Clearing the List

The sun had yet to rise, and the sky remained dim.

Uchiha Yatsuhashi dragged his exhausted body down the street.

He had not rested at all last night.

Instead, following the scroll provided by Orochimaru, he had successfully extracted a sample of raw First Hokage cell fluid.

However, time had been too tight; morning arrived before he could even begin to dilute it.

He had no choice but to helplessly seal the undiluted First Hokage cells within a scroll.

After all, without the assistance of Orochimaru, he dared not be as reckless with his experiments as he had been the night before.

The First Hokage cells were truly terrifying.

Even after being diluted several times over, they had still nearly cost him his life.

Uchiha Yatsuhashi decided that this time, based on the precious experimental records from Orochimaru, he would dilute the sample many times over before attempting another experiment.

Determination was a good thing, but one had to stay alive first.

As he neared the Uchiha clan's residential district, Uchiha Yatsuhashi caught the familiar scent.

The oily aroma of okonomiyaki mixed with the sweet and salty sauce was exceptionally enticing in the cold morning air.

The Uchiha clan's usual arrogant attitude was well-known throughout the village, which had sparked resentment among many villagers.

Perhaps only this pancake shop, with its peerless flavor, could entice non-Uchiha villagers to voluntarily step into this Uchiha-controlled district.

The shop had only just opened, yet a small line had already formed at the entrance.

The owner, Uchiha Tesho, a middle-aged man with a round face and a constant, cheerful smile, was skillfully flipping pancakes on the iron griddle.

His movements were fluid and practiced; sprinkling ingredients, cracking eggs, and flipping the cakes—every step was like a performance.

Uchiha Yatsuhashi stood outside the crowd and shouted, "Hey, give me three okonomiyaki!"

Uchiha Tesho looked up at the sound, paused for a moment when he saw Uchiha Yatsuhashi, and then his smile grew even brighter.

He deftly packed three steaming okonomiyaki and carefully wrapped them in oil paper. "Take them, they're best fresh out of the pan!"

Uchiha Yatsuhashi took the three okonomiyaki with an expressionless face and began eating as he walked toward the Konoha training grounds.

A customer at the front of the line shouted in dissatisfaction, "Hey, boss, that kid didn't just cut in line, he didn't even pay!"

"It's fine, it's fine!" Uchiha Tesho said with a chuckle, his hands never stopping their work. "That's my kid, he's a ninja, and he's in a rush to get to training!"

"Come on, come on, I'll add extra bonito flakes and mayonnaise to yours!"

Hearing this, the customer in front grumbled and let it go.

Although Uchiha Yatsuhashi was already a genin, he had never taken on a single mission.

He usually relied on his parents' pancake shop to make a living.

Uchiha Tesho had once told him while flipping okonomiyaki, "The okonomiyaki your dad makes is the best in all of Konoha..."

The pancake shop's okonomiyaki was so famous that if his mother, Uchiha Uruchi, hadn't objected, he probably wouldn't be named Uchiha Yatsuhashi, but Uchiha Okonomiyaki instead.

The early morning sun cast a unique glow over the training grounds.

"Burn, my youth!"

Might Guy's shout was full of vitality as he performed push-ups.

His sweat glistened in the rising sun, and even his green spandex suit was more than half soaked through.

"How many is that?"

"One hundred and eight..."

Might Guy's face was drenched in sweat, yet he showed no signs of stopping his push-ups.

"Yatsuhashi, you're late today!"

Might Guy performed a graceful backflip and landed on his feet.

He gave a thumbs-up, his teeth flashing with a dazzling glint in the sunlight.

"You know, self-discipline is the very meaning of youth!"

Uchiha Yatsuhashi shook the oil-paper parcel in his hand. "Then keep disciplining yourself; I'll just eat both of these myself."

"Hehe..."

Might Guy scratched his head sheepishly, his stomach letting out an ill-timed growl.

He took the okonomiyaki Uchiha Yatsuhashi handed him, took a huge bite, and squinted his eyes in satisfaction.

"Mmm! I could eat this okonomiyaki every single day and never get tired of it!"

Uchiha Yatsuhashi watched Might Guy wolf down the food, a flicker of envy crossing his eyes.

Back in their early days at the Ninja Academy, both of them had been dead last.

But now, Might Guy had successfully been promoted to Chunin last year.

Although the standards for promotion had been relaxed during wartime, this progress was still something Uchiha Yatsuhashi, who remained a Genin, could only look up to.

Uchiha Yatsuhashi had never pinned all his hopes on the Sharingan.

Even if his chakra was weak, there were still exceptions in this world who became strong.

Take, for instance, the Might Guy before him, who had become strong relying solely on taijutsu.

That was why, since they were young, Uchiha Yatsuhashi had insisted on training with Might Guy every morning.

He would only head to Orochimaru's laboratory in the afternoon.

Yet the results were minimal; his taijutsu progress was slow, nowhere near as dazzling as Might Guy's.

"Come on, Yatsuhashi! Our goal today is one hundred laps around the training ground, followed by five hundred kicks!"

Might Guy finished his breakfast quickly and assumed a starting stance.

Looking at the flames burning in his eyes, Uchiha Yatsuhashi was just about to wave him off—after all, he hadn't slept all night.

He had only come here to deliver breakfast to Might Guy as per their routine.

"Hm?"

Uchiha Yatsuhashi sensed something amiss, but before he could turn around, Might Guy had already stepped in front of him.

Without him noticing, two Anbu wearing animal masks had appeared silently behind them.

"Fast reflexes," the Anbu on the left said, his voice muffled by the mask. "As expected of Might Duy's son."

The corner of Uchiha Yatsuhashi's mouth twitched imperceptibly.

A few years ago, "Might Duy's son" was still a symbol of shame.

But ever since that "eternal Genin" defeated the Seven Ninja Swordsmen, this title had become a mark of honor.

The Anbu on the right didn't look at Might Guy, but stared straight at Uchiha Yatsuhashi. "Are you Uchiha Yatsuhashi? The special Genin recommended by Orochimaru?"

"I am." Uchiha Yatsuhashi's voice was calm, but his palms were sweating.

"No wonder. This level of chakra hasn't even reached the standard for a regular Genin..."

The Anbu whispered to his companion; his voice wasn't loud, but it was enough for everyone present to hear.

"What do you want with Yatsuhashi?"

Might Guy frowned, still blocking Uchiha Yatsuhashi.

"Lord Hokage requests his presence."

The Anbu said coldly, "Come with us."

Hearing this, Uchiha Yatsuhashi's heart sank.

It couldn't be. Although he had long anticipated that Orochimaru would defect, he hadn't expected it to happen so soon.

Uchiha Yatsuhashi forced himself to stay calm and stepped out from behind Might Guy.

"It's fine, Might Guy."

"Are you really sure?" Might Guy asked, unconvinced, his gaze shifting between Uchiha Yatsuhashi and the Anbu.

Uchiha Yatsuhashi nodded, offering Might Guy a forced smile.

"Do you need me to talk to your parents for you?"

Uchiha Yatsuhashi shook his head. "No need."

He knew clearly that this kind of matter was not something his civilian parents could change.

It was better not to tell them than to let them worry.

Situations like this had happened before, whenever Orochimaru's research hit a bottleneck.

Uchiha Yatsuhashi would often seclude himself in the laboratory for a period of time as well.

Therefore, his parents would not be particularly worried.

Uchiha Yatsuhashi turned and walked toward the Anbu.

The two Anbu flanked him, one in front and one behind.

The three of them quickly disappeared into the woods at the edge of the training ground.

However, these two Anbu did not take Uchiha Yatsuhashi to see the Hokage.

Instead, they locked him up in an Anbu prison.

Fortunately, he was not the only one being held there.

On the contrary, there were over a hundred people of all kinds locked up.

The one thing everyone had in common was that they had once been subordinates of Orochimaru.

As more and more people were detained, it naturally sparked dissatisfaction among them.

"What is this? House arrest?"

"You must give us a reasonable explanation!"

"I have a mission tomorrow!"

However, the appearance of the Third Hokage quickly quelled everyone's anger.

But what followed was a significant shock.

The Third Hokage told everyone that Orochimaru had actually defected.

"Some of you participated in his research, and some of you worked under him for a long time. The village must confirm whether there are any accomplices to his defection among you, or if he left any spies behind."

"The upcoming screening process will require your cooperation with the Anbu."

The Third Hokage's tone softened slightly. "For the innocent, the village will restore your reputation and provide compensation. But if there is any concealment..."

He did not finish, but everyone understood the warning left unsaid.

Consequently, the once noisy crowd quickly began to harbor mutual suspicion.

The remaining screening work proceeded with everyone cooperating fully with the Anbu.

Uchiha Yatsuhashi sat against the wall, preparing to close his eyes and rest.

After all, he was just a Genin, a special Genin who had been recommended despite his weak chakra.

He completely lacked the strength to be an accomplice or even a spy for Orochimaru.

Therefore, he should not be a priority for the investigation.

After all, those elite Jonin were the primary targets for the Anbu, followed by the Chunin, and finally, him.

But to Uchiha Yatsuhashi's surprise, only a short while later, Danzo arrived with his men.

And he walked directly toward him.

"Are you Uchiha Yatsuhashi?"

"Yes." Uchiha Yatsuhashi stood up, looking at the two Root ninja beside Danzo.

This is bad, he thought to himself.

"When was the last time Orochimaru summoned you..."

Uchiha Yatsuhashi did not choose to hide anything; he recounted the events of last night exactly as they happened.

He only omitted the details of his own experiment, framing it as Orochimaru's other research instead.

"So, you mean you spent the whole night researching in the laboratory?"

Uchiha Yatsuhashi nodded. "The research Orochimaru left behind before he departed was too profound; I didn't manage to produce any substantial results."

Danzo turned to look at the Root ninja beside him, receiving their affirmative response.

These matters were easily investigated, so Uchiha Yatsuhashi did not choose to hide them.

He simply stated a fact, while omitting information that would be unfavorable to him.

"Did Orochimaru leave anything for you before he left?"

Uchiha Yatsuhashi hesitated for a moment before handing over the scroll Orochimaru had left behind.

The Root ninja nearby took it and confirmed, "This is the First Hokage cell culture Orochimaru hid..."

Danzo let out a cold snort, "As expected, he privately hoarded First Hokage cell samples!"

He then re-examined the Uchiha Yatsuhashi before him, whose strength was far inferior to a normal genin.

His gaze finally lingered for a moment on those ordinary black eyes.

"Weak chakra, low talent for ninjutsu."

Danzo spoke as if reading an investigation report, "Orochimaru kept you by his side solely because of your excellent performance in scientific research?"

"Yes. I helped Orochimaru improve the formula for the cell culture medium and solved several theoretical problems."

Danzo stared at him for a long time.

That gaze seemed to have weight, pressing down on Uchiha Yatsuhashi's shoulders and making it almost impossible for him to breathe.

Currently, the Hashirama Cell Transplantation Project had already yielded results.

Detailed experimental data had also been recorded.

Thus, Uchiha Yatsuhashi, as a participant, seemed somewhat redundant.

"You are free."

Danzo left these words behind and turned to walk away.

He did not want to waste too much time on this genin.

After all, Orochimaru's defection had also caused him many unfavorable repercussions.

"But do not leave the village, and be prepared to accept questioning from the Anbu at any time."

"Yes."

Uchiha Yatsuhashi bowed his head in response, and only after the footsteps of Danzo and the Root ninjas had completely vanished did he slowly let out a breath.

He had bet correctly.

By voluntarily handing over the scroll Orochimaru left behind, he had avoided a thorough body search by the Anbu.

Otherwise, that single remaining First Hokage cell sample would not have been saved.

Even after leaving the Anbu prison, Uchiha Yatsuhashi found it hard to believe.

Danzo had actually let him go so easily.

Evening, Hokage Office.

Since the Fourth Hokage had just taken over the position, many matters in the village had not yet transitioned into his hands.

He looked at the first list submitted by Danzo.

Smoke rose slowly from the pipe in his mouth, swirling and lingering in the afterglow of the setting sun.

It contained many of the people released today; although they had been let out of the Anbu prison, everyone was being closely monitored by the Anbu in secret.

"Hmm, just a genin?"

The Third Hokage looked at the name Uchiha Yatsuhashi on the list.

One had to know that ordinary genin would not appear on a clearance list of this level.

Just as the Third was puzzled, he quickly saw the note Danzo had specifically added for Uchiha Yatsuhashi.

Participant in the Hashirama Cell Transplantation Project.

Seeing this line of deep red text, the Third's inner doubts were resolved.

Although the Hashirama Cell Transplantation Project had failed, it still involved many dangerous technologies.

If these technologies were allowed to leak, it would bring quite a bit of trouble to the village.

Coupled with his special status as a member of the Uchiha clan and the current defection of Orochimaru, the Third Hokage's heart struggled for a few seconds before he finally approved Danzo's special clearance list.