Chapter 262: The Two Hokage's Observations of the Guard Unit
Senju Hashirama and Senju Tobirama were stunned on the spot for a moment. As people born in the Warring States period, the ninjas of their time were considered pretty good if they could just line up neatly during assembly. How could they have ever seen such a display?
At this time, Uchiha Douhuan also raised his hand in a return salute: "Loyalty."
At the same time, Sarutobi Hiruzen, who was not on his first inspection with Uchiha Douhuan, also raised his hand in a return salute: "Loyalty."
This display made Senju Hashirama want to imitate their gesture and return the salute. After all, wasn't this scene what he had dreamed the village's ninjas should be like?
Fortunately, Senju Tobirama reacted in time and stopped his brother's eager right hand. Otherwise, if he had returned the salute, things would have gotten chaotic.
However, after seeing the current state of the Guard Unit, Senju Tobirama was also secretly alarmed. Standing at the forefront of the welcoming party should be the mid-to-high-level ninjas of the Guard Unit. Among them, Senju Tobirama saw that less than thirty percent of the ninjas had the Uchiha clan crest embroidered on them.
[The Uchiha clan has really given up the power of the Guard Unit.] Senju Tobirama looked at this scene with a complicated expression. Among all the arrangements he had made against the Uchiha clan during his lifetime, having them solely responsible for a department like the Guard Unit, which held great power but was a thankless job, was a very important part. For this reason, he had even allocated a part of the legislative power to the Guard Unit. In his calculations at the time, the Uchiha clan's character would definitely not be willing to give up such great power. And the Uchiha clan, who controlled the Guard Unit, was destined to have difficulty entering the core of the village's power.
And if the Uchiha clan were willing to give up the power of the Guard Unit, it also meant that they were willing to lower themselves and integrate into the village. This was also what Senju Tobirama wanted to see, but...
Senju Tobirama gritted his teeth as he looked at the conspicuous five large characters "Fifth Hokage" on the back of Uchiha Douhuan's divine robe. He wanted to see the Uchiha clan integrate into the village, but that didn't mean he wanted to see an Uchiha Hokage. For an Uchiha ninja to be worthy of the position of Hokage, it meant that the other party had awakened the Mangekyo Sharingan. And every single owner of the Mangekyo Sharingan was a lunatic!
At this time, the Guard Unit captain, Kakashi, who was on duty in the Guard Unit, also walked out from the crowd. After saluting Uchiha Douhuan and Sarutobi Hiruzen, he looked at Senju Hashirama and Senju Tobirama who were following behind them.
"Lord Hokage, they are?" Kakashi asked with some curiosity.
"They are honored guests," Uchiha Douhuan said.
"I understand," Kakashi nodded. "Which part of the Guard Unit would the two Hokage and the guests like to see?"
"Let's go to the cafeteria first. It's about mealtime anyway. After the shift change later, we'll go to the training ground," Uchiha Douhuan said.
"Alright, then we'll be dining in the Guard Unit's cafeteria tonight?" Kakashi asked.
"Let's do that," Uchiha Douhuan nodded.
Senju Hashirama and Senju Tobirama, under Kakashi's lead, went to the Guard Unit's cafeteria.
It was currently mealtime. The members of the Guard Unit who had finished their patrol were lining up at the cafeteria window, waiting for their food.
Kakashi led the group into a separate private room in the cafeteria used for official entertainment.
But Senju Tobirama spoke up at this time, "Why come to a private room? Can't you let us see what the village's ninjas usually eat?"
Senju Tobirama's tone was clearly a bit impolite. Kakashi's brow furrowed slightly, and he looked at Uchiha Douhuan.
"Second Hokage, we brought you here simply because we didn't want to disturb the members' meal. The dishes in the private room are the same as outside, at most a few more dishes are added according to the guests' tastes and requests," Uchiha Douhuan said helplessly.
"Second Hokage?" Kakashi was first stunned upon hearing Uchiha Douhuan's words, then looked at Senju Hashirama and Senju Tobirama with incredulous eyes.
At this time, Senju Hashirama and Senju Tobirama also dispelled their Transformation Jutsu.
"Second Hokage? And... First Hokage?" Kakashi said in disbelief.
"No need for formalities! You're a child of the Hatake clan, right?" Senju Hashirama said cheerfully.
"Kid, why do you have the... aura of the Sharingan on you? I remember the Hatake clan established themselves in the ninja world with their sword skills, didn't they?" Senju Tobirama said. He had originally wanted to say that Kakashi had the reek of the Sharingan on him, but he rationally changed his words at the last moment.
"Is Lord Second Hokage referring to this?" Kakashi said, proactively undoing the seals on his eyes. A pair of crimson Mangekyo Sharingan emerged.
"Mangekyo Sharingan?" Senju Tobirama's eyes widened, and he turned to look at Uchiha Douhuan.
If it were just the Mangekyo Sharingan, Senju Tobirama wouldn't have been so surprised. After all, he had killed Uchiha who had awakened these eyes before. But for these eyes to appear in the eye socket of an outsider, and for the Uchiha clan to have a default attitude towards it, this completely refreshed his worldview. You must know, during the Warring States period, the Uchiha clan would kill without mercy anyone who coveted their Kekkei Genkai.
"Kakashi's Sharingan was a gift from a hero of our Uchiha clan before his death. The Uchiha clan respects the hero's decision," Uchiha Douhuan said.
Senju Tobirama fell into silence. He found that after being dead for several decades, the world had suddenly become something he couldn't understand.
"However, since Lord Second Hokage has made the request, then let's go dine outside," Uchiha Douhuan said.
Senju Hashirama and Senju Tobirama resumed their disguises, then followed Uchiha Douhuan out of the private room and into the main hall of the cafeteria.
"Lord Hokage!" At this time, the members of the Guard Unit who were already dining, upon seeing Uchiha Douhuan, all stood up to greet him.
"Hey, no need for formalities. Eat first. Don't mind us," Uchiha Douhuan hurriedly waved his hand.
However, although he said so, every time Uchiha Douhuan passed a table, several members of the Guard Unit would spontaneously stand up to greet him. Their eyes were filled with heartfelt respect.
"Douhuan, you seem to be a very beloved Hokage," Senju Hashirama said in a low voice to Uchiha Douhuan after they had walked a little further.
"Lord First Hokage overpraises me," Uchiha Douhuan said.
And on Senju Tobirama's face, the word "shock" was written all over it. As he walked along, he had a clear view of the food on every ninja's plate in the cafeteria. Beef, lobster, salmon—ingredients that would only appear on the tables of nobles in the past—were now openly appearing on the plates of the Guard Unit ninjas.
And, looking at the way the dishes on their plates were piled higher than the staple food, these precious ingredients seemed to be unlimited!
At this time, the group also arrived at the food service window. Senju Tobirama looked at the lobsters piled high in the window, and a freshly carved tuna, and was shocked beyond words.
"Do the ninjas in the village all eat this well now?" Senju Tobirama asked.
Uchiha Douhuan handed the meal prepared by the cafeteria staff to the three Hokage behind him, then took a portion for himself. After leading the group to an empty seat and sitting down, he then said, "The Guard Unit is responsible for the security of the entire village. After patrols, they still need to undergo a lot of training, so their nutritional needs are naturally great. Currently, among all the departments in the village, the Anbu and this place have the highest dietary standards. As for other departments, they are slightly inferior."
Senju Tobirama's expression became extremely complicated. Whether it was the high-rise buildings within Konoha that he had seen on his way here, or the spiritual outlook and logistical support of the Guard Unit members he saw here, they were all undoubtedly highlighting one thing: the village, in the hands of this Fifth Hokage, Uchiha Douhuan, was developing much better than when it was in his and his big brother's hands!
If Uchiha Douhuan's surname wasn't Uchiha, Senju Tobirama would only be gratified by the village's development. But Uchiha Douhuan's surname was the damned Uchiha!
Although an Impure World Reincarnation body could maintain its vitality without eating, it was still possible to taste the flavor of food. Senju Hashirama seemed to be enjoying this meal very much. As the former head of the Senju clan, it wasn't that he hadn't eaten these things before, but this time, Senju Hashirama felt that it had a special flavor. After all, this was food from the same pot, eaten with the comrades of the village.
As for Senju Tobirama, with a heavy heart, he felt that this meal tasted like wax.
After eating, Uchiha Douhuan and Kakashi, as planned, led the group to the Guard Unit's training ground.
When the group arrived at the training ground, it was正好 (zhènghǎo - just at the time) for the Fire Release ninjas in the Guard Unit to receive their training.
At this time, in the spacious training ground, the members of the Guard Unit, dressed in training clothes, were in groups of two or three, following their respective instructors, listening attentively to their instructor's guidance.
And on the clothes of these instructors, most of them were embroidered with the Uchiha clan's crest.
Seeing this scene, Senju Tobirama was dumbfounded. Since when did the Uchiha clan get along with the common people like this?
"Inagaki Seigo! What are you doing? Is that how you use the Phoenix Sage Fire Technique? How many times have I told you! Pay attention to the chakra ratio! The ratio!" At this time, from a corner of the training ground, a furious roar sounded.
The group followed the sound and looked. They saw in a corner of the training ground, an Uchiha clan Jonin was pointing at a youth who looked like he had just graduated and constantly scolding him.
"Sorry! Instructor, I was too hasty!" the youth lowered his head and admitted his mistake.
"Forget it. It seems my expectations for you are too high. After all, for a ninja like you without the Sharingan, it's indeed not possible to demand that you meet the standards of a genius," this Uchiha clan instructor said with his arms crossed and a cold snort.
Upon hearing this, a look of satisfaction appeared on Senju Tobirama's face. That's right, this is the Uchiha I know!
"Sorry, instructor, please give me another chance!" the scolded youth said hurriedly upon seeing this.
"What's the use of giving you another chance!" Uchiha Tetsuyū reprimanded. "Do you think you can master this jutsu just by trying again?"
"Instructor... I..."
"I'll demonstrate it for you one last time!" Uchiha Tetsuyū said with a cold face. "Watch carefully with those untalented eyes of yours! If you still can't learn it, then you can go back to the basic chakra control class and study for half a year!"
"Yes!" Inagaki Seigo nodded forcefully, then began to stare intently at Uchiha Tetsuyū's movements.
...
"Is this how the Guard Unit always trains?" Senju Hashirama, who had watched the whole scene, couldn't help but ask curiously.
"Not really. The instructors in the other elemental jutsu classes have better tempers. It's just that the instructors for the Fire Release ninjutsu are Jonin from the Uchiha clan, so..."
"I can feel that that Uchiha instructor of yours really wants to teach that commoner," Senju Hashirama said. "Back then when Madara was teaching you, his words were even harsher than his."
Uchiha Douhuan: ...
"It seems the Uchiha clan has truly integrated into the village. If Madara could see this scene, I think he would also be very happy," Senju Hashirama said with emotion.
"First Hokage, the Uchiha clan has always been a part of the village, haven't they?" Uchiha Douhuan said at this time.
"Yes, the Uchiha clan has always been a part of the village," Senju Hashirama said with some emotion. After the village was founded, how to integrate the proud Uchiha clan into this village had always been a big headache for him. After his attempt to make Uchiha Madara the First Hokage failed, the already not-so-harmonious relationship between the Uchiha clan and the other ninja clans in the village worsened. And Madara's departure had cut another gash in this already not-so-small rift.
So, this had always been a source of regret for him. And now, seeing this scene, Senju Hashirama was naturally very gratified.
After visiting the training ground, the group also returned to the Hokage's office.
"Fifth, do you have any clues about the enemy who stole the Impure World Reincarnation?" After returning to the Hokage's office, Senju Hashirama asked with a serious face.
"Not yet. However, it should be a very troublesome enemy. The Third should be clear about Orochimaru's strength. Defeating him may not be difficult, but to kill him in a short period of time, even I am not sure if I can do it," Uchiha Douhuan said.
"So, we still have to stay in the village in this state for a while longer, right?" Senju Tobirama said at this time.
"That's right," Uchiha Douhuan said. "I'm very sorry to disturb the rest of you two, but for the sake of the village, please endure it for a while. During this time, you two can make any requests to me."
"Staying for a while longer is no problem. It's all for the village. But, Douhuan, can you find me a set of dice?" Senju Hashirama said while scratching his head with a laugh.
...
(End of chapter)
♧♧♧
-> SUPPORT ME WITH POWER STONE
-> FOR EVERY 200 PS = BOUNS CHAPTER
♧♧♧
-> 20 Advanced chapters Now Available on Patreon!!
-> https://www.patreon.com/c/Segais
(Just remove the hyphen to access patreon normally)
If you like this novel please consider leaving a review that's help the story a lot Thank you