Hokage, I Choose Orochimaru, Ten Years to the Moon Chapter 24

However, Sarutobi Hiruzen sensed even greater ambition from the Uchiha Clan. In the past, he could easily manipulate the Uchiha by leveraging the Military Police Force, but it seemed that would no longer be possible.

At this moment, he felt a twinge of regret for agreeing to Fugaku's request during the meeting to allow the Uchiha Clan to engage in other commercial ventures.

He had heard rumors about the booming popularity of the Uchiha Restaurant over the past few days.

Such an establishment could improve the average villager's perception of the Uchiha to some extent. It was completely different from the days when the Uchiha were only seen as law enforcement, allowing ordinary people to feel that the Uchiha Clan also had a human side and were not as arrogant as they seemed.

"Captain Gin cares deeply about the clan, and at the same time, he wants to lead the Uchiha to restore their former glory."

"He is an ambitious man."

Shisui provided an answer from the perspective of Konoha's upper echelons.

However, deep down, he believed that while Uchiha Gin cared about the clan, he was more willing to resolve matters through peaceful means, whereas the Konoha leadership said one thing to your face and another behind your back.

If not for Uchiha Gin, he would certainly still be kept in the dark.

"The conflicts between the village and the Uchiha in the past were indeed caused by Shimura Danzō, but the Uchiha Clan has always harbored secret schemes. Many people are dissatisfied with the status quo and believe they deserve more."

"But the Nine-Tails Incident caused Konoha to suffer heavy losses..."

Sarutobi Hiruzen began to complain, while simultaneously shifting the blame for various matters onto the Uchiha.

Much like certain radical activists, many things are not caused by men, yet they insist they are. For instance, if a man has no history of discriminating against women, they argue that it only proves he is so well-versed in all methods of discrimination that he is, in fact, discriminating against women.

In the past, Shisui might have been confused by such rhetoric, believing it was the Uchiha's fault and feeling guilty as a result.

But today, his heart was cold, and he was not moved in the slightest by Sarutobi Hiruzen's words.

"Therefore, for the sake of Konoha and the safety of so many people in the village, you need to continue stealing intelligence on the Uchiha."

"Investigate Uchiha Gin's information thoroughly so that Konoha has the ability to counter him."

Sarutobi Hiruzen said finally.

"Yes!"

Shisui replied in a deep voice.

He had already used Kotoamatsukami during Sarutobi Hiruzen's long-winded speech just now, altering the Third Hokage's will.

Under his precise control, Sarutobi Hiruzen would gradually shift his focus toward the Akatsuki and the incident involving Uchiha Madara, putting the matter of dealing with the Uchiha on the back burner.

"Be sure to watch your own safety; be careful tonight."

Sarutobi Hiruzen nodded with satisfaction and then instructed Shisui.

Shisui then left the Hokage Building and headed toward the Uchiha Shrine.

There were still faint traces of blood-red marks at the corners of his eyes, but Sarutobi Hiruzen did not notice them.

"Hmph, does that guy Danzō not even trust me anymore!"

"The Anbu sent to contact him can only see his subordinates, but as long as the mission is completed, that's all that matters!"

"If Uchiha Madara is truly in this organization called Akatsuki, then I will deal with this external trouble first. Once I ensure there are no interfering factors, I will take action against the Uchiha."

Sarutobi Hiruzen stood by the window, watching the lights gradually flickering on in Konoha as night fell.

He bore the burden of the survival of one hundred thousand people in Konoha; no one could stand in his way—no one!

A large number of people had gathered at the Uchiha Shrine.

However, this time, most of them no longer wore the tension and exhaustion they had in the past; instead, there was a sense of relief.

When the meeting time arrived, there wasn't much to discuss.

The first point was the expulsion of that old dog Danzō, which was met with cheers from a large number of clansmen.

Next was the resolution of several issues; after all, these meetings were usually used to handle internal conflicts, as friction between their own people was inevitable.

Then, they encouraged the clansmen to focus more on studying ninjutsu, to minimize taking on outside missions, and to prioritize their own safety above all else.

Following that were various miscellaneous matters, all of which were handled by Fugaku, while Uchiha Gin simply coasted through the day.

Even so, his presence was strong, and his opinion was sought on many matters.

After the meeting concluded, everyone returned to their homes.

Shisui followed behind Uchiha Gin.

"Are you ready?"

Once they reached a secluded area, Uchiha Gin asked Shisui.

"Yes, there is no turning back for me now. I have already used Kotoamatsukami on the Third Hokage, which should reduce a lot of trouble within the clan."

Shisui nodded.

Over the past few days, he had done many things.

He had eaten all the food he liked in Konoha, paid his respects to his ancestor Kagami Uchiha, and gone out to train with Itachi several times, recording his own training insights and handing them over to Itachi.

He was very reluctant to leave this place, but he believed he had a mission he had to complete. If he stayed in Konoha, he would be powerless to change anything. If he could investigate the situation regarding Uchiha Madara this time and resolve it, perhaps he could dispel the village's suspicion of the Uchiha since the Nine-Tails Incident and trade it for peace between both sides.

"Take this!"

Body Flicker Shisui caught the test tube Uchiha Gin tossed to him from his waist pouch.

Inside was a green solution containing a few white, flocculent objects.

"This is a gift from Itachi for you."

"Its effect is to cure the Bloodline Disease that causes blindness from the Mangekyō Sharingan, while simultaneously enhancing your physical constitution and recovery abilities, significantly boosting your chakra, and potentially granting you Wood Release. However, there is a risk of backlash, with a probability of about five percent."

Uchiha Gin tossed a First Hokage Cells sample to Body Flicker Shisui.

What was inside the test tube was the result of Itachi spending these past days experimenting with Body Flicker Shisui's cells to select the most compatible First Hokage Cells.

By now, the First Hokage Cells had been categorized into a vast number of types, with serial numbers reaching over a hundred; after all, there were not many people who possessed the compatibility to treat a Sharingan like a USB drive, as Six Paths Madara did.

This was a test for Body Flicker Shisui; if he had not chosen to continue with this plan, Uchiha Gin would not have given it to him.

"This..."

Body Flicker Shisui was extremely astonished, his expression filled with emotion.

He then felt puzzled as to how the item in his hand could possess so many functions.

Furthermore, was this actually developed by Itachi?!

"I will tell you the specifics later via Ninja Cat messages. For now, this is still classified—it is for the sake of lifting the curse upon the Uchiha Clan."

"Whether you use it or not is up to you, but if you do, your body will need some time to adapt," Uchiha Gin said.

"I understand!"

Body Flicker Shisui solemnly sealed the item into a scroll to prevent any damage.

He was deeply moved that the clan was willing to entrust such an important item to him, despite him potentially being a spy.

"So, are you ready?"

"If you aren't serious, it will be very difficult to deceive those people."

Uchiha Gin felt a bit eager to try.

After all, he had not yet fought anyone at the Kage level, and his previous bouts of bullying weaklings had been meaningless.

If not for the fact that the Uchiha were in Konoha, he would have defected directly and roamed the ninja world, avoiding all these troubles.

"Yes, aside from my ocular jutsu, I will treat this seriously!"

As Body Flicker Shisui finished speaking, his pupils transformed into the Mangekyō pattern.

"Then let me witness the strength of Body Flicker Shisui!"

Uchiha Gin also activated his Mangekyō Sharingan.

Two beams of light ignited directly under the night sky of Konoha.

One silver, one green.

They started immediately with a duel between their Susanoo.

"???"

The sudden, intense surge of chakra was detected even by Sarutobi Hiruzen, who was inside the Hokage Building.

Although he was not a sensory-type ninja, he could not possibly ignore such obvious chakra.

He pulled his Crystal Ball directly from the drawer and immediately used the Telescope Technique to observe the location where the chakra had appeared.

"This is... the Uchiha's Susanoo!"

"But why are there two?"

After seeing the scene through the Crystal Ball, Sarutobi Hiruzen was stunned.

However, Sarutobi Hiruzen soon discovered the other green Susanoo, and the chakra information contained within it belonged to Body Flicker Shisui, which shocked him even more.

Good grief, when did this boy awaken the Mangekyō Sharingan, and why didn't he tell him?

On the field, however, the battle between Uchiha Gin and Body Flicker Shisui was extremely intense.

The title of Body Flicker Shisui was not misplaced; if Uchiha Gin did not use magic to reinforce his legs, it might have been difficult for him to even touch Body Flicker Shisui.

Uchiha Gin held the advantage in ocular power, chakra, and the diversity of his methods.

Body Flicker Shisui held the advantage in his Body Flicker Technique and genjutsu.

Although Body Flicker Shisui had activated his Mangekyō, he would still lose focus for a brief moment whenever he used genjutsu, though he could easily dodge it by predicting the future.

"Boom!"

Both of their Susanoo drew their respective weapons and slashed directly at each other.

The Susanoo of Body Flicker Shisui wielded a Spiral Sword, while the Susanoo of Uchiha Gin held a long sword with many gem-like facets.

It looked like a giant, elongated version of the Jeweled Sword Zelretch.

The collision of the two weapons sparked an intense shockwave that expanded outward, destroying the surrounding trees and rocks.

People were already closing in, and seeing this, Uchiha Gin shouted out loud.

"Shisui, I never expected you to do something like this! Are you trying to follow in the footsteps of Uchiha Madara?"

His voice was incredibly loud, clear enough for everyone in the vicinity to hear.

The first to arrive were naturally the members of the Uchiha Clan and the Anbu, and both sides wore expressions of panic upon hearing those words.

Shisui knew it was time to make his exit.

After all, they were inside Konoha, and this wasn't a fight to the death; they only had a minute or two to trade blows.

He trusted that Uchiha Gin could handle what came next, so he didn't hesitate any longer.

"Consider yourself lucky this time. Next time, my genjutsu won't miss!"

With those words, Shisui immediately deactivated his Susanoo and vanished from everyone's sight using the Body Flicker Technique at blinding speed.

"BOOM!"

Uchiha Gin timed it perfectly, controlling his Susanoo to hurl a long-range Magatama attack the very instant Shisui departed.

The impact kicked up a massive cloud of smoke, creating the perfect cover for Shisui to make his escape.

The commotion instantly jolted all of Konoha awake, as it was already the dead of night—a time for rest.

The sudden explosion brought many people back to that night of the Nine-Tails Incident, sending them into a panic; they didn't even have time to pack their belongings before rushing toward the shelters.

"What happened, Gin!"

When Fugaku arrived on the scene, there was still a trace of panic on his face.

He had feared that Uchiha Gin was launching a coup.

"Shisui ambushed me, trying to steal my Mangekyō Sharingan to achieve what Uchiha Madara did—to possess eyes that would never lose their light, the eternal eyes of the Uchiha Clan."

Uchiha Gin stated flatly.