Upon returning to his residence, Kin glanced at the tree.
The hidden Root operatives were still pretending nothing had happened as they continued their surveillance.
"It seems I'll need some sealing-release techniques," Kin murmured, rubbing his chin before stepping inside.
All Root members bore the Tongue Eradication Seal, so he hadn't even attempted to extract information about Danzo from the three operatives.
The curse mark would kill them the moment they divulged anything about the caster.
This thing was eerily similar to the Caged Bird Seal.
If he caused their deaths, it would only alert Danzo.
Besides, the information wasn't critical at the moment—converting them was the priority.
However, now wasn't the time to deal with Danzo. As long as no rift existed between Sarutobi Hiruzen and Shimura Danzo, targeting Danzo would mean declaring war on Hiruzen.
And Hiruzen represented the entirety of Konoha.
Though many harbored discontent toward Hiruzen for failing to measure up to the Second Hokage, they would still obey his orders without hesitation.
Kin currently lacked the confidence to take on an entire village.
Until he could raze Konoha to the ground, he wouldn't confront Hiruzen directly.
Once inside, Kin headed straight to the underground lab and opened the input interface of his "Golden Finger."
"Develop a realistic clone technique."
He needed a clone that could move as freely as his main body—this was crucial for his future plans.
Soon, a new clone technique appeared before him.
"Using a portion of one's flesh, supplemented with chakra..."
After reviewing the hand seals and chakra conversion methods, Kin drew his sword hilt. The shattered blade fragments reassembled, and he rolled up his sleeve, slicing off a large chunk of flesh from his arm.
Six Treasuries Immortal Thief!
Kin gritted his teeth as the lost flesh regenerated rapidly.
Once fully healed, his hands began weaving an intricate series of seals at blinding speed. Even then, it took three full minutes—proof of the technique's complexity.
Then, he channeled chakra into the flesh.
"Flesh Clone Technique!"
The flesh writhed and squirmed, the movements growing increasingly violent. Bones formed, followed by new flesh, muscles, tendons, and finally skin.
In moments, a perfect replica of Uchiha Kin stood before him.
The clone opened its eyes, shivered from the cold, and frowned at its naked body.
"No clothes? Unacceptable."
It turned and donned a white lab coat from the room before addressing the original.
"Why did you give me so little chakra?"
The clone sensed its reserves—barely genin-level. A few jutsu would drain it completely.
"My chakra reserves are limited. What more do you expect?" Kin shrugged.
If he had abundant chakra, he wouldn't have skimped.
"With this, my strength caps at special jōnin level," the clone sighed, raising a hand. A wooden branch sprouted openly from its palm.
The clone's mission required absolute discretion—no ties to the original. Hence, Wood Release was the perfect cover.
As for how it obtained Wood Release?
Let others ponder that.
After all, there was still an Uchiha Madara lurking in the shadows.
"Special jōnin is more than enough. I'll arrange for you to leave the village later," Kin said, studying his creation.
Unlike standard clones, this one could persist indefinitely as long as it absorbed chakra. Equipped with all of Kin's skills, including the Six Treasuries Immortal Thief to extract chakra from food, it might as well be a real person.
It also carried all of Kin's memories and would transmit its experiences back upon death.
The only limitation? No growth potential.
No matter how much it trained, its body would revert to its initial form—meaning its chakra would forever remain at genin levels.
Unless Kin created a new clone and adjusted the chakra allocation.
"Why didn't you summon me outside?"
"I only just met the requirements," Kin shrugged.
With Konoha on high alert, entry and exit checks were stringent. Without space-time ninjutsu, slipping past the ANBU guarding every checkpoint was near impossible.
"So you're saying I should've waited until you learned the Flying Thunder God Technique before summoning me?"
The clone rolled its eyes.
Kin clearly expected it to stay cooped up in the lab—as if it would tolerate that. The clone shared his personality, after all.
With a poof, it dissolved back into flesh.
Kin: "..."
Since when were his clones so rebellious?
Was staying in the basement for a while really that unbearable?
...Okay, maybe he couldn't blame it.
Dark clouds loomed over Konoha as rain fell from the sky, drenching the crowd below.
Not a single umbrella was raised.
Every attendee wore solemn black attire, including the Third Hokage, Sarutobi Hiruzen, who had swapped his usual robes for mourning clothes.
Today's palette was one of grief.
Each person held a white chrysanthemum, waiting in silence.
This was a funeral.
A grand ceremony attended by nearly the entire village.
Rows of freshly erected tombstones stood at the forefront, bearing the names and faces of those who would never return.
At the front, Hiruzen gazed skyward, rain mixing with what might have been tears of remorse.
Flanking him were Mitokado Homura and Utatane Koharu, their expressions unreadable.
Behind them, Orochimaru, the White Fang, Tsunade, and Might Dai wore sorrow that refused to fade.
In the shadows afar, Danzo stood with two Root operatives, his gaze fixed on the scene.
Even he seemed moved by the occasion.
"Their sacrifices held meaning," he murmured.
Yet the potential gains of the war had been squandered by Hiruzen's soft-heartedness.
"Hiruzen... the First's ideals will destroy Konoha."
He spoke as if addressing his old friend directly.
"Let's go."
With that, he and his operatives melted into the darkness.
"All for the sake of Konoha."
His voice faded with his silhouette.
Hiruzen seemed to sense something, glancing toward where Danzo had vanished.
Then he turned back and gently placed his chrysanthemum before a tombstone.
Homura and Koharu followed suit, then the White Fang, the Sannin, the shinobi, and finally the civilians—each laying their flowers in tribute.
Kin, too, placed his chrysanthemum and joined the orderly procession leaving the cemetery.
As he stepped outside, he found the White Fang leaning against a tree, arms crossed.
"This is the cost of war. Any thoughts?"
...
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(End of Chapter)