Eye Power UPUPUP!!!

Dōjutsu bloodline limits like the Sharingan are easy to transplant, but transplanting Wood Release bloodline limits is far more difficult; Konoha has failed to replicate Wood Release for decades.

This was Sarutobi Hiruzen's fixed perception.

Humans are, after all, pathetic creatures bound by their own experiences and perceptions.

When Wood Release was mentioned, the first thing Sarutobi Hiruzen thought of was the Senju Clan.

Even though records indicated that only Senju Hashirama could use Wood Release, he still couldn't help but begin his investigation with the Senju Clan.

Nawaki fit some of the characteristics, but he should be dead, unless he had faked his death back then.

Beyond that, during the Second's tenure and the early stages of his own administration, there had been experiments to replicate Wood Release, with most volunteers coming from the Senju Clan, including a few survivors.

And then there was Danzō, who had been up to some shady business with Orochimaru recently; could it be one of their previous test subjects?

Sarutobi Hiruzen's eyes flickered, but his expression remained calm as he said:

"Chen, do you have any proof?"

Uchiha Chen smiled slightly and summoned a piece of wood, tossing it toward Hizashi Hyuga, who was following behind the Third.

"Senior Hizashi, use your Byakugan to examine this wood!"

This piece of wood originated from a shadow clone using a severely weakened version of Wood Release controlled by a White Zetsu.

The First's Wood Release conquered the world, Yamato's Wood Release did landscaping, and the White Zetsu's Wood Release was even worse, only capable of sprouting wooden lumps.

Hizashi activated his Byakugan, scanned the wooden stake several times, and said in a deep voice: "There are no growth rings in this wood, and the texture of the surface is extremely uniform; it truly does not resemble a natural tree."

"Absurd!"

Before Sarutobi Hiruzen could speak, an old man in black robes with a gloomy expression and an aura that made people want to keep their distance rushed in front of Hizashi and snatched the wooden stake away.

This old man, who covered his right eye and had an X-shaped scar on his chin, was none other than the 'Darkness of the Shinobi', Shimura Danzō.

"What Uchiha Madara, what Sharingan, what masked man with both Wood Release and a bloodline limit—I think it's just you, this evil brat, playing tricks! For all we know, you're the one controlling the Nine-Tails!"

"Heh. Believe what you will!"

Uchiha Chen raised a hand to stop his clansmen, whose eyes had turned red with anger, and stared coldly at Danzō, saying word by word:

"However, I must thank you! If not for your help at Dayu Mountain, I wouldn't have been reborn so easily!

The Uchiha always repay their debts, whether it be kindness or grievances! I will definitely return this 'favor' to you!"

Sarutobi Hiruzen was stunned for a moment, then immediately recalled the conspiracy where Danzō had sent men to sabotage Uchiha Chen.

Had Uchiha Chen awakened his Mangekyō in a fit of rage after being betrayed by his own comrades in the village?

As for the possibility of Uchiha Chen lying.

Didn't Sarutobi Hiruzen himself believe seven or eight parts of what Uchiha Chen said about encountering a ninja with both Wood Release and a Mangekyō?

Could an Uchiha, whose pride was etched into their very bones—an Uchiha who started at Three-Tomoe and likely possessed a Mangekyō—possibly lie?

That simply didn't fit their nature!

Sarutobi Hiruzen, feeling he had grasped the personality of the Uchiha, lost his focus for a moment before glaring fiercely at Danzō.

Danzō thought he had hidden many things from Sarutobi Hiruzen, but he didn't know that it was only because Sarutobi Hiruzen let him think so.

Although this guy thought he was acting in secret, Sarutobi Hiruzen knew he had one of Kagami's Sharingan under his bandages, that he had only recently reattached his severed arm after a serious injury, and that his private experiments on Wood Release had almost never ceased.

He had no motive to harm the village, but he had every motive to strike at Minato and kill him: Danzō was obsessed with becoming Hokage!

He fit every characteristic perfectly!

After listing Danzō as a prime suspect, Sarutobi Hiruzen felt his head throbbing. He frowned and said to the group:

"Everything Chen said today is classified; no one is to spread this! Chen, we will discuss this matter privately later."

"Hmph, Hiruzen, you will regret this!"

Quietly tucking the piece of wood into his sleeve, Danzō threw out a harsh threat before leaving in a hurry.

He needed to get this wood to Orochimaru immediately to see if he could uncover the secrets of Wood Release from it.

Soon, the Third ordered everyone to pack up, taking away all the ninjas the Uchiha had knocked unconscious, and they vanished into the forest.

Whether it was the Uchiha Chen who had awakened the Mangekyō or the enemy with both the Mangekyō and Wood Release, he had to carefully consider what attitude and methods to use in response.

"Let's start by investigating the Kazamatsuri Clan! They were a minor branch that split off when the Senju Clan retired, and there are several survivors from the early Wood Release experiments there."

Completely unaware that he had been misled by Uchiha Chen's truth, Sarutobi Hiruzen headed in the completely wrong direction for his investigation.

"Alright, the nuisances are gone! Hachidai, Yaku, Hiromaru, it's time for your haircut!"

By the Naka River, only the group of Uchiha remained once again.

The water was boiling, and the blades were sharp.

Under Uchiha Chen's arrangement, the three unlucky Uchiha were once again tied to the high platform.

"Brother Jie, no, please!"

"Clan Leader, spare us! Have mercy!"

The three of them wailed and begged for mercy, but how could the Uchiha, who were only there to enjoy the show, ever let them off?

"Don't worry, Hachidai! I'm great at shaving heads; I'll definitely make yours shine!"

Uchiha Setsuna dampened Hachidai's hair with hot water and chuckled, his blade beginning to shave away at Hachidai's scalp as locks of hair fell to the ground.

"My turn! My turn!"

"I'm third! How are you guys already halfway through? Forget it, I'll shave his eyebrows!"

Amidst the excited laughter of clansmen scrambling for their turn, the nearly forty-year-old Uchiha tough guy Hachidai, who wouldn't even frown at a hundred wounds, had tears welling up in his eyes, shedding tears of humiliation.

There wasn't a single Uchiha who lacked skill with a blade!

Ten minutes later, after being shaved by over a dozen people in succession, Uchiha Hachidai had turned into a smooth, polished egg, his scalp even reflecting the moonlight.

"I'm no longer pure!"

The disheveled Hachidai walked numbly to the side of the Naka River and collapsed by the water, staring at his clear reflection and unable to stop the hot tears from streaming down his face.

Without his eyebrows, his once-handsome face looked like a pervert's, and paired with his reflective bald head, he feared that if he walked down the streets of Konoha, the villagers would report him for ruining the city's appearance.

The moment he thought about his family, friends, and even strangers in the village seeing him like this, Hachidai wanted to jump straight into the water and end his shameful life.

"Sniveling like that, do you have any dignity as an Uchiha?"

Uchiha Setsuna squatted down beside Hachidai.

You're the old pervert who shaved the most!

Hachidai opened his crimson Sharingan, wishing he could glare Setsuna to death on the spot!

"Huh? Your eye power has increased?"

As a seasoned veteran of the Uchiha, Uchiha Setsuna was the first to sensitively perceive the change in Hachidai's eye power.

"Me?" Hachidai was stunned. He scanned his surroundings with his eyes and was surprised to find that his perception had indeed improved slightly.

"Brilliant!"

Uchiha Setsuna slapped his thigh, looking toward Uchiha Chen, who was surrounded by clansmen, with a face full of admiration. He spoke to Hachidai like a rapid-fire cannon:

"I knew the clan leader couldn't just be looking for a laugh; there must be a deeper meaning behind this! The evolution of the Sharingan requires emotional stimulation, but who says only pain, hatred, and anger can stimulate it?

Extreme shame and humiliation can work too! The clan leader is a damn genius!"

"Huh? Is that so?"

The furious Hachidai looked a bit dazed, but the slightly stronger eye power in his gaze seemed to remind him that this method was indeed viable.

Humiliation-based Eye Power Enhancement Method?