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

Aburame Shiki took a deep breath. Uchiha Touhuan's move was tantamount to presenting them with two choices.

They either have to join the Uchiha camp or stand with the Hokage's faction. It's impossible to just send one or two geniuses from the clan and call it a day, as they used to do.

"Clan Chief Touhuan, I'd like to confirm something else." After a while, Aburame Shiki removed her sunglasses and looked directly at Uchiha Touhuan. "The Security Department is certain that they won't recruit children who haven't graduated from the Ninja Academy, is that right?"

"Of course." Uchiha Touhuan sensed Aburame Shiki's concerns and smiled as he spoke, "As someone who was sent to the battlefield at the age of nine, although I have gained my current reputation through my achievements on the battlefield, I still think my experience is fucking awful."

Uchiha Touhuan spoke from the heart. He had been solemn and polite since he entered the room, and at this moment he even swore. His emotions were genuine and not fake.

"Children should be in ninja academies when they are of school age, Aburame Clan Chief, don't you agree?" Then, Uchiha Touhuan smiled and looked at Aburame Shiki before speaking.

"I understand." Aburame Shiki nodded solemnly.

Although he belonged to the generation that grew up under the patronage of the second generation, during his childhood, ambitious figures like Danzo had not yet emerged. However, when he had just come of age, Aburame Ryoma was forcibly taken away from the clan head, who was his uncle at the time, by Danzo. On his first day as the clan head, the former clan head took him to the clan shrine to see the clan's history. The shrine recorded in detail the names of those who had been taken away at a very young age and publicly expelled from the clan. At that time, Aburame Ryoma was the last one.

"Remember these names," the former patriarch solemnly said to him before the family crest at the family shrine. "It was these ancestors, whose names were not even allowed to be mentioned in the family's rituals, who voluntarily threw themselves into the darkness, that allowed the family's flame to continue to this day. If one day you also face a choice, even if it is your own child, you cannot hesitate for a moment."

Aburame Shii was deeply shocked at the time and remembered the words of the former clan chief, which is why he summoned Aburame Tone today. However, the environment in which he grew up still made him question the history of the past. He thought that when the first and second generation leaders were still alive, the village and the clan could have survived well even without doing this.

Therefore, upon hearing Uchiha Touhuan's promise, Aburame Shiki was moved. During the Third Shinobi World War, Aburame Shiki was stationed in the Land of Water, where the Uchiha clan was the most numerous. Therefore, he knew Uchiha Touhuan's strength better than others. After all, he was a ruthless person who could single-handedly wipe out 15 Kirigakure Jonin squads several years ago. In addition, there was the Mangekyou Sharingan he saw at the village entrance that day. In his mind, this was a promise made to him and their clan by a ninja whose strength was comparable to the First Hokage.

Having made up her mind, Aburame Shiki picked up the evidence of the three clans' crimes from the table and said, "From this day forward, the Aburame clan will follow the Uchiha's lead."

"Chief Aburame is a smart man." Uchiha Touhuan smiled and snapped his fingers. After a few flashes of electricity, flames rose from the evidence of Aburame Ryoma's crimes on the table and turned to ashes in no time. "Have someone report to the Security Department tomorrow. As for when to officially take action, just wait for my orders."

"Understood." Aburame nodded slightly, then personally got up to see him off.

……

While Uchiha Touhuan was visiting the Aburame clan, a large-scale gathering was taking place at Yakiniku Q, a large barbecue restaurant owned by the Akimichi clan.

The official announcement of Kakashi's retirement from the Anbu has been released today. From today onwards, Kakashi will no longer be employed by the Anbu.

The first thing Kakashi did after retiring was to invite most of the ninjas in the Anbu who had done missions with him to a dinner, ostensibly to thank them for their help over the years.

Kakashi booked the entire BBQ restaurant Q. This time, he invited a total of 60 people, the weakest of whom were Special Jonin. However, most of them were from commoner backgrounds or were ninja from small ninja clans like Hayate Gekko.

As the largest barbecue restaurant in the village, Barbecue Q's prices are not as extravagant as the luxury restaurants that Uchiha Touhuan took everyone to during the mission, but they are definitely not cheap either. With the salary level of the Anbu, it is acceptable to come here occasionally to treat themselves, but if they come too often, even the salary level of the Anbu will be a bit too much. Therefore, the group of people who were invited came without much thought.

During the meal, Kakashi imitated Uchiha Touhuan, raising his wine glass and clearing his throat. Seeing this, the others also put down their chopsticks.

"Everyone, during my time in the Dark Division, I was fortunate to receive your help. Although I have now retired, I will always remember the time we spent working together."

"Lord Kakashi, what are you saying?" a commoner ninja said. "We should be thanking you for your care during our work. If it weren't for your help during those previous missions, I'd probably be dead by now."

"That's not how it works. As the captain, it's my duty to save my teammates during missions," Kakashi said. "I know my own personality very well. During missions, I might overlook everyone's feelings, and some people might think I'm not that compassionate. Before I officially retire, I still want to say thank you all for tolerating my temper and ensuring the missions went smoothly because of the Will of Fire. I raise a toast to you all!"

Kakashi removed his mask and solemnly drank the wine in his glass.

Seeing this, the others followed suit and drank their drinks in one gulp.

At this moment, Nagai Seiichi, who had already pledged his loyalty to Uchiha Tohsen and guessed the close relationship between Kakashi and Uchiha Tohsen, stepped forward: "Captain Kakashi's words make us feel ashamed. It's clearly our lack of ability that forced Captain Kakashi to do more, yet Captain Kakashi is still looking for the reasons within himself. What is the Will of Fire? This is the Will of Fire! Everyone, I propose we all raise a glass to Captain Kakashi! Although Captain Kakashi has retired, we will forever remember your kindness in our hearts!"

After another round of drinks, Kuroki Ryuta, who had also participated in the mission to capture Orochimaru last time, stood up and said, "We are sad to see Lord Kakashi retire, but we wish him good health and continued success in his future ninja career!"

Amidst the clinking of glasses, the sake cups, empty and refilled, reflected Kakashi's face. This was the first time Kakashi had taken off the mask he had worn for most of his life in front of so many people.

By the end of the party, everyone present had a drunken look on their faces. After it ended, Kakashi watched everyone leave one by one, and soon he was the only one left in the huge barbecue restaurant.

Kakashi sat alone for a while before getting up and leaving. After walking out of the store, Kakashi instinctively took out his mask to put it on, but after thinking about it, he put it away. Carrying the food he had packed for Naruto, he headed towards the Hatake family's residence.