Taking the Blame

"Researching the transplantation of First Hokage Hashirama Senju Cells?" Uchiha Mikoto stared at her husband in shock.

She never imagined that her husband would actually want to commit such an act.

As the wife of the Uchiha Clan head, Uchiha Mikoto was no weakling herself; she was a Konoha jōnin.

She possessed a certain understanding of the things Konoha had done in the past.

Back then, in order to make the Wood Release of the First Hokage reappear in the world, Konoha had conducted large-scale human experimentation.

The experiments failed one after another, and a vast number of volunteers died as a result.

With no hope of success in sight and repeated failures, the loss of personnel became severe.

The Konoha high command had no choice but to order the termination of the experiments and seal everything away.

"Fugaku, this is too dangerous. Is there really a need to go this far?" Uchiha Mikoto said solemnly. "The chances of Minato Namikaze becoming Hokage are very high. At a time like this, is there any need for us to take such a desperate risk?"

The transplantation of Hashirama Senju Cells was strictly forbidden in Konoha; once discovered, the entire Uchiha Clan would be implicated.

At that point, it would inevitably drag the reputation of the Uchiha Clan through the mud, turning a thousand years of honor into nothing.

Hearing Uchiha Mikoto's words, a look of hesitation appeared on Uchiha Fugaku's face, and he began to struggle internally.

Just as she said, judging by the current momentum, Minato Namikaze would likely be elected as the Fourth Hokage.

Given the relationship between the Uchiha Clan and Minato Namikaze, it was obvious that the Uchiha Clan would enter the power center of the village when the time came.

Touching a Konoha taboo at such a time was certainly not a good move.

"Akira, what do you think?" Uchiha Fugaku pondered for a moment, then looked toward Uchiha Akira.

Uchiha Akira, of course, intended to push this matter forward.

To master the Chimera Technique, whether it was Hashirama Senju Cells transplantation, Biological Cloning Technology, or Targeted Organ Cloning Technology, these were all fields that required massive investment.

It was not something he could solve alone; he needed the vast financial support of the Uchiha Clan.

Uchiha Akira spoke up: "Clan Head, Mikoto-nee, I believe it is still necessary to proceed with this matter."

"State your reasons." Uchiha Fugaku nodded slowly.

Uchiha Mikoto also cast an inquisitive gaze his way.

"Clan Head, Danzo has been working very closely with Orochimaru, one of the Sannin." Uchiha Akira looked at the two of them, speaking with pointed intent. "I believe the Clan Head and Mikoto-nee both know that Orochimaru is not only a powerhouse, but he has also spearheaded many of Konoha's research projects, especially in the field of biological research."

"Danzo..." Uchiha Fugaku muttered under his breath, cold light flickering in his eyes.

It was common knowledge that Danzo and the Uchiha Clan did not get along.

As the head of the Uchiha Clan, Uchiha Fugaku was naturally no stranger to Danzo.

There had been instances where Uchiha Clan jōnin went missing, and all signs pointed to Danzo's Root being the culprit.

However, the man was a Hokage Assistant and controlled the Root, an organization with strength not inferior to the Anbu.

Therefore, without concrete evidence, the Uchiha Clan could only swallow this bitter pill.

"Are you implying that the ninja who possessed both the Mangekyō Sharingan and Wood Release was created by a collaboration between Danzo and Orochimaru?" Uchiha Fugaku said, lost in thought.

"It is highly probable." Uchiha Akira nodded, sneering. "Danzo is a man who will stop at nothing to achieve his goals. His Root is a very interesting place indeed."

Uchiha Fugaku's expression shifted, and he exclaimed, "Akira, have you actually infiltrated Danzo's Root?"

Uchiha Mikoto looked at Uchiha Akira with concern, saying, "That is too dangerous. The Root is no ordinary place."

Uchiha Akira chuckled and said, "Clan Head, Mikoto-nee, you are overthinking it. I am not that impulsive."

"That is good." Uchiha Fugaku and Uchiha Mikoto breathed a sigh of relief.

They were terrified that Uchiha Akira would lose sight of his own weight, let his blood run hot, and charge into the Root.

"Why do you say the Root is interesting? What are Danzo and Orochimaru doing? And how do you know all this?" Uchiha Fugaku looked at Uchiha Akira with suspicion.

Seeing their skeptical gazes, Uchiha Akira smiled, then took out a scroll and placed it before them.

Poof.

Accompanied by a burst of white smoke, a pale green glass bottle filled with solution appeared before them.

Uchiha Fugaku looked at the object in the bottle and said in surprise, "An intact Byakugan!?"

"Akira, how do you have a Byakugan?" Uchiha Mikoto's beautiful eyes widened.

In the Shinobi World, obtaining a complete Byakugan was even more difficult than obtaining a Sharingan.

Because of the Hyuga Clan's Caged Bird Seal, obtaining a Byakugan had become an extremely difficult task.

The Byakugan of a Hyuga Branch Family member would automatically be destroyed upon death, and the Hyuga Main Family rarely stepped onto the battlefield.

"Was that the Byakugan lost by the Hyuga on the battlefield intercepted by you?" After a brief moment of confusion, Uchiha Fugaku suddenly recalled the incident.

"That's right." Uchiha Akira nodded and said, "I was lucky at the time. I discovered Kirigakure ninjas while tracking, and this Byakugan was an unexpected harvest."

"So that's how it was." Uchiha Mikoto realized.

As a jōnin, Uchiha Mikoto had also participated in that war.

"So, you saw it using this Byakugan?" Uchiha Fugaku nodded slowly, feeling he understood everything.

Uchiha Akira certainly did not use the Byakugan to truly observe the Root; after all, it was impossible for Uchiha Fugaku to actually suggest transplanting a Byakugan to conduct real surveillance on the Root.

He did this entirely to increase the credibility of his words and to help Uchiha Fugaku make up his mind.

Uchiha Mikoto looked at Uchiha Akira with a solemn expression and asked, "Akira, what exactly did you see?"

"Danzo and Orochimaru are secretly conducting Wood Release transplant experiments, human cloning experiments, and Targeted Cloning experiments on organs," Uchiha Akira replied.

Upon hearing Uchiha Akira's words, Uchiha Fugaku's face immediately darkened.

For the Uchiha Clan, this was certainly not good news.

Danzo, the Hokage Assistant, wielded power through the Root that was no less than the Hokage's Anbu.

Orochimaru, the Hokage's prized student and one of the Sannin, held a prestigious reputation in Konoha with numerous followers.

Both were high-ranking figures in the village, and one could only imagine what a massive force they would be if they joined together.

More importantly, was the research they were conducting authorized by the Hokage?

The Wood Release transplant and human cloning experiments were one thing, but Uchiha Fugaku knew exactly what they were aiming for with the Targeted Cloning experiments.

It was nothing more than setting their sights on Kekkei Genkai of the ocular variety, such as the Sharingan and the Byakugan.

Watching the grim-faced Uchiha Fugaku, Uchiha Akira decided to add fuel to the fire. He said in a deep voice, "Clan Head, Danzo has transplanted a Sharingan."

"What?" Uchiha Fugaku flew into a rage, his scarlet Sharingan manifesting involuntarily.

"I am going to find the Third right now!" Uchiha Fugaku said, preparing to leave the Shrine.

"Clan Head, is the Hokage really unaware of this matter?" Uchiha Akira's words forced Uchiha Fugaku to regain his composure.

Whether Sarutobi Hiruzen himself knew was not important; what mattered was that, in Uchiha Fugaku's eyes, Sarutobi Hiruzen was a knowing participant.

Uchiha Fugaku gritted his teeth and growled, "How... how could they dare..."