Uchiha Douhuan brewed tea in a slow, unhurried manner.
Ever since his first kill on the battlefield at the age of nine, Uchiha Douhuan had hovered between life and death for six long years. Coupled with the numerous tragic partings from teammates and comrades, he had awakened the ultimate power of his clan—the Mangekyou Sharingan. Yet, Uchiha Douhuan could clearly feel that his mental state was also growing somewhat deranged amidst wave after wave of this torment.
Well, naturally so; after all, having awakened the Mangekyou, not going mad a little would do a disservice to these eyes of his.
To maintain the stability of his mental state, Uchiha Douhuan had taken time after the war ended to learn a bit of the way of tea.
For no other reason than to keep his sanity intact.
Inside Uchiha Douhuan's modest dwelling, complete silence reigned, broken only by the occasional clinking of tea utensils.
Kakashi clearly lacked this kind of composure. Seeing that Uchiha Douhuan offered no response for a long time, he cut straight to the point and asked, "What is the meaning of that record you showed me today?"
Boiling water poured over the tea leaves, and a hazy fragrance drifted in all directions. Uchiha Douhuan raised his eyes to glance at Kakashi, slid a cup of hot tea across the table before him, and only then spoke.
"Did you go see Granny Miori?"
Kakashi's exposed eye gazed deeply at Uchiha Douhuan for a moment before he nodded. "Yes."
"Remember to visit more often from now on. It isn't easy for the old woman. Although the clan's pension is quite generous, it's still rather lonely for her living all by herself."
"Can you tell me what is actually written on that record first?"
"As for those members of the clan who have reservations about you, I will go talk to them. As the clan head, I still have that much influence."
"Uchiha Douhuan!" Kakashi was grown somewhat agitated by Uchiha Douhuan's evasive replies.
"Look at you, getting impatient again." Uchiha Douhuan suddenly chuckled, then looked toward the cup of tea in front of Kakashi.
With that, Uchiha Douhuan turned to pick up the kettle and placed it back on the stove. Taking advantage of the moment, Kakashi swiftly pulled down his mask, drained the tea in one gulp, and pulled the mask right back up.
"You really..." Turning back around and seeing Kakashi's facial features twitching from the scalding tea, Uchiha Douhuan was left somewhat speechless, and could only shake his head.
"The contents of that report are just as you saw. As for the specifics, we haven't started investigating yet," Uchiha Douhuan said formally after picking up his own cup of tea and draining it in one go.
"When that incident happened back then, although I hadn't been born yet, I've still heard rumors about it within the clan over the years," Uchiha Douhuan said. "If the elders of the clan speak the truth, then Senior White Fang truly deserves to be called a great ninja. He should not have met such an end."
"Is that so?" Kakashi found it somewhat hard to believe. After all, over the years, although his father's name had almost faded into the history of Konoha, there were still some of the older generation who might mention him, and their evaluations of the White Fang back then were hardly flattering.
"I don't know what others think, but the Uchiha clan is truly filled with respect for Senior White Fang," Uchiha Douhuan said. "You know, no one cares more about their comrades than the Uchiha."
"Thank you." Kakashi had calmed down by this point. Hearing someone offer such high praise for his father, he could not help but feel a surge of gratitude. At the same time, Uchiha Douhuan's words made him think of his former dead-last teammate.
"However, judging by what I obtained today, the death of Senior White Fang back then doesn't seem so simple." Uchiha Douhuan set down his teacup and sighed before continuing, "At the very least, Danzo was up to some shady business in all of this."
"Whether we should continue investigating this matter is still a subject of considerable debate within the clan. After all, as you know, the events of back then involved far too much. According to the clan elders, there was once a very strong push for Senior White Fang to become the Fourth Hokage."
Kakashi's brows were tightly furrowed, as if he didn't quite understand what Uchiha Douhuan was getting at.
At this, Uchiha Douhuan felt quite helpless. For ninjas whose education from childhood taught them only how to kill efficiently, once politics became involved, it really was a bit too advanced.
Yet Uchiha Douhuan had no choice; the political capital Kakashi currently carried was precisely what the Uchiha clan lacked the most.
Why had Sarutobi Hiruzen kept Kakashi in the Anbu for the past six years? Kakashi himself probably didn't realize just how valuable his identity as the only surviving disciple of the Fourth Hokage truly was. Although Namikaze Minato had passed away prematurely before he could truly cultivate his own faction, all these years later, there were still plenty of people in the village who cherished the memory of the Yellow Flash. At the same time, although his direct elite guard had gradually been marginalized after his death, it remained a force in Konoha that could not be underestimated.
Precisely because of this, Uchiha Douhuan had painstakingly set up this scheme to get close to Kakashi.
Thinking of this, Uchiha Douhuan could only shake his head. "Never mind. I will keep investigating this matter."
"Thank you." Although he didn't quite understand why, Kakashi could tell that Uchiha Douhuan must have made this decision only after a great deal of resolve.
"You don't need to thank me. I'm doing this simply because I feel that a hero shouldn't meet such an end," Uchiha Douhuan said. "If you really want to express your thanks, come keep Granny Miori company more often."
"I understand," Kakashi said solemnly.
With that, Kakashi walked toward the window, preparing to leave before dawn broke.
"Oh, and one more thing." Uchiha Douhuan suddenly spoke up, stopping Kakashi in his tracks.
Kakashi turned back, a look of doubt in his single visible eye.
"Come by the Military Police Force in a couple of days to take that wood-style user away. The Police Force has about finished interrogating him. After all, as the only wood-style ninja in the village besides the First Hokage, keeping that guy in the Police Force is nothing but trouble," Uchiha Douhuan said.
Kakashi nodded, leaped out the window, and with a few agile bounds, melted into the dark of night.
After Kakashi left, Uchiha Douhuan walked over to the window as well, his gaze flickering.
Once the White Fang's name was cleared, under the dual buffs of being a hero's son and the Hokage's disciple, Kakashi would inevitably become the focal point of the entire village. And by that time, no matter what anyone else thought, the Uchiha clan—the very people who helped clear his father's name—would be his firmest allies. And that moment would also mark the time when the Uchiha clan officially stepped onto the grand stage.