"Inviting everyone to dinner is just the Uchiha clan leader's personal act. It won't affect the mission, will it?" Hinata Kenya now sided with Uchiha Touhuan.
Gekkou Hayate, Uzuki Yugao, and the two civilian ninjas, though they remained silent due to the clansmen behind them, their presence alongside Uchiha Touhuan was a silent gesture of support.
In just one night, they had become the victims of American-style bullying.
And the instigator of all this had remained silent to this day.
After the incident, the group entered town. As if in a fit of rage, Utatane Neju and Mitomon Hayabusa, without even a word of greeting, entered the city and headed straight for the low-end inn most ninjas on missions chose.
Uchiha Touhuan, on the other hand, led the group to another round of dinner.
"Are we really going to ignore them? What about the mission?" Kuroki Ryuyasu, one of the four jonin on this mission, still had some concerns. After finishing his glass of wine, he couldn't help but ask.
"Brother Kuroki, relax. It doesn't matter whether they come on this mission or not." The oldest among the group, Seiichi Nagai, knew everything in his mind. "That's Orochimaru, one of the legendary Three Ninjas. One more or one less ordinary Jonin like us won't make any decisive difference. At the critical moment, it depends on Chief Uchiha and Captain Kakashi. We just need to do the supporting work. Didn't you see that Inuzuka and Hinata have no objection?"
"Thank you for Chief Dohuan's generosity. We can enjoy the delicacies from all over the Land of Fire in our spare time from the mission. I propose that we all toast Chief Dohuan." Nagai Seiichi raised his glass and said generously.
"Brother Seiichi, you can't say that. This is what I should do." Uchiha Dohuan also raised his glass. "When I was just a child in the ninja school, I was bathed in the glory of the will of fire sown by the Sandaime, and was able to solve problems for you. Isn't this the best embodiment of the will of fire? If you ask me, if you want to thank someone, you should thank our Sandaime and the will of fire!"
"Clan leader Dohuan is right. I am shallow-minded." Nagai Seiichi said, "However, according to what Lord Dohuan said, a ninja like you who has such a deep understanding of the will of fire, in my opinion, is the incarnation of the Sandaime."
"Huh?" Uchiha Dohuan laughed. "What you said makes some sense. In fact, I am an incarnation."
"We all have made achievements and earned merits in this mission. We must not forget the Sandaime Hokage and the will of fire."
"Everyone, cheers to the Third Hokage! Cheers to the will of fire!" Uchiha Dohuan said, raised his glass high, and drank the wine in the glass.
"Cheers to the Third Hokage! To the Will of Fire!" Uchiha Touhan finished his words. Besides him, the youngest members, Gekkou Hayate and Uzuki Yugao, also felt their blood boiling and drained their glasses.
The others followed suit.
...
After three rounds of drinks, the familiarity between them had made them more relaxed at the table than yesterday. By now, a hint of intoxication had taken hold.
Then, Nagai Seiichi suddenly sighed.
"Why are you sighing, Seiichi?" Uchiha Touhan observed.
"I'm sorry, Chief Douhuan, I'm sorry for being rude. I'll drink three cups as punishment later." Nagai Seiichi said, "After drinking, I couldn't help but think of my good-for-nothing son."
"Brother Seiichi, that's not true. You are the village's Jonin and the backbone of the village. I think your son should be gifted as well." Uchiha Douhuan said.
"It would be great if it were true." Nagai Seiichi sighed, "Although I became a Jonin in the village by luck, all my ninjutsu were exchanged in the village. Although the village will not pursue if a Jonin teaches a few low-level ninjutsu to relatives or disciples, my son did inherit the chakra attributes of my late wife who died six years ago. I want to teach him but I am unable to do so. What if he graduates next year and is not assigned to a good teacher? What should I do then?"
"Forget it, let's not talk about this." Nagai Seiichi waved his hand, "I'll drink a glass to myself for disturbing your interest."
"Well, you can't say that. It's human nature to consider your son. Your son must be very happy to have a father like you." Uchiha Douhuan said, and information about Nagai Seiichi emerged in his mind.
Nagai Seiichi, Ninja Number: 009841, Missions: 472 D-Rank, 617 C-Rank, 391 B-Rank, 122 A-Rank, 4 S-Rank. Promoted to jonin during the Third Shinobi World War, he excels in water escape techniques. However, due to limited talent, his strength ranks among the weakest of Konoha's jonin classes. Furthermore, as a commoner, he lacks the potential for further advancement.
His most likely fate is death on a dangerous mission in the future, or perhaps even voluntary retirement.
However, it seems he's not so content. Sensing a potential Uchiha Clan move, he recognizes an opportunity and, driven by a desire for advancement, is ready to take a gamble.
"Brother Seiichi, have you ever considered having your son join the Guard? Although the Guard has recently recruited a group of new recruits, I believe they will expand their recruitment again after the new ninja students graduate next year. If your son is interested in this, I will ask Captain Fugaku to keep an eye on it."
Uchiha Douhuan naturally extended an olive branch. He was not really afraid of his subordinates' ambitions. As long as they were loyal to him, Uchiha Douhuan, he could give them far more than they imagined.
"Really?" Nagai Seiichi said in surprise. "Thank you very much, Uchiha Clan Leader! This glass of wine is in your honor!"
After Nagai Seiichi raised his head and drank a glass of wine, Inuzuka Feng beside him smiled and said, "Brother Seiichi, you have found a good path for your son. The treatment in the Guard is much better than that of ordinary ninjas. There are several kids in our clan who want to join the Guard."
"Really? But why don't I see any children from the Inuzuka clan on the application list?" Uchiha Douhuan asked curiously.
"The elders in the clan simply didn't allow it," Inuzuka Feng said. "Our ancestors followed the Senju clan, and their relationship with you Uchiha isn't exactly good. Plus, most of your family's summoning beasts are ninja cats, so after those brats got beaten up, the matter was dropped."
"However, our clan leader has considered selling a batch of our newly bred police dogs to the security department. After all, when it comes to chasing criminals, ninja dogs are always better than ninja cats, aren't they?"
...
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(End of this chapter)