Nara Nobutomo gave a slight nod.
More than half of his stern face was concealed in shadow.
Perhaps because of his connection to Nara Motonari, or perhaps because his conscience weighed on him, Konoha's usually unflappable military strategist had no idea what expression he should wear when facing Director Yamada...
Yet unexpectedly, the instant Nara Nobutomo lowered his head, Soji narrowed his eyes from his hospital bed, lifting a brow as a sharp gleam flashed in his tea-brown pupils!
...Clearly, the Third Hokage's own choice regarding the "Spirit Body Transfer" issue had not exceeded Soji's control.
Or, more precisely, Director Yamada had foreseen the current situation from the moment Soji instilled in Uchiha Fugaku the idea of facilitating the Spirit Body Transfer surgery through Root and Danzo!
—To be fair, when research into the technique had first begun, Sarutobi Hiruzen had indeed considered turning a blind eye to the edges of scientific ethics, loosening the restraints on Soji and helping him save himself.
It was both a gesture of gratitude for Director Yamada's many years of service and an earnest hope that Soji would achieve even greater things in the future work of reforming entrenched abuses.
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But when Danzo got there first, intercepting it midway with the clone Bright Mirror and turning what had been a tacit secret into headline news known to all, this little drama of ruler and subject meeting at the right moment could no longer proceed as planned...
The King of Pots and Uchiha Yuan's act-first-report-later approach had objectively opened Pandora's box called "immortality," placing an almost irresistible temptation directly before everyone!
Under such circumstances, if the Hokage did not impose controls,