Research Progress

"Aburame Shigang, Special Jonin, specializes in the Aburame Clan's secret Insect Manipulation Jutsu; Hyuga Kaoru, Special Jonin, from the Hyuga Branch Family, specializes in the Gentle Fist; Yamanaka Shigeyoshi, Special Jonin, specializes in the Yamanaka Clan's secret Mind Transfer Jutsu and possesses sensory capabilities!"

After Sarutobi Hiruzen finished introducing Uchiha Akira's three teammates, he looked at Uchiha Akira: "These three are all highly capable ninja, more than enough to handle this mission."

Uchiha Akira nodded. Judging by their resumes, they were indeed qualified; all were at the Special Jonin level, so their strength would not be lacking.

Ordinary Anbu were only Chunin, and it was the elites among the Anbu who were Jonin.

When he had first returned to Konoha, his own ninja rank had only been Chunin.

Of course, Uchiha Akira had long since been promoted to Jonin.

At that moment, a flurry of footsteps approached, and three people entered the Hokage's office one after another.

One wore a hooded black trench coat and dark sunglasses, projecting an "approach at your own risk" aura and exuding a cold chill.

One wore a white kimono, with black hair and white eyes; she was stunningly beautiful, her expression indifferent, appearing to be about sixteen or seventeen years old.

The last person wore a standard Jonin flak jacket, had orange hair, and was in his twenties, looking quite serious.

"Lord Hokage." Upon entering, the three spoke almost in unison.

"I have summoned you here because there is a difficult mission for you!" Sarutobi Hiruzen looked at the three with a grave expression: "An organization called Akatsuki has appeared in the Land of Rain, and this organization..."

Sarutobi Hiruzen briefly described the objective of the mission and then continued:

"This is Uchiha Akira, your team leader for this mission. I will hand the specific details of the mission to him, and you can discuss them further on the road."

Hearing Sarutobi Hiruzen's words, the three turned to look at Uchiha Akira, each reacting differently.

Aburame Shigang and Hyuga Kaoru remained expressionless, as if nothing could stir their inner calm.

A flicker of surprise crossed Yamanaka Shigeyoshi's eyes. Uchiha Akira was no longer a minor figure; his name was known across the Five Great Nations, and he was especially renowned within Konoha.

Seeing that Uchiha Akira was the leader, he knew this mission was bound to be dangerous.

"Yes! Lord Hokage!" The three replied respectfully.

"Good." Sarutobi Hiruzen nodded and said: "Go back and prepare. Your mission officially begins tomorrow."

After acknowledging the order, the group left the Hokage's office.

Returning to the Uchiha Clan compound, Uchiha Akira immediately summoned the Ninja Cat and asked them to notify Nekomata, requesting her to prepare some ninja tools and Explosive Tags for him.

Afterward, Uchiha Akira went to the residence of Uchiha Fugaku to explain the situation regarding the mission.

For a mission of this caliber, it was necessary to report to Uchiha Fugaku in his capacity as clan head.

Uchiha Fugaku looked at Uchiha Akira solemnly and cautioned: "The target of your investigation is someone capable of defeating Hanzo. You must be careful this time."

"I know." Uchiha Akira nodded.

Although his strength was formidable and he did not fear a Tailed Beast, he dared not claim he could handle Nagato as he was now.

Since Nagato had already defeated Hanzo, it meant he had at least created the Deva Path Pain and mastered the Six Paths of Pain Technique and Yin-Yang Release.

Nagato's strength might not be as overwhelming as it would be when he eventually attacked Konoha, but Uchiha Akira did not have absolute confidence in taking him down.

If an opportunity arose, Uchiha Akira would naturally not let the chance to capture him slip by.

The Land of Rain was plagued by constant downpours, which gave Uchiha Akira a geographical advantage.

"In any case, be careful. Danzo spent several months in the Land of Rain, and there is no telling what kind of traps he might have laid there." Uchiha Fugaku warned again.

"I will be extra cautious on this mission, Clan Head, please rest assured." Uchiha Akira nodded.

He then continued: "Clan Head, while I am on this mission, I would like to entrust you with keeping an eye on the progress of Shentian Bio. They should be close to achieving results."

Uchiha Akira had been the one tracking the affairs of Shentian Bio, while Uchiha Fugaku was primarily responsible for the internal affairs of the Uchiha Clan.

Hearing Uchiha Akira's words, a hint of joy appeared on Uchiha Fugaku's face: "Are we close to a breakthrough?"

"Yakushi Nonō is more capable than I imagined. Under her leadership, Cloning Technology has overcome several major hurdles. In a few months at most, we should be able to begin experiments," Uchiha Akira said in a low voice.

Uchiha Fugaku laughed: "It seems we really found a treasure. Yakushi Nonō is truly a talent."

"That goes without saying." Uchiha Akira nodded, then added: "However, we must also be wary of that dog Danzo. Pay more attention to Yakushi Nonō's Orphanage. She cares deeply for that place, and I fear Danzo might use underhanded tactics to force her back into the Root."

"I will keep an eye on that," Uchiha Fugaku nodded. "I will have people stationed at the Orphanage to ensure its safety."

Uchiha Fugaku placed great importance on Yakushi Nonō once she began producing results.

Even if she did not handle the Hashirama Senju Cells transplantation herself, cloning and Targeted Cloning were of immense significance to the Uchiha Clan.

Especially Targeted Cloning; if that could be mastered, he would no longer have to worry about the blindness caused by the Mangekyō Sharingan.

"Has there been any progress on the Hashirama Senju Cells transplantation?" Uchiha Fugaku asked.

This was also a matter he cared about deeply; the combination of Wood Release and the Sharingan was a very tempting prospect.

"No progress yet. We are still exploring. Every single animal experiment has failed without exception," Uchiha Akira shook his head.

"As expected of the God of Shinobi, the First Hokage. Even the power left behind after his death is so potent that transplanting the cells of others is usually fine..." Uchiha Fugaku sighed.

Indeed, as he said, in the Shinobi World, those with chakra could generally transplant the cells or even organs of others without major issues.

Kakashi and the Kirigakure Special Jonin Ao from the original records were prime examples; one had transplanted a Sharingan, the other a Byakugan, and both had mastered them quite well.

It was nothing like transplanting Hashirama Senju Cells, which carried a 99.99% chance of sudden death.

It can only be said that Hashirama Senju Cells are extremely unique, and Wood Release may merely be one of the characteristics they manifest.

Skipping over the matter of the Hashirama Senju Cells transplant, Uchiha Akira asked, "When does the Third intend to abdicate? The situation is clear now, isn't it? Orochimaru is no match for the Yellow Flash at all, and the majority of the village's Jonin support the Yellow Flash."

Uchiha Fugaku pondered for a moment before waving his hand, saying, "The Third hasn't released an exact date for his abdication yet, but it will likely happen within the next month or two. At this point, all that's missing is a trip to the Daimyo."

"Do you intend to deal with Danzo after the Third abdicates and Minato takes office?" Uchiha Fugaku asked.

"That is the plan," Uchiha Akira admitted candidly.