money to exchange for ninjutsu.

The rumors they heard indicated that the security department's salaries were paid according to the level of D-rank missions, which they originally thought was about the same. What really attracted them here was ninjutsu.

But unexpectedly, the salary level for D-level missions mentioned by the security department did not include the village's commission and distribution rules!

As for the original Uchiha clan members, they were also overjoyed. The original salary of the Security Department was about the same level, and now it has been increased by 20%!

Seeing the atmosphere below the stage become more heated, Uchiha Touhuan smiled and added fuel to the fire.

"In addition, considering that the garrison headquarters is quite far from the village, and your commute to work may be inconvenient, a monthly transportation allowance of 6000 taels will be provided to everyone."

The civilian ninjas below couldn't sit still any longer. What else?

"Furthermore, this is just me using my authority a little. In order to improve everyone's skills and enable them to better perform their future work, the ninjutsu that was originally scheduled to be distributed after a month of work will be distributed immediately after the meeting."

As soon as Uchiha Touhuan finished speaking, the atmosphere below the stage began to get a little out of control.

At that moment, Uchiha Inahisa suddenly stood up and shouted, "Salute to Vice Captain Touhuan! Loyalty!"

"Loyalty! Sincerity!" Everyone present stood up and raised their right hands.

"For Konoha, loyalty!" Uchiha Touhuan raised his right hand in return.

……

Chapter 23 Departure

After the induction ceremony, the newly joined security team members happily went home with the ninjutsu scrolls handed out by the vice-captain.

When Uchiha Touhuan returned to his office, he saw Fugaku sitting in his office chair with a dark expression.

“Dou Huan…”

"Elder Fugaku, I'll bring back even more money this time." Uchiha Touhuan guessed that Fugaku would bring up money, after all, the 6000 ryo travel allowance he had promised was not a small amount, and with his salary, the money he got from the Yamanaka clan wouldn't last long, so he spoke up directly.

"Which clan is it this time? Uchiha Fugaku? Or the Mitomon?" Fugaku asked curiously.

"Ninja clans? What's so rich about ninja clans?" Uchiha Touhuan laughed. "Why don't you be a little bolder, Elder Fugaku? Who are the richest people in our ninja world?"

Fugaku Uchiha's pupils contracted. He hadn't expected Tohkan Uchiha to be so audacious. It was as if he was completely challenging the existing rules of the ninja world. Compared to what he was about to do, the Uchiha's armed rebellion in the village was like child's play.

Seeing Uchiha Touhuan's smile, Uchiha Fugaku wanted to stop him, but when he thought about how Uchiha Touhuan's actions since taking the stage, and how his Mangekyou Sharingan had seen an increasingly clear future, with the Uchiha clan's glory far surpassing that of their ancestors, Uchiha Fugaku suppressed his thoughts and only reminded him, "Be careful."

“I will. Elder Fugaku, please take good care of the security forces while I am away,” said Uchiha Touhuan.

“I understand.” Fugaku Uchiha nodded and got up to leave Tohkan Uchiha’s office.

"By the way, Elder Fugaku, have someone send ten million taels of silver to me later. It's in cash; I need it for a mission," Uchiha Touhuan said.

"Ten million? That much? What are you planning to do with it?" Fugaku Uchiha was somewhat surprised. What kind of mission would require ten million ryo?

“It has nothing to do with the mission itself; this mission is not important,” Uchiha Touhuan said. “What’s important is that the ninjas who participated in the mission feel the gratitude of the Uchiha.”

"Alright, I'll have someone bring it to you in a bit." Fugaku Uchiha nodded, then turned and left the office.

After sitting in his office for a while, Fugaku sent someone to deliver the ten million ryo. After receiving the money, Uchiha Touhuan sealed it with a sealing scroll and then packed up to go home.

At the entrance of the security headquarters, Uchiha Touhuan encountered an unexpected person: Uchiha Shisui was standing in front of the headquarters gate, seemingly waiting for him.

"Let's chat?" Uchiha Touhuan raised an eyebrow, extending an invitation to this genius who had once been his equal in the clan.

Uchiha Shisui nodded and followed Uchiha Touhuan.

As the sun set, the two walked together toward the clan's territory. Neither of them spoke first, and they strolled slowly along.

As the children from the ninja academy walked home after school, laughing and playing, they ran past the two of them. This scene touched Shisui, so he broke the silence first.

"Douhuan, what exactly is your purpose?" Uchiha Shisui asked with some difficulty.

"Didn't I tell you my purpose a long time ago?" Uchiha Touhuan said as he bought two skewers of glutinous rice balls from a roadside stall, handed one to Shisui, and then ate one himself.

“You only said that to disturb my peace of mind, didn’t you?” Shisui said. “What you did was clearly to bring the clan and the village closer together and allow them to coexist peacefully.”

"Is that so? Maybe what I said back then was true?" Uchiha Touhuan said ambiguously.

"Douhuan, at this point, stop lying to me," Shisui said. "You were right back then. I was too arrogant. The power of Kotoamatsukami is too dangerous in my hands. If I'm not careful, my family and village will be doomed."

Looking at Shisui, Uchiha Touhuan couldn't help but secretly sigh in his heart, thinking that his cousin was really adorably silly.

"By the way, why are you at the Security Department today? Although you've always been on the Security Department's payroll, I remember you've rarely come here since you joined the Anbu," Uchiha Touhuan said.

"It was the Hokage who sent me back, to keep a close eye on the unstable elements within the clan," Uchiha Shisui said.

Hearing this, Uchiha Touhuan laughed: "So you finally remembered the spy mission the clan gave you? And, 'unstable element,' are you referring to me?"

“No.” Shisui shook his head. “The Hokage believes that you, Touhuan, are a ninja with the Will of Fire in your heart.”

Uchiha Touhuan suppressed a laugh and said, "Is that so? Anyway, I still have to thank you today. If you hadn't stepped forward, I'm afraid I would have had a hard time getting out of this situation."

“This is what I should do. After all, Dou Huan, you are also doing this for the sake of harmony between your people and the village,” Zhi Shui said sincerely.

"Anyway, now that you're back, do your job well in the Security Department." Uchiha Touhuan patted Shisui on the shoulder and encouraged him.

The two parted ways at an intersection. After returning home, Uchiha Touhuan took out a scroll from his study. The scroll contained the addresses of nobles and wealthy merchants from the Land of Fire who had close ties to the Shimura clan, which the interrogation department had obtained over the past few days.

After marking several places he would pass through on this mission, Uchiha Touhuan put the scroll away and began checking the ninja tools he would need for the journey.

……

The night passed, and early the next morning, Uchiha Touhuan met Uchiha Inahashi and Uchiha Zaito, who had been waiting there for a long time, at the entrance of the clan compound.

After the three met up, they headed towards the village entrance.

When Uchiha Touhuan and his two companions arrived, the other members of this mission had already assembled at the village entrance.

Although the number of people was not large, these individuals were still divided into several small groups.

Two commoners without ninja clan backgrounds banded together, while two ninjas from the Utatane and Mitomon clans mingled together. Meanwhile, Hayate Gekko, a ninja from a minor ninja clan, was chatting with his lover, Yugao Uzuki, while petting a large, jet-black dog.

As for the two Hyuga clan members who were conscripted, they stood alone, exuding an air of nobility.

Meanwhile, Kakashi, the captain of this mission, was squatting under the eaves of a small shop at the entrance of the village that had not yet opened, engrossed in flipping through a small copy of Liu Bei.

Chapter 24 The Uchiha clan is always generous to their friends

"They're so slow. Is this the standard of ninja training for the Uchiha clan?" Before Uchiha Touhuan and his two companions could even speak after arriving, the Jonin from the Utatane clan was the first to complain.

As soon as he finished speaking, the two civilian ninjas who wanted to go up and greet Uchiha Touhuan froze on the spot, not knowing what to do. After all, both Uchiha and Utatane were people they could not afford to offend, even though they were only special Jonin at the very least.

Uchiha Touhuan glanced at the person who spoke, smiled disdainfully, ignored him, and walked up to the two civilian ninjas with a warm smile, extending his hand.

"I am Uchiha Touhuan, and it is an honor to be able to carry out this mission with you all."

The two civilian ninjas were somewhat flattered as they shook hands with Uchiha Touhuan. They hadn't expected that the new head of the Uchiha clan, a powerful figure who had already made a name for himself in the Three Kingdoms, would be so easy to talk to.

"Seiichi Nagai, I hope Chief Touhuan will take good care of me on this mission."

"Ryuta Kuroki, with you here, this mission will definitely be completed smoothly."

"Not at all, this mission will require everyone's close cooperation," Uchiha Touhuan said with a smile.