Chapter 34: Surely Won

"Uncle Yi, the Elder agreed to let Shisui recruit servants, but the household registration wasn't given to me."

At eight in the morning, Uchiha Hui arrived as promised, and now he no longer looked as lax as before, wearing a black tight combat suit, paired with green Jonin armor, and his short jet‑black hair looked especially vigorous.

"No household registration is indeed a bit of a hassle."

Recruiting servants is only the least important goal; building reputation and obtaining the household registration list are the top priorities.

Heh~

Hearing Sima Yi sigh, the usually serious Hui instantly broke into a smile.

"Don't be hasty, although the Elder refuses to give it to me, I'm Uchiha Hui, captain of the Guard Department's First Division, Third Squad!"

Sima Yi smiled and replied, "So you have a way?"

"Of course!"

Uchiha Hui puffed out his chest and pulled a booklet from behind, "The Elder refuses to give it to me, so I could just find someone else, right?"

"Look, this is the booklet I got through Tie Huo from the Police Department; I don't know if it's the same as the Elder's, but I skimmed it when I arrived, and most clan members are listed."

"Not bad, I didn't expect you to be this clever," Sima Yi said, taking the booklet and nodding appreciatively, then added, "In a few days when you have time, I'll take you out for a barbecue, how about that?"

Hui, hearing that, replied seriously, "Uncle Yi, what are you saying? I'm helping you not for the barbecue; I'm doing it for the Uchiha, for the Village, and out of gratitude for the knowledge you teach me daily."

Sima Yi gave Hui a deep look, nodded, and said, "I can see you've indeed learned a lot."

"Of course! To get the list smoothly this time I used the strategy you taught me—surround Wei to rescue Zhao—ah no, I mean a quick snatch."

Quick snatch?

Sima Yi's hands trembled slightly and asked, "No one saw you, right?"

"Of course not, how could anyone! I'm Uchiha Hui~"

Meanwhile, at the Fugaku Clan Chief's residence.

"Are you saying the list kept in the Guard Department was stolen by Hui?"

With the year‑end approaching, all matters inside and outside the clan lands required Fugaku Uchiha to settle; after finally seeing off the Elder and the Second Elder's entourage, before he could even rest a moment and speak a few words to his two children, he was abruptly interrupted by the suddenly arriving Uchiha Tie Huo.

"The Elder had received word that Hui earlier tried to obtain the list from the Elder, but was denied; this morning he approached the archive again, and after multiple checks it was confirmed that Hui took it."

Tie Huo, wearing the Guard Squad's work uniform, knelt halfway in a corridor to report.

"I recall he only recently entered the Guard Squad; what does he need the list for? Could it be for someone of the third generation?"

"According to the Elder's information, it seems Shisui plans to recruit some servants, wanting to select them from the clan, which is why he sent him to gather the list."

Fugaku Uchiha crossed his arms, expressionless, thought for a moment and said, "Since that's all it is, let him be. This matter must not be known to other clan members, especially the Elder."

Hui's actions undoubtedly violated clan rules, but considering Shisui and the Elder, Fugaku Uchiha chose to turn a blind eye.

"Understood."

"Send it back, and if it's discovered midway, do not conceal the intent." Sima Yi set down his brush, sighed, and felt increasingly that Hui seemed unreliable.

Facing Hui's use of the "quick snatch", he felt exhausted in body and mind, and could only pull the other along to hand‑record, then hurried to return the original.

And Hui's three Shadow Clone Jutsus simultaneously put down their pens, each wearing a mournful expression.

"You said early on you wanted a copy, so I won't stay." "Go quickly, the barbecue can't do without you; as for studies, wait until you've finished reading the summary of the New Clan History."

He dares not let Hui do such delicate work again, lest he be trapped and killed next time.

"Alright, Uncle Yi, but I'll say it again: I'm not doing this for the barbecue."

After speaking, Hui grabbed the list and vanished; he's no fool, and from Sima Yi's attitude he immediately understood the seriousness of stealing the list.

But he also knows Shisui is an ambitious person, and he's willing to take this small risk to help them.

Thinking so, Hui quickened his pace, and in a moment he was back in the Guard Department's archive room.

"No one—just as I said, how could anyone notice."

Seeing no one around, Hui breathed a sigh of relief, and his face instantly filled with a smile again.

He put the item back in place and re‑locked the archive door, but the moment the door closed, a voice came from behind.

"Hui."

Eek! Hui's heart lurched, cold sweat broke out on his forehead as he slowly turned his head, only to see a person standing with arms crossed, eyes icy cold. If he hadn't seen with his own eyes, he still wouldn't have noticed anyone standing behind him.

"Brother Tie Huo."

"What are you doing here?"

The newcomer was Uchiha Tie Huo; he glanced at Hui, then at the archive, and asked calmly.

"I, I heard the Village has been unstable lately, so…"

Hui began to speak, then recalled Sima Yi's warning, hesitated, and was about to answer honestly when Tie Huo nodded and said, "Indeed the Village has been unstable lately; don't linger here, go patrol the streets. The Uchiha don't need salary thieves."

After speaking, Tie Huo turned and left, leaving Hui standing dumbfounded; after a long while he finally exhaled.

"I told you it wouldn't be discovered."

On the other side, after Hui left, Sima Yi quickly calmed down; although Hui's recklessness left him a bit helpless, it wasn't enough to make him panic.

After a brief sorting, he compared the current list with the original military list, selecting thirteen people: three cooks, six attendants, and four maids.

Having confirmed the selections, Sima Yi personally set out to find the attendants; among the six, five were Genin who had not yet awakened their eyes, with only one exception.

"Serve Lord Shisui as an attendant? Me?"

Outside a courtyard, Uchiha Jin Huo stared at the familiar old man before him, surprised.

"Indeed, Shisui holds you in high regard; for the Uchiha and the Village's future, he needs your strength."

Sima Yi, smiling, spoke gently; he had examined closely and found that the boy before him, at only fourteen, had already awakened the dual tomoe Copy Wheel Eye, and had been promoted to Jonin early, showing excellent talent.

Of course, the most important thing is that he is a close relative of Uchiha Tie Huo, captain of the Guard Department's First Division, and greatly admires Shisui.

"Really? Lord Shisui actually needs my strength!"

Jin Huo's eyes flickered with light; the Uchiha clan has always revered the strong, and as long as one can impress them in strength, even a clan member who has opened the Copy Wheel Eye can set aside pride and follow wholeheartedly.

Of course, Shisui needs the power of every Uchiha; if you're willing, he'll set aside time to personally guide your cultivation.

Please be sure to let me follow Lord Shisui!

In this chapter some terms were altered: the cook stayed the same, the servant was changed to maid, the caretaker was changed to attendant; actually I can't find suitable ones for these, my brain is blank.

(End of chapter)