Lord Danzo Wasn't to Blame

"All right!"

Uchiha Yan nodded slightly. "To learn haoran qi, you need to read first. Some of these ancient characters are different from ours. I'll teach you gradually later. For now, repeat after me!

Heaven was dark, earth yellow; the universe vast and primordial..."

"Heaven was dark, earth yellow; the universe vast and primordial..."

While teaching the Thousand Character Classic, Yan thought of a possibility: could he use Confucianism to reform the Uchiha Clan?

In the future, every member of the Uchiha Clan would be courteous and refined, opening their mouths to say, "What are you scheming, you traitorous rebels? Do you truly think Konoha has no one to stand against you?"

"Obito Uchiha, you disloyal, unfilial, heartless, unrighteous wretch! How dare you bear the Uchiha name? I shall expel you from the Uchiha family tree."

"Lord Hokage, the village belongs to everyone. How can you disregard its safety for your own selfish desires? If you do not rescind your order today, I, Uchiha Fugaku, shall spill my blood in the Hokage Building..."

As he imagined these things, Uchiha Yan's eyes grew brighter and brighter. Besides Confucianism, he could also use Buddhism and Taoism to reform Konoha.

Gahahahaha... This humble Taoist, Neji Hyuga...

While Uchiha Yan's thoughts ran wild, Fugaku walked into the house, utterly exhausted.

"Father, you're back!"

"Mm! Itachi, has Sasuke been good?"

"Sasuke just fell asleep. Father, did the Fourth Hokage really die sealing the Hokage?"

"Yes!"

Fugaku sighed. "The Land of Lightning will probably make a move. After the funeral, I'll have to head to the battlefield.

Itachi, I'll leave things at home to you during this time!"

"Don't worry, Father. I'll take good care of Mother and Sasuke!"

"Thank you for taking this on!"

Fugaku patted Itachi's shoulder, then turned to Uchiha Yan.

"Yan, your teammates have been assigned. Your captain is Kakashi Hatake, and your teammate is Hyuga Taichi."

"The Fourth Hokage's student?"

"Yes!"

Uchiha Yan wore an odd expression. "He hasn't gone mad? Is he really all right?"

"What do you mean? Why would you say that?"

"His father killed himself! His teammates all died! His teacher and his teacher's wife both died too. Even a normal person would go mad after all that."

"True! When I saw him, he was completely dazed. He couldn't even cry.

But it's all right! I used genjutsu to let him see his loved ones. He's hiding at home crying now. He should feel much better afterward.

The Third Hokage assigned him a team because he wanted to give him something to do. Your task is simple: ideally, keep Kakashi too busy to dwell on all that."

"Understood!"

Uchiha Yan raised a hand and made an OK sign.

"Resolving inner turmoil is what I do best. With me around, Kakashi will definitely become a bright, cheerful young man!"

Itachi chimed in from the side. "Don't worry, Father! Senior Yan knows haoran qi. Haoran qi can cleanse all darkness and evil."

Fugaku was speechless. The Uchiha were the most evil of all. What, was he going to cleanse the entire Uchiha Clan?

How did this child become so foolish? Wasn't he quite clever before?

"Yan, what is haoran qi?"

"Yin Release represents spiritual energy. You can think of haoran qi as the yang aspect within spiritual energy.

For instance, if your body recovers better than an ordinary person's, that means you have abundant yang energy. If you recover worse than an ordinary person, that means you lack yang energy. A lack of yang energy means an excess of yin energy."

"Yan, who taught you this? Yin Release represents the spirit, and Yang Release represents the body. That's common knowledge."

"Ah... Clan Leader, haven't you ever wondered how your chakra recovers after you use genjutsu? That ability to recover is yang."

Uchiha Yan was making it all up. He was using the concepts of yin, yang, and the five phases to bluff Uchiha Fugaku. What did he know about chakra, Yin Release, or Yang Release?

A novice player was bluffing an expert, and judging by Fugaku's expression, he actually seemed to be buying it.

"That makes sense. If that's true, could cultivating haoran qi help spiritual energy recover quickly?"

"Of course! If you don't believe me, find a few people to test it. A one-tomoe Sharingan will definitely recover faster than a two-tomoe one."

Fugaku nodded slightly. "I'll find an opportunity to try it. Go to the Hokage Building and see the Third Hokage first.

Once you're back, go to the Konoha Military Police Force and collect some kunai and explosive tags yourself. You'll be going on a mission after the funeral."

"All right! Clan Leader, are my family's training notes and ninjutsu scrolls still around?"

"They couldn't be found! When you get back, I'll have Itachi prepare some Fire Release Ninjutsu and training notes for you."

"Thank you, Clan Leader. I'll head to the Hokage Building now."

Watching Uchiha Yan leave, Fugaku murmured to himself.

"Haoran qi? Can it really speed up the recovery of spiritual energy?"

"Father, it must be true! Last night, Senior Yan led Sasuke and me out from beneath the rubble.

It was pitch-black down there, without a single ray of light, but Senior Yan wasn't affected at all. He led us out through all those twists and turns.

He just taught me a passage too. I can recite it, but I don't know what it means."

"What passage?"

"Heaven was dark, earth yellow..."

As Uchiha Itachi recited it word by word, the puzzlement on Fugaku's face deepened. What obscure corner of the world was this dialect from? It sounded rather nice!

"Itachi, you should still focus your energy on training in Fire Release. We don't know whether haoran qi suits you yet. Don't spend too much time on it."

"Yes!"

Though he agreed aloud, Uchiha Itachi thought otherwise. He was determined to master haoran qi.

Meanwhile, Uchiha Yan wasn't worried in the slightest about his lies being exposed. Haoran qi really did exist, even before he transmigrated.

Put plainly, it meant engraving morality and righteousness into one's subconscious. Over time, a person would develop fearless courage and the resolve to advance even against countless opponents. It was a transformation from the inside out.

As for whether it could restore spiritual energy, who cared? When the time came, he could simply find some excuse and keep bluffing.

What worried him now was Kakashi. That ill-fated loner was already severely depressed. He might even kill himself.

Kakashi was the person Danzo most wanted to recruit at this point. Hadn't the assassination attempt on the Third Hokage happened shortly after Minato Namikaze's death?

If told to kill the Third Hokage, Kakashi might give it some thought. If told to kill himself, Kakashi certainly wouldn't hesitate.

The thought gave Uchiha Yan a bit of a headache. How had he ended up heading to the Hokage Building when things had been going perfectly well?

No! A thief can plot for a thousand days, but no one can guard against a thief for a thousand days. Once I've dealt with Kakashi, I'll have to set a trap to pin Danzo down in Root so he can't make a move.

With his mind occupied, time flew by, and before he knew it, Uchiha Yan had arrived at the Hokage Building.

"Third Hokage, you wanted to see me!"

"Yan, did you rest well last night?"

"Thank you for your concern, Third Hokage. I slept very well last night."

At that, sadness appeared on Uchiha Yan's face.

"It's just that I heard the news about the Fourth Hokage as soon as I woke up. I can't help feeling I've let him down. If I'd given you the information sooner, perhaps nothing would have happened to him."

"This had nothing to do with you. If anyone is to blame, it's Danzo for being overly cautious!"

"Lord Danzo wasn't to blame. He was doing it for Konoha too. He just went about it the wrong way."

"It's good of you to think that way."

The Third Hokage sighed. "You have an innocent nature. I'm assigning you to Kakashi in the hope that you can influence him and help him move on as soon as possible.

Among Konoha's younger generation, Kakashi has the greatest talent and the strongest abilities. I hope he can become a pillar of Konoha in the future. I truly can't bear to see him remain trapped in grief."

"Huh?"

Yan gaped, his face full of surprise. "Third Hokage, I'm afraid I won't be able to complete such a difficult task!

I've heard about what happened to Kakashi. An ordinary person couldn't bear that kind of blow."

"I know it's difficult, but I believe you can do it. You should believe in yourself too.

Seeing you reminds me of Obito Uchiha. He was a kind child, just like you."

"I understand! Rest assured, Third Hokage. I'll get Senior Kakashi back on track as soon as possible."

"Go on! Kakashi and Hyuga Taichi are waiting for you at Hokage Rock."