After leaving Yamanaka Haichi's flower shop, Uchiha Douhuan returned to the Uchiha Clan District.
He didn't go home immediately. Instead, he headed straight to the residence of Uchiha Fugaku.
Fugaku was a bit surprised by this late-night visit, but he still invited Douhuan inside.
After bringing them tea, Uchiha Mikoto quietly excused herself from the room.
Fugaku studied the young man in front of him — the one who had taken the position of Clan Head from him with overwhelming force. Yet, he harbored no resentment. In truth, he had long wished someone would relieve him of the Uchiha Clan's chaotic burden. And after Douhuan took over, he reorganized the clan in the shortest time possible, stabilized the people, and crushed any internal militant voices. Even Fugaku himself had no choice but to admit: He handled it beautifully.
"Douhuan, the Police Force has already posted the announcement for recruiting civilian shinobi, just as you instructed," Fugaku reported. "However, the civilian shinobi in the village still have some reservations. So, throughout the entire day, only a few came to apply — all of them newly graduated genin."
"For petty thief-catching and patrol work, genin are more than enough," Douhuan said calmly. "Besides, with the clan providing ninjutsu resources, we won't need to worry about recruitment for long."
"As long as you understand the situation." Fugaku paused, then added, "But Douhuan, I ran the numbers today. With the standards you set yesterday, the clan's finances can only sustain us for three months at most. If we go beyond that, we'll have to start selling ancestral property."
"I already said — don't worry about the money." Douhuan took a sip of tea. "I've already secured funds. Within a few days, someone will bring them to us."
"Then your coming here tonight is…" Fugaku frowned slightly. Surely Douhuan didn't come this late just to drink tea.
"I'm here for Itachi," Douhuan said.
"Itachi…" Fugaku sighed. "I heard what happened at the Shimura clan's gates today. Sending him to ANBU… that was my misjudgment."
"Sending him to ANBU wasn't the problem," Douhuan said. "What was truly careless was letting him onto the battlefield too early."
"You see it that way?" Fugaku looked closely at him.
"Itachi was extremely precocious as a child. And you exposed him to the ugliness of the world far too early." Douhuan's tone remained calm. "He thinks deeply — too deeply. But when his knowledge cannot support the height of the things he tries to understand, the only outcome is disaster."
"I once heard a sage say: 'Learning without thinking leads to confusion; thinking without learning leads to danger.' That's exactly what's happening to him."
"In the end, it's my failure as a father." Fugaku sighed again. Then he turned toward the closed sliding door. "Since you're already here, come in."
The door opened, and Uchiha Itachi walked into the room, still dressed in his ANBU uniform.
"Father. Clan Head," he greeted with a bow.
"No need to be so formal when you're off duty," Douhuan waved casually.
"Douhuan-nii." Itachi corrected himself.
"You heard what your Douhuan-nii said just now," Fugaku said quietly.
Itachi lowered his head in silence.
Seeing this, Fugaku could only sigh inwardly. Communication between father and son had never been his strength. His son's worldview was already firmly formed — words alone would not change it.
"Douhuan-nii," Itachi suddenly broke the silence. "There is something I wish to ask."
"Go ahead."
"If one day, the clan and the village are forced to turn their blades on each other… what would you do?" Itachi lifted his head, meeting Douhuan's eyes.
"As long as I am here, that day will never come," Douhuan replied.
"And if it truly comes to pass?" Itachi pressed.
"Itachi, enough. Withdraw," Fugaku said in a low, angry voice.
But Douhuan only smiled lightly. "The village sent me — a nine-year-old — onto the battlefield. It was the blood of the clan that gave me the strength to survive."
"If that day truly comes," Itachi said, eyes unwavering, "I will do everything in my power to stop you."
"Itachi, you go too far!" Fugaku burst out. He had long suspected Itachi's loyalty leaned entirely toward the village, but he hadn't expected him to say it so directly. Even Fugaku's calm temper could not withstand such provocation.
"It's fine." Douhuan raised a hand, signaling Fugaku to calm down. He then looked at Itachi with a faint smile.
"Itachi, you are a genius of this clan. I believe that in the future, you will awaken eyes like mine. But you cannot stop the flow of what we call the greater tide."
"Of course," he continued, "you probably don't yet understand what 'the greater tide' truly means. One day, when you do, you won't be troubled by questions like this."
Douhuan stood up and bowed slightly to Fugaku. "Fugaku-senpai, I won't disturb you further. Please continue helping with police affairs."
With that, he took his leave.
By the time Douhuan returned to his own tiny room, it was already past midnight.
The clan was preparing a new clan head's residence for him, but for now, he still had to stay in this cramped little dwelling a while longer.
Douhuan lit the lantern and began carefully maintaining his chakra blade.
Ordinarily, a jonin — even one stationed in the Police Force — should not be living in a room barely thirty square meters. But the reason was simple: the chakra blade lying across his lap. "Lightning Gale," a blade forged entirely from chakra metal. Douhuan had poured all his savings into acquiring it.
"Since you're already here," he said suddenly, eyes lifting, "why don't you show yourself?"
Silence.
"I'm not sure whether you'll survive a strike from this blade," Douhuan continued with a slight smile. "But if I swing it and break something in this house, you'll have to compensate me."
Faint arcs of electricity began to coil over the blade.
A figure dropped from the ceiling beams — white spiky hair, a mask covering his face, forehead protector pulled low over the left eye.
Hatake Kakashi.
"So it's Kakashi-senpai. I thought you'd wait a little longer before coming to me." Douhuan slid the blade back into its sheath. "Sit."
Douhuan gestured for Kakashi to sit across from him at the low table, set out a line of teaware, and began boiling the water.