Burning Ambition

In the room, only Uchiha Yatsuhashi and the unconscious Anko remained.

Uchiha Yatsuhashi lowered his head to look at the tranquil sleeping face of the young girl in his arms, then glanced at the deep night outside the window, his heart filled with mixed emotions.

After settling Anko on the bed, Uchiha Yatsuhashi finally took out the spoils from this mission.

Cultured Specimen of First Hokage Cells

Looking at the scroll that had returned to him after being lost, Uchiha Yatsuhashi couldn't help but smile bitterly.

Orochimaru had originally entrusted this scroll to him.

Later, it was seized by Danzo.

Now, after many twists and turns, he never expected it to end up back in his hands.

Back in the laboratory, besides being sent by Danzo to handle the Anbu investigation arranged by the Hokage, Tenzō had another duty: to safeguard this critical cultured specimen of First Hokage cells.

After all, important items should naturally be kept by the person with the greatest strength.

What Danzo had not expected, however, was that Tenzō would be successfully turned by Uchiha Yatsuhashi.

Not only did he voluntarily defect from Root, but he also handed over the cultured specimen of First Hokage cells that the Root jonin in the laboratory had entrusted to him.

Although he had successfully awakened the Mangekyo Sharingan using a dose of First Hokage Cell Serum, he had not awakened the Wood Release that he so envied.

Uchiha Yatsuhashi remembered clearly that back in the day, the First Hokage, Hashirama Senju, had suppressed Madara Uchiha and the Nine-Tailed Tailed Beast combined using nothing but Wood Release.

Such power was something Uchiha Yatsuhashi could never ignore.

Now that the scroll had returned to him, it felt as if the heavens were helping him awaken the First Hokage's Wood Release.

Otherwise, it would truly be a waste of a heavenly treasure, and he knew that such behavior would invite divine retribution.

Thinking of this, Uchiha Yatsuhashi began to plan how to return to the previous laboratory.

After Orochimaru defected last time, his clearance to enter the laboratory had been revoked.

Now that he was an Anbu member, serving as a force directly under the Hokage, his status in the village was self-evident.

Although everyone in the village was a ninja, there were clear hierarchies among them.

For example, chunin guided genin, and jonin led chunin.

His status as a direct Anbu member meant he could already command other ordinary jonin in the village.

Not only did he want to enter the laboratory, but he even ambitiously imagined building his own laboratory in the future, just like Danzo, to completely break free from being controlled by others.

Having determined this, Uchiha Yatsuhashi finally had time to contemplate the ways he could improve his strength next.

In Uchiha Yatsuhashi's mind, besides the path of Wood Release, there were two others.

One was naturally to upgrade the Mangekyo Sharingan into the Rinnegan, which required the chakra of Indra and Asura.

He knew that relying solely on the Asura chakra within the First Hokage cells had allowed him to awaken the Mangekyo Sharingan.

If he could add the chakra of Indra, Uchiha Yatsuhashi was confident he could open the powerful Rinnegan.

The other path was his unique dojutsu, Return to Basics.

In Uchiha Yatsuhashi's vision, he only needed vast amounts of chakra to exchange for unparalleled power.

And, of course, vast amounts of chakra could not be separated from the Tailed Beast.

Furthermore, judging by the time Minato Namikaze ascended to the position of Hokage.

The Nine-Tails incident was about to occur, which was undoubtedly an excellent opportunity for him.

At the mere thought of a Tailed Beast, Yatsuhashi thought of sealing jutsu.

And the village had plenty of sealing jutsu.

Yatsuhashi secretly made up his mind.

Tomorrow, he would go to the village to see how to trade for an opportunity to learn sealing jutsu.

Among the options, there was one that Yatsuhashi automatically ignored.

That was the Sage Mode involving natural energy.

Not only were the three sacred sites difficult to locate.

The side effects of natural energy were also not to be underestimated.

With both factors combined, Yatsuhashi proactively chose to temporarily abandon the option of Sage Mode.

While Yatsuhashi was deep in thought, the sky had unknowingly brightened into morning.

Having not slept all night, he looked helplessly at Anko, who was sleeping soundly on his bed.

Her breathing was steady, and a faint, elusive smile hung at the corners of her mouth.

He wondered what kind of sweet dream she was having.

Yatsuhashi glanced at the sunrise on the horizon.

He intended to go out first to resolve the matters concerning the Iburi Clan.

However, just as he was about to leave, Anko on the bed rolled over and woke up in a daze.

"Yatsuhashi... where are you going?"

There was an indescribable intimacy in her tone.

Yatsuhashi looked at the bashful Anko before him.

A bad premonition suddenly arose in his heart.

He had forgotten to ask Orochimaru about the distorted memories he mentioned before leaving—what exactly were the memories that had been distorted?

Seeing that Yatsuhashi did not speak, Anko got up and wrapped herself around him like a snake.

"Wait... wait a second!" Yatsuhashi's entire body stiffened.

He could clearly feel that Anko's body was abnormally soft.

Was this the result of long-term training in snake-style ninjutsu?

"What's wrong?"

Anko muttered, her cheeks flushed, and her eyes revealed a sense of ambiguity.

As she spoke, Anko continued to coil herself around Yatsuhashi.

"Cough... cough, cough."

Just as the two were struggling, a hurried cough came from the doorway.

Yukimi stood awkwardly outside the door, covering her eyes tightly with both hands.

However, her two spread-out pinky fingers honestly left a gap.

Through the gap, her large eyes were undisguised, curiously watching Anko, who was snake-coiled tightly around Yatsuhashi.

"Ah!"

Anko's face turned bright red in an instant. With a "whoosh," she released her body and scurried back into the blankets, leaving only half of her head exposed.

Since Yatsuhashi had already told her last night that he was going to bring Yukimi's clansmen to the village today.

She whispered, "Then you go ahead and get busy..."

Seeing that Anko had no intention of leaving.

Yatsuhashi was stunned; what exactly was going on here?

He could only shake his head helplessly.

He grabbed Yukimi and quickly left this place of trouble.

As for Anko, who was preparing to go back to sleep in bed.

She was surprised to feel that not only was her body much lighter, but her chakra was also significantly more abundant than before.

In just a single night, Anko felt her strength had improved significantly.

Anko pondered to herself, Could this be the dual cultivation mentioned in Make-Out Paradise?

Within the same room, Anko secretly made up her mind.

She would have to find an opportunity to verify it again next time.

After being busy for the better part of the day, Gota and the others finally arrived at the bustling Konoha.

The promise of the Fourth Hokage was not merely a verbal agreement; it was the official proof of identity for the Iburi Clan.

Izumo Kamizuki and Kotetsu Hagane, who were guarding the gate, performed a routine inspection before smiling and letting them pass.

"Is this... Konoha?"

As a clan that had lived in dark, damp caves for years, the bustling streets before them brought tears to the eyes of many in the Iburi Clan.

Seeing their new habitat, Gota excitedly led all his clansmen to kneel before Yatsuhashi.

"On behalf of the Iburi Clan, I thank you for your grace in giving us a new life!"

Unknowingly, the Iburi Clan had begun using honorifics when addressing Yatsuhashi.

This was not only their heartfelt awe and respect for Yatsuhashi but also a recognition of his exalted status.

Gota looked at this land, his eyes shining with an unprecedented light.

Although the Iburi Clan had frail bodies and had spent years hiding in caves, they possessed a talent that others could not compare to: an extraordinary perception of ley lines and minerals.

This was a survival skill their clan had mastered over time.

"Lord Yatsuhashi, look!" Gota pointed toward the nearby Forest of Death and said excitedly, "There is an extremely rich mineral vein beneath that forest. If the quality is good, it would be perfect for forging various ninja tools."

As it turned out, the terrain of the Forest of Death was unique, concealing vast mineral resources underground.

This was quite unexpected for Yatsuhashi.

Coupled with the 600,000 ryo Yatsuhashi had provided, Gota was full of confidence. "Great! This place will surely become the starting point for the revival of the Iburi Clan."

Except for Tenzō, the entire Iburi Clan was filled with hope.

Because Tenzō had always believed he carried the burden of a dark destiny and was the savior destined to rescue the Iburi Clan.

However, before he, the "savior," could even exert himself, the Iburi Clan was already living under the sun thanks to Yatsuhashi's help.

This left him feeling momentarily depressed.

Gota pressed Tenzō's head down, thanking Yatsuhashi once more. "Lord Yatsuhashi, on behalf of the Iburi Clan, I thank you again."

Watching the Iburi Clan reignite their confidence, Yatsuhashi also felt a sense of comfort.