I Choose Orochimaru as Hokage, Ten Years to Reach the Moon Chapter 22

Uchiha Gin replied.

Unless Otsutsuki Hagoromo himself were to descend, he had nothing to fear.

"You certainly are confident."

Orochimaru sighed.

However, his hands did not slow down.

Having acquired a significant amount of Uchiha genetic material, he was currently attempting to fuse it with First Hokage Cells of varying grades, categorized by strength levels.

The success rate was shockingly high compared to the research Orochimaru had conducted in the past.

Yet, in reality, the failure rate remained quite high.

After all, among the research Orochimaru had previously conducted, almost nothing had succeeded; Yamato counted as one, and Danzo as half a success.

"Everything comes down to strength."

"Besides, for the sake of the world we hope to see, a more intact Konoha is preferable. Otherwise, the Uchiha Clan currently has the full capability to launch a coup d'état."

Uchiha Gin stated.

Considering various factors, it was best to wait until he achieved his Six-Item Build to minimize the cost of a single decisive strike.

As long as the core interests of the Uchiha Clan were not touched, Uchiha Gin considered things manageable, but Danzo's recent attempt at assassination was something Uchiha Gin could not accept.

He had originally hoped for a peaceful transition, but after this incident, that was essentially impossible; only a coup remained.

"What will you do once your strength reaches the level of Uchiha Madara?"

Orochimaru did not refute him and continued to ask.

The experimental subject in his hand had failed, but combined with the experimental records of Itachi, he could basically conclude that the stronger the Tomoe of the Mangekyō Sharingan, the higher the success rate of fusing with First Hokage Cells.

Three Tomoe Sharingan users almost never showed signs of rejection.

He believed that after so many years of reproduction, the bloodline of the Uchiha Clan had become diluted, having fused with too many other genes.

Only those Uchiha who had awakened the Sharingan and activated their more primitive genes were the best candidates for fusing with First Hokage Cells.

This confirmed to him that the ancestral genes of the Uchiha Clan indeed held something special; if he could thoroughly research the First Hokage Cells and the situation of the Uchiha, he would surely gain much.

Unfortunately, he lacked the genetic information of Uchiha Madara. At present, the most suitable candidate seemed to be Uchiha Gin, but Uchiha Gin had not provided his own genetic information.

However, he had provided another sample, claiming it was blood and skin cells from a Mangekyō Sharingan user.

Itachi had easily obtained this from his father.

"Uchiha Madara's strength is merely a starting point."

Uchiha Gin did not elaborate further, lest Orochimaru let his imagination run wild and stir up other issues.

Orochimaru was not in a hurry; he knew that the deeper his research went, the more Uchiha Gin would tell him.

Scientific technology was the most core power!

Beside them, Uchiha Itachi remained silent, silently performing his work, though he felt a sense of urgency.

The conflict between the clan and the village was intensifying. Having been raised on the Will of Fire, he found the hostility between his family and the village difficult to accept.

However, after learning more, he understood that there could only be one winner, and the path chosen by Captain Gin seemed to be the one that would result in the fewest deaths.

After all, Itachi still possessed the self-awareness of an Uchiha, so knowing that a full-scale war would not be ignited, Uchiha Gin's method was the most appropriate.

Thus, he studied very diligently now; as long as he possessed sufficient strength, many troubles could be avoided. For now, the only way he could help his clan was to perform his research well.

"Do you need my help next?"

Orochimaru asked.

"Just complete your daily tasks for Root and provide intelligence."

"The pressure from the front must still be borne by the Uchiha. It is not suitable for you to completely break with the Third Hokage yet; the legitimacy of being a student of the Hokage still carries weight."

Uchiha Gin said.

Orochimaru nodded and asked no more.

Knowing his ally had the confidence was enough. He then requested human subjects from Uchiha Gin for experimentation.

The data collection from the cell experiments was nearly complete, and it was time for the next phase.

Uchiha Gin would prepare three clansmen with Three Tomoe Sharingan. After ensuring their loyalty, he would let them decide for themselves, while requiring Orochimaru to use their genetic cells for the experiment.

The fusion with First Hokage Cells required a success rate of over 95 percent.

After all, the First Hokage Cells were too powerful and could easily overwhelm the host. The stability of the First Hokage Cells Orochimaru currently possessed was far inferior to the White Zetsu produced by the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path.

In truth, White Zetsu were more stable. It was uncertain if White Zetsu were produced by Uchiha Madara fusing with First Hokage Cells, but the primary reason was that White Zetsu contained information from the God Tree.

Since it was related to the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path, Uchiha Gin believed this was the key, allowing even Obito, with his two-tomoe eyes, to adapt. The Sage of Six Paths Otsutsuki Hagoromo and Hamura were both created by Kaguya using the God Tree [Manga Setting].

Although Orochimaru felt the requirements were too troublesome, he did not refuse.

The next evening, Konoha Commercial Street.

Yesterday's events did not cause any negative impact on the ordinary residents of Konoha regarding the Uchiha Clan.

This was because the rumor-mongering machine known as Danzo was missing.

Furthermore, an Uchiha Restaurant had opened on the commercial street today.

Uchiha Gin and Shisui also arrived after finishing their work.

During the day, Shisui had been subjected to a barrage of questioning from Sarutobi Hiruzen regarding the Uchiha's recent arrangements, but Shisui himself had only learned of yesterday's events after the fact.

Upon learning what Danzo had done, Shisui felt deeply shaken; he could not understand why the Uchiha Clan was subjected to such unequal treatment.

His heart felt incredibly bitter.

He felt that with recent changes, the conflict between the village and the clan seemed to have deepened.

"Eat, why are you spacing out?"

"This is super cuisine where every detail has been perfected through careful observation with the Sharingan. Besides, we have quite a few guests today, so even if it tastes bad, you have to pretend it's delicious."

Uchiha Gin said to the stunned Shisui.

After all, there were still many ordinary people in the clan, as well as those with average potential.

Opening some normal commercial shops to give the clansmen more options was a good thing.

This shop was inspired by a short video he had scrolled past, featuring Itachi using his Mangekyō Sharingan to make an omelet.

When he asked around the clan, he indeed found those who loved gourmet food and were willing to put in the effort, though he prioritized those with weaker strength; those with only Three Tomoe were not qualified to be chefs.

To cook in this shop, one had to activate the Sharingan to observe every detail of the ingredients clearly, then cook them perfectly. Heat control, knife skills, stir-frying—nothing could escape the scrutiny of the Sharingan.

Combined with some cooking methods Uchiha Gin brought from his past life, the dishes at this shop could be said to be very rich. Plus, with the Sharingan's replication, they could almost perfectly reproduce the same dish over and over again.

However, apart from the Uchiha, most of the people coming to the shop today were likely there to probe and investigate the situation of the Uchiha. Uchiha Gin did not care, though; he wouldn't lose much money anyway.

"Uh, right!"

Hearing Uchiha Gin's words, Shisui finally snapped out of it.

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

"What is this!"

Shisui exclaimed in surprise.

"Molecular Ice Cream, a high-end ice cream that perfectly blends milk and sugar, with perfectly distributed diced strawberries."

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

Good food could indeed relieve stress.

The other guests around them also began to exclaim in surprise after tasting the food.

Clearly, the standard of the food in this shop exceeded their imagination.

After leaving the Uchiha Restaurant, the sky had turned completely dark.

The two walked from the commercial street all the way back to the Uchiha compound.

"Gin, after this incident with Danzo, the Uchiha's situation in the village will likely become even more difficult, right?"

In a deserted area, Shisui finally couldn't help but speak up.

He felt that his perspective on things was rather one-sided and it was hard to see the full picture; he believed Uchiha Gin could provide him with an answer.

"No, it will be better than before."

Uchiha Gin shook his head and replied.

But this answer left Shisui puzzled.

"In the past, under the leadership of the clan head, the Uchiha Clan was relatively weak. That weakness allowed the anger of many clansmen to accumulate, while on the other hand, they were looked down upon by Konoha. That is why Danzo targeted the Uchiha more and more intensely, believing the Uchiha would not resist."

"But now, the Uchiha has me, a wielder of the Mangekyō Sharingan, on the surface, which has boosted the morale of the clansmen. Furthermore, forcing Danzo away this time and having the Third Hokage order him to be listed as a missing-nin was the result of the Uchiha working together."

"It proves that the Uchiha has a bottom line and cannot be targeted without consequence."

"So, on the surface, the Third Hokage will no longer specifically target the Uchiha and will instead show goodwill. However, in private, he will likely use more underhanded means to make the Uchiha suffer in silence. If he moves against the Uchiha again, he will definitely use his full strength, determined to wipe out the clan."

Uchiha Gin explained the current situation to Shisui.

This was a situation that the heads of the various major clans could basically see clearly.

The conflict between the Uchiha and the Konoha high-ups would shift from the open to the shadows, and the fighting would become even more intense.

"Is the conflict between the two sides really impossible to stop..."

After a moment of silence, Shisui asked.

"How many people from the Senju Clan can you still see in the village now?"

"Although the Senju Clan didn't die out from infighting within the village, they basically all died on the battlefield under the Third Hokage."

"As the Hokage, it's impossible for him not to be clear about the situation of the Senju Clan. Even Tsunade, the head of the Senju Clan, has left the village. How long do you think the Third Hokage can tolerate the Uchiha?"

Uchiha Gin once again used the Senju Clan as an example.

Hearing this, Shisui felt a complex mix of emotions; no matter how he looked at it, the fate of the Senju clan was laid bare before him.

The Senju clan had dedicated themselves entirely to Konoha, yet the Uchiha and the Konoha leadership remained at odds.

Comparing the two, the result was self-evident.

"Gin, my Mangekyo ocular technique is called Kotoamatsukami. Its ability is to rewrite the will of others, allowing the target to be manipulated without them ever realizing it."

"If I were to use Kotoamatsukami on the Third Hokage to make him stop being hostile toward the Uchiha, could that bring about peace?"

This time, Shisui revealed his trump card directly to Uchiha Gin.

Previously, he had always believed that it was the clansmen who were dissatisfied with the village, but now it seemed that this dissatisfaction was actually caused by the Konoha leadership.

In the current situation, he felt it would be most effective to use it on the Third Hokage. He hadn't originally considered this, as the Hokage was responsible for all the affairs of the village, both large and small.

Therefore, he had initially only thought of using it on the clan head to make him stop the clansmen's infighting, but now it seemed that even if he rewrote the clan head's will, he could not suppress the rage of the clansmen.

"First, explain in detail exactly what your technique is capable of."

Uchiha Gin said.

Although he had some understanding, in the original plot, the Mangekyo of Shisui was used twice—once by Danzo and once by the summoning crow of Itachi.

If it were at the level of Danzo's usage, the technique wouldn't be very useful, as the sudden inconsistency in behavior would surely be noticed by the other two Hokage Assistant figures.

The version released by Itachi was also full of unstable factors.

That Kotoamatsukami had been set up by Itachi long ago, named "Protect Konoha," with the intention of stopping Sasuke from attacking the village after learning the truth.

However, the technique was ultimately used on Itachi himself, rewriting his will and seizing control from Yakushi Kabuto.

In the plot, when Itachi learned that Sasuke was going to attack Konoha, he did not strike at Sasuke. Clearly, this "Protect Konoha" Kotoamatsukami was not truly as it seemed; it likely contained Itachi's underlying subconscious thoughts, prioritizing the protection of Sasuke above all else, with protecting Konoha coming only second.

Because of this uncertainty, Uchiha Gin did not reveal too much to Shisui. Besides, Shisui was too young; he was far from being as experienced in such matters as Fugaku or Orochimaru.

"The specifics of this technique are..."