Uchiha Fugaku's Counterattack

News that the search team had encountered a powerful enemy possessing the Wood Release Kekkei Genkai quickly made its way back to Konoha.

Konoha was shaken upon learning the news.

The Wood Release Kekkei Genkai, the Kekkei Genkai possessed by the First Hokage, was an extraordinarily powerful bloodline limit.

Back then, the First Hokage had used this Kekkei Genkai to capture the nine tailed beasts, striking fear throughout the ninja world and founding Konoha Village.

Konoha Village had been powerful in those days, the undisputed number one ninja village. Even if the other four great ninja villages joined forces, they would have struggled to contend with it.

They had all trembled in fear, not daring to make an enemy of Konoha Village.

Unfortunately, after the First Hokage, Konoha lost that dominance, because this Kekkei Genkai had vanished with him.

Even the First Hokage's descendants had failed to inherit this Kekkei Genkai.

Yet this Kekkei Genkai had unexpectedly appeared once more—and in the hands of an enemy hostile to Konoha.

Recognizing the gravity of the matter, an emergency village-wide meeting was convened.

"Hokage, I heard that the search team encountered a powerful enemy with the Wood Release Kekkei Genkai. Is this news true?"

Nara Shikaku, known as Konoha's military advisor and sporting the Nara Clan's signature pineapple-shaped hair, asked with a grave expression.

"The news is true. The search team did encounter a powerful enemy with the Wood Release Kekkei Genkai, and one search squad was killed by him."

The Third Hokage wore a Hokage Robe. Due to his advanced age, his face was marked with obvious wrinkles and age spots.

After hearing the question, he pondered for a moment before answering.

"It's actually true!"

"Who exactly is that person? How could he possess the Wood Release Kekkei Genkai?"

"How could an outsider possess the Wood Release Kekkei Genkai?"

Upon hearing the Third Hokage confirm it personally, the ninja attending the meeting could not help but whisper among themselves.

Though they had already heard the rumors, most still had their doubts. After all, it was the Wood Release Kekkei Genkai, said to be almost mythical and wielded only by the First Hokage.

Now that the Third Hokage had confirmed it, they had no choice but to believe it, however unwilling they were.

The Wood Release Kekkei Genkai had appeared, but not in Konoha. It had appeared in the hands of an enemy.

"Hokage, could this person with the Wood Release Kekkei Genkai be a member of the Senju Clan who ended up outside the village?"

A brown-haired female ninja asked.

She wore a green ninja outfit, with red triangular markings painted on both cheeks.

She was Inuzuka Tsume, Clan Head of the Inuzuka Clan and one of the few female clan heads among Konoha's clans.

"I have already had the Senju Clan genealogy investigated. No clan members are known to have ended up outside the village."

"Furthermore, since the First Hokage, no ninja possessing the Wood Release Kekkei Genkai has ever appeared within the Senju Clan."

The Third Hokage shook his head.

Like Inuzuka Tsume, his first suspicion upon hearing the news had been that the person came from the Senju Clan.

Unfortunately, after investigating the Senju Clan genealogy, he found that no members had ended up outside the village. The possibility that this person came from the Senju Clan was unlikely.

"If he isn't from the Senju Clan, then who could he be?"

Quite a few of those attending the meeting furrowed their brows.

They truly could not understand how someone other than the Senju Clan could possess the Wood Release Kekkei Genkai.

It was clearly a Kekkei Genkai unique to Konoha, yet it had appeared in an outsider's hands and was being used against Konoha.

It's Uchiha Obito!

Uchiha Fugaku did not join in the discussion.

This powerful enemy with the Wood Release Kekkei Genkai was not difficult to identify. In the current ninja world, there were only a handful of people who possessed the Wood Release Kekkei Genkai.

Coupled with the fact that he was hostile to Konoha, it was practically certain that he was Uchiha Obito, who had transplanted Hashirama Cells.

Uchiha Shisui seems to have taken part in this search as well. I wonder whether the two of them encountered each other?

He thought with great interest.

Both Uchiha Shisui and Uchiha Obito were his enemies. Their meeting was exactly what he most wanted to see.

That way, he could clear himself of suspicion over Kakuzu's death, and the suspicion would fall on Uchiha Shisui instead.

Moreover, the Akatsuki Organization and Uchiha Obito would turn their attention toward Uchiha Shisui.

After all, compared to Uchiha Shisui, who possessed the Mangekyō Sharingan, he, the Uchiha Clan Head, was simply "not worth mentioning."

Returning to his senses, he swept his gaze across those present before finally settling on the Third Hokage, sneering inwardly.

All this time, it had been the Konoha High Command led by the Third Hokage that had been making trouble for him.

Today, he would make trouble for the Konoha High Command led by the Third Hokage for once.

Having made up his mind, he spoke.

"Hokage, there is something I would like to ask you."

"Clan Head Fugaku, what is it you wish to ask?"

The Third Hokage looked at Uchiha Fugaku with a "gentle" gaze.

Although he harbored extremely deep prejudice against the Uchiha Clan, he had always been skilled at disguising it. He concealed it well, pretending to treat everyone equally.

Shimura Danzō preferred to display his sinister nature openly, while the Third Hokage preferred to hide his behind a hypocritical facade.

It had to be said that this worked quite well.

Most people in the village did not particularly like the conniving Shimura Danzō, but they held the Third Hokage in high regard.

"As everyone knows, Orochimaru became a rogue ninja after it was exposed that he had captured fellow village ninja for forbidden experiments. What exactly were these forbidden experiments that Orochimaru conducted?"

Uchiha Fugaku asked, his gaze fixed on the Third Hokage.

"Uchiha Fugaku, we are discussing the unknown powerful enemy with the Wood Release Kekkei Genkai. Orochimaru's matter has nothing to do with this. What are you trying to accomplish by bringing it up?"

Before the Third Hokage could speak, Shimura Danzō impatiently cut in.

As Orochimaru's collaborator, he naturally knew what experiments Orochimaru had conducted.

The contents of those experiments absolutely could not be made public, or they would become a massive scandal. That was why he hurriedly tried to stop him.

"Does it truly have nothing to do with it?"

Uchiha Fugaku looked mockingly at Shimura Danzō.

"According to the information I received, not only are the two related, but they are deeply connected."

"Uchiha Fugaku, stop spouting nonsense."

Shimura Danzō shouted, trying to prevent Uchiha Fugaku from continuing.

The details of Orochimaru's forbidden experiments had been tightly sealed away. By all rights, Uchiha Fugaku should not have known about them.

But he had a bad feeling. Uchiha Fugaku had likely learned the contents of Orochimaru's experiments through some channel.

"Whether I am spouting nonsense or not, once I reveal the contents of Orochimaru's forbidden experiments, everyone here will naturally be able to judge for themselves."

Uchiha Fugaku swept his gaze across those present.

"As far as I know, Orochimaru's forbidden experiment back then was to artificially create the Wood Release Kekkei Genkai using the First Hokage's cells."