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At the same time as the Jonin Meeting was being held in the Hokage Building, In a certain stronghold within the Land of Fire.
"Drip, drip, drip—"
Amidst a long series of beeps, Shinno shut down the active cultivation tank.
"Splash."
The nutrient solution in the cultivation tank completely receded, revealing the slender figure of a teenager who had been rapidly matured within it.
Gazing at this perfect creation, even Shinno couldn't help but feel a touch of awe.
"The vitality of Wood Release, huh..."
The moment Shimura Danzo made his decision, the Yamato experimental subject had already been transferred by his orders to this location—one of Root's most deeply hidden strongholds.
However, a glance around the laboratory revealed that all the white-robed researchers had become cold, rigid corpses, lying scattered on the ground, with blood flowing everywhere.
Conversely, all the data related to the Wood Release experiment had been collected by Shinno early on and placed into a sealed scroll, which he carried with him.
At this moment, this Sky Ninja Village infiltrator, who had worked diligently for Shimura Danzo for a long time, finally revealed his true fangs.
Shinno stared intently at the figure in the cultivation tank, slowly revealing a faint smile.
To be honest, when he first joined Danzo's research team, he merely wanted to find a more suitable research location for himself to accelerate the development of his own forbidden medical Ninjutsu.
However, after realizing the darkness within Shimura Danzo's heart and his extreme ambition, he clearly understood—he didn't need to do anything himself; as long as he could push Shimura Danzo forward, Konoha Village was destined to be torn apart and ruined because of him.
For an Sky Ninja whose Village had been destroyed by Konoha Village, what could be more satisfying than having Konoha Ninja destroy Konoha themselves?
His only regret was that in this era of Konoha, a huge variable named Sawara Kiri had appeared.
Whether judged by his age or his achievements, he was a powerhouse destined to surpass the God of Shinobi who founded Konoha Village.
His future was limitless.
So much so that even a powerful figure like Shimura Danzo, who controlled a vast force, seemed so vulnerable before him.
A day ago, news had already arrived that the latter had been killed by Sawara Kiri.
Fortunately, he still controlled this ultimate weapon called 'Wood Release.'
Thinking of this, the smile on Shinno's face suddenly grew even wider—as long as he could cultivate this experimental subject into a powerhouse like the God of Shinobi.
Presumably, even Sawara Kiri would have a headache, wouldn't he?
What if, on top of the God of Shinobi's foundation, he added the forbidden medical Ninjutsu of immortality?
Just imagining the day when the two would fight in Konoha Village, causing the sky to fall and the earth to crack, and the people to suffer, Shinno's smile reached its peak.
Oh, Konoha Ninja, I will also make you taste the pain of your Village being destroyed!
Just as he was thinking these fervent thoughts, a soft "click" came from the cultivation tank in front of him.
Shinno looked up and saw the experimental subject, who had just been in a state of confusion, had already pushed open the glass door, adjusted slightly, and stepped onto the ground with water droplets on his feet, slowly walking out.
The experimental subject's face flickered with confusion for a moment, then showed a strange struggle, his mind constantly shifting as if battling between two wills.
But in just a short while, he stabilized, looking at Shinno with a calm expression.
"You are... Shinno?"
Shinno immediately knelt on the ground, prostrating respectfully, "Precisely, your subordinate."
The experimental subject's indifferent gaze swept across the entire laboratory, a hint of regret seemingly flashing in his eyes, and he nodded slightly:
"Rise."
"Report on the current situation."
Upon hearing this, Shinno hesitated slightly, cautiously and doubtfully asking, "May I ask, Lord, what is your current state…?"
"Call me Yamato."
The experimental subject pressed his head: "Danzo's soul information is indeed abundant, but he doesn't understand the mysteries of the soul very well. It has all been input into my mind as information, and it's still a bit chaotic."
"In a few more days, I should be able to completely obliterate him."
Shinno's heart jumped, and he cautiously asked, "Then, Lord Yamato, what is your attitude towards Konoha?"
"Of course, I will take it back."
Yamato's expression was arrogant, much like a younger Danzo: "That is, after all, what belongs to me."
"However, as I am now, I am still far from Sawara Kiri's strength and cannot directly contend with him for the time being."
"I still need to accumulate power for a period of time."
Upon hearing this, Shinno's vigilance immediately dropped by more than half.
Clearly, although this Lord Yamato spoke of completely obliterating Danzo, as a person with no past, and even no present, all the information and ways of thinking he could acquire came entirely from Danzo's life experience.
The same life experience and way of thinking would naturally create a similar person.
Even if the original Yamato's heart was as pure as a child's, the impact of corruption would undoubtedly be significant.
Humans are creatures shaped by their past.
Shinno was very clear about this point.
Naturally, at this moment, after confirming that Yamato would also destroy Konoha, he immediately felt at ease.
Destroying Konoha was his long-cherished wish.
As for whether it was Yamato or Danzo who did it, he didn't care.
"Report on the recent matters."
"Yes."
Shinno immediately perked up, speaking quickly: "One day ago, Lord Danzo passed away. Due to the short time, your body has not yet been able to be stimulated to its optimal state."
"However, because several supervisors in the experimental team attempted to initiate a rebellion after receiving the news, they were all executed by your subordinate."
"Now, Konoha's Anbu should have already started spreading outside Konoha Village because they couldn't find the Wood Release experimental subject. For your safety, please leave this place as soon as possible and go to another country."
Yamato quietly listened to all these matters one by one, nodding slightly.
"You did well, very decisively."
"As for now..."
"Hmph."
As if he thought of something, Yamato snorted through his nose, turning his head to look in a certain direction beyond this deep underground location, his gaze cold and clear.
Mere Sawara Kiri...
Once I have fully inherited the power of the First Hokage-sama, I will contend with you.
Hokage is my position.
Although Yamato himself didn't realize it, Danzo's obsession was still deeply imprinted in his soul.
"First, find me some clothes, then leave."
"Take all the useful equipment with you too."
Yamato said, letting out a low sigh: "After leaving Konoha, we won't have so many resources to waste."
"Yes."
Shinno nodded deeply, his face beaming with a smile.
After the Jonin Meeting concluded.
A group of Jonin successively walked out of the assembly hall.
However, at this time, many people had gloomy expressions or looked troubled, with only a small portion of Ninja from commoner backgrounds smiling, as if they had seen a ray of hope.
After they dispersed, unknowingly, the part of the people belonging to the Ninja Clans suddenly re-gathered around Uchiha Motoya.
After exchanging a few words, they dispersed again.
Only Uchiha Motoya remained, his expression uncertain, standing still.
The Uchiha Clan had only recently passed through the Second Hokage's era; the legacy of the past still made this ancient Ninja Clan strong and robust. Whether in terms of assets or the number of Jonin, they ranked first in Konoha, truly the number one Ninja Clan in all of Konoha.
Naturally, when encountering something that could endanger the vast majority of Ninja Clans, they still had to be the leaders.
But Uchiha Motoya didn't want to provoke the "Substitute Hokage Council" at this time.
"Sigh."
He let out a long sigh, yet still walked forward helplessly.
In a short while.
Many of the Ninja Clan heads who had initially pretended to return to their homes, now, as if by prior arrangement, gathered in an underground room of the Uchiha Clan.
Looking around, the Uchiha Clan, Hyuga, Sarutobi Clan, Ino–Shika–Chō, Aburame, and other major Ninja Clans were all present, along with even more heads of smaller Ninja Clans, nearly a hundred people crammed into the already small secret room, almost turning it into a single mass.
However, at such a crucial moment, no one paid attention to this minor detail.
Before Uchiha Motoya could even reach the front, the crowd below had already erupted into arguments over the matters just mentioned at the general meeting, their furious shouts almost tearing the roof off the entire basement.
Among them, the one who appeared most indignant was none other than the Leader of Sarutobi Clan.
"Have you all seen it? They just won a major battle, thanks to the legacy of Hiruzen-sama, and now 'Substitute Hokage Council' is already so arrogant and conceited!"
"You should know, such a thing never happened when Sarutobi Hiruzen-sama was Hokage!"
"What do they mean by monopoly? Are we to just hand over the family fortunes we Ninja Clans have built over many years? What will we eat and drink then?"
"And what about that Ninja High School! Jonin teaching, Ninjutsu inheritance? Isn't this cutting off the livelihood of our secret Ninjutsu families?"
"I won't talk in circles with you all. Our Sarutobi Clan is a major clan that rose to prominence through Fire Release secret Ninjutsu. Even now, we have never coveted the secret Ninjutsu passed down by other Ninja Clans, because we know how important Ninjutsu is to a Ninja Clan!"
"Now they want to teach it for free to a bunch of commoners? Isn't this digging up our Roots?"
"We have decades of family research passed down, why should they take everything from us just by studying for a few years?"
These righteous words immediately resonated with the vast majority of the smaller Ninja Clans present.
Bloodlines like Uchiha, Hyuga, and Senju, which have been passed down from the Six Paths era, are extremely rare in any Konoha Village. The cohesion of most smaller Ninja Clans relies on a few rare and powerful Ninjutsu that have been passed down for hundreds of years, and some even rely solely on methods of controlling certain Ninja tools.
If Ninja High School were to appear on a large scale, the traditional form of family inheritance would be broken, and their means of exploiting the lower-class Ninja population would become useless.
This was a struggle for power and interests, a life-and-death battle.
If the Sannin truly pushed through this series of reforms, then what right would these clan leaders have to remain clan leaders?
Just thinking about this sent a chill down the spines of many who had committed misdeeds.
Even those who hadn't done anything wrong were very annoyed at the prospect of their power simply vanishing.
As for how many outstanding young Ninja Ninja High School could cultivate for Konoha Village?
What did that have to do with them?
Whether this existed or not, would it affect their Jonin status?
For a time, the entire secret room was filled with agitated emotions.
Seeing this scene, Uchiha Motoya immediately felt a bit annoyed with Sarutobi Saizo—this was clearly putting him, a 'leader' with little power, on the spot.
"Alright, quiet down first."
He sat at the head of the table, then looked at everyone present with a serious expression and said, "I know you all are dissatisfied with 'Substitute Hokage Council's' various measures, but you must also consider the situation in the Konoha Village after the war. If…"
Before he could continue, Sarutobi Saizo interjected:
"As long as Motoya-sama is willing to be our leader and plead with 'Substitute Hokage Council' on our behalf, then even the Hokage Building would not dare to defy the wishes of so many Ninja Clans!"
"I, Sarutobi Saizo, swear to serve Motoya-sama wholeheartedly!"
Listening to his words, many clan heads present were tempted and echoed his sentiments.
If merely cheering could preserve their property and power, then joining the Uchiha Clan's banner was no big deal.
Seeing this grand scene, Uchiha Fugaku, who had been following Uchiha Motoya since the beginning, was immediately moved.
Just like most young people in Konoha now, his dream was also to become Hokage.
Or rather, if one could sit at the highest position in the strongest Ninja Village in this world, who wouldn't want to?
However, Uchiha Motoya's expression grew even more solemn.
"Please, Leader of Sarutobi Clan, do not speak nonsense. Our Uchiha Clan is Konoha's Uchiha, and we have never had any intention of opposing the Hokage Building."
"If you all have such thoughts, then I think this alliance meeting does not need to continue."
Upon hearing this, the room immediately fell silent.
Many people even looked at Uchiha Motoya with a hint of dissatisfaction.
However, Uchiha Motoya seemed to be completely oblivious to their gazes, continuing to explain his proposed method to the Hokage Building—compared to Sarutobi Saizo's suggestion just now, his approach was clearly much softer, and it was highly unlikely to have any major impact.
When did this Uchiha Clan leader become as amiable as the Hyuga?
The entire meeting was a back-and-forth argument between different viewpoints. Sarutobi Saizo, who proposed it, was unwilling to lead, Uchiha Motoya was also unwilling to lead, and Hyuga Soumin was even more out of the question.
After more than two hours of endless bickering, no one could even clearly state what they were supposed to be fighting for—because no matter what, someone's interests would be harmed.
Ultimately, the alliance meeting ended unhappily.
But after the meeting disbanded, Uchiha Motoya let out a long sigh of relief, as if a great weight had been lifted from him.
Once everyone had left, Uchiha Fugaku, still puzzled, asked his father:
"Father, that was such a good opportunity just now, why didn't you…?"
Uchiha Motoya looked at him with a cold face and reprimanded, "Good opportunity? Who gave birth to your pig brain?"
"If it was a good opportunity, why didn't Sarutobi Saizo, who was talking so much, go for it himself?"
Uchiha Fugaku was also a young man in his twenties, and being scolded by his father in such a tone made him a bit unbearable. He retorted, "The Sarutobi Clan is so small, they can't even compare to the Hyuga. How would they dare to contend for that position?"
"That only means they know their place."
Uchiha Motoya completely despaired and sighed, "You say they know their place, but do you know your place?"
"What do our Uchiha Clan have to compare with the Hokage Building?"
"We—"
Fugaku's voice trailed off, then he whispered, "Father, you have those eyes. Even the Hokage Building would surely not dare to offend."
"Get out!"
Motoya yelled, pointing at his head.
This brat, trying to push your old man to his death so you can take over early, huh?
Who did he take after?
Uchiha Motoya couldn't figure it out.
Fugaku still insisted: "Uchiha Madara-sama back then was a strong Ninja who could rival Senju Hashirama, and he relied on the Mangekyo Sharingan, didn't he?"
"You only remember Uchiha Madara, but not Uchiha Izuna, right?"
Uchiha Motoya sighed in exasperation, "Uchiha Madara was strong because he was Uchiha Madara, not because he had a Mangekyo Sharingan!"
"Did Uchiha Izuna have a Mangekyo? How did he die by Senju Tobirama's blade?"
"Your father, I, have also fought with Senju Tobirama, but what about Sawara Kiri?"
"You, sigh…"
He finally understood.
When he dies, he absolutely cannot let this boy be the clan leader.
He's afraid he'll lead to the clan's destruction.
Even after being scolded away, Fugaku still had a puzzled expression, stubbornly muttering under his breath:
"Senju Tobirama used Flying Thunder God for a sneak attack; how can that be the same?"
"You damn—!"
Seeing his old father about to pull out a Kunai, Fugaku ran incredibly fast.
Uchiha Motoya watched him resentfully from behind, his Kunai slamming into the wall.
He should have thrown you against the wall too back then!
However, after the meeting.
In the Uchiha Clan compound, another figure quickly followed Sarutobi Saizo's figure.
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