Should Shisui Become a Rogue Ninja?

Uchiha Gin replied.

Unless the Otsutsuki attacked, he had nothing to fear.

"You're certainly confident."

Orochimaru remarked, but his hands never stopped moving.

He had acquired quite a few Uchiha genes, and was now trying to combine them with First Hokage Cells of different grades, matching each one to a different level of strength.

Compared with Orochimaru's previous research, the success rate was frighteningly high.

But the failure rate was still very high.

After all, almost none of Orochimaru's previous research had succeeded. Yamato was one success, and Danzo was half a success.

"Everything comes down to strength."

"And for the world we hope to build in the future, a more united Konoha would be preferable. Otherwise, the Uchiha were now perfectly capable of staging a coup."

Uchiha Gin explained.

Considering everything, it would still be best to wait until he had his Six-Item Build and then finish things in one go, with the least possible cost.

As long as the Uchiha's core interests weren't touched, Uchiha Gin didn't think it was a big deal. But he couldn't accept Danzo's assassination attempt this time.

He had thought there might be a peaceful transition, but after this, that was basically impossible. A coup was the only option.

"What will you do once your strength reaches Uchiha Madara's level?"

Orochimaru didn't argue. He simply continued asking questions.

The test subject in his hands had failed. Combined with Itachi's experimental records, he could now conclude that the stronger an Uchiha's Sharingan was when they awakened it, the greater their chances of successfully integrating First Hokage Cells.

Almost none of the Three-Tomoe Sharingan users showed any signs of rejection.

He believed that after so many generations, the Uchiha Clan's bloodline had become diluted, mixing with too many other genes.

Only Uchiha who had awakened their Sharingan and activated their more ancient genes were best suited to integrating First Hokage Cells.

This also confirmed that the Uchiha Clan's ancestors had possessed something remarkable in their genes. If he could thoroughly understand First Hokage Cells and the Uchiha, he would surely make a major discovery.

Unfortunately, he didn't have Uchiha Madara's genetic information. At the moment, Uchiha Gin seemed to be the only suitable candidate, but Gin hadn't given him his own genetic information.

Instead, he had given him another sample to study: blood and skin cells that supposedly came from a Mangekyō Sharingan user.

Itachi had easily gotten them from his father.

"Uchiha Madara's strength is only the beginning."

Uchiha Gin didn't say more, lest Orochimaru get too many ideas and cause trouble.

Orochimaru wasn't in a hurry. He knew that the deeper his research went, the more Uchiha Gin would tell him.

Science and technology were the core of all power!

Uchiha Itachi stayed silent nearby, quietly going about his work. He felt a sense of urgency.

The conflict between the clan and the village had grown worse. Having been raised on the Will of Fire, he found it difficult to accept the hostility between them.

But after learning more, he understood that it seemed only one side could prevail. And the choice that would result in the fewest deaths seemed to be the one Captain Gin had made.

Itachi was still self-aware enough to understand what it meant to be an Uchiha. Since he knew this wouldn't lead to a major battle, Uchiha Gin's approach was the most suitable.

That was why he was working so hard on his research. With enough strength, he could prevent a lot of trouble. For now, the best way he could help his clan was by doing his research well.

"Do you need my help with anything next?"

Orochimaru asked.

"Just carry out your usual Root Organization missions and provide some intelligence."

"The Uchiha still have to bear the pressure in the open. You can't afford to completely fall out with the Third Hokage right now. Your legitimate title as a Hokage disciple still has its uses."

Uchiha Gin replied.

Orochimaru nodded and didn't ask anything else.

Knowing that his ally had the confidence to back up his plans was enough. Then he asked Uchiha Gin for human test subjects.

They had collected enough results from the cell experiments. Next came the following stage.

Uchiha Gin would prepare three members of the clan with Three-Tomoe Sharingan. Once he had confirmed their loyalty, he would let them decide for themselves. He would also have Orochimaru experiment on their genetic cells.

The success rate for integrating First Hokage Cells had to reach at least 95 percent.

First Hokage Cells were simply too powerful. They could easily take over the host. The First Hokage Cells Orochimaru had now were much less stable than the White Zetsu produced by the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path.

White Zetsu were actually more stable. It was uncertain whether Uchiha Madara had created them by integrating First Hokage Cells, but the main reason was that White Zetsu contained information from the God Tree.

After all, they were connected to the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path. Uchiha Gin believed that was the key. It enabled even Obito, who had only two tomoe, to adapt. The Six Paths Sage, Otsutsuki Hagoromo, and Hamura had both been created by Kaguya using the God Tree [manga setting].

Orochimaru thought the requirements were troublesome, but he didn't refuse.

The following evening, on Konoha Commercial Street.

The events of the previous day hadn't had any negative effect on ordinary residents' attitudes toward the Uchiha in the village.

That was because Danzo, the rumor mill, was gone.

And that day, an Uchiha restaurant had opened on the commercial street.

Uchiha Gin and Shisui came by after work.

That day, Sarutobi Hiruzen had questioned Shisui at length about the Uchiha's recent plans. But Shisui had only learned about the previous day's events afterward.

When he found out what Danzo had done, Shisui was deeply shaken. He couldn't understand why the Uchiha Clan had been treated so unfairly.

His heart was bitter.

He felt that recent developments had only deepened the rift between the village and the clan.

"Eat. Why are you spacing out?"

"This is a superb dish, made perfect through careful observation with the Sharingan. And we have a lot of customers today, so even if it tastes bad, you have to pretend it's delicious."

Uchiha Gin said to the distracted Shisui.

After all, there were plenty of ordinary people in the clan, as well as those with only modest potential.

Opening ordinary businesses to give clan members more options was a good thing.

The idea for this shop had come to him after he saw a short video of Uchiha Itachi using his Mangekyō to make a fried egg. He asked around the clan, and sure enough, there were people who loved food and were willing to put in the effort. Still, he gave priority to those with less strength. Three-Tomoe users weren't qualified to work as chefs.

To cook at this restaurant, one needed to awaken the Sharingan, carefully observe every detail of the ingredients, and prepare them perfectly. The Sharingan left nothing hidden—not the heat, the knife work, the stir-frying, or anything else.

Uchiha Gin also introduced some cooking methods from his previous life. The restaurant's menu was extremely diverse, and the Sharingan's ability to copy meant they could reproduce each dish perfectly again and again.

But aside from the Uchiha, most of the people who came to the restaurant that day were probably there to investigate the clan. Uchiha Gin didn't care. The restaurant wouldn't lose much money anyway.

"Uh, okay!"

Only then did Shisui snap out of it.

When he took a bite of the ice cream in front of him, his eyes widened in shock.

"What is this?"

Shisui exclaimed.

"Molecular Ice Cream. It's a sophisticated ice cream that perfectly combines milk and sugar, with evenly distributed strawberry pieces."

Uchiha Gin took a bite too and closed his eyes to savor it.

Good food really could relieve stress.

The other customers nearby also cried out in surprise after tasting it.

Clearly, the food at this restaurant was far beyond anything they had expected.

Chapter 32: Should Shisui Become a Rogue Ninja?

By the time they left the Uchiha Restaurant, it was completely dark.

The two of them walked from the commercial street back to the Uchiha district.

"Gin, after this incident with Danzo, the Uchiha's situation in the village will probably become even more difficult, won't it?"

Once they were somewhere no one else was around, Shisui finally spoke up.

He felt his view of the situation was too narrow to see the whole picture. He thought Uchiha Gin would be able to give him an answer.

"No. Things will be better than before."

Uchiha Gin shook his head and answered.

But Shisui didn't understand.

"Under the clan leader's leadership, the Uchiha had been weak in the past. That weakness had made many clan members grow resentful, while the village had looked down on them. That was why Danzo had targeted the Uchiha more and more aggressively, thinking they wouldn't fight back."

"But now, the Uchiha have me, a Mangekyō Sharingan user, in plain sight, which has raised the clan's morale. And this time, forcing Danzo to flee and making the Third Hokage declare him a rogue ninja was the result of the Uchiha working together."

"It proved that the Uchiha have limits, and can't be targeted with impunity."

"So the Third Hokage won't openly target the Uchiha anymore. Instead, he'll show goodwill. But behind the scenes, he'll likely use even more underhanded methods to leave the Uchiha with no way to complain. The next time he moves against the Uchiha, he'll definitely go all out and make sure to wipe out the clan."

Uchiha Gin explained the situation to Shisui.

This was a situation the heads of the major clans could all see clearly.

The conflict between the Uchiha and the Konoha High Command would move from the open into the shadows, and the struggle would become even more intense.

"Is there really no way to stop the conflict between them...?"

After a moment of silence, Shisui asked.

"How many members of the Senju Clan can you still see in the village?"

"Even though the Senju Clan didn't die out in internal conflict within the village, most of them died on the battlefield under the Third Hokage."

"As Hokage, he couldn't have been unaware of the Senju Clan's situation. Even the clan leader, Tsunade, left the village. How long do you think the Third Hokage will tolerate the Uchiha?"

Uchiha Gin brought up the Senju Clan as another example.

Shisui felt conflicted after hearing this. No matter how he looked at it, the Senju Clan's fate was right there before him.

The Senju Clan had devoted itself to Konoha, while the Uchiha and the Konoha High Command were enemies.

Compared side by side, the outcome was obvious.

"Gin, my Mangekyō technique is called Kotoamatsukami. It can alter another person's will, controlling the target without them even realizing it."

"If I used Kotoamatsukami on the Third Hokage and made him stop being hostile to the Uchiha, could we achieve peace?"

This time, Shisui told Uchiha Gin his trump card directly.

He had always thought it was more of the clan's members who resented the village. But now it seemed that this resentment had actually been caused by the Konoha High Command.

Given the situation, he thought using it on the Third Hokage would be most effective. He hadn't considered this before because the Hokage was responsible for every aspect of the entire village's affairs.

So at first, he had only thought of using it on the clan leader to make him stop the clan's infighting. But now it seemed that even changing the clan leader's will wouldn't stop the clan members' anger.

"Explain exactly what this technique can do."

Uchiha Gin said.

He had some idea, but in the story, Shisui's Mangekyō had been used twice: once by Danzo and once by Itachi through a summoned crow.

If it worked like Danzo's version, the technique wouldn't be very useful. If the target suddenly changed his behavior, the other two Hokage Assistants would surely notice.

Itachi's version was also full of uncertainties.

That Kotoamatsukami had been planted by Itachi long ago. It was called "Protect Konoha," and was intended to stop Sasuke from attacking Konoha after learning the truth.

But in the end, the technique was used on Itachi and changed his will, taking control away from Yakushi Kabuto.

In the story, when Itachi learned that Sasuke planned to attack Konoha, he didn't strike at Sasuke. Clearly, that Kotoamatsukami to protect Konoha wasn't really as simple as it sounded. It might have included Itachi's own subconscious thoughts, placing the protection of Sasuke first, followed by the protection of Konoha.

Because of that uncertainty, Uchiha Gin hadn't explained much to Shisui. Besides, Shisui was too young; he was far less practiced at this sort of thing than Fugaku and Orochimaru.

"The details of the technique are..."