"From the fact that he doesn't dare show his true face, I don't think he's the real Uchiha Madara." Uchiha Akira looked thoughtful. "Still, that man must have awakened the Mangekyō Sharingan. He definitely has some connection to Uchiha Madara. He might even be one of his successors."
"How strong is he?" Sarutobi Hiruzen pressed.
"From our brief exchange, his Fire Style is exceptionally skilled, and his reflexes are incredibly fast. He's definitely no ordinary ninja." Uchiha Akira looked at Minato Namikaze. "He also has Space-Time Ninjutsu similar to Jonin Minato's, and he may be quite skilled with it."
"This is trouble... Space-Time Ninjutsu..." Sarutobi Hiruzen felt the veins in his forehead throbbing. His blood pressure was already rising.
Against an enemy with Space-Time Ninjutsu, many plans wouldn't work.
Minato Namikaze owed much of his fame to the Flying Thunder God Technique.
An enemy with Space-Time Ninjutsu could escape whenever he wanted. There was no way to stop him.
There were no sealing barriers in the Shinobi World capable of countering Space-Time Ninjutsu!
Utatane Koharu looked at Sarutobi Hiruzen and asked gravely, "Hiruzen, what are we going to do?"
Sarutobi Hiruzen shook his head. He had no idea what to do, at least not for the moment.
Gathering experts and launching a full-scale assault on the Land of Rain was out of the question.
They didn't even know where Akatsuki's headquarters or base was. Going in would only alert them.
That was their territory. If Akatsuki caught wind of anything and simply hid deeper underground, they'd be in even more trouble.
After thinking for quite a while, Sarutobi Hiruzen finally realized that Konoha had no good way to deal with them.
Sarutobi Hiruzen looked around at everyone present and asked solemnly, "Do any of you Jonin have any ideas?"
The Jonin looked at one another. After exchanging glances, no one spoke.
An enemy with Space-Time Ninjutsu was no easy opponent.
If they found the enemy's base, they could at least try launching a surprise attack. If they managed to separate the two, they might have a chance to take down the ninja with the Rinnegan.
But they didn't even know where the enemy's base was. There was no way to carry out such a plan.
The meeting was doomed to end without answers. They couldn't come up with anything.
At the end of the meeting, all Sarutobi Hiruzen could do was instruct the clans present to keep a close eye on activity around Konoha, remain vigilant, and have the Uchiha Clan increase its patrols around the village.
As for Jiraiya, Sarutobi Hiruzen temporarily placed him under house arrest and forbade him from leaving.
How long it would last depended entirely on Sarutobi Hiruzen.
Konoha had no use for Jiraiya right now. The house arrest was also for his own protection, so he wouldn't let his emotions get the better of him and charge into the Land of Rain to die for nothing.
Uchiha Akira didn't return to the Uchiha Clan compound right away. First, he went to the Shentian Bio research facility.
He had a private laboratory there, where he kept some of the things he had acquired, such as Six-Tails' severed tail and the Ten-Tails' body remains he had obtained in the Land of Rain.
Only he could enter this laboratory. No one else had permission.
Looking at the God Tree Sprout on the table and the huge withered branch made from the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path's flesh, Uchiha Akira stroked his chin. A thoughtful look flickered in his eyes.
After thinking for a while, he cut a fist-sized piece of Six-Tails' flesh from a nearby container and placed it on a withered branch of flesh, half a meter long.
Then Uchiha Akira opened his scarlet Sharingan and fixed his gaze on them.
A moment later, Uchiha Akira's expression shifted. He murmured, "As expected, the withered branches made from the Demonic Statue's flesh have an instinct to absorb the tailed beasts' chakra."
Through his Sharingan, he could clearly see the piece of Six-Tails' flesh on the branch being pulled as if by an invisible whirlpool.
At the point where they touched, the Six-Tails' flesh kept turning into chakra and seeping into the branch.
Half an hour later, the fist-sized piece of Six-Tails' flesh had vanished completely, as if it had never existed.
The branch made from the Demonic Statue's flesh hadn't changed at all. It was indistinguishable from the dead branches and twigs commonly found in the forest.
"What would happen if these pieces of the Demonic Statue's flesh absorbed the chakra of all Nine Tailed Beasts? Could they become the flesh of a truly resurrected Ten-Tails? Could I indirectly obtain the Ten-Tails' Six Paths Power?"
Uchiha Akira stroked his chin. He thought the idea had great potential and was definitely worth trying.
He didn't expect to cultivate another God Tree from this small piece of the Demonic Statue's flesh. If it were a real tree, there might be some hope.
But though it was called a God Tree, it was actually alive, not an ordinary tree.
Even obtaining Six Paths Power through this method would be an incredible surprise.
At worst, he could imitate Kinkaku and Ginkaku and swallow the Ten-Tails' flesh whole, becoming a pseudo-Ten-Tails Jinchuriki!
A pseudo-Ten-Tails Jinchuriki would still possess some of the power of a true Ten-Tails Jinchuriki, including Six Paths Power.
Their strength and very nature would be on a different level from those of ordinary ninja.
After turning the idea over in his mind, Uchiha Akira carried a half-meter-long withered branch made from the Demonic Statue's flesh out of his office and went to find Yakushi Nonō, who was busy in the laboratory.
Although Uchiha Akira didn't expect to grow another God Tree from the Demonic Statue's flesh, what if they could?
Wouldn't it be great if the research actually uncovered something?
Even if they couldn't grow a God Tree, creating some lesser products would still be worthwhile.
Uchiha Akira had never underestimated the power of a group working together.
"Jonin Akira, what can I do for you?" Yakushi Nonō asked, puzzled as she looked at Uchiha Akira holding a withered branch. She was wearing a white lab coat.
Uchiha Akira didn't tell her what he wanted right away. Instead, he asked, "Have you been managing all right with the workload lately?"
"It's been fine. The workload isn't much compared to when I was a spy. At least I still have time to go home and look after the children." Yakushi Nonō smiled warmly.
"Good." Uchiha Akira nodded. "When you have time, put together a new research team to study the properties of this branch. Examine it thoroughly, inside and out. The ultimate goal is to make it sprout and grow again."
Yakushi Nonō took the branch from Uchiha Akira and examined it closely before nodding solemnly.
"I'll set up a new research team right away. But I can't say how long it'll take to discover its properties."
From Uchiha Akira's description, the branch was clearly no ordinary branch. It might not even be a branch at all.
So Yakushi Nonō chose to be cautious and made no promises lightly.
"I understand." Uchiha Akira nodded. "Just focus on the research. If you need more people, go straight to Human Resources and have them keep recruiting."
"I understand. You can rest assured, Jonin Akira. A shortage of researchers definitely won't slow down our progress." Yakushi Nonō said solemnly.
Before you continue