I Choose Orochimaru as Hokage, Ten Years to Reach the Moon Chapter 35

The others were already busy debugging the two prototypes, as the new members had provided the necessary solutions.

It just so happened that one of them had a deep understanding of materials and solved the issue with the wings, otherwise, it would have taken quite a bit more time.

"However, we have only tested low-altitude flight so far. Once the application is approved today, we will begin testing high-altitude capabilities."

Itachi continued.

The airspace above the ninja village is not something just anyone can fly through at will.

If you aren't careful, you might get shot down.

When practicing kite flying at the Ninja Academy, one also needs to apply in advance, so they must do the same.

"I will test it myself."

Orochimaru was quite interested.

After all, he did not know any flight ninjutsu, and there are very few ninjutsu in the ninja world that allow a ninja to fly. Iwagakure manages the Light-Weight Rock Technique very strictly, making it difficult to get one's hands on.

Gaara's Sand Release is already a type of Kekkei Genkai, which cannot be learned.

Soon, the research staff helped Orochimaru put on the Chakra Armor. It had some weight to it, but for a ninja, it was manageable.

The other set was worn by Uchiha Gin.

Both of them were the big bosses behind the Ninja Tool Development Department, so naturally, they were the first official users.

Once suited up, the group went directly to the edge of the forest behind the mountain, behind the Hokage Rock and near the Forest of Death.

"Whether this Scientific Ninja Tool becomes a bestseller depends on your performance today."

Uchiha Gin said to Orochimaru.

"?"

Orochimaru was a bit puzzled.

He had gradually become interested in this Scientific Ninja Tool. Although he knew that one's own strength was the most important thing, these versatile Scientific Ninja Tools seemed to be of no small help.

"Fly to the Konoha urban area so more people can see it. Those ninjas will naturally realize the value of this Chakra Armor."

Uchiha Gin said.

The area approved for flight was only in the forest; flying to the urban area was not permitted.

But for Orochimaru, it should be no problem. After all, he is a disciple of the Third Hokage and holds a high status. If Gin went himself, it would be a bit provocative. Although he didn't need to care, it was best to have someone else take the blame. At the same time, not many people in the village talked about Orochimaru anymore.

After all, he had been in the Root Organization for too long and had been living in anonymity. Aside from ninjas, civilians didn't know much about Orochimaru anymore, so he needed to regain some attention.

"You certainly have a lot of ideas."

Orochimaru let out a sinister laugh, but he did not refuse.

Then, under the guidance of the research staff, the two learned how to toggle the wings, and the group dispersed to wait for the test.

Uchiha Gin and Orochimaru leaped forcefully into the air, reaching a height of about ten meters, and simultaneously activated the wings of the Chakra Armor.

With their ability to control chakra, both easily stabilized their posture, distributing chakra evenly to the wings to hover in mid-air.

Then, the two began their respective tests. One pushed the flight speed to the limit, while the other moved with agile, serpentine maneuvers, darting up, down, left, and right.

The research staff below did not slack off either. Those with the Sharingan activated it to record their flight paths, then began to extrapolate their flight speeds and trajectories.

Those without the Sharingan were responsible for analyzing defects and weaknesses for practical combat.

However, most of them had excited expressions on their faces; after all, the value of being able to fly was too high.

"That's great, Itachi!"

Izumi said to Itachi happily.

Itachi nodded, then lowered his head to begin writing the plan for the next generation of improvements.

Strengthen the wing bone material, add a Cursed Seal to the front to release Wind Release, increase flexibility, shrink the wings to reduce the target area for attacks, and so on.

Seeing this, Izumi felt a bit helpless, but she also helped Uchiha Itachi record the data.

After the two had tested enough, Orochimaru flew directly toward the urban area.

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

Uchiha Gin, on the other hand, professionally had the researchers below conduct more data tests.

Other attributes were easy to evade, but Wind Release should be the attribute with the greatest impact on the chakra wings.

"Yes!"

Hearing Uchiha Gin's instructions, the crowd below did not hesitate and immediately began to release Wind Release. Uchiha Gin, besides activating his Sharingan, used only the flight capabilities of the Chakra Armor to dodge, and when he couldn't dodge, he used the Chakra Shield to defend.

For a time, the sky above this forest was very lively.

Meanwhile, in the Konoha urban area, Orochimaru's sudden appearance in flight immediately caught the attention of many people.

It was simply too conspicuous; even civilians could see it.

The Anbu naturally noticed it as well. When they wanted to take action, they recognized it was Orochimaru, and that was the end of it. The Military Police Force was the same; they all generally knew that Orochimaru and they were in a honeymoon period with an alliance, so they all turned a blind eye.

Many people stood on the streets, gazing at Orochimaru in the sky with looks of surprise, shock, and envy.

"This Scientific Ninja Tool truly has such immense potential for development!"

Sarutobi Hiruzen had learned of the successful flight capabilities of the Chakra Armor days ago, and he was the one who had approved the testing area used today.

Just moments ago, he had been using his Crystal Ball to observe the two flying through the Telescope Technique. He found that while this device could not compare to the flight capabilities of Ōnoki's Light-Weight Rock Technique, it was certainly far more practical than a kite, and its combat effectiveness should be quite impressive.

He was already imagining the effect of organizing a hundred ninjas capable of flight, unleashing ninjutsu from high altitudes to attack enemies with agility.

Furthermore, the ability to quickly reach a battlefield for support would be even more beneficial if the users were ninjas from the Hyuga Clan or sensory-type ninjas.

In a short span of time, he had already thought of several ways to utilize it.

"The production cost is nearly seven million ryo?"

Sarutobi Hiruzen was very interested.

At this price, only a Jonin could afford to use it, though for anyone below that rank, the utility of this Chakra Armor was not that significant.

Without sufficient strength, the bonuses it provided were too minimal; only strong ninjas could truly maximize the capabilities of this armor.

"But Orochimaru, what exactly are you planning?"

Sarutobi Hiruzen was becoming increasingly interested in this Scientific Ninja Tool, yet he felt he understood his own disciple less and less.

The man seemed to have completely changed. He knew the general details of Orochimaru's human experiments; after all, he didn't even fully trust Danzo, let alone Orochimaru.

As long as they did not cross his bottom line, he would simply observe in silence.

He had already planted a large number of his own men within the Root Organization, allowing him to grasp more intelligence than when it was under Danzo's control.

However, his understanding of Orochimaru had diminished. He always felt that the alliance between Orochimaru and the Uchiha Clan would lead to problems, but he could not determine what those problems were, making it difficult for him to make a judgment.

As things stood, this Scientific Ninja Tool was naturally helpful to Konoha, and the actions of the Uchiha were also quite normal.

"Let's just keep observing. Things have been stable for so many years; there shouldn't be any issues in the short term. Once the Akatsuki is dealt with, I will then handle the Uchiha."

Sarutobi Hiruzen prepared to continue waiting.

The reputation of the Uchiha in the village had not changed much from before. Although the Scientific Ninja Tool was being sold at the Ninja Tool Shop owned by the Uchiha, it had not restored much of their standing.

Aside from the Police Squad in Konoha—the team led by Hyuga Himon—taking on the 'city management' tasks, which had basically eliminated the sources of conflict between the Uchiha and the villagers, there had been little change. That was why Sarutobi Hiruzen decided to keep waiting.

The two Uchiha who were unstable abroad were the points that worried Sarutobi Hiruzen the most.

Little did he know that when change finally arrived, there would be no time left for him to react.

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

The Chakra Armor had sparked a wave of heated discussion within Konoha.

After all, even among ninjas, very few could fly, let alone ordinary people. The prospect of flying freely in the sky like a bird was something people yearned for.

Uchiha Gin had the staff at the Ninja Tool Research Department begin studying simplified production steps in preparation for manufacturing.

"I will find a way to handle the lack of funds."

Uchiha Gin said to Izumi, who was responsible for managing the finances.

Although there were profits from the Chakra Blade, they were not substantial. This new development of the Chakra Armor had nearly exhausted the savings of the Ninja Tool Shop, and they were currently struggling to even scrape together the wages for next month.

"Yes!"

Izumi was still young and did not know the specifics; she only knew that Uchiha Gin would certainly be able to resolve these troubles.

She gathered the organized documents she had prepared for Uchiha Gin and took them away to store them.

Uchiha Gin dispelled his Shadow Clone, transmitting the information he had obtained back to his main body.

"It is time to begin the next step."

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

He met Fugaku at the Military Police Force.

Fugaku had been all smiles lately, completely free of pressure.

The troublesome city management duties had been delegated, the clan was stable, and Danzo, the person he hated most in the village, had been forced into exile. He felt light and unburdened.

His two sons were also very capable; Fugaku truly wished to maintain the status quo forever.

However, when Uchiha Gin found him and spoke of the next phase of the plan, Fugaku felt a toothache coming on.

"This method of selling ninjutsu openly is undoubtedly infringing upon the interests of those clans, including even the smaller ones."

"It even strikes at the foundation of Konoha's mission rewards, as they also use the number of completed missions to reward ninjutsu."

Fugaku still felt that Uchiha Gin's plan to start selling ninjutsu was somewhat inappropriate.

Although they had discussed it beforehand, there was currently no need for the Uchiha to do such a thing.

"This is just a pretext; the highest level of ninjutsu we will sell is only C-rank."

Uchiha Gin said.

He did not expect to sell ninjutsu for profit indefinitely; earning a first wave of revenue was enough, and that was secondary anyway.

The main goal was to help Orochimaru gain prestige. By using Sarutobi Hiruzen's own philosophy of raising the status of civilian ninjas, Orochimaru would join forces with the Uchiha Clan to sell low-level ninjutsu to civilian ninjas, increasing their strength and improving their survival rate during missions.

With this prestige, it would be easier for Orochimaru to proceed to the next step. Otherwise, as long as he remained hidden in the shadows of the Root, it would be difficult for Orochimaru to find an opportunity to step into the light and gain recognition from the village's ninjas.

As for those major clans, Uchiha Gin did not take them to heart; they were merely opportunists. Uchiha Gin had already prepared measures to deal with them, rather than leaving them be.

"But..."

Fugaku clearly did not want to do this.

"Do you think the current state of the Uchiha Clan is good enough?"

"Sarutobi Hiruzen and those old fogies will never let the Uchiha Clan off the hook. This current stability is not just thanks to us, but also the efforts Shisui has made abroad. Without his deterrence, it would be impossible to be this peaceful."

"If you want to keep things stable like this, in a few years, once Konoha has settled down, the crisis for the Uchiha will come roaring back. 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 and had no ambition to strive for more.

As long as things were stable, he had no desire to push forward, thinking only of preserving the present.

However, Uchiha Gin still needed him to stabilize the Uchiha Clan. Fugaku acted as a limiter, keeping the Uchiha Clan in check; without this limiter, the Uchiha Clan might just cause all sorts of trouble, like a pack of wild dogs.

After all, there were Doves within the Uchiha Clan. Though they were becoming fewer, it did not mean they were non-existent, and Fugaku represented the interests of a certain faction.

Uchiha Gin even felt that Shisui's initial decision to use Kotoamatsukami on Fugaku had been correct, though it shouldn't have been to stop the Uchiha coup, but rather to make Fugaku a more aggressive leader.

"I understand..."

Fugaku fell silent for a moment, then nodded.

He understood that everything they had now was built upon Uchiha Gin's efforts.

It wasn't that the entire Uchiha Clan had changed, but that someone like Uchiha Gin had emerged. If he could lead the Uchiha Clan to improve now, he would surely be able to lead the Uchiha Clan to its peak in the future!

"When publicizing this matter, frame it as Orochimaru and the Uchiha joining forces to improve safety for civilian ninjas, and sell the ninjutsu at a low price."

"Internally, however, tell them it is to raise funds for the production and development of the Scientific Ninja Tool. Do you understand?"

Uchiha Gin said to Fugaku.

Upon hearing Uchiha Gin's words, Fugaku was stunned for a moment before immediately realizing the intent.