With a heart full of trepidation, Yagami entered the headquarters tent. Yellow Dog stepped forward and presented a mission scroll:
"Commander-in-Chief, Vice-Commander, the ambush was a massive success. We eliminated one elite Jonin of the Mist, Hozuki Muratsuki, along with four other Jonin and 337 Mist ninja."
An assistant passed the scroll to Danzo, who lowered his head to read it for a long while. Danzo saw that Fox had scouted the Mist intelligence at the coast, leading the units into the battlefield a full day earlier than the pre-arranged combat plan. The five brigades had caught the Mist ninja right as they were setting their own traps, resulting in a crushing defeat for the Mist.
Danzo's left eye, the one not covered by bandages, constricted for a fleeting moment, making his pupil appear smaller and more dangerous. The growth rate of Yellow Dog's subordinates was far too fast. Why was this "Fox" suddenly emerging as a major thorn in his side?
After finishing the scroll, Danzo spoke: "Very well. For this mission, the primary credit goes to Yellow Dog for his excellent formulation of the combat plan and comprehensive intelligence scouting. I will apply for an S-rank mission reward for you."
Yellow Dog waited for a few seconds, but hearing no follow-up, he asked, "Lord Commander-in-Chief, what about the four Jonin brigade commanders like Yamashiro Tera and Uchiha Tohka, or the ANBU Captain Fox? Will they also receive S-rank mission rewards?"
Danzo frowned. "Yellow Dog, you have no authority to question mission ratings. Ratings are decided by the headquarters. If everyone questioned the ratings, how would the mission system function?"
Yellow Dog didn't say anything further. He had no desire to continue haggling with Danzo. After exchanging a few more formalities, he left the command tent. Uchiha Tohka, Uchiha Murakumo, Yamashiro Tera, and Moonlight Sō felt the injustice deeply, but they maintained neutral expressions.
Once they were far enough away, Uchiha Tohka spoke up: "My apologies, Jonin Yamashiro, Jonin Moonlight. It seems our Uchiha clan has dragged you both down. Commander-in-Chief Danzo is extremely dissatisfied with the Uchiha's performance and won't easily grant us S-rank rewards. If we weren't part of this mission, you two would have certainly received them for such a victory."
Yellow Dog turned, looking at Uchiha Tohka with a strange expression. His impression of the man had improved significantly. As expected of the Jonin assigned to the Uchiha's young leader, both his strength and his mindset were characteristic of the Uchiha elite.
Yagami thought to himself, 'Uchiha Tohka, why did you steal Yellow Dog's lines?'
In this mission, Danzo was dealing with Yellow Dog and the Uchiha—both of whom he detested. Since Yellow Dog was the overall commander, Danzo couldn't avoid giving him an S-rank reward for such a victory. However, the others stood no chance of getting one from him.
After watching the other Jonin depart, Uchiha Tohka and Uchiha Murakumo went to find their Clan Leader. They met with Uchiha Atsume and returned together to the Uchiha clan's tent area. Once inside his tent, Uchiha Atsume sat down wearily in his chair.
"Why does Consultant Danzo harbor such immense hostility toward us? I won't say I'm subservient, but at the very least, I ensure no detail is overlooked and I never offer him any offense..."
Uchiha Tohka gestured toward the outside. Uchiha Murakumo immediately stepped out to check for surveillance. After he gave the "all clear" hand signal through the gap in the tent flap, Tohka spoke: "Clan Leader, I have a theory."
"What theory?"
Tohka replied, "I handled many cases in the Police Force, and one left a deep impression on me. A perpetrator accidentally killed an old man in the Leaf and managed to evade the investigation at the time. In the following years, that criminal systematically killed several of the victim's sons. When I interrogated him and asked why, he said that after killing the old man, he was terrified the sons would discover the truth. He constantly watched them and provoked them. He believed any son who showed him hostility had already figured out he was the killer. Thus, he hated that entire family and wanted nothing more than to wipe them out. This behavior can be called 'retaliatory attribution'—believing that the relatives' reports, testimony, or revenge will lead to one's own downfall. Or perhaps 'psychologically twisted projection'—rather than waiting for the kin of the victim to seek blood vengeance, it's better to strike first. Lord Clan Leader, we cannot terminate the investigation into Kagami's death..."
"Enough!" Uchiha Atsume stopped him. His eyes flickered with emotion, but he eventually deflated. "Tohka, your most important task right now is to train Fugaku. Let him realize his talent. I will handle the other matters."
"Fine, I understand." Tohka didn't push further. He had his doubts, wondering if Fugaku could truly lead the Uchiha to a revival. He knew Fugaku; just as Copper Fox had said, the young leader lacked aggression.
"No, you don't understand," Atsume said. "The Uchiha clan carries an original sin. Madara Uchiha betrayed the village after its founding and returned twice threatening to destroy it. The second time he brought the Nine-Tails and died at the hands of the First Hokage, but he also caused the First's premature decline. If the Uchiha want to survive in this village, we must learn to compromise. When the Nine-Tails seal failed and caused a riot, devastating the Senju clan, the village said it was Madara's doing. That ancestor is truly a curse; he didn't care for the clan at all. Look at the Uzumaki—their strength was no less than the Uchiha's, and they formed a 'One Country, One Village' system with Whirlpool Village. They were strong, but so what? Without the Leaf's genuine protection, such a powerful clan was wiped out overnight. If we leave the Leaf, the other four great villages will pounce like hungry wolves to pluck out our Sharingan. To stay in the Leaf, we must learn to endure and wait. Perhaps the family will find a bright future under Fugaku. All ninja die. Regardless of who is hostile toward us, they might die in an accident. What we must do is wait and pass on our legacy, not make enemies everywhere."
Tohka thought to himself that perhaps Fugaku's lukewarm personality was the result of the Clan Leader's constant teachings. He felt a headache coming on for the clan; they couldn't find a way to break the deadlock in the short term. They could only endure. Ever since Kagami Uchiha died, the bridge between the clan and the village higher-ups had been severed, and everything had become difficult. As the village's law enforcement, any case the Police Force handled could be spun to ruin the Uchiha's reputation. Enforce strictly, and they're called "brutal." Enforce loosely, and they're called "useless." If the Leaf villagers were the judges, every Uchiha would be on death row.
Seeing Tohka's troubled look, Atsume said, "Tohka, there is no need to worry. The Land of Whirlpools war is coming to an end."
"End? It's ending?"
Atsume explained, "I saw the war reports; the Land of Earth war is already in negotiations. Once that ends, this war will inevitably end too. Genbu doesn't want to face Koharu Utatane and Orochimaru on the battlefield. Orochimaru earned the title of 'Lord of Coldness' in the Land of Grass and Earth. For no other reason than that he kills too many people. When the stone ninja encounter him, not even a corpse is left; some are swallowed alive by his snakes. Besides the influence of the Land of Earth front, the arrival of the ANBU Yellow Dog Brigade was meant to end the war. The ANBU already had a brigade led by B here, yet the Third Hokage sent Yellow Dog as well. Yellow Dog achieved a brilliant victory; I suspect the Third will use this win to force the Mist to the negotiating table. Our Uchiha clan has lost over 150 people on the front lines. The war is ending, and we can finally go back to the village."
***
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