Chapter 111

Kaito's questioning left Kakashi speechless, because no matter how he looked at it or thought about it, there was only one answer.

He truly couldn't face them, he really had no way to face them!

The matter of his father was obviously not simple, especially since it wasn't an isolated case.

The experiences of the Uchiha and Naruto were remarkably similar to his father's circumstances, he just couldn't ignore all this.

And Naruto's experiences caused immense pain in his heart. How often had he pondered why Naruto was treated so poorly, when his own teacher had already given everything for Konoha!

But he dared not respond to Kaito's words, dared not follow Kaito's line of thought, because he knew Kaito was trying to sow discord between him and the Third Hokage.

But what if he knew? The reality was that the entire Konoha was ostracizing Naruto.

Those who knew the truth were also forbidden to tell Naruto, and they were not allowed to casually interact with him. The only person who could get in touch with Naruto was the Third Hokage himself.

"Perhaps there are other reasons..."

Kakashi mumbled silently in his mind, but sadly, suspicion is a terrifying parasite.

Once it enters your mind, without decisive evidence, it will only grow indefinitely, and Kakashi himself had doubts, and now he's even more unable to let go.

Kaito naturally noticed his internal struggle, and this also achieved his purpose, so he didn't further press him.

The stimuli for Kakashi today were enough. Any more would seem too deliberate, some things were better left for Kakashi to think about himself.

But Kaito was always a cautious person, he added another sentence before releasing Kakashi from the illusionary space.

"I must tell you, many things are related to Danzo, but he's now dead, and many things will be covered up.

But covering up doesn't mean there are no traces left. For example, I discovered traces of Danzo's human experimentation, but all these were covered up by the Hokage.

I don't plan to intervene any further, as it doesn't benefit me, and besides, the Hokage has given me enough benefits to keep me silent.

But why don't you think about why he would do this? And as an Anbu, don't you want to investigate thoroughly?

For your father, for your teacher."

These words were a knife to the heart, and Kaito cleanly extricated himself from the matter, leaving all the baggage to Kakashi.

After saying these words, Kaito left without a pause.

As for whether Kakashi would tell Hiruzen Sarutobi about today's matters, Kaito didn't know, but he didn't care either.

His relationship with Hiruzen Sarutobi was already as it was, they both knew there would be conflicts in the future, but revealing this wouldn't necessarily trigger immediate conflict.

Moreover, considering Kakashi's own emotional standpoint and the future matter of stopping Obito, there was a high likelihood he wouldn't say anything.

Could a barrier set up by three genin really stop Kakashi? For him, with the Sharingan, seeing through the construction of the barrier and subsequently breaking it wasn't a challenging task at all.

It seemed that Sasuke had done something similar when dealing with that guy called Itachi, and Obito had even violently broken through barriers.

"So, whether he speaks up or not won't greatly affect me. If he doesn't, it would be a big gain for me."

Kaito naturally was quite pleased with this outcome, and he was entirely certain about one thing: his Mangekyou had been strengthened!

In the final stage, Kaito used genjutsu, and to ensure that his illusion achieved the best effect, that Kakashi wouldn't easily break free, he deliberately employed Reverse Path's power to assist. The result was that Kakashi was honestly trapped within.

Though Kaito didn't know how many times he'd used this combination of jutsus, he could sense that this time's consumption was absolutely the lowest.

Such growth, that was truly something for him to celebrate!

But while Kaito was pleased, his attention was not entirely on this. A week after the matter with Kakashi, the first draft of the clan's reform plan was ready.

Kaito sat in the shrine with the four high-ranking members, incessantly flipping through the draft in his hand, his mind naturally beginning to ponder and plan.

The initial draft of the clan's reform plan was quite similar to what he'd discussed with Uchiha Sō and Uchiha Takechi.

Moreover, these two added quite a bit of content based on their own knowledge and experience. Overall, the draft's theoretical significance was quite good.

But as a time traveler who knew that 'truth comes from practice,' Kaito thought it better to implement it and see.

The contents were essentially foundational philosophical concepts from his past life. They weren't difficult but could serve an enlightening purpose, which was enough for Kaito.

However, he felt the clan's reward mechanism was lacking. Perhaps he hadn't spoken enough about it, or maybe the clan's financial pressure was really high.

"Good, the education aspect is basically okay. When the time comes for explanations and courses, I'll be counting on you both.

Of course, I'll also drop by from time to time."

After pondering, Kaito felt that he needed to voice this. But he still wanted to clarify with Uchiha Sō and Uchiha Takechi.

"No problem, clan leader."

The two elders, Uchiha Sō and Uchiha Takechi, both nodded. The start of the reform naturally required a lot of hands-on work from them, which was not a surprise.

After confirming this matter, Kaito finally voiced his thoughts that had been on his mind.

"However, there are some things I need to bring up. I feel that the clan's reward system is lacking in some areas. The clan's development needs to be improved in various aspects.

And the only thing that can bring improvement is people. Therefore, I believe we should encourage our clan members to have more children. Only with a sufficient population can we select enough talent.

Furthermore, if the selected talents make significant contributions to the clan, do you think rewards of just ninjutsu and money would be enough?

And among you all, weren't you once considered prodigious ninjas?"

Kaito's words left the four present somewhat dumbfounded, but they had to admit that they were indeed once the genius ninjas of their time.

And what do genius ninjas need? Aside from things that can improve their power, what else do they require?

Upon reflection, they felt that perhaps the only thing left was honor?

Seeing their reactions, Kaito couldn't help but continue speaking with a smile.

"Moreover, as I said, the development of the clan is all-encompassing, and there are many areas in which one can contribute.

For instance, being able to make more money for the clan is also a way to enhance our strength.

There are also those who can provide more assistance in clan governance, or those who can bear or raise more offspring for the clan. Isn't this one aspect?

Our vision should not be confined. We must bring out the value in each person, that's the key.

Among these people, there will likely be those who rank low in the ninja hierarchy, and even those who cannot enter this hierarchy at all.

Have you ever seriously considered what we should offer them?"

Kaito had always known that in this somewhat distorted world of the ninja, many talented people struggle simply because they are not ninjas.

However, talent will always shine, even if they're not part of the ninja rank, they can play an unimaginable role.

Whether in the economic, managerial, or even scientific field, they might perform even better!

Ninjas need to continually train to maintain their strength. Once they neglect their training, it's almost inevitable that they'll start going downhill.

They truly struggle to focus their energy on a specific field -- Orochimaru and the Second Hokage are exceptions.

But these people are different. Because they don't have much ninja talent, they can focus on areas where they perform better and are more suited.

The accomplishments brought about in this way will certainly not be inferior, and achievements in all aspects are what Kaito needs.

"This indeed is a problem," Uchiha Sō thoughtfully responded after a long pause, earnestly nodding his head. "So, clan leader, how do you think we should proceed?"

"I believe, for those suited to the life of a ninja, we can provide more assistance," Kaito stroked his chin, speaking at a leisurely pace.

"For example, we could have myself, Shisui, or Fugaku personally instruct them. After all, the three of us are Mangekyou users. I think this could be beneficial for them.

Or we could have the clan's three tomoe Sharingan-bearing jonin lead and instruct them, based on their contribution level and innate talent.

For those who don't have ninja talents, to encourage their contributions in other areas, we could let them serve in the guard department.

After all, the reform of the guard department is ongoing and many areas need talent. But, the significance of serving in the guard department might still be insufficient.

We can establish a new role, a role that can give them honor, respect from the entire clan, and even the opportunity to participate in the clan meetings.

Naturally, those with ninja talent can be included as well. What do you all think?"

Establish a new role, and they can participate in the clan meetings?

Kaito's suggestion left the four people present lost in thought. Honestly, this proposal was very good.

But this proposal also involved an issue, the distribution of power.

After all, the clan had once been thrown into chaos, with different factions arguing. They worried that these people would eventually form another faction, which could lead to trouble.

"I agree with this proposal," Uchiha Fugaku chimed in. "But I think the establishment of the role should be strictly limited, otherwise..."

"I understand what you're saying, so I have a thought," Kaito smiled, fully aware that some things can be changed, but some things can't be recklessly adjusted.

After all, in a world with supernatural abilities, reckless actions would only lead to everyone's resentment. The power of ninjas was unquestionable.

"Within the clan, besides the elders, the clan leader and deputy leader, everyone else can have a unified role, that of a councilor.

The councilor's responsibilities are just as the name suggests. They can participate in clan meetings and discuss and revise our proposals.

They could also help us supplement and perfect various measures that we propose. Moreover, their status within the clan must also be elevated.

They would have higher income and more support — if they lack ninja abilities, we would assign some ninjas to protect them.

Let them feel the clan's attention, let them have a say within the clan, let them feel the honor of the clan.

What do you think of this?"

//

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