Naruto: Konoha Spring of the Uchiha Prodigies

“Deputy Captain Dou Huan, it’s really not their fault. They were all enforcing the law impartially, and they strictly adhered to the discipline of smiling during the enforcement process. These complaints can be considered malicious complaints,” a squad leader stepped forward to explain.

“I know, I’ve reviewed all your law enforcement records,” Uchiha Touhuan said. “I’ve called you here not to punish you.”

Uchiha Touhuan looked at the civilian ninjas behind the squad leaders and asked, "How have you been feeling working at the Security Department these past few days?"

"Reporting to the deputy captain, the work went very smoothly. We are honored to work in the garrison!" At this moment, a rather bold young man straightened his chest and replied.

“Tamura Aranosuke,” Uchiha Touken glanced at the file and called out the man’s name, “Very good. Within three days of taking office, he has handled three cases of street vendors obstructing traffic and arrested seven villagers who were drunk and causing trouble.”

"This is what I should do!" Tamura Arashinosuke said proudly.

"But your complaint rate..."

Before Uchiha Touhuan could finish speaking, Tamura Arashi lowered his head and became listless.

"Why are you making that face?" Uchiha Touhuan suddenly laughed. "In our security department, the complaint rate is not included in the performance evaluation indicators."

"Huh?" Tamura Aranosuke raised his head in confusion. To be honest, he was prepared to be scolded. He had a monthly salary of 80,000 yen plus a subsidy, and on his first day of work, he even received a powerful C-rank ninjutsu that he had never dared to dream of before. Getting scolded was no big deal.

But Uchiha Touhuan's words stunned him on the spot. The vice-captain called us over, not to scold us.

“Although our position is destined to be misunderstood by the villagers, it is only right to suffer some grievances in order to serve Konoha. We should always remember the teachings of the Will of Fire. Everyone should have faith that we are doing a great thing.” Uchiha Touhuan patted Tamura Aranosuke on the shoulder and said.

After saying that, Uchiha Touhuan pulled a thick red envelope from his pocket and put it into the other person's hand.

"Well done, this is a reward for your hard work these past few days!"

Then, Uchiha Touhuan took out a stack of red envelopes and handed them out one by one, so that everyone in the office received one.

After sending out the red envelopes, Uchiha Touhuan returned to his desk and continued speaking.

"I hope everyone will continue to work hard in the future and work together to create a better Konoha Village!"

The civilian ninjas who received the red envelopes were overjoyed, and Tamura Arashinosuke even raised his hand in salute: "Salute to the vice-captain! Loyalty!"

"loyalty!"

"Loyalty! Sincerity!" Uchiha Touhuan returned the greeting.

After this group left, Uchiha Tohkan summoned the next group and repeated the process.

Throughout the morning, everyone in the entire security force received red envelopes from Uchiha Touhuan. The original Uchiha clan members were fine, knowing that their new clan leader was always very generous. But the newly joined civilian ninjas were different. After receiving the red envelopes, they were all like they had been injected with chicken blood, and the negative emotions brought about by the high complaint rate were completely swept away.

After handing out the red envelopes, Uchiha Touhuan finally had some free time and made himself some tea in his office.

The distribution of red envelopes—20,000 for the battalion commander, 10,000 for the squad leader, and 5,000 for the ordinary members—cost less than three million. This was nothing to Uchiha Tohuan, who currently held a huge sum of money. However, Uchiha Tohuan also understood that this money could only temporarily stabilize the fluctuating morale within the Security Department and raise everyone's tolerance threshold for the troublemakers in Konoha. To truly resolve this matter, they needed an opportunity to vent their dissatisfaction caused by the malicious reports.

As for the villagers' satisfaction? Uchiha Touhuan never cared about that. The so-called smiling law enforcement, including the complaint mailbox outside, was just the police department's public image. These troublemakers in Konoha were dissatisfied? They'd behave themselves after being hit with a baton.

"I hope those two old geezers won't keep me waiting too long," Uchiha Touhuan thought to himself as he sipped his tea.

At that moment, there was a knock on the door of Uchiha Touhuan's office.

"Come in."

After the office door was pushed open, Uchiha Touhuan looked at the person who came in and smiled.

"Shisui, you've come at the right time. I was just about to look for you. Here, take this red envelope. Everyone in the security department will get one."

Chapter 36 Sasuke and Naruto (Part 1)

"Come, Shisui, sit down." Uchiha Touhuan gestured for Shisui to sit down, then poured him a cup of tea.

Although Shisui had returned to work at the garrison headquarters, Fugaku naturally couldn't fully trust him, so he only assigned him to a logistics position.

"Douhuan, the high complaint rate of the Security Department is not a solution," Uchiha Shisui said, looking somewhat anxious.

“Shisui, I also find this matter very difficult,” Uchiha Touhuan said, feigning worry and rubbing his temples. “When the Uchiha were in charge of the Security Department, the villagers were dissatisfied with it. Even after recruiting so many civilian ninjas, they are still dissatisfied with us. I really don’t know what to do.”

Shisui sighed deeply. He couldn't understand why, despite his family's efforts to integrate into the village, the results were so meager.

"Alright, let's at least use the red envelopes to calm the restless hearts of the people in the Security Department first. As for the rest, let time do its work." Uchiha Touhuan said to Shisui, "When the village sees the Security Department's sincerity, we will definitely be able to understand each other."

“Yes, Douhuan-kun, I believe you,” Uchiha Shisui said.

"Take this red envelope. Everyone in the Security Department gets one, so naturally we can't leave you out. You're a part of the Security Department too," Uchiha Touhuan said, pushing the red envelope toward Shisui.

"I understand." Shisui didn't want to accept the red envelope, but he couldn't refuse the reason given by Uchiha Touhuan.

After Shisui left, Uchiha Touhuan relaxed, leaned back in his chair, and flipped through the copied files of evidence he had obtained from Orochimaru, thinking to himself.

[When you see this, will you side with the Will of Fire or with the village?]

……

Time flew by, and it was time to leave work. Uchiha Touhuan, who had been sitting all afternoon, stretched and tidied his desk a bit before heading home. There was a little devil coming over tonight.

Meanwhile, Kakashi, who had spent a day at the Hatake clan's old house preparing a room for Naruto, also left his house and headed towards the Ninja Academy.

This was the time when the ninja academy was letting out, which was also the saddest moment of Naruto's day.

Other children at the ninja academy either have family members picking them up or go home with friends, but Naruto has neither family nor friends to walk with. At this time, he can only sit alone on the school swings and wait for everyone to leave before embarking on his journey home alone. At least this way, he can avoid some malicious stares on his way back.

For Sasuke, the time he looked forward to most was when he got out of school. Every day after school, he would be the first to rush out of the school to see if his beloved older brother had come to pick him up. If he could see his brother when he got out of school, he would spend the rest of the day in happiness.

However, today, after rushing out of the school gate, Sasuke saw not his gentle older brother, but his stern-faced father.

"Dad?" Sasuke was somewhat surprised to see Fugaku appear at the school gate.

"Let's go, Sasuke." Fugaku Uchiha said coldly, gesturing for Sasuke to follow behind him. The two of them walked one after the other toward the Uchiha clan's territory.

"Um, Dad, why didn't my brother come to pick me up today?" Sasuke finally asked after a while.

“Itachi has a mission to perform during this period,” said Fugaku Uchiha.

"Alright." Sasuke looked somewhat dejected after hearing his father's words.

"Also, I've hired a tutor for you. You can go there by yourself after school."

"Teacher?" Sasuke looked up curiously. "Who is that?"

“Your talent in Lightning Release is quite good, so I asked the clan leader, Touhuan, who is the most skilled in Lightning Release in the clan, to teach you. Sasuke, learn well from your teacher and don’t bring shame to the clan,” said Fugaku Uchiha.

"Clan Chief Dou Huan?" Sasuke was taken aback. Although clan affairs in peacetime had little to do with children his age, Sasuke had learned from conversations around him that his father used to be the clan chief, but not anymore. The person who replaced his father as the clan chief was the Clan Chief Dou Huan that his father was talking about.

“Yes, Sasuke, your teacher, although not much older than you, is a very wise man and the strongest in the clan,” Fugaku Uchiha said patiently.

"I understand, Father. I will study hard with my teacher," Sasuke said.

……

On the swings at the ninja academy, Naruto watched his classmates walk away one by one. The sun was about to set, and under the orange sunset, he was the only one left in the vast ninja academy.

Just as he had calmed down and was about to go home alone, a slender shadow appeared in front of him.

Naruto looked up and saw a white-haired man wearing a mask and a headband covering one eye standing in front of him, his exposed eye filled with a complex expression.

"Uncle, who are you looking for?" Naruto asked.

"It's for you," Kakashi said.

"Me?" Naruto was taken aback.

"If your name is Naruto Uzumaki, then I haven't come to the wrong person."

……

Because Uchiha Touhuan had given prior notice, when Fugaku and Sasuke arrived at Uchiha Touhuan's house, the butler Keiko was already waiting at the door and welcomed them inside.

"Lord Dou Huan is waiting for you two in the study."

When Keiko led the two to the study, Uchiha Touken, who had changed into a haori, was writing something at his desk.

"Elder Fugaku, this must be Sasuke." Uchiha Touhuan stopped what he was doing and looked at the two of them with a smile.

"Sasuke, why don't you greet your teacher?" Fugaku Uchiha said.

"Hello, teacher. My name is Uchiha Sasuke." Little Sasuke bowed timidly, then looked at Uchiha Touhuan with curious eyes.

"Douhuan, I'm entrusting Sasuke to you," said Fugaku Uchiha.

……

Ichiraku Ramen.

"I'm starting!" Naruto put his hands together in prayer, then began to wolf down his food, while Kakashi watched quietly from the side.

"Uncle with white hair, aren't you going to eat by yourself?" Naruto, who was halfway through eating, suddenly raised his head from the ramen bowl and asked curiously.

"I won't eat it. Also, according to seniority, you should call me Kakashi-nii (older brother Kakashi)," Kakashi said.

Just then, Ichiraku peeked out from behind the counter: "Kakashi, it's been a while since you've been here. But what's your relationship with Naruto? Why are you suddenly treating him to ramen?"

“This child’s father has some connection with me,” Kakashi said.

Kakashi's words made Naruto, who was engrossed in eating his noodles, stop what he was doing.

"Naruto's father?" Uncle Ichiraku, who had run a shop in the village for over ten years, was naturally familiar with Kakashi, a former regular customer. Kakashi's words startled him. Then, he looked at Naruto's blond hair, and some previous guesses surfaced in his mind. "Could it be..."

But at that moment, Uncle Ichiraku noticed Kakashi's gaze and the way he was gently shaking his head.

……

Chapter 37 Sasuke and Naruto (Part 2)

Uncle Ichiraku understood Kakashi's gaze and wisely shut his mouth, but his heart remained unsettled for a long time.

Naruto had always witnessed Naruto's plight in the village since childhood, and if this child really was the Fourth Hokage's son, then it was truly hellish.

"Um, Kakashi-nii, Ichiraku-san, you know my dad, right? Where is he now?" Naruto raised his head, his eyes already brimming with tears, looking like they might fall at any moment.

Uncle Ichiraku took a deep breath. He seemed to have gotten himself into big trouble. No matter what the inside story was about Naruto, it was something that a nobody like him, who ran a ramen cart in Konoha, could not get involved in.

“Naruto, I can’t tell you your father’s identity yet, but I can tell you that your father was a great ninja,” Kakashi said.

“I…” Naruto stared blankly at the two of them.

Kakashi patted Naruto's head and said, "I don't want you to know your father's identity in order to protect you. Your father has many powerful and unimaginable enemies. You haven't even finished the Ninja Academy yet. We can't let you get involved in the conflicts of the previous generation."

"So, after I become stronger, you'll tell me who he is, right?" Naruto quickly regained his composure, wiped away his tears, and asked.

"Yes." Kakashi nodded.

"You can't lie to me!" Naruto looked up at Kakashi and said.