Preparing for Transplantation

Shinji clasped his hands behind his back, a faint trace of vigilance hidden in his eyes. Keeping his expression neutral, he asked:

"What mission?"

Yashiro fell silent for a moment before slowly speaking:

"I want you to investigate Root."

"Root?"

Shinji feigned surprise and instinctively looked toward Fugaku, appearing somewhat puzzled.

How had this gotten tangled up with Root?

Fugaku raised a hand and lightly tapped the table, his voice grave.

"We suspect that someone in Root has bought off one of our clansmen."

"The intrusion at Naka Shrine most likely has something to do with Root."

"That's right!"

Yashiro suddenly clenched his fist and slammed it onto the table, unable to conceal his fury.

"After stealing whatever he came for, that little thief headed straight out of the clan grounds."

"Who knows what ninjutsu he used, but he was somehow able to turn invisible out of thin air. He even unleashed a large-scale blinding light technique."

"Only Root and the Anbu could possibly possess such bizarre methods."

In Yashiro and the others' understanding, Shinji's Transparent Release was merely some secret technique similar to the Camouflage Technique. After all, they found it difficult to believe that an Uchiha could possess two Kekkei Genkai, while the blinding flash had been mistaken for some rare light-based ninjutsu.

Root and the Anbu always kept some ninjutsu unknown to outsiders in their collections.

On top of that, Danzō had always harbored the deepest hostility toward the Uchiha and constantly made underhanded moves. Root, meanwhile, was infamous for brainwashing and assassination.

Every clue pointed naturally toward Shimura Danzō.

Shinji stood there blankly on the surface, but inwardly, he did not know whether to laugh or cry.

So they thought I was colluding with Danzō?

At that moment, he almost admired Fugaku and the others' talent for wild speculation.

Now that was a truly powerful brain. No wonder Uchiha Itachi had ended up with a mind like that too!

Fugaku wore a solemn expression as he looked at him seriously.

"Shinji, you are close friends with Asuma, the Hokage's son, and the Hokage himself thinks highly of you."

"You are the best person to investigate Root in secret."

"I'm asking this of you—for the sake of the entire Uchiha clan."

Hearing that, Shinji secretly laughed, though he put on a thoughtful expression. Only after a moment did he nod.

"If that's the mission, I accept."

"Good." Yashiro sighed in relief. "The moment you find anything, report it to us immediately."

Shinji agreed, exchanged a few more pleasantries with them, and then took his leave.

After he had gone far away, Yashiro looked at the other two.

"What do you think?"

Fugaku frowned. "I couldn't see anything unusual."

Yakumi also raised his head. "I investigated his movements recently. Every day, he was either training in ninjutsu or studying medical ninjutsu. There was nothing out of line."

Fugaku rubbed his throbbing temples and let out a weary sigh.

"For now, let's eliminate Shinji as a suspect."

"Continue investigating the other clansmen who lack alibis, or see whether there are any clansmen hiding somewhere!"

Yashiro and Yakumi exchanged a glance and slowly nodded.

After returning home, Shinji opened the refrigerator, took out a bottle of chilled soda, and tipped his head back to gulp down a large mouthful.

The icy liquid slid down his throat, leaving his whole body refreshed.

"This isn't investigating Root at all. They're clearly asking me to investigate myself."

If Fugaku and the elders questioned him later, he only needed to casually reveal some publicly known information, such as Root taking in orphans and coercing ninjas into joining them. That would be enough to muddy the waters and clear himself completely.

He shook his head, suppressing his stray thoughts. Then he took out the scroll he had just received from his robes and opened the Mystical Palm Technique first.

With a thought, the System Panel unfolded. As expected, two new notifications had appeared in the message log.

[Mystical Palm Technique Lv0]

[Type: Scroll, Upgradeable]

[Description: Accelerates cellular regeneration; can quickly stop bleeding, heal external wounds, and repair internal injuries. B-rank ninjutsu.]

[Upgrade Requirement: 20000 Points/use]

[Note: The host has mastered the basics of medical ninjutsu. Spend 10,000 Points to directly learn Mystical Palm Technique Lv0.]

[chakra Scalpel Lv0]

[Type: Scroll, upgradeable]

[Description: Highly compresses Yang-nature chakra and gathers it in the palm, forming a molecular-level sharp chakra blade.]

[Upgrade Cost: 20,000 Points per upgrade]

[Note: The host has mastered the basics of medical ninjutsu. Spend 10,000 Points to directly learn chakra Scalpel Lv0.]

"Twenty thousand Points for one upgrade?"

Shinji shifted his gaze to the personal data on the left side of the panel.

[Points: 69,400]

"There are still two A-rank skill upgrade coupons in the inventory. Besides, I still have to learn the Transcription Seal."

He raised the soda again and drained it in one gulp. The icy sensation cleared his thoughts even further.

The corners of his mouth slowly curled upward.

"All the conditions are in place."

Over the next few days, Shinji ordered large quantities of medicine from the hospital and stores, while also preparing plenty of experimental subjects for practice.

He became an expert at killing fish and dissecting white mice, honing the Mystical Palm Technique and chakra Scalpel over and over.

Because of that, he ate fish for several days straight.

As for the white mice, the Uchiha Clan Compound had plenty of ninja cats, so none of them went to waste.

One day, Kurenai Yuhi came to his home as promised.

Shinji kept his word and practiced genjutsu with her.

At Kurenai's request, he activated his Sharingan and sparred with her.

Kurenai Yuhi's genjutsu was completely seen through by the Sharingan. Shinji also keenly noticed the subtle flaws in her chakra flow when she cast genjutsu, and gave her several targeted suggestions.

After Kurenai left, Nohara Rin came by again that night. She carefully explained the theory behind medical ninjutsu and personally guided him through the practical techniques of organ transplantation.

Once Rin left, Shinji looked up at the wall clock. The hour hand had long since pointed to one in the morning.

An overwhelming fatigue swept through his body.

"I need to find a chance to learn the Shadow Clone Technique."

"Running back and forth between Kurenai and Rin is really too much to handle."

With heavy dark circles beneath his eyes and a body on the verge of collapse, he threw himself onto the bed and fell into a deep sleep.

Three days later.

Shinji opened the system, his gaze falling on the Personal Panel to the left.

[Skills: Mystical Palm Technique Lv0, chakra Scalpel Lv0, Izanagi Lv1, Transcription Seal Lv0...]

"I've finally gotten started with the Mystical Palm Technique and chakra Scalpel, but it's still far from enough."

At a thought, forty thousand Points were instantly consumed.

The data in the skill list immediately refreshed:

[Skills: Mystical Palm Technique Lv1, chakra Scalpel Lv1]

A vast amount of experience regarding the two ninjutsu flooded into his mind. Shinji felt his understanding of them rise several levels in an instant.

"With this, the success rate can be greatly improved!"

Shinji changed into casual clothes, pushed open the door, and headed out.

The moment he stepped out of the clan compound, his pace faltered slightly. Then, pretending nothing had happened, he continued onward.

His brows furrowed as he thought, Still following me?

A trace of impatience rose in his heart.

Many days had passed since the last disturbance, and the uproar had gradually subsided. Yet the culprit had never been caught. Even Fugaku and the elders could only set the matter aside for now and investigate in secret.

But every time he went out, he could sense someone faintly following him.

After some investigation, he confirmed that the stalkers were from Root.

He had also heard that it was not only him. Other Uchiha clan members had repeatedly been watched by Root as well, and Clan Head Fugaku was already planning to protest before the Hokage.

Shinji suddenly quickened his pace. Catching the Root ninja off guard, he sharply turned into an alley and immediately activated Transparent Release, vanishing from the spot.

By the time Root reacted and chased after him, all they saw was an empty alley.

"He's gone again!" one Root member growled through gritted teeth.

"He's too cunning. Search!" another ordered in a low voice.

Over the past few days, Shinji had already used Transparent Release countless times to shake off their pursuit.

Today, he was going to carry out the final step of the experiment.

"First, the Forest of Death."