Chapter 10: The World Remains the Same
Uchiha Douhuan left Root without looking back.
Kakashi, hearing the name Douhuan had just spoken, felt a jolt in his heart.
[Obito's grandmother? It's true… After all these years, I've never once visited her because of my guilt.]
[I really… am a failure.]
"Captain…" One of the ANBU members stepped forward to remind him.
"I'm fine." Kakashi shook himself out of his thoughts and waved a hand. "Clean up here, then report back to the Hokage."
Uchiha Douhuan returned to the Uchiha Police Force headquarters and immediately headed to the interrogation room.
The Wood Release user captured yesterday had already been interrogated for a full day, and Yamanaka Fū, who had just been brought back, had regained consciousness not long ago. Both were tightly restrained in the interrogation room, their chakra sealed.
However, the interrogation was not going well. As ninja—especially those from Root—they were far more resistant than the petty criminals the Police Force was used to dealing with.
"Clan Leader." The Uchiha responsible for the interrogation saluted as Douhuan entered.
"How's it going?" Douhuan asked.
"They're tough, especially the one from yesterday. We've been beating him all night, but he hasn't said a word. We were just about to call in one of the clan's three-tomoe genjutsu specialists."
The interrogators were mostly middle-ranking Uchiha shinobi, some with only a single tomoe in their Sharingan. Normally, that was more than enough for dealing with common criminals, but against trained Root operatives, it was proving insufficient.
"No need for that. I'll handle it myself."
Douhuan stepped forward and faced Yamanaka Fū.
Tied to the chair, Fū had clearly been through a few rounds of beatings. When he saw Douhuan, his expression twisted into hatred, his eyes burning with fury.
Douhuan simply smiled and motioned to the interrogators behind him. Without hesitation, they began another round of brutal blows.
Even Douhuan had to shake his head—there was some personal vendetta in these hits. Given how often Root had clashed with the Uchiha in the past, it was no surprise that these men were eager for payback.
Once he judged it to be enough, Douhuan stepped forward again.
"I… won't… say anything," Fū panted, blood trickling from his mouth, but his eyes remained defiant.
The noonday sunlight streamed through the small window, forcing Fū to squint. Douhuan's face was blurred by the glare.
"I took a little tour of your Root base. Pretty terrifying place," Douhuan said softly.
"You wanted to make Danzo the Hokage? Wanted to wipe out the Uchiha?"
Douhuan reached out and wiped the blood from the corner of Fū's mouth.
"Go take a look outside. Everything's the same. The village is still the same."
As Fū's eyes adjusted, Douhuan's face became clearer—but his words sent a chill down Fū's spine.
"The truth is, your confession doesn't really matter. I never expected to get any useful information out of you."
Douhuan turned to the interrogators. "Keep him alive, that's all that matters."
"Inaho."
"Here!" Uchiha Inaho stepped forward and saluted.
"Gather Second Squad. We're taking a trip."
"Understood." Inaho hesitated. "Clan Leader, where are we going?"
"To the Shimura Clan, to arrest Danzo's accomplices," Douhuan said.
"Arrest them?" Inaho sounded almost disbelieving, though there was a hint of excitement in his eyes. The Shimura and Uchiha clans had never been on good terms.
"Arrest? No, no." Douhuan laughed. "Danzo attacked fellow Konoha shinobi and desecrated the First Hokage's remains. The evidence is conclusive."
"And I just so happened to find some documents in Root's base proving the Shimura Clan's financial ties to him."
Douhuan pulled out a half-burned ledger from a sealing scroll.
"So we're simply inviting them for questioning."
Fū's eyes widened in shock. He knew for a fact that all of Root's financial records had been destroyed.
Douhuan glanced at him with a faint smirk.
That was when Fū finally understood—his confession had never mattered.
Struggling violently, he opened his mouth to shout, but an Uchiha guard silenced him with a punch and stuffed his mouth with cloth.
He could only watch helplessly as Douhuan and his men walked away.
By the time they arrived at the Police Force's front gates, Second Squad had already assembled.
At first, some members grumbled about being called in during their break. But once they heard they were going after the Shimura Clan, morale skyrocketed.
"Clan Leader! Uchiha Police Force Second Squad is assembled!" The squad leader, Uchiha Enba, reported.
Douhuan nodded.
Enba suddenly barked out, "Salute the Clan Leader!"
In perfect synchronization, the squad raised their right hands.
"Loyalty!"
Douhuan chuckled. Ever since he had saluted Sarutobi the other day, this gesture had caught on among the Uchiha.
"Loyalty!" Douhuan returned the salute before leading them toward the Shimura Clan compound.
Their movements did not go unnoticed.
At that moment, in the Hokage's office, Hiruzen Sarutobi sat in silence, rubbing his temples.
Originally, he had planned to absorb the remnants of Root into Konoha's forces. But then, news arrived this morning—Douhuan had massacred every last one of them.
And now, Itachi had just reported the details of yesterday's Uchiha Clan meeting.
Upon learning that Douhuan had become the new Uchiha Clan Leader, Sarutobi let out a long sigh.
"The only good news," he muttered to himself, "is that Douhuan suppressed the faction pushing for open rebellion."
"And his idea of recruiting civilian shinobi into the Police Force… whatever his true motives, that's still a positive change."
Sarutobi sighed again, trying to convince himself of that fact.