My name is Uchiha Touhuan, and I beat the villagers so badly they cried out in pain.

Chapter 120 The Night of Green Garlic

After leaving Uchiha Touhuan, Kakashi immediately went to find Asuma, as he cared about his classmate.

The once-powerful Twelve Guardian Ninjas are now defunct in name only.

During this time, after Asuma and Chirai collected the remains of their former companions, they buried them in the City of Fire. Chirai prayed for them every day, while Asuma idly stayed there.

Upon hearing Kakashi's visit, Asuma first expressed his amazement at Kakashi's appearance without his mask before asking about the purpose of his visit.

"Asuma, recently the Fifth Hokage has mobilized a lot of village ninjas, leaving the village's defenses somewhat weak. Therefore, the Fifth Hokage hopes you will return to the village to strengthen its defenses," Kakashi said calmly.

"Back to the village?" Asuma was taken aback. "Why? If the Fifth Hokage has any orders, I can help. I've been active in the Fire Capital for years and am very familiar with the terrain here."

Kakashi glanced at Asuma speechlessly. Although the Third Hokage had become weak and hesitant with age, he still possessed basic political acumen and vision. In the same situation, the Third Hokage would have already run back to Konoha. With the Daimyo dead, the Twelve Protectors of the Ninja had an inescapable responsibility. At this moment, what he should have done was take advantage of the fact that those civil officials were preoccupied with other matters and couldn't free up their hands to run away, instead of foolishly staying in the Land of Fire waiting to be purged.

That's true. If this kid really had that kind of intelligence, then he wouldn't have fallen out with the Third Hokage and run away. He had also learned a thing or two about Asuma's experience of running away to become one of the Twelve Guardian Ninja. It can be said that Hiruzen Sarutobi had already clearly planned Asuma's future. As long as Asuma was willing to follow the path step by step, the position of Hokage might be difficult to achieve due to his ninja talent, but there would be absolutely no problem for him to secure the position of Jonin class leader in the future. But he insisted on showing his rebellious side.

"The Fifth Hokage was thinking of you. The Third Hokage is quite bored after retirement, and you, as his son, should go back and be filial to him." Kakashi glanced at Jiriku, who was chanting sutras and praying in front of the memorial tablet, but still didn't say it outright.

"Hmph, what does it matter to me what happens to that old man?" Asma scoffed.

"Oh, by the way, before I came here, Kurenai asked me to give you a message. She hopes you'll go back and see her." Seeing this, Kakashi had no choice but to use his trump card.

"Okay, I'll leave tomorrow," Asuma said, blushing slightly.

"Don't linger in Fire City. There's a batch of supplies we bought there that need to be sent back to the village tomorrow morning. You'll be in charge of protecting them. On the way back, you'll pass by Fire Temple. The Third Hokage is currently there with Konohamaru, praying for the village. You can pick him up and take him back to the village while you're there," Kakashi reminded him.

"Alright, alright, I got it." Asuma waved his hand, lit a cigarette, and said, "I really didn't expect you to become so talkative lately, Kakashi."

……

The following day, Asuma and Jiraiya left the City of Fire together.

However, not long after they left, Ma came here and dug up the remains of his former comrade-in-arms.

And today, undercurrents are also swirling in the court of the Fire City.

At Uchiha Tohsen's behest, Kikuchi Tomoken also brought up the rumors circulating in the Fire City during the court assembly.

"Your Highness, the people of the Fire Capital have been saying that the dragon vein of our Fire Kingdom is exhausted and unable to protect the fate of our nation. Yesterday, I also summoned the fortune tellers and yin-yang masters in the capital to inquire, and the conclusions reached were consistent with the rumors."

How could they be inconsistent? The clergy gathered by Kikuchi Chiken were the same group that had previously held the Naga River Theological Seminar in Konoha. After being taught a lesson by the police batons of the Security Department, these charlatans deeply understood the principle of the military granting of divine authority. Now, even if the gods they worship descended to earth, their words might not be as effective as those of the ninjas of Konoha.

"What should we do?" Upon hearing this, Yuan Yuxie, who was on the throne, immediately looked panicked. For a four-year-old child, such mystical things were quite effective.

"According to the masters, the only solution now is to find another place where the dragon veins converge as the new capital of our Fire Kingdom. Only in this way can the dragon veins beneath our feet be restored. Otherwise, disaster may befall us," said Kikuchi Chiken.

"Hmph, what dragon veins, what prophecies? When did you start believing in such things, Lord Kikuchi?" At this moment, Abe Taiichi stepped forward and said, "According to you, does that mean my Land of Fire will perish if we don't relocate our capital?"

"That's not what I meant," Kikuchi Chiken said. "However, the fact that a rogue ninja assassinated the late king—something that had never happened before—makes me think there's some truth to that statement."

"Kikuchi Tomokken, how dare you!" Abe Taiichi shouted angrily.

Just as the two groups were about to start arguing again, Uchiha Touhuan suddenly stepped forward.

"Your Highness, I have been staying in the Fire Capital for some time now, and the situation there has stabilized. However, there are still many matters to attend to in Konoha Village that I need to return to handle," said Uchiha Touhuan.

"Why does the Grand Minister of State speak like this again?" Nagano Kiri immediately stepped forward to interrupt Uchiha Touken. "The late king trusted you so much, Grand Minister of State, how can you live up to that trust with such behavior?"

"Teacher, you can't leave." Gen Yuxie stood up from his throne and walked over to Uchiha Touhuan with his short legs, saying.

"Alas." Uchiha Touhuan sighed, "I also feel that this action has failed the late king's trust, but after all, I am still the Fifth Hokage of Konoha. The two divisions and thirteen clans of Konoha are all on my shoulders. At the same time, I also need to protect the borders of my Land of Fire. As a result, I am really exhausted."

At this moment, Kikuchi Chiken suddenly spoke up again: "Regarding this matter, I do have a foolproof plan."

"Lord Kikuchi, please speak," said Minamoto no Miyazaki hurriedly.

"I previously consulted those masters about where dragon veins still exist within the Land of Fire. One of them, who had traveled extensively throughout the ninja world, asserted that the Naga River flowing through Konoha Village aligns perfectly with the auspicious flow of a dragon, making it the best choice for the new capital of the Land of Fire. If we relocate the capital to Konoha Village, the Grand Minister of State can handle the military affairs of the Land of Fire while assisting His Highness until his old age. Wouldn't that be wonderful?"

Kikuchi Chiken's words were like a thunderclap in Abe Taiichi's mind. Only then did he understand the purpose of the charade that Uchiha Touken and Kikuchi Chiken had put on.

"This is utter nonsense!" Abe Taiichi roared. "Our Land of Fire has had its capital in Fire City for hundreds of years. How can we just move the capital like that? And even if we were to move the capital, how could it be to a ninja village?"

"I don't see anything wrong with moving the capital," Miura Kazuo said ominously. "Is the Minister of the Left reacting so strongly because he's reluctant to part with his assets in the City of Fire?"

"Hmph, you lot..." Abe Taiichi glared at Miura Kazuo and Uchiha Touken, but before he could speak, Uchiha Touken's murderous aura, which was strong enough to solidify, fixed on him. In an instant, Abe Taiichi was so frightened that he broke out in a cold sweat.

At this moment, Gen Yuxie happily tugged at Uchiha Touhuan's robe, "Teacher, did you hear that? After the capital is moved, you can't say things like that anymore."

Having never received proper imperial education since childhood and always being pampered by the former daimyo, Minamoto no Yukyo did not understand what moving the capital really meant. He only knew that once the capital was moved, his teacher could continue to protect his safety.

Uchiha Touhuan looked down at the child in front of him, a meaningful smile on his face, and nodded: "Okay."

After the court session, Abe Taiichi knew that the plan to assassinate Uchiha Touken could no longer be delayed, so as soon as he got home, he sent a letter to Kazuma through a secret passage.

……

That night, Uchiha Touhuan was maintaining his ninja sword alone in his mansion. Not long after, chakra fluctuations were heard above Uchiha Touhuan's mansion. The next second, surging lightning transformed into a cage that enveloped the entire sky.

Uchiha Touhuan stood up, walked out of the room, and looked up at the sky with a blank expression.

The next second, several shuriken shot towards Uchiha Touhuan from all angles.

However, before Uchiha Touhuan could even raise his eyes, the shuriken that had been flying at high speed suddenly stopped and hovered beside him.

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Just then, a figure suddenly attacked Uchiha Touhuan from the courtyard. Uchiha Touhuan calmly raised a finger and caught the kunai that was thrust at him.

At this moment, the assassin revealed his true identity: Kazuma, one of the former Twelve Guardian Ninja.

"I've already given you a chance, but it seems you didn't cherish it." Uchiha Touhuan said coldly, a kunai between his fingers. "Didn't the guy who taught you ninjutsu ever tell you what it means to be called a Kage?"

"Hmph, what kind of shadow? You shouldn't even exist!" Kazuma roared, abandoning the kunai in his hand, and then threw his left fist at Uchiha Touhuan.

Uchiha Touhuan simply turned his body slightly, dodging the attack without even moving his feet. At the same time, he grabbed the kunai he had taken and severed the opponent's left arm with a single stroke.

"Ah!" Kazuma screamed and fell to the ground in the courtyard, blood gushing out and staining a large area of ​​the floor red.

Kazuma tried to get up despite the pain, but Uchiha Touhuan stepped on his shoulder and said with a light laugh, "Actually, I agree with your point of view. The system of Kage and Ninja Villages should not exist. The ninja power of a country should be directly controlled by the highest ruler. But I am already the Fifth Hokage of Konoha Village in the Land of Fire, so I have no choice but to become the ruler of the Land of Fire."

Kazuma, who had just been hit hard, spat out a mouthful of blood, but after hearing Uchiha Touhuan's words, he looked up at him with an incredulous expression.

"You... can't escape." Kazuma said with difficulty. He had come tonight to assassinate Uchiha Touhuan, prepared to risk his life to keep him within the scope of Raimono's absurdity.

"Is this all you've got as your trump card?" Uchiha Touhuan, riding a horse, glanced up at the fully charged combination ninjutsu in the sky and said with a smile, "Didn't you even bother to find out what my previous name was before you made your move?"

"Before I became Hokage, my comrades in the village would call me Azure Thunder God, which was kind of them," Uchiha Tohkan said with a smile. "But I still prefer my nickname from Kirigakure: Mitake Raishin."

After saying that, Uchiha Touhuan lightly snapped his fingers. Under Kazuma's incredulous gaze, the lightning gathered in the lightning cage array above began to slowly flow towards Uchiha Touhuan's raised left hand. This violent lightning, which even the caster could not control, was like dough that could be kneaded at will in Uchiha Touhuan's hand. Soon, all the lightning gathered by Raimon and Raimon flowed to Uchiha Touhuan's fingertips, turning into a blue lightning ball with a diameter of half a meter.

With a light laugh, Uchiha Touhuan tossed it into the air, and the lightning ball soared into the sky, exploding into a firework that illuminated the entire night sky of the Fire City.

Kazuma's eyes were filled with terror. Uchiha Touhuan's move was completely beyond his imagination. Only now did he understand what it meant to be called a Kage.

However, the next second, everything spun before his eyes, and Uchiha Touhuan swung his sword and beheaded him, his expression forever frozen at that moment.

Soon, the elite Jonin guarding the imperial city were attracted by the commotion and came to Uchiha Tohsen's door.

With a gloomy expression, Uchiha Touhuan carried Kazuma's head out of the mansion.

"These people in the Land of Fire are truly lawless! Not only did they collude with rogue ninja to assassinate the daimyo, but they even dared to target me, the Grand Minister of State, who is devoted to the country!" Uchiha Touhuan stood before Kakashi and his elite Jonin. "Everyone has a turn! Tonight, join me in wiping out these treacherous insects lurking within the Land of Fire and restoring peace and order to our nation!"

"Salute to the Hokage!" Kakashi, at the front of the group, shouted loudly.

"Loyalty! Sincerity!" The elite Jonin present all raised their hands in salute and shouted.

"Loyalty." After returning the greeting with the horse's head in hand, Uchiha Touhuan strode forward toward the first house not far away, the residence of Matsuda Seisuke, Abe Taiichi's loyal underling.

That night, the entire City of Fire was destined to be a river of blood. Kakashi and Uchiha Touhuan split up and killed everyone who had appeared in the secret room of the Abe family that night. At dawn, the sealing scrolls on their waists were filled with heads. After meeting up in front of the residence of the Left Minister Abe Taiichi, the two strode inside.

……

(End of this chapter)