Chapter 163: Horn City Assault

"Ah, fortunately Shisui Uchiha still remembers the Third Hokage's support; I just hope he will, for the sake of the Third Hokage, not make things difficult for my Sarutobi clan."

The new clan head of the Sarutobi clan, Rihui Sarutobi, already knows that Shisui Uchiha will come to visit the Third Hokage, which makes him somewhat uneasy.

Family members know their own affairs; previously many of their shops had been sealed by the Police Department, and he is well aware whether the clan has any problems.

"Clan head, the Fifth Hokage is arriving soon; should we go out to greet him?"

Rihui Sarutobi felt conflicted upon hearing this; if they greet him, it would make the Sarutobi clan appear overly humble and even damage the Third Hokage's face, but not greeting might cause a misunderstanding with the Fifth Hokage.

This was the day the Jonin meeting ended, and Shisui came to pay a visit, which clearly shows his regard for the Third Hokage; they must not let the other side misunderstand the Sarutobi clan.

"Go then, come with me."

After a moment of indecision, Rihui Sarutobi chose compromise, putting the clan first; the era of the Third Hokage has passed, and Shisui is the clan's future.

Having said that, they arrived outside the clan grounds, just in time before Shisui could arrive.

"Fifth Hokage!"

When they first met, Rihui Sarutobi forced his aging body to sprint forward, then performed a half‑kneel salute before Shisui.

Shisui's complexion changed, and he quickly stepped forward to help him up, whispering, "Senior Rihui has rendered many great services to Leaf Village, is highly respected; he could not be treated like this, get up quickly."

Rihui Sarutobi felt a wave of relief, waved his hand and said earnestly, "No, no, you are already the Hokage; in such a setting you must still pay your respects."

Shisui gave a gentle smile, did not continue, and asked directly, "Today is my first time entering the Hokage Building to learn about Hokage duties; I have many questions and would like to ask the Third Hokage—how is his health?"

Seeing Shisui still respects the Third Hokage, Sarutobi Rizhan completely relaxed and quickly replied, "The Third Hokage's health has improved; he is still recuperating in his room. I have already informed him of the Fifth Hokage's arrival; please follow me."

Shisui nodded, and the group proceeded to the Third Hokage's residence.

Thus line: "Yuan Fei Asuma" was already waiting nearby, and upon seeing Shisui approach, felt particularly conflicted.

This boy, much younger than him, not only became the clan head but also the Hokage of Leaf Village—the youngest Hokage in Leaf Village's history.

"Fifth Hokage!"

Thus line: "Yuan Fei Asuma" spoke obediently, Shisui kept his gentle smile, and after a brief conversation with Thus line: "Yuan Fei Asuma", the two entered the room.

As for the others, everyone except Rihui Sarutobi remained outside.

"Third Hokage."

Upon entering, Shisui saw the Third Hokage half‑reclining; it had been almost a month since their last meeting, and the Third Hokage's body was visibly emaciated.

The Third Hokage also studied Shisui, his face showing a hint of satisfaction, and sighed, "Indeed, you are the grandson of the Mirror; had he known you inherited the Will of Fire, he would be very pleased."

Shisui gave a shy smile, "Thanks to the Third Hokage's guidance, but honestly I never expected to become Hokage; in any case, many unexpected things have happened."

"Hahaha, I've already heard them say it; Tuan Zang's matter is also my fault, I was too lenient with him, but they acted for Leaf Village's sake, I hope you won't mind."

The Third Hokage said this, sighed lightly, then looked at the other two; Rihui Sarutobi realized and immediately led Thus line: "Yuan Fei Asuma" away.

"Shisui, do you know? Actually, whether it's the Second Hokage, or I, or the three advisors, we never want an Uchiha to become Hokage."

Shisui was taken aback; he hadn't expected the Third Hokage to be so direct. After a moment's hesitation, he nodded and said, "I've always known."

"Do you know why?"

"Because the Uchiha once rebelled, and due to the grudges between the Senju and the Uchiha, the Second Hokage does not trust the Uchiha clan, as well as their temperament issues."

Shisui had to admit that a Uchiha like him is actually not normal.

The Third Hokage chuckled, surprised that Shisui knew so much.

"You truly are clever; to grasp some of these reasons at such a young age is rare among the Uchiha, though not many understand this, and that's not the whole reason."

Shisui stared at the Third Hokage, expecting him to continue, but instead the Third Hokage jumped to another question.

"You've been in the Police Department for so long; you must have encountered many things, right?"

"What does the Third Hokage refer to?"

"The village's decay and darkness?"

Shisui was silent for a moment, then replied, "Human experiments, the desires of the ninja clans and ninjas?"

The Third Hokage shook his head, reminding, "Leaf Village bathes in firelight, but where there is light there are shadows; such darkness is unavoidable. Human experiments are, and the desires of ninja clans and ninjas are, but these are not everything."

The Third Hokage paused, a hint of helplessness in his eyes, "The Hokage's image must be bright; some things I cannot do, so I will allow Tuan Zang's emergence."

"I say this not to plead for Tuan Zang, but because many of Tuan Zang's actions were forced by Leaf Village; I hope you will take Tuan Zang seriously, and later you will understand his view of the Uchiha."

The Third Hokage spoke earnestly; although he does not want an Uchiha to become Hokage, now that it has come to this he has little to complain about, imparting the hidden secrets orally.

Even when he passed the title to the Fourth Hokage, he never mentioned these words, because Shui Men was a civilian from outside the village; after the records, the greatest darkness he encountered was the contempt and bullying from his peers, and before those records, it was probably the death of his parents.

The civilian birth limited his perspective and also protected him, preventing him from encountering many things.

But ninjas from great families more easily encounter such things.

As with Shisui, after taking over the Police Department he increasingly understood these: human experiments, human trafficking, the filthy dealings between ninjas and merchants, and countless other atrocities.

Shisui offered no rebuttal, but thought carefully.

He immediately thought of Sima Yi and Yan Shifan; to him, they seemed just as Tuan Zang is to the Third Hokage.

They acted behind his back in many ways, but there is no doubt that what they did was beneficial to him, though not exactly bright.

"I will consider it carefully, thank you, Third Hokage, for your guidance."

To the Third Hokage's surprise, Shisui accepted very quickly.

The Third Hokage was stunned, then slowly nodded, "The future of Leaf Village is now yours; if any problems arise, you may come find me."

Having said that, the Third Hokage also told Shisui some details about handling village affairs; they talked until late night, until the Third Hokage's body could no longer hold on, and Shisui finally took his leave.

After leaving the Sarutobi clan grounds together with Yan Shifan, Shisui relayed the gist of their conversation to Yan Shifan.

Yan Shifan paused briefly, then said, "Tuan Zang cannot stay, but those matters cannot be exposed either; we need another pretext to act against him, preferably one everyone can accept."

Now that Shisui is Hokage, those matters, though unrelated to him, could inevitably cause a trust crisis among the villagers; Shisui can only help conceal them.

Shisui heard this, his eyes flickering, "I understand."

Yan Shifan emphasized, "It must be done quickly, otherwise when the matters are exposed later, the blame will fall on us."

"Yes, teacher."

"It's already been a day; they left the Tōkaidō long ago, so there will be no chance for them to return with reinforcements. That guy's guards have been greatly reduced; today may be the last chance."

"In the Land of Fire, Tōkaidō, outside Shangcun Yizhi's mansion."

"One assassin after another hides in the darkness."

"After confirming the news coming from behind, the group prepared to act."

"\"Brothers, eliminate Shangcun Yizhi, and the second half of your life will be carefree. Kill! \""

"The leader whispered a shout, then everyone rose and crawled forward. In the moonlight, the glint of blades flickered faintly in the darkness."

"Inside the mansion, Shangcun Yizhi looked at the Uchiha Pan beside him, uneasy, and asked, \"So many have come; only a few returned to Konoha. Are you the only ones who can truly repel them? \""

"It's not that Shangcun Yizhi doesn't trust Uchiha Pan's ability; the commotion this time is simply too great."

"The salt merchants of Tōkaidō fought desperately, some nobles also got involved, and he even sent another team back to Konoha to deliver money; upon learning they were surrounded, he became truly restless."

"\"Don't worry, with the guards in the courtyard, it's enough. \""

"Uchiha Pan crossed his arms and replied calmly."

"Uchiha couldn't spare much support for the time being, so Shangcun Yizhi recruited many wandering ninja as courtyard guards."

"\"That's fine; I didn't mean I distrust you, I was just asking. \""

"Shangcun Yizhi forced a smile, his gaze descending from the second floor."

"At this moment, the assassins had completely surrounded the mansion and then charged forward without concealment."

"The courtyard guards were also disciplined: they worked for money, reported the enemy at once upon detection, and then drew weapons to clash with the assassins."

"Uchiha Pan stayed still, while three other Uchiha hid in some corner of the estate, waiting for a chance."

"\"Charge! Shangcun Yizhi is on the second floor; kill him, and the second half of your life will be free of worry! \""

"The melee below was brutal; both sides quickly reached a fever pitch, but the assassins outnumbered them—only the front yard already held dozens, including ninja and samurai, with varying skill."

"Their eyes glowed crimson, betraying madness; fearless and reckless, they charged here, and the guards' fighting spirit was clearly inferior, soon showing signs of collapse."

"Seeing this, Uchiha Pan inside the building stopped hiding, left a clan chūnin to guard Shangcun Yizhi, and immediately joined the battlefield."

"The clash grew ever more intense; under the bleak moonlight, a swath of dark red quickly spread."

"After a quarter of an hour, the melee ended."

"Out of 37 guards, 16 died, 7 fled amid the chaos, and the remaining, except Uchiha Pan, were all wounded."

"As for the assassins, there were nearly a hundred in the front and back yards combined; after the Uchiha entered the battle and the situation gradually turned unfavorable, the wandering ninja began to withdraw slowly."

"Only the guards trained by the salt merchants fell dead here."

"\"Clear away the bodies; after today, those people will have no capacity to resist. \""

"Raising a loyal guard is not easy; these people are already the salt merchants' last remaining assets."

"\"Yes, Captain! \""

"Uchiha Pan gave instructions to several people, then returned upstairs to send another chūnin to assist, and thereafter stayed alone beside Shangcun Yizhi."

"\"Is it over? \""

"Shangcun Yizhi exhaled a sigh, a smile appearing on his face."

"\"Don't worry. \""

"Regarding this guy who doesn't trust his own strength, Uchiha Pan didn't want to say more, and quietly stood aside to rest."

"Seeing this, Shangcun Yizhi wasn't angry either, and calmly sat nearby to continue his work."

"Meanwhile, those downstairs gathered the bodies, then separated the ones on the bounty list and set them aside; the valueless were moved to the back of the estate. Since they were corpses, they couldn't be buried near the mansion, so they were taken far away."

"Just as the group left the courtyard, Uchiha Pan, eyes closed in a meditative trance, changed expression, suddenly opened his eyes and pulled the still-working Shangcun Yizhi behind him."

"Shangcun Yizhi looked puzzled, but before he could ask, the office door instantly turned into wood chips; a pair of fists followed by black threads burst through the door and rushed at him."

"Pan dragged Shangcun Yizhi away and, with a reverse kick, sent the two fists flying."

"Then a figure rushed toward the two, and the newcomer was Jiaodu!"

"\"Arrogant! \""

"Pan pushed Shangcun Yizhi aside, drew a kunai, and immediately engaged; the two exchanged several rounds in the cramped room."

"The strange black threads were harder to handle than Pan had imagined; he didn't hide his weakness and instantly opened his eyes to fight them."

"\"Uchiha! \""

"Jiaodu was startled, his tone slightly shocked; the two locked eyes, and Pan curled the corner of his mouth."

"\"Not good! \""

"Jiaodu's body froze, and Pan instantly pulled him into an illusion."

"\"I thought you were a master. \""

"Pan hadn't expected it to be so easy; with a disdainful expression, he raised the kunai and thrust it toward Jiaodu's throat."

"A puff sound was heard; Pan's pupils instantly contracted, as if unable to believe, and he looked down."

"He saw a massive black hand pierce through his chest, leaving a huge hole; as he tried to glance sideways, Jiaodu's body trembled slightly, as if mocking him."

"Jiaodu grabbed Pan's head with one hand, chuckling, \"Uchiha people are, as always, foolish and arrogant. \""

"\"For\""

"Pan spat a mouthful of fresh blood under Shangcun Yizhi's terrified gaze, and the black monster behind him extended a massive hand that then burrowed into Jiaodu's body."

"\"One hundred million taels, secured. \""

"Jiaodu ignored Pan, casually tossed him aside, and his deep green eyes greedily scanned Shangcun Yizhi."

"Watching the dying Pan on the ground, Shangcun Yizhi's breathing grew increasingly rapid."

"'It's over now.'"

"Even Pan, a jonin, was easily defeated; even if others arrived, it would be of no use, and Shangcun Yizhi's heart turned to ash."

"\"You, you still wouldn't understand the power of the Uchiha! \""

However, at that moment, the scene before his eyes suddenly twisted in a bizarre way.

Pan, who had been lying on the ground, suddenly appeared behind Jiaodu and drove a blade straight into his heart.

"What?!"

Accompanied by a gasp of shock, Jiaodu's body slowly fell.

Shangcun Yizhi widened his eyes, then noticed that the wound on Pan's chest had vanished, though one of his three‑hook jade lost its light.

"What is going on?"

The group meeting ended a little after ten, and I've been writing since I got back; I'm already feeling a bit dizzy, so I didn't check—I'll look at it tomorrow.

(End of chapter)