Mao Yi's idea! Idea?

Yakushi Taro... oh, he should be called Uzuki.

Uzuki considered himself a veteran member of Root. Ever since Danzo began establishing the organization, he had remained by Danzo's side, serving with all his heart and soul.

However, recently, a treacherous villain, relying on his status as a disciple of the Hokage, had provoked him repeatedly and even captured his younger brother!

This was intolerable!

He was going to make that Orochimaru—who was good for nothing except being tall, handsome, and fair-skinned—see exactly how a sensory-type infiltration ninja contributed to Root, and how he had become a veteran member of the organization!

Hmph! Just you wait!

After receiving Danzo's approval, Uzuki's figure melted into the shadows beneath Konoha.

He did not take the conventional passages, but instead traveled directly through secret paths that were unrecorded and known only to the core members of Root.

To him, the entire underground of Konoha was like a spread-out map; those secret bases were almost completely undefended.

Orochimaru's laboratory was easy to find.

The place, which constantly emitted various complex chakra signatures, stood out in the underground network like a lighthouse!

If he had built his laboratory on the surface, he probably wouldn't have been discovered by himself.

Uzuki sneered inwardly. Such an undisguised setup was practically an insult to Root's sensory capabilities; as expected, only he, Uzuki, was Danzo's most capable aide.

Uzuki did not approach the entrance, stopping instead at a safe distance. He lowered his own chakra fluctuations to the minimum and then, like casting a net, slowly extended his perception toward it.

This was delicate work; heaven knows if Orochimaru had set up any barrier techniques around his laboratory base.

Although that guy Orochimaru was good for nothing, he was, after all, a disciple of the Hokage lineage, and the Konoha Hokage lineage possessed many secret sealing and barrier techniques.

However, Orochimaru did not seem to value this base very much, as there were almost no barriers, which made Uzuki relax significantly.

Soon, the internal structure of the laboratory was clearly constructed in his mind.

He did not sense any patrolling guards; he only perceived a group of mediocre ninja who didn't even have the chakra levels of a Chunin—not worth fearing—as they hovered around a small child.

Who knows what Orochimaru was having a group of mediocre ninja do in a laboratory!?

Mediocre ninja should be sent to the battlefield to die! Only powerful ninja like them, who could reach the level of Jonin, deserved to enjoy life!

Uzuki frowned and continued his investigation.

Soon, he sensed a sealed storage room that felt like a black hole, with no chakra fluctuations at all! He had no idea what Orochimaru was sealing inside.

Then...

He sensed three core chakra sources surrounded by the many mediocre ninja.

One was cold, vast, and coiled like a serpent from the abyss; without a doubt, that was Orochimaru.

Another was weak, chaotic, and filled with fear. Uzuki's heart tightened; that was his brother, Jiro. He was all too familiar with his brother's chakra! He was just a weak and helpless medical ninja!

What could a medical ninja even do!? That detestable Orochimaru had actually arrested him on charges of defecting from the village!

He must be trying to attack him!

And the third one... was very ordinary.

Steady and weak, just like a newly graduated Genin, with nothing remarkable about it.

Uzuki immediately matched this chakra to the "Sawada Hiroki" mentioned in the intelligence reports.

He almost laughed out loud.

This was it? This was the genius with a special Kekkei Genkai that Orochimaru had boasted about to Danzo?

As expected, rumors in the village could not be trusted. Solving a Cloud Ninja squad single-handedly? How could that be possible? His chakra could at most unleash one or two small-scale ninjutsu! Could he really kill three Cloud Ninja with a single technique!?

Were those Cloud Ninja idiots, standing there like targets, watching this child weave hand signs?

It was probably just another piece of propaganda manufactured by the publicity department!

As for Danzo, he was likely just getting old and dim-sighted, fooled by Orochimaru's flowery words.

Besides, what kind of Kekkei Genkai could perform both communication and ninjutsu replication at the same time?

As a spy who had collected intelligence in the ninja world for decades, he, Uzuki, had never heard of a Kekkei Genkai capable of replicating ninjutsu and mental communication; how could anyone else know of one?

Just as he prepared to focus his attention entirely on his brother, he sensed that the child named Hiroki seemed to pause for a split second.

Hm?

Was that kid looking around?

Had he discovered him?

Uzuki didn't pay it any mind.

In his view, it was just the child shivering subconsciously after sensing the cold atmosphere of the laboratory. Wanting him to discover him? That was pure fantasy. He had to remember, he was the number one sensory ninja under Danzo!

Only one thought flashed through his mind: should he encrypt his own thoughts for protection?

After all, what if the rumors were true?

It couldn't be true!

The next moment, Uzuki rejected his own thought with extreme stubbornness.

How could it be! He was the number one sensory ninja under Lord Danzo!

?

Did something seem wrong?

Uzuki shook his head. What did being a sensory ninja have to do with casting a protection spell on himself?

There was no need! He was the number one sensory ninja under Lord Danzo! How could the perception of a sensory ninja possibly be wrong!?

That brat's chakra looked completely ordinary, and there wasn't a single fluctuation; how could he possibly detect his own perception?

Besides, as a spy walking the path of Root, how could he possibly have his mind read by a child?

--That was truly an absurd thought.

Uzuki vaguely felt that there was something wrong with his train of thought.

But the next moment, he felt that there was nothing wrong at all.

Damn it...

Was it really his younger brother who had unsettled his mind?

Uzuki thought to himself.

Scenes of his daily life with his younger brother began to surface in his mind...

Hm?

What was he trying to do?

Uzuki's eyes widened the next instant; he saw Hiroki's hand pressing down on Jiro's shoulder.

It seemed quite ordinary.

No! He was going to read his younger brother's memories and copy his younger brother's ninjutsu!

Information regarding Root instantly churned through Uzuki's head.

Uzuki instantly recalled information related to Hiroki's bloodline limit.

Vaguely, Uzuki felt there was some issue; when his younger brother was captured, he seemed to have been read once already, so those memories and ninjutsu shouldn't be anything important.

But the next moment, Uzuki rejected his previous thought!

That was his own biological brother!!!

How could he treat his own biological brother like that!?!?

Uzuki immediately felt his rage boil over and charged out.

Only, at the very moment he charged out... one last thought flashed through Uzuki's mind.

--Ever since I sensed that brat... haven't I had a few too many thoughts in my head?

It must... be an illusion.