Mission Complete

Kakashi had discovered something similar on the other side as well, and immediately shouted, "Everyone, stop!"

But his warning had clearly come too late. Most of the team had found similar things. After they gathered, Kakashi fell silent as he looked at the flickering uncertainty in everyone's eyes.

"Let's all pretend we never saw any of this," Uchiha Toko finally said after a long while.

"Clan Head! There's..." Uchiha Inaho said anxiously. What he had found was a detailed record of Orochimaru and Danzo working together during the Third Shinobi World War to hunt down Uchiha Clan members and obtain their Sharingan.

"Shut up!" Uchiha Toko roared. "Getting involved in this will do you no good!"

After reprimanding Uchiha Inaho, Uchiha Toko looked up at the others and said gravely, "Kakashi and I found all of this. The two of us will report it to the Third Hokage alone. You didn't see anything, understand?"

"Understood, understood." Nagai Seiichi and Kuroki Ryuta nodded frantically. Everyone present besides the two of them had a shinobi clan backing them, large or small. They had no support at all; if they truly got dragged into something like this, they might die without explanation the very next day.

"We didn't see anything," Hyuga Keito said as well. As a branch family member, if he became involved in such a major affair, the Main Family—afraid of being dragged into trouble—would probably dispose of them at the first opportunity.

Inuzuka Fu was even more direct. He stuffed everything he had collected into Uchiha Toko's hands. Even the Inuzuka Clan would lose a layer of skin if they got involved in something like this.

Kakashi let out a long sigh. For now, handling the matter as Uchiha Toko suggested was the safest approach.

"Kakashi, write the mission report like this: after discovering Orochimaru's trail, we engaged him in an encounter battle. Under Orochimaru's large-scale destructive ninjutsu, everyone besides the two of us suffered injuries to varying degrees... Oh, right. Where are the other two?"

"Mitokado Hayate died from the beginning. As for Utatane Kui, she probably died in the aftermath of the ninjutsu you and Orochimaru used," Inuzuka Fu said.

"That really is quite regrettable." After offering his thoughts on the two deaths, Uchiha Toko continued, "The two of us, still capable of fighting, pursued Orochimaru all the way here. But he escaped using a getaway ninjutsu, and we found these things here."

"Wouldn't that be inappropriate? Didn't we fail to help at all? Wouldn't that mean we're taking Clan Head Douhuan's credit for nothing?" Uzuki Yugao asked.

"That doesn't matter," Uchiha Toko said. "I don't need that little bit of merit, but you can't bear such a huge burden."

"Fine. I'll write the mission report that way. Make sure none of you let anything slip," Kakashi said, nodding as he ignored Uzuki Yugao's question.

The looks in Kuroki Ryuta and Nagai Seiichi's eyes as they gazed at Uchiha Toko had completely changed. Just what kind of leader had they encountered on this mission? He was willing to share his merits with them, yet he had not hesitated to shoulder the biggest blame himself. From this moment onward, if anyone spoke ill of the Uchiha Clan, the two of them would fight them to the death!

At the same time, Inuzuka Fu studied Uchiha Toko, a peculiar light gleaming in his eyes.

"Enough, don't look so serious. Go outside and bury those human experiment subjects. Leave this place to Captain Kakashi and me," Uchiha Toko said, his expression relaxing. "Finish up quickly. We're getting ready to return to the village. To celebrate the successful completion of this mission, dinner's on me tonight."

Only then did the group feel as though a burden had been lifted from their shoulders, and they headed together toward the outskirts of the laboratory.

Kakashi and Uchiha Toko, who remained behind, began gathering the evidence within the laboratory.

"What are you planning to do?" Kakashi asked, looking up after they had gathered nearly everything.

"Of course, report it to the Third Hokage, then use the Will of Fire as our guiding principle and, under the Third Hokage's wise leadership, thoroughly eradicate the village's evil," Uchiha Toko said without looking up.

Kakashi:...

"Even now, I still can't hear a single truthful word from you?" Kakashi said coldly.

"You want to hear the truth?" A faint smile appeared on Uchiha Toko's face. "Then you've made your choice?"

"I only want to know the truth about what happened to my father," Kakashi said.

Uchiha Toko nodded. "That's enough."

"The truth is that we'll use these things to slowly destroy the Shimura, Utatane, and Mitokado families, then replace them."

Uchiha Toko's words made Kakashi's pupils contract. Kakashi understood that Uchiha Toko had not told him the whole truth yet. After all, besides those three families, there was another family in the village that had rapidly grown alongside them during the Third Hokage's reign. Uchiha Toko intended to destroy those three families and replace them—but what about the Sarutobi Family in the end?

Noticing Kakashi's expression, Uchiha Toko grinned and stepped forward to pat him on the shoulder. "Kakashi, if you want to master Kyudo, you still have a lot to learn."

With that, Uchiha Toko ignored Kakashi's reaction. After gathering the Evidence of Crimes from Orochimaru's base, he walked outside.

Once everything had been dealt with, two Great Fire Dragon Techniques from Uchiha Inaho and Uchiha Saito reduced Orochimaru's base to ashes in the blazing flames.

After the fire died out, the group finally began their journey home.

Everyone remained silent along the way. It was not until they returned to the town late at night that Uchiha Toko brought them to the place where they had eaten and drunk before, ordered a lavish table of dishes, and, after several rounds of drinks, everyone finally began to relax.

Borrowing a bit of drunken courage, Kuroki Ryuta raised his cup. "Everyone, I say we ought to toast Clan Head Douhuan. This mission went so smoothly only because of Clan Head Douhuan."

"Exactly, exactly!" Nagai Seiichi raised his cup as well. "The village has always spread bad rumors about the Uchiha Clan, but on this mission, we finally saw the Uchiha Clan's generosity! Clan Head Douhuan especially—he's the best!"

Nagai Seiichi gave a thumbs-up.

"No more need be said! A toast to Clan Head Douhuan!" Hyuga Ken'ya also raised his cup toward Uchiha Toko.

"Hey, didn't I say it already? This mission was successfully completed through everyone's combined efforts!" Uchiha Toko waved his hand, then raised his cup and drained it with the others.

"Douhuan is right. This mission was the result of everyone's efforts," Kakashi said after finishing his drink. "After we return, I'll speak to the Hokage on everyone's behalf and make sure your merits are recognized."

Seeing this, Uchiha Toko revealed a gratified smile. Kakashi might still seem a little clumsy now, but he was finally beginning to get the hang of things.