Hatake Sakumo is also really popular in the village.
When Uchiha Tokumitsu and Elder Setsuna mentioned the conversation with Hatake Sakumo at the police department and his initiative to form a team to return together, they received strong praise from Elder Setsuna.
Elder Setsuna called Hatake Sakumo the heir to Konoha's true will of fire, a powerful and upright ninja, and the most courageous and powerful faction in Konoha... A series of laudatory words made Uchiha Tokko doubt his own Is there something wrong with the ears?
As for the reason, it's very simple - Hatake Sakumo never abandons his teammates or partners. He does what he says and his actions have results; in this way, his reputation and reputation have been accumulated.
There are also individual ninjas in the Uchiha family who briefly teamed up with Hatake Sakumo, but their evaluation of them is as high as ever.
"Then...should we try to support him in his candidacy for the position of Hokage?" Uchiha Tokumitsu said this with some trepidation.
The position of Hokage is the obsession and inner demon of the Uchiha clan, but in Uchiha Tokimitsu's view, unless the family can give birth to one or two strong men comparable to the Kage level, or unless something unexpected outside the plot occurs in Konoha, otherwise The Uchiha clan had no chance.
Because no matter how many Jonin there are, they are not as important as a Kage-level warrior, and the difference in quality cannot be made up by quantity. Especially in this era after the second generation was killed in a surprise attack, the Kage in each village paid great attention to systematic defense.
As for Fugaku? It is better to expect him than to expect the Uchiha clan to succeed in their rebellion.
Elder Setsuna was also silent in response to Uchiha's words. After a long time, he shook his head and said something was wrong: "No, Sakumo is an upright man. Running for Hokage will kill him..."
Uchiha Tokko was also speechless.
…
After a few days of rest, Uchiha Tokko was ready to go.
This time, in addition to the six members of Uchiha Tokimitsu's own security team, there are also twelve ninjas from the Uchiha secret guards accompanying them as attendants, as well as the first batch of 42 Uchiha ninjas who returned to the village to rest and visit relatives. .
There were a total of sixty ninjas from the Uchiha clan, and the scene was quite grand.
"It's so early, Tokumitsu Jounin~"
Just as Uchiha Tokko was leading his troops to form a team at the entrance of Konoha Village, Hatake Sakumo's very representative lazy voice came from behind.
"Sakumo Jounin, good morning." Uchiha Tokumitsu did not neglect this jounin who had a high reputation in the village. What's more, his attitude towards the Uchiha clan was particularly peaceful, and he did not have the arrogance of a strong man. .
"Young Master Tokumitsu is indeed very powerful~" Hatake Sakumo joked with a hint of joking, "I can mobilize so many ninja troops at any time, which really makes me, a senior jounin, very ashamed. .”
"Sakumo Jounin is too modest." Uchiha Tokimitsu replied politely, "Everyone knows your record, and the number of people is meaningless to a strong man like you..."
After the two exchanged pleasantries, they were ready to set off, but the registration procedures when leaving the village showed a gap.
The formalities for Uchiha Tokumitsu and his subordinates to go out were all handled by the Uchiha ninjas on duty at the Police Department, while Hatake Sakumo personally registered on behalf of his subordinates, and also chatted and laughed with the few gatekeepers. The chunin put their arms around each other and laughed loudly.
Is this the so-called Hatake Sakumo with a benevolent heart under his capable and cold appearance?
Uchiha Tokko looked at it silently.
He always felt that it would be insufficient to judge the achievements and future of a living ninja if it was really limited to the so-called 'understanding of the plot'. If you want to really understand a person, especially a strong person like Hatake Sakumo , still requires close contact and communication.
At least, since he met Sakumo Hatake, he has never seen what the 'capable and cold' Sakumo Hatake looks like.
But a senior jounin who had made countless contributions to Konoha would end up committing suicide due to ridiculous political disputes in the future, which is really disappointing.
Uchiha Tokumitsu also doesn't believe that a strong man like Hatake Sakumo would be unable to bear the frustration and failure of a mission and commit suicide. If this is true, all ninjas who do not have a 100% mission completion rate will die, Konoha The upper and lower ninjas were basically in the air.
Hatake Sakumo only led eight ninjas to accompany him this time. From the outside, although they look unattractive, they all have a capable and capable temperament. If they were disguised, they would definitely not be found in the crowd. The kind that arrived, so they should all be elite ninjas who are good at lurking.
"Tokumitsu Jonin, you've been waiting for a long time, let's set off quickly." After completing the formalities, the cheerful Hatake Sakumo greeted everyone with a bright smile to set off.
Uchiha Tokumitsu didn't say anything, but just waved his hand, and sixty Uchiha ninjas moved accordingly, divided into five groups, left, right, front, and center, surrounded by Uchiha Tokumitsu and Hatake Sakumo, and officially set off.
"Tokumitsu-kun, I don't know if I should ask you a question?" During the march, Uchiha Tokumitsu and Hatake Sakumo walked side by side, and their subordinates kept distance from each other in front and behind, ready to pick up at any time. The enemy's preparations therefore left enough room for the two to talk.
"Sakumo Jounin, you asked me this, how can I still say it shouldn't be done?"
Hatake Sakumo smiled awkwardly, "Why is the relationship between the Uchiha clan and the village so tense?"
"This question is a long story..."
"Then let's make a long story short."
"Sakumo Jounin, do you know Uchiha Madara?" Uchiha Tokumitsu turned his head and looked directly at Hatake Sakumo.
"I know, it's just..." Hatake Sakumo hesitated.
"Madara-sama and Hashirama-sama jointly founded Konoha, and then betrayed the village due to a dispute over their ideals..." Uchiha Tokko carefully considered his words, "Later, Madara-sama sent the Nine-Tails to attack the village, but Hashirama was still Your Excellency was defeated and died, and Lord Hashirama also died of his injuries shortly after. You should be aware of these past events, right?"
Hatake Sakumo nodded silently.
"When Madara-sama left the village, he summoned the clan members to leave with him. However, the Uchiha clan had long been tired of the endless fighting and fighting. They just wanted to stay and enjoy the peaceful time that they had been dreaming of for thousands of years during the Warring States Period. That is to say , everyone including our clan has abandoned Master Madara..."
"But this does not mean that the village is at ease with our clan. In the eyes of some people, the Uchiha clan is guilty of original sin. No matter what we do, we will be scrutinized through colored glasses, so we are also labeled The evil clan, even the tailor-made police department, seems to be extremely powerful, but in fact it is a prison for the clan, trapping the Uchiha clan inside and unable to move forward..."
Hatake Sakumo still listened silently without speaking.
"Including the Sharingan, which our clan is proud of..." Uchiha Tokumitsu pointed at his eyes, "Sakumo Jounin, do you know the conditions for awakening the Sharingan?"
"I understand..." Hatake Sakumo replied hesitantly, "Does it rely on intense mood swings?"
"Yes..." Uchiha Tokumitsu sighed with emotion, "The power of the Sharingan is poured out by the Uchiha people with their blood and despair, so most of the Uchiha people, including me, sometimes have such huge mood swings. He's just insane, which is why the Sharingan is called the cursed eye..."
"Then why not give up the Sharingan and find other ways?" Hatake Sakumo couldn't help but ask.
"Sakumo Jōnin, guilt is not terrible, but weakness is the greatest original sin." Uchiha Tokumitsu said quietly, "If the Sharingan is given up, will the Uchiha clan still have so many jonin? Can they still maintain it? Is the police department the only one with such power? Can it still gain a foothold in the ninja world, or in Konoha?"
Hatake Sakumo couldn't help but be speechless.
"Strength brings fairness, and strength is justice." Uchiha Tokumitsu looked forward, "Sakumo Jounin, what do you think of this sentence?"
"...can I understand it as pursuing power at all costs?" Hatake Sakumo said with some hesitation.
"It doesn't matter. As a ninja clan that has stood firm for thousands of years during the Warring States Period, Uchiha has some styles that cannot be changed overnight. It's just that the people in the village don't understand it."
It doesn't matter whether you understand it or not, strength will explain everything anyway. Uchiha Demitsu thought silently in his heart.
"Alas..." Hatake Sakumo sighed, "Didn't the Uchiha clan try to make changes?"
"Change? Yes." Uchiha Tokumitsu blurted out, "Uchiha Mirror is it, but he is dead."
Hatake Sakumo's eyelids twitched.
"Kage-senpai's death is very strange, but it doesn't matter anymore." Uchiha Tokumitsu's tone was as cold as if he was talking about an unrelated outsider, "After Kagami-senpai's death, the relationship between the family and the Hokage line has completely ceased. It has cooled down, and after being suppressed, the tribesmen naturally moved closer to the radicals. While the strength of the radicals increased greatly, the relationship with the village naturally became worse and worse..."
"Radical faction...Tokuguang-kun, is this the faction you belong to?"
"Yes." Uchiha Tokumitsu replied affirmatively, "But for Uchiha, it doesn't matter whether he is a radical or a conservative, or he is called a hawk or a dove with other modified terms. Everyone It’s all just to compete for more positions that match their strength, nothing else.”
"Tokumitsu-kun...you are really frank..." Hatake Sakumo was also surprised by Uchiha Tokumitsu's bluntness.
"It's nothing. Even our radical elder Setsuna thinks highly of you."
"What did Elder Setsuna say?" Hatake Sakumo also became interested.
"Well... you are a good person." Uchiha Tokumitsu thought for a moment and said very concisely.
Hatake Sakumo felt stifled.
"Haha, just kidding." Uchiha Tokumitsu chuckled, "Elder Setsuna's original words are that Sakumo-kun is the true heir to the Will of Fire, a powerful and upright ninja, and the most courageous and powerful sect in Konoha. …”
Uchiha Demitsu gushed out Elder Setsuna's words.
"Thank you for Elder Setsuna's respect..." Hatake Sakumo was also a little surprised, "So I actually have such a reputation in Uchiha?"
"For Uchiha, the strong are worthy of respect and must be respected." Uchiha blinked, "After all, 'strength brings fairness, and strength is justice', isn't it?"
"Then if one day, someone is more powerful than the Uchiha clan, will the Uchiha surrender to him?" Hatake Sakumo couldn't help but ask a pointed question.
"Yes!" Uchiha was very straightforward.
It was so straightforward that even Hatake Sakumo was stunned.
"Sakumo Jounin, although Uchiha are radical, they are not all fools, good and bad will still know each other." Uchiha's words were more direct, "The one who can suppress the Uchiha clan with strength is Hashirama-sama, isn't it? We can all abandon our fellow racer Uchiha Madara for Hashirama-sama."
Although Uchiha Tokumitsu's words had the meaning of secretly changing the concept, Hatake Sakumo could not find a direction to refute.
"But... why did the relationship between Uchiha and the village become so stalemate that they drew swords at each other?" Hatake Sakumo asked based on the recent confrontation.
"Because we are not convinced."
"Not convinced?"
"Sakumo Jounin, the position of Hokage, in principle, is recommended by the vote of the Jounin Council, right?"
"Yeah, uh..." Hatake Sakumo was about to answer decisively, but then he got stuck.
"Then do you understand?" Uchiha Tokumitsu glanced at him.
"Alas..." Hatake Sakumo could only continue to sigh.
He felt like he didn't sigh as many times in a month as he did during the conversation today.
The position of Hokage, according to the original system of the village, should have been voted by the ninja meeting. This system was originally established by Senju Tobirama to exclude the unpopular but powerful Uchiha Madara. But later on, even the second and third generation Hokages were not recommended through this mechanism; in fact, this system existed in name only.
"I also suggested to Elder Setsuna whether I could support you in running for Hokage; but do you know what the great elder said?"
"How do you say that?" This sentence aroused Hatake Sakumo's curiosity.
"Elder Setsuna said that it will only kill you..."
Hatake Sakumo's eyelids twitched a few times.
"Sakumo Jounin, as I said before, the Uchiha clan doesn't actually want much." Uchiha Tokumitsu's tone was as calm as ever, "I just want fairness and respect, but these are so difficult. What?"
"But doesn't the village have considerable trust in the Uchiha clan? After all, Tokumitsu-kun is the commander of the border troops at your age. There is no precedent in Konoha and even the ninja world."
"Sakumo Jounin, after the adjustment of the Northwest Border Defense Force, most of the ninjas on staff are Uchiha family ninjas or family in-laws." Uchiha Tokumitsu said word by word, "The position of commander of the border forces is indeed not mine. It comes from ability or resume, but it is the clan's endorsement of strength and let me serve as a representative. What's more, the village had the idea of weakening the Uchiha's strength, so we were able to stand alone. It's just that the village I didn’t expect that Iwagakure’s strategic target is not in the Country of Grass at all.”
"Then...Tokumitsu-kun, aren't you optimistic about the outcome of my election as Hokage?" Hatake Sakumo deliberately changed the subject.
"Sakumo Jounin, there is a saying in the samurai family that 'one general can make a thousand bones wither', but I don't agree with this." Uchiha Tokumitsu said seriously, "I think that since you are chosen, you must have the determination to burn everything. Whether you die or not is up to you."
"It's just... are you really mentally prepared? Do you really dare to accept the explicit support of the Uchiha clan?"
Hatake Sakumo just walked on silently, without commenting.
After a while, Hatake Sakumo said quietly, "Tokumitsu-kun, thank you..."
Uchiha Demitsu was also a little surprised.
"Although our philosophies are different, thank you for your outspokenness..."
"It doesn't matter, just seek common ground while reserving differences." Uchiha Tokumitsu remained straightforward, "Uchiha has never thought of convincing others through words."
"Seek common ground while reserving differences..." Hatake Sakumo silently chewed the meaning behind this word.
Uchiha Tokumitsu said no more and just continued on his way.
A large group of ninjas moved forward quickly in the forest, leaving many figures behind. Under the setting sun, the mountains were like the sea, and the setting sun was like blood.
