Let Uchiha Deal With Uchiha

After changing into his Anbu Gear, Youhu went from being a handsome Uchiha boy to a handsome Anbu boy.

As they walked toward their work location, Youhu followed behind Kakashi and pressed him for answers.

"Captain Kakashi, you only told me the story about how you and Obito entered the Ninja School together. You still haven't told me how the two of you became friends."

"Don't rush me..."

Kakashi wanted to explain the Anbu Rules to Youhu, but remembering that the other boy had leverage over him, he could only search through his memories and tell Youhu a story.

"More precisely, it was me, Obito, and Rin. The three of us became good friends together. That day..."

Kakashi's story was simple. He, Obito, and Rin had known one another even before entering the Ninja School. Back then, Obito had been brimming with confidence as he challenged Kakashi. After being easily defeated, he had kept getting back up and trying again.

After a while, the two of them became friends.

Rin had quietly watched them roughhouse from the side. Keeping them company had become a habit.

After hearing Kakashi's story, Youhu pretended to look enlightened. "So there was a girl named Rin between you and Brother Obito. Where is she now? Did the two of you date?"

"Captain Kakashi, you haven't gotten married already, have you?"

Kakashi's expression darkened, then he shook his head. "Not long after Obito died, Rin died too. Their gravestones are side by side."

"I see..."

Youhu's voice softened. He gently comforted him. "Don't be sad, Senior Kakashi. Maybe there's a Resurrection Jutsu in the Ninja World. Rin and Obito might not be dead—they could be somewhere, watching over you."

"There's no such jutsu in this world. What's past is past, and the dead don't come back to life."

Kakashi feigned composure and continued, "What else do you want to hear? I graduated from the Ninja School before I'd been there long, so the most I can tell you is a story about a Jutsu Competition..."

He said that there was no jutsu in the world that could bring back the dead, but in his heart, he desperately wished there were.

Captain Kakashi, you're the kind of ninja who says one thing and feels another... Youhu glanced at the System Panel and grumbled inwardly.

[Detected Host's Lie: "Rin and Obito will come back to life." Kakashi approved]

[Kakashi has [some expectations] about this. Reward: Deception Points +50]

[Current Deception Points: 364]

But Kakashi had only needed to have some expectations about the lie for Youhu to earn fifty Deception Points. Was this what it meant to be a popular Plot Character from the original story?

The points he got were far more than he'd ever received from those no-name clan members.

It seemed he'd have to find ways to meet more Plot Characters in the future if he wanted to maximize his gains.

As they continued on their way, Kakashi gathered his thoughts and told Youhu the story of the Jutsu Competition.

The story was simple. The owner of a Ninja Tool Shop in the village had held a Jutsu Competition for boys to promote his wares. Obito had almost won by using the Great Fireball Technique.

But the aftershock from Kakashi's Earth Style had interfered, causing Obito to lose. Obito had held a grudge against him for a long time, so Kakashi had to give him the prize he'd won.

As Kakashi told the story, the corners of his mouth lifted in a smile, but it quickly faded.

If only Obito and Rin really weren't dead. Then he wouldn't have become the walking corpse he was now. If it weren't for his wish to see the world in Obito's place, he'd rather have died beneath Yamato's blade.

A few minutes later, Kakashi and Youhu arrived at an inconspicuous little building.

Standing at the entrance, the two of them caught the attention of the Anbu ninja on guard.

When the guard saw that Kakashi was leading the way, he gave a creepy smile, then looked at Youhu behind him.

"This is our new teammate, right?"

Kakashi nodded and introduced them to the others present. "This is Uchiha Youhu. The Hokage personally assigned him to our squad. He's a Chunin, but his strength is already close to that of a Jonin."

"Youhu, this is Yamato. He may look a little expressionless, but he's actually a good person. His strength is no less than mine."

"Hello, Senior Yamato."

Youhu knew Yamato, of course. He held out his hand as he spoke.

Yamato would later be known as the only Wood Style ninja in Konoha. His strength was worlds apart from the First Hokage's, but among the Jonin, he was unquestionably a Top Performer.

More importantly, Yamato had Hashirama Cells in his body.

If Youhu could get a little of his blood, he could begin to flesh out the story he'd made up about Izuna's Inheritance.

It made perfect sense for Uchiha Izuna, an Uchiha Prodigy as renowned as Tobirama, to have studied Hashirama Cells.

Yamato scratched his head. After shaking Youhu's hand, he said,

"Youhu, I'm glad you've joined our team. I heard you used to work for the Security Force. Could you ask your former superiors and colleagues to stop investigating the bookstore?"

"Our work can't do without Icha Icha Paradise..."

"..."

Youhu fell silent. Just how thick-skinned was Yamato to say something like that with a straight face?

What did he mean, they couldn't work without Icha Icha Paradise? You're just sexually frustrated.

Youhu looked to Kakashi for help, but the latter only gave him a look that said he was used to this. Youhu could only play along.

"If I get the chance, I'll definitely pass that on to the Clan Head. But the Clan Head doesn't like me much, so he might just shut down the bookstore Senior Yamato visits all the time."

"Then forget it. I can still buy it on the sly."

Yamato looked regretful.

"Don't lead Youhu astray..."

Kakashi stepped in to stop Yamato from embarrassing himself, then began explaining the work.

"Youhu, since this is your first time here, you might not know what Anbu work involves."

"Anbu work is actually pretty similar to the Guard Division's. Most of the time, we patrol and watch the monitors."

"A squad has twelve people. Every patrol is done in pairs, moving around inside the village. Each patrol lasts about twelve hours..."

"As for watching the monitors, two people can take turns on duty."

"Today's the turn of your fellow clan member, Uchiha Itachi. If there's anything you don't understand, you can ask him. You're both Uchiha, so you should get along."

After explaining the important points of the job, Kakashi was dragged off by Yamato to buy Icha Icha Paradise. He left behind an Anbu Work Manual, then departed.

Youhu picked up the Anbu Work Manual, opened the Duty Room door, and went inside.

Once he stepped in, rows of colorful screens greeted him. They were connected to surveillance cameras throughout the village, helping the Hokage keep an eye on all of Konoha.

Many of the images on the screens seemed familiar to Youhu. They clearly showed scenes from the Uchiha District, which meant this was also where they monitored the Uchiha District.

What surprised Youhu most was that Uchiha Itachi was sitting in front of those screens. Youhu would be sitting here to keep watch, too.

In other words, the ninjas responsible for monitoring the Uchiha District included not only ordinary Anbu, but also two Uchiha.

That was the Third Hokage's strategy: Let Uchiha Deal With Uchiha,