[Read advance Chapters on P atreon at: p-atreon.com/SlytherinManor]
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Hatake Compound, Konohagakure
The Hatake Compound was quite large and well-developed. Though it didn't rival the Uchiha, Hyūga, or even the Sarutobi compounds, it was still more than sufficient for a clan with fewer than a dozen shinobi, which made perfect sense.
The current patriarch, Hatake Sakumo, was a well-deserved Kage-level powerhouse who had completed countless missions and amassed significant wealth. The members of his clan clearly lived comfortably.
A spacious compound and a lavish house for the Patriarch were also very natural.
Without bothering to knock, Kanzou pushed the door open and stepped inside. Courtesy was never something a man like him valued, especially not toward those he looked down on or considered weaker.
As it happened, Sakumo was in the courtyard, carefully trimming his bonsai trees.
The sound of the door being forced open made his brows knit in displeasure. His mood had already been soured by the backlash and stigma surrounding his decision to abandon a mission to save a comrade, a choice that had resulted in heavy losses for the village.
He had been trying to quiet his thoughts by keeping himself busy, focusing on the delicate work before him. And now, on top of everything else, someone had entered his home uninvited, without so much as a knock.
For a brief moment, he wondered if it was one of his accusers barging in, and the thought made his teeth clench.
Then he squinted, taking in the intruder's figure, familiar yet unsettling.
"…It's you, Uchiha Kanzou," he said at last, his frown deepening as recognition settled in, and at the same time, vigilance rose.
Although he had only just returned, Sakumo had already heard the news: Uchiha Kanzou had become the new Patriarch of the Uchiha clan.
But whether Kanzou was the Uchiha patriarch or the Captain of the Police Force, none of that mattered to Sakumo. What did matter was why he had suddenly come here.
Although the two men knew each other from their time in the Land of Rain during the Second Great Shinobi War and had even worked together on several occasions, there had never been any real friendship between them.
At best, they were mere acquaintances.
And that thin connection did not justify an unannounced visit, especially one that involved barging in without invitation. It left Sakumo wondering why Kanzou was here at all.
Given the kind of actions Kanzou had been causing in Konoha recently, Sakumo doubted this visit would bring anything good and suspected that the Uchiha might be here to cause him trouble.
Kanzou's demeanor only reinforced that suspicion; this was clearly not a friendly call. Forcing open the front door without a word was anything but courteous, and it immediately put Sakumo on guard.
"It's been a while, hasn't it, Sakumo-san?" Kanzou greeted, smiling at the older, white-haired man as though they were old friends.
Sakumo, however, saw through the façade. He caught the false politeness and the condescension hidden in that smile, and it left him deeply displeased. For a moment, he wondered if Kanzou had also come merely to mock him, and the thought made him want Kanzou gone at once.
Still, he couldn't openly dismiss him. Kanzou was the Uchiha Patriarch and the Captain of the Konoha Military Police Force. With little choice, Sakumo returned the greeting coolly.
"Uchiha Kanzou… what brings you here?"
Kanzou wasted no time getting to the point. "Sakumo-san, I've taken a great interest in your kenjutsu. Would you be willing to teach me?"
The moment the words left his mouth, Sakumo's expression hardened. "The kenjutsu passed down through my family is not something I teach to outsiders. If that is all you came to ask, then you should leave."
Sakumo was a man of calm temperament. Had it been someone more hot-headed, a blade might already have been drawn in response to such a presumptuous request.
To ask for the Hatake family's kenjutsu so bluntly, how absurd.
Even if Sakumo were to accept a disciple, there was no guarantee he would pass on Hatake kenjutsu at all. That legacy was meant only for the people of his Clan.
"I'm not planning to leave so easily," Kanzou replied, his hand resting on the hilt of Ryūjin Jakka at his side.
Sakumo's eyes narrowed. "What do you mean? Do you not understand that I want you to leave?"
There was another reason Sakumo had no desire to prolong this conversation. Kanzou, despite his age, was the patriarch of the Uchiha clan, and the Uchiha were on extremely poor terms with the Hokage faction. Sakumo's own situation was already precarious. If any misunderstanding arose, suggesting he was associating closely with the Uchiha clan, it would only bring more trouble upon him and the Hatake family, trouble he could not afford.
But Sakumo's concerns were meaningless to Kanzou.
With a dark smile, Kanzou continued, "Don't be so quick to turn me away. I'm very interested in learning Hatake-style swordsmanship. If you're unwilling to help me with it… Then I suppose I'll have to seek out someone else who understands Hatake-style kenjutsu."
He paused deliberately before adding words that made the silver-haired man's eyes widen.
"Your son, Hatake Kakashi, is a genius, isn't he? I'm sure he has a solid grasp of Hatake-style kenjutsu as well. If you refuse me, I'll simply turn to that boy. And if I happen to cross blades with him…" Kanzou's smile deepened. "Well, I might accidentally fail to control my strength. That could have serious repercussions for little Kakashi-kun, you know?"
It was a threat.
Sakumo didn't need more than a moment to understand it. Kanzou was threatening the safety of his son.
"You… how dare you?" Sakumo snarled as he stepped forward, reaching for Kanzou's collar to slam him against the wall.
Before he could make contact, Kanzou caught Sakumo's wrists, stopping him cold.
Sakumo froze, stunned that the Uchiha had blocked him so easily. He tried to wrench free, but Kanzou's grip only trembled; it didn't budge, making him frown at the absurd amount of grip strength.
Keeping older Hatake steady, Kanzou spoke lightly, almost amused. "Honestly, Sakumo-san… I have no interest in harming your son. I only need your cooperation. But if you refuse…" His tone darkened. "I'd have no choice. Surely you wouldn't want anything to happen to your son, would you?"
That single sentence lit a fire in Sakumo's eyes.
"Uchiha Kanzou, I suggest you choose your words carefully," Sakumo warned, his voice low and steel-hard as his chakra threatened to erupt. "You're crossing a line even I won't tolerate."
Kanzou merely chuckled. "Haha." He ignored the warning entirely. "And what if I don't?" he asked lightly before adding, "Sakumo-san, are you forgetting that I can always find a reason to arrest Hatake Kakashi and throw him behind bars?"
"Do you think I'd let you touch him?" Sakumo growled.
Kanzou dismissed the threat with ease and pressed on. "You can only protect him when you are with him. And you won't always be around, will you? Maybe I won't touch him now… but what about when you're out on a mission?" A faint smile curved his lips. "Fufu… I wonder if Kakashi-kun would cry out for his Tou-san from inside a prison cell."
Sakumo drew a sharp breath. "You're really asking for it now…"
"So then," Kanzou said calmly, taking a small step back, "are you going to fight me? If you agree to duel me, I'll ignore Kakashi-kun."
From the very beginning, Kanzou never believed Sakumo would willingly teach him the Hatake clan's kenjutsu. Expecting something like that would have been foolish; people would rather face death than reveal their clan's or family's secrets to outsiders.
That was precisely why he chose to provoke Sakumo, using Kakashi as leverage.
A child is a parent's greatest weakness, especially for someone like Sakumo, who had raised Kakashi alone since his wife's death during childbirth. He treasured his son deeply and would do anything to ensure his safety.
By openly threatening Kakashi, Kanzou struck at that weakness directly. Even a man as calm and disciplined as Sakumo couldn't remain composed under such provocation, especially when he was already in a foul mood.
Sakumo stared at him, realizing the teenager had no intention of backing down. The realization irritated him deeply. He had no desire to deal with this at all, but…
'Forget it… does he just want a fight?' he thought. In the end, for Kakashi's sake, he relented. "Alright… if you want it that badly… then fine."
[Ding! The host has threatened Hatake Sakumo into duelling him. Reward: +5,000 Evil Points]
"That's what I wanted to hear," Kanzou said, nodding in satisfaction. The moment the System's notification sounded, he knew Sakumo had truly agreed. He released the man's wrists and rested his hand on the hilt of Ryūjin Jakka, as if preparing to draw it.
Seeing this, Sakumo's eyes twitched. "Not here," he said quickly. "We'll destroy the surroundings. Let's go somewhere else."
If shinobi of their caliber were to fight in a residential area, the destruction would be immense. They were still at the Hatake Compound, and Sakumo had no intention of letting his home, or the homes of his clansmen, be caught in the crossfire.
"Up to you," Kanzou replied, unbothered.
"Let me get my blade first," Sakumo said as he stepped into the house. Kanzou waited, looking around the courtyard.
'I guess Kakashi would be at the Academy at this time…' he thought, then dismissed it without much concern. It was just that brat Kakashi, after all, Kanzou had little interest in him.
Moments later, Sakumo returned with the White Fang in hand. "Let's go."
With that, he vanished using the Body Flicker Jutsu.
"Hmm…" Kanzou hummed softly, casting a discreet glance toward a certain location before disappearing as well, using the Body Flicker Jutsu.
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Hokage Building—
Turning the clock back to when Kanzou had just left the Police Station to make his way to the Hatake Compound.
At that time, Hiruzen sat alone in the office, his thoughts on Kushina.
'She is returning today... I wonder if she managed to learn to control that power?' he wondered. The reports he had received weren't positive; still, the Hokage couldn't help but hope.
Anyway, the thing is that Kushina was returning to the village today.
He tapped ash from his pipe and muttered under his breath, "The security around her would have to be tightened at once."
The reason is, of course, the awakening of the Mangekyō Sharingan in the Uchiha Clan.
The identity of the Nine-Tails' jinchūriki was still a village secret. In theory, even Uchiha Kanzou and by extension, Uchiha Mikoto should not know it. Yet Hiruzen could not bring himself to feel certain. Kanzou was no longer a simple clan prodigy; he was the Uchiha Patriarch, and that title opened doors ordinary shinobi never saw. Worse, the boy was shrewd and intelligent.
With that kind of mind and access to information that common people don't have, one just needed to sit still and think to make some guesses.
Uzumaki Mito, the previous vessel of Nine-tails, was already dead. A new jinchūriki had to exist. And there happened to be one Uzumaki girl living inside Konoha.
If Kanzou ever lined those facts up, coupled with a particular barrier formation that specifically surrounds a mansion in Konoha that is a little on the outskirts of the village, he could definitely make guesses.
Kanzou didn't even need to be certain. A suspicion alone is enough. If there is a suspicion, then Kanzou can just try to verify it. And knowing Uchiha Kanzou... and how audacious he is, he dares to verify.
Others wouldn't, but Uchiha Kanzou definitely would.
"Yes… Kushina needs to be warned, and the security around her needs to increase…" Hiruzen nodded to himself, already composing the order in his head.
At that exact instant, the Eagled-masked ANBU flickered through the door, voice tight. "Hokage-sama… It's not good. Uchiha Kanzou is—"
The name alone made Hiruzen's pipe freeze halfway to his lips. "Don't tell me… has Uchiha Kanzou already targeted the Nine-Tails?"
He was still waiting for Kushina to return and warn her while making the necessary arrangements, but... Uchiha Kanzou had already moved?
The ANBU paused, takenaback by Hiruzen's panicked expression, then shook his head quickly, clearing up the misunderstanding, "No… no… Hokage-sama, this isn't related to Uzumaki Kushina. It's related to Sakumo-sama. Uchiha Kanzou is visiting the Hatake Residence."
Hiruzen's shoulders dropped a fraction. 'Phew, I panicked for nothing...' As long as the Nine-Tails itself remained untouched, the rest could still be managed. Then the second half of the report registered and his brow furrowed again. "What does Uchiha Kanzou want from Sakumo?"
"This… I only just received the report that he entered the Hatake Compound. The rest is still unclear."
"Is that so?" Hiruzen murmured. He set the pipe aside and drew the crystal ball from the drawer he kept for occasions Jiraiya would have envied.
The ball could not pierce walls the way a Byakugan could. Only places marked with the hidden fūinjutsu formations could be seen through it.
Several places in Konoha have these Fuinjutsu formations marked, such as the Hokage Building, Hokage Residence, Sarutobi Compound, ANBU Headquarters, certain bathhouses often visited by beautiful women, and a handful of other sites no one else was supposed to know about.
And Hiruzen often checked those places to make sure that nothing inappropriate was happening. He also occasionally verified that no pervert was troubling the women taking a bath in the bathhouse.
As a man and the Hokage, Hiruzen is fully aware that there are quite a lot of perverted men who'd peek at the bathing women.
A village where women aren't safe isn't a good village. It makes people anxious. But thanks to Hokage's benevolent and vigilante deeds, the women are mostly safe from perverts and creeps.
Not him, of course. He is the Hokage.
As for the fact that he ends up seeing those women naked?
Well, those are just unfortunate consequences. It's not that he wants to see them... It's just that it can't be helped. It's all for the sake of those women. Of course, what he sees, he keeps to himself; he doesn't want any perverts to know the shapes, sizes, roundness, and other things, right? He also doesn't want any gratitude from the women either for his vigilante deeds. The women didn't even need to know of his heroic deeds; he was just doing this anonymously for the sake of their dignity and safety.
That's the mark of a good Hokage, right?
'Sigh, I really am a benevolent Hokage...' he thought.
Pushing aside these thoughts, he looked at the crystal ball. While the crystal ball can't see through walls unless they were specially marked, everywhere else inside the village barrier he could still watch.
He focused on the Hatake Compound and found Kanzou and Sakumo at once, and noticed Sakumo stepping out with the White Fang already in hand, Kanzou ahead of him as if they had left the Hatake residence.
"Where are they going?" Hiruzen muttered.
He tried to keep the image locked, but the two figures slipped past the edge of the barrier a minute later, and the picture died. All that remained was the last location where the two were.
Hiruzen didn't know what they planned to do and where they were going, but there seemed to be some tension between them, and it looked as though they were about to fight.
"Sakumo had even brought the White Fang... they are most definitely fighting," he thought.
And then he couldn't help but think, "...isn't this... an opportunity?"
Uchiha Kanzou had gone out of the barrier, and Sakumo was also there. This tempted Hiruzen. He could go out there and work with Sakumo to end Kanzou. He didn't think that with him and Sakumo both there, Kanzou would still be able to escape alive...
But he only thought that briefly before shaking his head. 'No... it'd be too close to the village, it'd draw attention.'
If he doesn't manage to catch Kanzou off guard and finish him off in a single attack, it could lead to severe consequences. Even if they manage to kill Kanzou, it could still lead to severe consequences. Especially with Uchiha Mikoto in the village. If Uchiha Kanzou dies... then she might blow up. Those with Mangekyō Sharigan are almost always insane. It was better not to risk such a thing this close to the village.
'Still... I can't allow anything to happen to Sakumo...' he thought.
While Kanzou is in danger, Sakumo is in danger as well. Who knows what Uchiha Kanzou might do.
Although with Sakumo's strength, nothing should happen to him, you just never know. Sakumo is one of his most loyal subordinates, and Hiruzen could not afford to lose him.
Thinking so... Hiruzen almost got up. He'd go and ensure Sakumo remains safe. And if a chance presented itself, he could strike.
With that in mind, he was about to leave, but then he caught another figure flashing across the crystal ball. The figure was none other than Kurama Uroko, moving in the same direction the two men had taken.
Hiruzen exhaled and sat back down. "Since Kurama Uroko is going after them… I suppose I don't need to go myself."
He was confident that Uroko would support Sakumo if Kanzou tried something, so there was no worry. As for the opportunity of getting rid of Kanzou? Hiruzen decided to give up on it. It'd really be too close to the village, and that could be too risky. He wasn't foolish enough to risk such hasty, thoughtless actions.
He stayed in the chair, eyes still fixed on the blank crystal even though nothing moved inside it anymore.
As for Kushina and the Nine-Tails, the thought slipped from his mind the instant the new problem appeared. For the time being, he had forgotten it completely.
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Double Chapter, be sure to drop loads of power Stonessssssssss!
[Read advance Chapters on P atreon at: p-atreon.com/SlytherinManor]