Shisui's First Mission: Attack Amegakure!

The others were already testing the two prototypes. They were all new members who had joined recently and had come up with solutions.

Luckily, one of them had a solid background in materials research and solved the problem with the wings' material. Otherwise, it would have taken quite a while.

"But we've only tested low-altitude flight so far. Once we get approval today, we'll start testing its ability to fly at high altitudes."

Itachi continued.

You couldn't just fly around over a ninja village whenever you pleased.

You could easily get shot down.

Even when the Ninja Academy students practiced flying kites, they had to apply for permission in advance, so they needed to do the same.

"I'll test it myself."

Orochimaru was very interested.

After all, he didn't know any jutsu that allowed him to fly. There weren't many jutsu in the Ninja World that let a ninja take to the air, and Iwagakure guarded the Light-Weight Rock Technique very strictly. It was difficult to get hold of.

Gaara's Sand Release was already a Kekkei Genkai, so it couldn't be learned.

Soon, the researchers helped Orochimaru put on the Chakra Armor. It was a little heavy, but not too bad for a ninja.

Uchiha Gin put on the other set.

They were the two bigwigs behind the Ninja Tool Development Department, so it was only natural that they would be the first to use the armor officially.

Once they were suited up, the group headed straight to the edge of the forest behind the mountain, behind Kage Rock and near the Forest of Death.

"If you want this Scientific Ninja Tool to sell well, it all depends on your performance today."

Uchiha Gin said to Orochimaru.

"?"

Orochimaru looked puzzled.

He had gradually started to take an interest in Scientific Ninja Tools. He knew that one's own strength was the most important thing, but versatile tools like these seemed to be quite helpful, too.

"Fly over Konoha and let more people see you. The ninjas will understand the value of this Chakra Armor."

Uchiha Gin said.

The approved flight zone only covered the forest. They weren't allowed to fly over the village.

But Orochimaru would probably be fine. After all, he was the Third Hokage's student and had a high status. If Gin went, it might come across as a provocation. Though he didn't need to worry about that, it was best to have someone else take the blame. Besides, hardly anyone in the village talked about Orochimaru anymore.

He had been with the Root Organization for so long, keeping his identity hidden. Apart from the ninjas, most civilians barely knew who he was. He needed to attract some attention again.

"You certainly have a lot of ideas."

Orochimaru gave a sinister chuckle, but didn't refuse.

After the researchers explained how to operate the wings, the group spread out and waited for the two to test them.

Uchiha Gin and Orochimaru leaped into the air, reaching a height of around ten meters, and activated the Chakra Armor, unfolding its wings.

They had excellent chakra control and quickly steadied themselves. By channeling chakra evenly into the wings, they managed to hover in midair.

Then they each began their own tests. One pushed the armor to its limits to test its flight speed, while the other moved like a nimble snake, darting rapidly up, down, left, and right.

The researchers below stopped slacking off. Those with the Sharingan activated it to record the two men's flight paths, then began estimating their speed and trajectories.

Those without the Sharingan analyzed the armor's flaws and weaknesses in actual combat.

Most of them, though, wore excited expressions. The value of being able to fly was simply too great.

"That's wonderful, Itachi!"

Uchiha Izumi said happily to Itachi.

Itachi nodded, then lowered his head and began writing up a plan for the next version.

Strengthen the wing-bone material, add a Cursed Seal that released Wind Release from the front, improve maneuverability, shrink the wings to reduce their target area, and so on.

Seeing this, Uchiha Izumi could only sigh helplessly. She still helped Uchiha Itachi record the data.

After the two had tested the armor enough to get a general idea of its capabilities, Orochimaru flew straight toward the village center.

"Use Wind Release on me and see how much it interferes with my flight."

Uchiha Gin, meanwhile, diligently asked the researchers below to run more tests.

Other chakra natures were easy to avoid, but Wind Release should have the greatest effect on the chakra wings.

"Understood!"

The people below heard Uchiha Gin's instructions and started using Wind Release without hesitation. Uchiha Gin relied on the Chakra Armor's flight capabilities to dodge, using his Sharingan as well. When he couldn't avoid an attack, he defended himself with a Chakra Shield.

The sky above the forest grew lively.

Meanwhile, Orochimaru's sudden appearance in the skies over Konoha immediately caught people's attention.

He was hard to miss. Even civilians could see him.

The Anbu noticed him as well. They had been about to intervene, but recognized Orochimaru and let it go. The Military Police Force did the same. They more or less knew that Orochimaru was on good terms with them and that they were allies, so they all pretended not to see him.

People stood in the streets, gazing up at Orochimaru with astonishment, shock, and envy.

"So Scientific Ninja Tools really have such great potential!"

Sarutobi Hiruzen had learned a few days earlier that the Chakra Armor's flight capabilities had been perfected. He had even approved today's test zone.

He had been observing the two men's flight with a Crystal Ball and the Telescope Technique. The armor wasn't as good for flying as Ōnoki's Light-Weight Rock Technique, but it was far more convenient than a kite. It should be very effective in combat.

He could already imagine a hundred flying ninjas taking to the skies and using jutsu to attack their enemies from above with great mobility.

They could also reach the battlefield quickly to provide support. The armor would be even more useful in the hands of Hyuga Clan ninjas or sensory-type ninjas.

In no time at all, he had thought of several ways it could be used.

"But it costs nearly seven million ryō to manufacture?"

Sarutobi Hiruzen was very interested.

At that price, only Jonin could afford it. But the Chakra Armor wasn't all that useful to anyone below Jonin rank, either.

It wouldn't give an underpowered ninja much of a boost. Only strong ninjas could make the most of the armor.

"But, Orochimaru, what exactly are you trying to do?"

Sarutobi Hiruzen was becoming more and more interested in Scientific Ninja Tools, but he understood his former student less and less.

Orochimaru seemed to have become a completely different person. Hiruzen knew something about his human experiments. After all, he didn't completely trust Danzo, let alone Orochimaru.

As long as Orochimaru didn't cross the line, he would simply keep a close eye on him.

He had also placed many of his own people inside the Root Organization. They had more intelligence than they'd had when Danzo was in control.

But he knew even less about Orochimaru than before. He had a feeling that something was wrong with Orochimaru's alliance with the Uchiha, but he didn't know what it was, making it difficult to judge the situation.

For now, Scientific Ninja Tools would certainly benefit Konoha, and the Uchiha's actions seemed reasonable.

"Let's keep watching. Things have been stable for so many years, so nothing should go wrong in the short term. We'll deal with the Uchiha after the Akatsuki is taken care of."

Sarutobi Hiruzen decided to keep waiting.

The Uchiha's reputation in the village hadn't changed much. Although Scientific Ninja Tools were sold in the Uchiha's Ninja Tool Shop, they hadn't improved the clan's reputation by much.

The only major change was that a Military Police Force squad in Konoha, Hyuga Himon's squad, had taken on the "town patrol" duty. That had more or less stopped the Uchiha and the villagers from coming into conflict. Apart from that, not much had changed. That was why Sarutobi Hiruzen had decided to keep waiting.

The two Uchiha operating outside the village were what worried Sarutobi Hiruzen most.

Little did he know that when change came, there would be no time to react.

Chapter 52: Shisui's First Mission: Attack Amegakure!

The Chakra Armor had sparked a wave of discussion in Konoha.

After all, even among ninjas, very few could fly. For ordinary people, it was even rarer. The idea of flying freely through the sky like a bird was very appealing.

Uchiha Gin had the people in the Ninja Tool Development Department start working on ways to simplify production, preparing to manufacture the armor.

"I'll find a way to get the money."

Uchiha Gin said to Uchiha Izumi, who was in charge of managing the finances.

The income from the Chakra Blades was decent, but not enough. Developing the new Chakra Armor had nearly emptied the Ninja Tool Shop's savings, and they still couldn't scrape together enough to pay next month's wages.

"Understood!"

Uchiha Izumi was still young and didn't know the details. She just knew Uchiha Gin would be able to handle the problem.

She put away the materials she had organized for Uchiha Gin to review and took them back to store.

Uchiha Gin dispelled his Shadow Clone, sending the information it had gathered back to his real self.

"It's time to move on to the next step."

Uchiha Gin stopped training, washed up, and then went to find Uchiha Fugaku.

He met Fugaku at the Military Police Force.

Fugaku had been all smiles lately and felt no pressure at all.

The difficult town patrol duty had been handed off, the clan was stable, and Danzo, the person he hated most in the village, had been forced to flee. He felt as carefree as a man with nothing to do.

His two sons were doing well, too. Fugaku wished he could keep things this way forever.

But when Uchiha Gin told him about the next plan, Fugaku felt a headache coming on.

"Selling jutsu so openly will obviously infringe on the interests of those clans, even the smaller ones."

"It'll even undermine the foundation of Konoha's mission reward system. They reward ninjas with jutsu based on the number of missions they complete."

Fugaku still felt uneasy about Uchiha Gin's plan to start selling jutsu.

They had discussed it beforehand, but the Uchiha didn't need to do anything like this right now.

"This is just a pretext. We'll only sell jutsu up to C-rank."

Uchiha Gin said.

He didn't expect jutsu sales to keep making money in the long run. It would be enough to make a profit from the initial wave, and that wasn't even the main point.

More importantly, it would help Orochimaru gain prestige. They would use Sarutobi Hiruzen's own principles: to raise the status of civilian ninjas. So Orochimaru would work with the Uchiha Clan to sell low-level jutsu to civilian ninjas, boosting their strength and improving their chances of surviving missions.

With that reputation, Orochimaru could move on to the next step. Otherwise, as someone who had remained hidden within Root, he would have little chance to appear in public and earn the trust of the village's ninjas.

As for the major clans, Uchiha Gin wasn't concerned about them. They were all opportunists, and he had plans to deal with them. He wasn't just going to let them do as they pleased.

"But..."

Fugaku clearly didn't want to do this.

"Do you think the Uchiha Clan is in a good position right now?"

"Those old fools like Sarutobi Hiruzen will never leave the Uchiha alone. This peace we're enjoying is thanks to our efforts, and to Shisui doing his part outside the village. Without his deterrence, things couldn't have stayed this peaceful."

"You want everything to remain this way, but in a few years, once Konoha has stabilized, the Uchiha's crisis will return. Do you want Itachi and Sasuke to face that in the future?"

Uchiha Gin knew that Fugaku was only good at maintaining the status quo. He had no desire to make an effort.

Once things were stable, he didn't want to keep working for change. He only wanted to maintain the current situation.

But Uchiha Gin still needed him to keep the clan stable. Fugaku was like a restraint on the Uchiha Clan. Without him, the Uchiha might stir up all sorts of trouble like a pack of unruly dogs.

After all, there were still Doves within the Uchiha Clan. There were fewer and fewer of them, but they hadn't disappeared. Fugaku also represented the interests of some of the clan members.

Uchiha Gin even thought Shisui had been right to use Kotoamatsukami on Fugaku at first. But instead of making him stop the Uchiha's coup, Shisui should have made Fugaku more aggressive.

"I understand..."

Fugaku was silent for a while, then nodded.

He understood that everything they had now was thanks to Uchiha Gin's efforts.

It wasn't the Uchiha Clan as a whole that had changed. It was simply that someone like Uchiha Gin had appeared. He had already managed to improve the clan, so surely he could lead them to even greater heights in the future!

"When we publicize this, say that Orochimaru and the Uchiha are working together to improve civilian ninjas' safety by selling jutsu at low prices."

"Internally, explain that we're doing it to raise the funds needed to develop and manufacture Scientific Ninja Tools. Got it?"

Uchiha Gin said to Fugaku.

Fugaku froze for a moment, then quickly understood what Uchiha Gin meant.