Uchiha Kō returned home. He was alone tonight. Tsunade had taken a medical team and more than twenty Anbu to Kumogakure in the Land of Lightning to obtain medical equipment, so they hadn't returned.
Uchiha Kō opened the bottled water he had stored at home, unscrewed the cap, and gulped it down. "Ha~ I'm alive again. I never thought taking care of a child would be so tiring."
Just then, there was a knock at the door. Uchiha Kō was taken aback. Who would come looking for him at this hour? He put down his empty water bottle, stood up, and walked towards the door. He opened the door.
A familiar figure appeared before him. He looked up and, coincidentally, it was Utatane Koharu and Mitokado Homura!
"What brings you two here tonight?" Uchiha Kō smiled and ushered them inside. Uchiha Kō then boiled a kettle of water, took a teapot from the table, scooped out about three ounces of tea, and put it into the teapot.
"Sit down, sit down, don't be shy, make yourself at home," Uchiha Kō said with a smile, then sat down in the main seat with an air of nonchalance. Uchiha Kō's home was built in a Western architectural style, not a traditional Japanese layout.
Sitting in a chair is much more comfortable than kneeling on the ground! My knees are throbbing with pain! The two of them breathed a sigh of relief after seeing Uchiha Kō sit down, and then slowly sat down themselves.
The two hesitated, their eyes filled with awe and fear as they looked at Uchiha Kō. They knew Uchiha Kō's strength and what kind of person he was: he dealt with external enemies with heavy blows and eliminated corrupt elements within his own ranks with swift and decisive action.
The two had come to express their stance to Uchiha Osamu. With a click, the water boiled, Uchiha Kō smiled, "Please wait a moment, I'll go make you some tea."
"Lord Hokage, please wait. Leave the tea-making to me. I am quite proficient in tea ceremony!" Mitokado Homura quickly got up and walked towards the kettle, his face serious and his steps steady.
Uchiha Kō remained silent. He had already guessed the two's purpose, so naturally he wouldn't stop Mitokado Homura's actions. "Trouble, Homura." He no longer called him by his assistant name, but addressed him by his real name.
Mitokado Homura breathed a sigh of relief. Thank goodness, hearing Uchiha Kō's words, there was still a chance for things to turn around, which brought a smile to his face.
Utatane Koharu also received the signal. After Mitokado Homura finished brewing the tea, she waited for two or three minutes, then got up, took the teapot, poured a cup for Uchiha Kō first, then poured a cup for Mitokado Homura, and finally poured one for herself.
Uchiha Kō nodded, then picked up his teacup and took a sip, after which the other two followed suit.
"Can you two speak now?" Uchiha Kō's expression changed, and he looked at the two of them seriously. His deep gaze seemed to be cold and unapproachable, and this change made the two of them nervous again!
Mitokado Homura, being a man after all, grew a bit bolder and stood up, saying, "Lord Hokage, we were quite offensive at the previous meeting, and we have come today to apologize." As he spoke, he took out two scrolls, on which were engraved the surnames of Utatane and Mitokado.
Uchiha Kō feigned confusion, asking, "What do you mean by this? And what's in here? Are you trying to bribe me?"
Utatane Koharu shook her head. "This is all the money that the people under Konoha Hospital and the Finance Department have embezzled without our consent over the past two years. We're handing it over to the Lord Hokage today."
Mitokado Homura nodded. "That's right, Lord Hokage. Those two officials are members of our clan. They have been dismissed and are under investigation. We await your orders Lord Hokage."
Uchiha Kō sneered inwardly. What did he mean by not having your consent, or that his clan members were being investigated? It was nothing more than a pawn-sacrificing-to-preserve-king tactic. But now that the two had voluntarily handed over the stolen goods, and he had no other evidence, there was no point in investigating further.
"No need. I trust the loyalty and abilities of both of you, and I admire your unwavering dedication to Konoha." Uchiha Kō's serious expression returned to a smile.
Besides having sufficient ability to meet the requirements of their position, those in power also need to be good at talking and boasting. Since the other party has shown sincerity, there is no need to hold onto this point. So, Uchiha Kō filled the teacups of Mitokado Homura and Utatane Koharu with tea.
"After this cup of tea, let bygones be bygones," Uchiha Kō said formally.
The two were somewhat excited and, disregarding the scalding hot tea, quickly said, "Oh! Oh, thank you for your kindness Lord Hokage."
"I, from the Utatane Clan, am willing to follow your lead!"
"From this day forward, the Mitokado family will serve you as our master!"
The two drank their tea in one gulp. Seeing this, Uchiha Kō slowly drank his own. "What kind of talk is this? It's not about putting me first, it's about putting the villagers first. Our power was given to us by the villagers! Of course, we should act in their best interests! There's no need to say such things again."
The two nodded hurriedly and then started chatting about everyday things, but the main points they made were things like, "How can we compare to the Lord Hokage? The Lord Hokage is wise and mighty."
Uchiha Kō couldn't help but smile from the compliments. However, he knew perfectly well whether what was said was true or false.
Why didn't Uchiha Kō remove Mitokado Homura and Utatane Koharu, knowing they were greedy and selfish, using their own clan's resources for personal gain?
First of all, both of them are indeed capable. In the original work, they were able to keep Konoha Hospital running smoothly, support all of Sarutobi Hiruzen's experiments, projects, and missions, and maintain the normal operation of Konoha while simultaneously pursuing their own interests. Do you think an ordinary person could do that?
Secondly, Uchiha Kō was waiting, waiting to see if the two men were politically astute enough. Obviously, neither of them were fools. They not only handed over the money they had previously spent, but also made it clear that they would follow him, be his henchmen, support him, and be his dogs.
Politics is different from fighting; it's not about fighting and killing, but about human relationships and social interactions. The third point is that when Uchiha Kō took office, he ousted all the old guards and installed his own people in his place. On the one hand, this was heartless, and on the other hand, the people on his side might not be able to perform as well as the old guards.
In the original story, the Fifth Hokage, Tsunade, only removed Mitokado Homura and Utatane Koharu from their posts after handling Konoha's political affairs for a period of time. This was because her staff had become familiar with some of the tasks, and removing them from office would not affect Konoha's development or daily operations.
By that time, Utatane Koharu and Mitokado Homura had Annihilation their political sensitivity after a long period of tyranny, so they never thought they would be ousted from power. As a result, the two continued to amass wealth as before.
However, Tsunade was no ordinary person. She had already secretly collected evidence so that when she dismissed the two of them, they would die knowing why and wouldn't dare to cause trouble. Otherwise, let alone retirement, the Konoha wouldn't object to arresting and imprisoning them until death.
They might even grit their teeth at them, and when they mention Mitokado and Utatane, they wish they could eat their flesh and sleep on their skin.