I Choose Orochimaru as Hokage, Ten Years to Reach the Moon Chapter 49

"Fabrication, commence!"

Uchiha Gin focused all his attention on the creation of the Mystic Code.

Every gemstone was a natural source of magical energy, containing distinct abilities and effects. They had to be perfectly integrated into the Mystic Code; there was no room for even the slightest error.

Runes were symbols that possessed effects similar to gemstones, and since these runes held special abilities, the gemstones were now serving as a substitute for those runic effects.

First, he constructed a grand cycle of the five elements: Earth, Water, Fire, Wind, and Void (Ether).

The final element, Void, represented the attributes beyond the celestial bodies—it was described as a fictional substance, or perhaps, pure fantasy.

The grand cycle of the five elements was completed quickly, but the real difficulty lay ahead: within each of the five major elements, he had to reconstruct a new set of five elements. The difficulty doubled with every addition.

Both maids were on holiday, so Uchiha Gin could focus entirely on completing the Mystic Code. Outside, his familiar Blue Star stood guard; if anyone managed to breach the multiple layers of barriers, Blue Star would detect them immediately.

Soon, thirty-six hours had passed.

"Whew..."

A look of relief washed over Uchiha Gin's face as he let out a long breath, much like Homelander panting and wiping away sweat.

He had thought he was going to fail, but to his surprise, he had actually succeeded.

A pentagram-shaped Mystic Code, consisting of twenty-five gemstones linked by dense silver threads, emitted a freshly forged glow. It rose slowly, spinning rapidly in mid-air. Its shape shifted from a flat, blanket-like spread into a gathered form, eventually settling into a pentagonal pyramid with four faces and a base.

Each face held a large elemental gemstone, with the yellow gemstone representing Earth at the very bottom.

It was just the right size to be held in Uchiha Gin's palm, and he gripped it firmly.

A smile finally appeared on Uchiha Gin's face.

Then, his expression turned solemn: "Transform!"

Uchiha Gin pressed the Earth-attribute side of the Mystic Code against his abdomen, just below the navel, and injected his magical energy.

The Mystic Code erupted in five-colored light. Like Iron Man's nanotech armor, Mithril rapidly spread across Uchiha Gin's body, forming a thin film. Simultaneously, the five gemstones shifted, coming to rest on his hands, feet, and chest.

"So cool!"

Uchiha Gin's eyes sparkled as he looked at his reflection in the mirror.

The armor was not full-coverage; it resembled the battle suits of the Gold Saints, consisting of a chest piece and armor for the limbs.

His feet were Earth and Water, his hands were Fire and Wind, and his chest was the Void attribute.

As Uchiha Gin channeled his magic, colorful light flowed across the Mithril film covering his body. When the light passed through the gemstones of various attributes, it became even more dazzling. Uchiha Gin was genuinely impressed by his own appearance.

[Fabricate a self-made Mystic Code] completed.

Reward: Magic Circuit x1

New Task - [Root Source]: A truly powerful mage cannot rely solely on the internal "Small Source" of magical energy. Please master the ability to absorb magical energy from the external world—the essence of heaven and earth, natural energy, and magical elements. Everything originates from the life force of the planet, known as the Root Source.

"Sage Mode?"

Upon seeing the new task issued by the system, this was the first thing that came to Uchiha Gin's mind.

In this world, there were no other mages besides him. Uchiha Gin thought he might be able to find magical elements in mines; after all, as a Jewel Mage, he knew that gemstones were essentially the refined essence of minerals.

However, compared to magical elements that might only appear in mines, natural energy seemed to be everywhere—he just couldn't perceive it at all.

"Let's name the armor 'Five Origins'. Yes, that's it."

Uchiha Gin had considered names like "Emperor Armor," but he ultimately decided on "Five Origins" to reflect the five primitive attributes that built the foundation of the world.

This Mystic Code could amplify the power of the five-element magic he cast, while also providing strong magic resistance, capable of blocking a certain degree of magical and ninjutsu attacks.

Its physical defense was nearly non-existent, but Uchiha Gin believed that with his ability to foresee the future, hitting him would be no easier than hitting Obito.

Furthermore, the transformation did take a moment; the Mithril didn't spread instantly. However, Uchiha Gin figured that when the time came, he could activate his future sight and transform while walking toward his enemy, dodging all their attacks in the process. That would surely look incredibly cool.

Leaving the room, Uchiha Gin felt sore all over, but the harvest was worth it.

"It's snowing."

Stepping onto the corridor, Uchiha Gin caught Blue Star as it flew down from the eaves. Blue Star shook its body in his hand, shedding the snow.

After deactivating all barriers except for the sensory one, Uchiha Gin went to take a bath to get some well-deserved rest.

"As for natural energy, Mount Myōboku, Ryūchi Cave, and Shikkotsu Forest are the most direct sources. Alternatively, there's Orochimaru; he has researched natural energy, and the Cursed Seal is the result of that research."

Soon, Uchiha Gin had heated the water and began his bath.

In the tub, Uchiha Gin marked out a few suitable targets. He immediately discarded Shikkotsu Forest, as he had no chance of getting in without finding Tsunade. Mount Myōboku was the safest and the place he understood best, followed by Ryūchi Cave.

"I'm not trying to learn Sage Mode; I want to master natural energy and convert it into magical energy."

"Given my traits, the possibility of being backlashed by natural energy is very low. As long as Orochimaru can locate the natural energy, I can just absorb it, right?"

Uchiha Gin quickly figured it out.

Sage Mode had significant limitations, even with its many buffs. It was far more suitable to convert that energy into magic that he could fully control.

"It really comes down to relying on Orochimaru!"

Uchiha Gin felt that collaborating with Orochimaru was absolutely the best decision!

The next day, Uchiha Gin went to find Orochimaru to ask for his help in extracting natural energy.

"Are you looking to cultivate Sage Art?"

"Perhaps it would be easier to approach Jiraiya for this matter."

Orochimaru asked.

He assumed Uchiha Gin would have a way to obtain the cultivation method for Sage Mode from Orochimaru.

"No, all I want is the natural energy itself."

Uchiha Gin shook his head.

Orochimaru was somewhat surprised, but he agreed nonetheless. This was a trivial matter for him; after all, he had long since investigated various energies throughout the Ninja World, and he had not spared the Tailed Beast energy either—the previous Eight-Tails Jinchuriki had been his test subject.

After informing Uchiha Gin that he could come to collect it tomorrow, Uchiha Gin headed to the Military Police Force.

"Have you resolved your business?"

Seeing Uchiha Gin, Fugaku asked directly.

"What is it? Is something the matter?"

Uchiha Gin could tell that Fugaku had something else he needed to discuss.

He recalled that there didn't seem to be anything left to arrange; the production of ninja tools was already underway, and the Gene Completion within the Uchiha Clan had allowed many clansmen who had failed to awaken their Sharingan to finally do so. These individuals had all been assigned to production roles.

The person in charge was an elder of the clan. While these elders were not particularly capable in combat, they were highly experienced in other areas, including the production of ninja tools. Many had learned from their fathers, but since the clan had been purchasing everything from Konoha and the Ninja Cat, the practice had ceased, yet the experience remained.

"The Third Hokage contacted us, claiming that Shisui has appeared in Amegakure and is suspected of having joined the Akatsuki. The Third wants the Uchiha to send people to kill Shisui or bring him back."

Fugaku said to Uchiha Gin.

This was the message Sarutobi Hiruzen had sent over yesterday.

However, both he and Uchiha Gin knew that Shisui's defection had been their own arrangement, and they had no interest in hunting him down.

Still, since they had previously made a show of force, declaring that Shisui would be a wanted man by the Uchiha Clan and that the clan would pursue him with all their might, it seemed inappropriate not to send anyone now.

"The Third Hokage seems to have some ulterior motive."

Uchiha Gin pondered for a moment before speaking.

The last message sent back by Shisui was that Danzo had been captured by 'Uchiha Madara'.

It seemed normal enough for Konoha to investigate and find Shisui in the Akatsuki, but Sarutobi Hiruzen's timing was too sudden. After all, nearly two months had passed since the incident in Amegakure; notifying them only now clearly indicated he had other plans.

Recalling the original timeline where the Uchiha Clan was wiped out, it was clear that the Konoha high-ups had colluded with Obito. After all, the Uchiha Clan had nearly a thousand people, all conveniently located within Konoha, and not a single survivor remained except for Sasuke. That was clearly illogical; even if two people were tasked with slaughtering pigs, it would not be an easy feat to finish them all in one night.

The surrounding area must have been surrounded by Anbu and Root members to seal off the Uchiha compound; this was the joint plan of the Konoha high-ups and Obito.

"So, have they colluded with Obito again this time?"

Uchiha Gin's expression turned icy.

"Should we refuse? Or should we send a small squad to test the waters?"

Fugaku now looked to Uchiha Gin for leadership.

Having lost all trust in the Konoha high-ups, he viewed all of Konoha's arrangements with suspicion, and this time, he sensed that something was wrong.

"Excluding my own combat power, what is the current strength of the clan?"

Uchiha Gin asked.

"There are now 84 clansmen with Three Tomoe, 103 with newly awakened One Tomoe, and myself with the Mangekyō Sharingan."

Fugaku quickly provided the data.

The strength of a Three Tomoe user was at least that of a Special Jonin, and as long as they mastered one nature transformation, they would easily reach the level of a Jonin.

All One Tomoe users were counted as Chunin.

This strength was enough to steamroll any small ninja village, excluding Amegakure.

"This could be a ploy to lure the tiger away from the mountain. The Konoha high-ups and 'Uchiha Madara' might be targeting the Uchiha Clan, or perhaps they are specifically aiming to assassinate me."

Uchiha Gin shared his analysis with Fugaku.

He could not be certain, but to Konoha, the threat posed by the entire Uchiha Clan was far greater and more troublesome than he, the visible wielder of the Mangekyō Sharingan, alone.

After all, it was difficult for one person to overthrow the entirety of Konoha, but the same could not be said for the entire Uchiha Clan.

If he were away and Obito joined forces with Konoha to strike at the Uchiha, things would likely go wrong. However, the current Uchiha had the strength to drag Konoha down with them and inflict heavy damage.

Furthermore, he had transformed Itachi into a research-focused individual. With the threat of the entire clan's annihilation looming and no interference from his son, Fugaku would fight with everything he had; it would be impossible for just two people to wipe out the Uchiha Clan as they had in the original timeline.

"I believe this time, it is aimed at you."

"If something happens to you while you are away, the Uchiha Clan will lack a source of rapid information. Once they are certain you have been dealt with, they will likely strike at the Uchiha Clan immediately."

"The Third Hokage's personality prevents him from making high-risk decisions. He wouldn't strike at the Uchiha first and then target you; if you were to escape, Konoha would never have peace again."

Fugaku gave his assessment calmly this time.

He was all too familiar with Sarutobi Hiruzen. It was precisely because he was so familiar—believing that Sarutobi Hiruzen would not make such a high-risk choice—that he had been negligent in the past. He had never imagined that Konoha would actually cooperate with the Uchiha Madara who had caused the death of the Fourth Hokage and his wife and triggered the Nine-Tails Incident, all for the purpose of exterminating the Uchiha Clan.

Fugaku could not fathom why they would be willing to cooperate with the enemy just to wipe out the Uchiha Clan.

"If I am not here, do you have the confidence to protect the entire Uchiha Clan?"

Uchiha Gin asked.

"Of course!"

"The Uchiha Clan is the strongest in Konoha!"

Fugaku answered earnestly.

"But wouldn't it be better if we simply didn't fall for this trap?"

Fugaku guessed that Uchiha Gin wanted to go, but he believed that knowing there was a trap made staying away the best choice.

"Only slaughter will instill fear in these people. The Uchiha cannot be on guard every single moment; it is time for the name of the Uchiha to resound throughout the Ninja World once again."

Uchiha Gin stated bluntly.

He was not afraid if they were only targeting him.

Moreover, knowing that the opposition had already joined forces, who knew what kind of trap they would prepare next time if he didn't go this time?

Therefore, striking first was the best option.

"Understood."

"During this time, I will place the clan on the highest level of alert."

Fugaku did not continue to dissuade him, choosing instead to go all out to protect his clansmen.

Once the decision was made, Fugaku and Uchiha Gin headed toward the Hokage Building together.

Guided by the Anbu, they arrived directly at the Hokage's office.

"How many more of these documents are there..."