New Research Project

"Judging by his refusal to show his true face, I don't believe he is the real Uchiha Madara." Uchiha Akira wore a thoughtful expression as he said, "However, that man must have awakened the Mangekyō Sharingan. He certainly has some connection to Uchiha Madara, and it is even possible that he is one of his successors."

"How is his strength?" Sarutobi Hiruzen pressed.

"Based on our brief exchange, his mastery of Fire Style is extremely high, and his neural reaction speed is incredibly fast. He is by no means an ordinary ninja." As he spoke, Uchiha Akira looked toward Minato Namikaze and added, "Furthermore, he possesses space-time ninjutsu similar to yours, Jonin Minato, and his proficiency may not be low."

"This is troublesome... space-time ninjutsu..." Sarutobi Hiruzen felt the veins on his forehead throbbing; his blood pressure was already rising.

For an enemy possessing space-time ninjutsu, many tactical arrangements would be rendered ineffective.

The reason Minato Namikaze was so renowned was inextricably linked to the Flying Thunder God.

If an enemy with such space-time ninjutsu wanted to leave, no one could intercept them.

There was no sealing barrier in the ninja world capable of countering space-time ninjutsu!

Utatane Koharu looked at Sarutobi Hiruzen and asked in a deep voice, "Hiruzen, what should we do?"

Sarutobi Hiruzen shook his head; he had no ideas for the time being.

Gathering experts to launch a full-scale assault on the Land of Rain was certainly not feasible.

They didn't even know where the Akatsuki headquarters or their base of operations was located; going in would only alert the enemy.

That was the enemy's territory. If Akatsuki sensed something amiss and hid even deeper underground, that would be even more troublesome.

After pondering for a long time, Sarutobi Hiruzen realized with a start that Konoha had no way to deal with the opposition.

Sarutobi Hiruzen looked at everyone present and asked in a low voice, "Do the Jonin have any thoughts?"

The Jonin present looked at one another, but after exchanging glances, no one spoke.

An enemy with space-time ninjutsu was not so easily dealt with.

If they had found the enemy's base, it would be one thing—they could attempt a surprise attack, and if they could separate the two, there might be a chance to take down the ninja with the Rinnegan.

However, since they didn't even know where the enemy's base was, such a plan was out of the question.

This meeting was destined to be fruitless, and no results could be negotiated.

At the end of the meeting, Sarutobi Hiruzen could only instruct the ninja clans present to pay close attention to the movements around Konoha, increase vigilance, and have the Uchiha Clan strengthen their patrols of the village.

As for Jiraiya, he was temporarily grounded by Sarutobi Hiruzen and forbidden from leaving.

How long this would last depended entirely on Sarutobi Hiruzen's judgment.

In any case, Konoha didn't need Jiraiya right now, and grounding him was also a way to protect him, preventing him from acting on impulse and throwing his life away in the Land of Rain.

Uchiha Akira did not return to the Uchiha Clan's compound immediately; he first went to the Shentian Bio research base.

He had a private laboratory here used to store items he had acquired, such as the severed tail of the Six-Tails and the husk of the Ten-Tails he had obtained in the Land of Rain.

Only he had access to this laboratory; no one else had the authorization.

Looking at the God Tree Sprout—the massive withered branch formed from the flesh of the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path—Uchiha Akira stroked his chin, a thoughtful look flashing 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 onto a half-meter-long piece of the withered flesh.

Then, Uchiha Akira opened his scarlet Sharingan, staring intently at them.

A moment later, Uchiha Akira's expression shifted, and he muttered to himself, "The withered branch formed from the flesh of the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path truly possesses the instinct to absorb Tailed Beast chakra."

Within the vision of his Sharingan, he could clearly see the Six-Tails flesh placed on the withered branch being pulled as if by an invisible vortex.

At the point of contact, the Six-Tails flesh was constantly transforming into chakra and invading the withered branch.

Half an hour passed, and the fist-sized piece of Six-Tails flesh vanished completely, as if it had never existed.

The withered branch showed no change, appearing no different from the common dead branches found in a forest.

"What would happen if these pieces of the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path devoured the chakra of all nine Tailed Beasts? Would I obtain the flesh of a truly resurrected Ten-Tails? Could I indirectly obtain the Six Paths power of the Ten-Tails?"

Uchiha Akira stroked his chin, feeling that this endeavor was highly promising and well worth a try.

He didn't count on cultivating a God Tree from this small piece of the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path; if it were a tree in the true sense, he might have had some expectations.

But while this thing was called a God Tree, it was actually a living entity, not a tree in the normal sense.

Being able to obtain the Six Paths power through this method would be a massive surprise for him.

At worst, he could emulate Ginkaku and Kinkaku, consuming the Ten-Tails flesh directly to become a pseudo-Ten-Tails Jinchuriki!

A pseudo-Ten-Tails Jinchuriki would also possess a portion of the power of a Ten-Tails Jinchuriki, existing as a wielder of the Six Paths power.

Their strength and the essence of their life would be on a different dimension from ordinary ninjas.

With this thought in mind, Uchiha Akira took the half-meter-long piece of the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path out of his office and summoned Yakushi Nonō, who was busy in the laboratory.

Although Uchiha Akira didn't hold much hope for re-cultivating a God Tree from the flesh of the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path, what if?

If they actually managed to research something, wouldn't that be great?

Even if they couldn't cultivate a God Tree, producing some secondary products would be good enough.

Uchiha Akira had never underestimated the power of the collective.

"Jonin Ming, is there something you need?" Yakushi Nonō asked, looking at Uchiha Akira, who was holding a withered branch, her expression puzzled as she adjusted her white lab coat.

Uchiha Akira didn't state his business immediately, instead asking, "Have you been keeping up with the workload lately?"

"It's fine. This level of workload is nothing compared to my time as a spy; at least I still have time to go back and look after the children," Yakushi Nonō said with a gentle smile.

"That's good." Uchiha Akira nodded and said, "When you have time, form a new working group to study the properties of this branch. You must research it thoroughly from the inside out, with the ultimate goal of making it sprout and grow again."

Yakushi Nonō took the branch from Uchiha Akira's arms, examined it carefully for a few moments, and nodded solemnly:

"I will establish a new research group to investigate it immediately, though I cannot say for certain when we will uncover its properties."

Judging by Uchiha Akira's words, this was certainly no ordinary branch, and it might not even be a branch at all.

Therefore, Yakushi Nonō chose to be cautious and would not make any easy promises.

"I understand." Uchiha Akira nodded and said, "Just focus on your research. If you lack manpower, go directly to Personnel and have them continue hiring."

"I understand. Rest assured, Ming-jonin, the research progress will certainly not be delayed due to a lack of personnel," Yakushi Nonō said earnestly.