Seiryu brewed tea at his own leisurely pace.
Ever since he first killed on the battlefield at age nine, Seiryu had spent six years living on the edge between life and death. With so many partings—friends dying in battle—he'd awakened the clan's ultimate power: the Mangekyō Sharingan. But he could feel his mind growing unstable, wave after wave of torment making him a little unhinged.
Well, that's to be expected. After all, if you've got the Mangekyō, you'd be letting those eyes down if you didn't go a little crazy.
To stabilize his mind, after the war Seiryu took the time to learn a bit about the tea ceremony.
For no other reason than to keep himself sane.
His small residence quieted completely, the only sounds the occasional clink of teacups.
Kakashi wasn't so patient. Seeing Seiryu's silence, he cut straight to the point: "That report you showed me today, what does it mean?"
As the boiling water hit the tea leaves, fragrance filled the room. Seiryu glanced at Kakashi, handed him a cup, then asked, "Have you visited Granny Miori?"
Kakashi's exposed eye stared deeply at Keiryu, then nodded. "Yes."
"You should visit her often. She's had it rough. The clan's compensation isn't small, but she's all alone."
"Can you first tell me what was really in that report?"
"As for those clan members who've spoken ill of you, I'll remind them. As clan head, I have that much authority."
"Seiryu..."
Kakashi was irritated by Seiryu's evasive answers.
"Look at you, so impatient." Seiryu suddenly laughed, then glanced at Kakashi's teacup.
He turned and set the kettle back on the stove. Kakashi took the chance to quickly lower his mask, drain the scalding tea, and pull his mask back up.
Seiryu, noticing Kakashi's contorted face from the hot tea, could only shake his head in exasperation.
"As the report said, we haven't started investigating the details yet," Seiryu finally said after finishing his tea.
"I wasn't born yet when it happened, but over the years I've heard stories in the clan. If the elders are to be believed, White Fang was truly a great ninja. He shouldn't have ended the way he did."
"Really?" Kakashi could hardly believe it. Over the years, his father's name had nearly faded from Konoha's history. If anyone mentioned him, it was only to criticize.
"I don't know what others think, but the Uchiha clan has always respected White Fang. As you know, no one values their comrades more than the Uchiha," Seiryu said.
"Thank you." Kakashi calmed down. Hearing such high praise for his father, he couldn't help but feel grateful. Seiryu's words reminded him of an old teammate.
"But based on what I found today, White Fang's death wasn't simple," Seiryu said, putting down his cup with a sigh. "At the very least, Danzo was involved in something shady."
"There's a lot of debate in the clan about whether to investigate this further. The incident involved too many people. The elders say White Fang was a strong candidate for the Fourth Hokage."
Kakashi frowned, not fully understanding Seiryu's meaning.
Seiryu could only sigh. For ninjas trained from childhood to be efficient killers, politics was simply too much to handle.
But Seiryu had no choice. Right now, the political resources Kakashi held were exactly what the Uchiha needed.
Why had Hiruzen Sarutobi kept Kakashi in the Anbu these six years? Maybe Kakashi himself didn't know how much value there was in being the sole surviving student of the Fourth Hokage. Even though Minato hadn't had time to build a true faction, many still mourned his loss, and his former guard unit, though marginalized, was still a force to be reckoned with.
That's why Seiryu had gone to such lengths to approach Kakashi.
Thinking of this, Seiryu shook his head. "Forget it. I'll keep investigating this matter myself."
"Thank you." Kakashi didn't fully understand, but he could see Seiryu was determined.
"No need to thank me. I'm doing this simply because I believe a hero shouldn't end like that," Seiryu said. "If you want to thank me, just visit Granny Miori more often."
"I understand," Kakashi replied solemnly.
He walked to the window, ready to leave before dawn.
"Wait." Seiryu suddenly called out.
Kakashi turned, his single visible eye puzzled.
"In a couple of days, come to the Police Force and pick up that guy who uses Wood Release. The interrogation is about done. Besides the First Hokage, he's the only Wood Style user in the village. Keeping him here is just a hassle," Seiryu said.
Kakashi nodded, leaped out the window, and vanished into the night.
After he left, Seiryu came to the window, his eyes shining.
Once White Fang's name was cleared and, with the double status of the hero's son and Hokage's disciple, Kakashi would become the focus of the whole village. No matter what others thought, the Uchiha clan—who helped to clear his father's name—would be his staunchest ally. That would be the moment the Uchiha truly stepped into the spotlight.