Unexpected Gains

Just at this critical moment.

"Clan Leader?!"

A figure landed before them like a ghost; the newcomer was none other than Uchiha Shisui.

He should have been under orders to monitor the Uchiha Clan, but Uchiha Fugaku had deliberately sent him away earlier under the authority of the clan leader.

He had arrived late, only to witness this shocking scene.

"Yatsuhashi, stop!"

Watching the two men fighting for their lives within the quicksand, Shisui grew desperate, his eyes instantly activating the Mangekyo Sharingan.

He knew that Yatsuhashi now held the additional, special status of Anbu.

There could be no accidents.

Likewise, Uchiha Fugaku was the leader of the Uchiha Clan; if he were to die at the hands of Yatsuhashi, his Anbu status would naturally ignite the conflict between the village and the Uchiha Clan.

Fortunately, he had accidentally awakened his own Mangekyo Sharingan a few days ago.

At this moment, in order to end the conflict between Yatsuhashi and Uchiha Fugaku, Shisui was even prepared to use his unique ocular technique, Kotoamatsukami.

Yatsuhashi knew well the power of Shisui's Kotoamatsukami; it was a terrifying ocular technique capable of altering a person's will invisibly.

Almost the instant Shisui activated his Mangekyo Sharingan, Yatsuhashi closed his eyes.

Uchiha Fugaku, with surprising tacit understanding, also shut his eyes tight.

"Clan Leader! Yatsuhashi!"

Shisui looked at the two of them, at a loss, not knowing who to save first.

Inside the sand pit, Yatsuhashi gave his arm a violent jolt, breaking free from Fugaku's grip.

He used the momentum to leap backward, easily extricating himself from the quicksand.

"Cough... cough cough!"

Still trapped in the quicksand, Fugaku barked, "Shisui! Do you still have any respect for me as your clan leader?! Hurry up and pull me out! Do you really intend to just watch me be swallowed by the quicksand?!"

Shisui jolted into action, rushing forward to pull the blood-soaked Fugaku from the pit before quickly unfurling a medical scroll.

"Clan Leader, how did it come to this!"

As he bandaged the wounds, Shisui glanced at Yatsuhashi with lingering fear.

Yatsuhashi wiped the blood from his face, his eyes cold.

"What a... pity."

If he hadn't sensed Shisui approaching, Uchiha Fugaku would likely be a corpse by now.

Eliminating Uchiha Fugaku was simple, but executing him in front of Shisui would bring many unnecessary troubles.

Especially with Shisui, who had awakened Kotoamatsukami.

If he were to be controlled by Shisui's Kotoamatsukami and turned into a puppet, that would be extremely dire.

Yatsuhashi snorted coldly and turned to leave.

"Yatsuhashi."

Uchiha Fugaku's weak voice rang out from behind him.

Enduring intense pain, he picked up the paper bag containing the Okonomiyaki, took out a portion, and threw it hard in the direction of Yatsuhashi's departure.

Yatsuhashi did not look back, but reached out a hand behind him, steadily catching the dinner that still held the warmth of a body.

"Do not forget our agreement."

Yatsuhashi did not respond, his figure rapidly vanishing from before the two of them.

"Cough... cough..."

Uchiha Fugaku coughed up another mouthful of black blood.

"Clan Head, don't move! Your internal organs are severely damaged!"

Shisui treated Uchiha Fugaku with anxiety.

Yet Uchiha Fugaku acted as if he hadn't heard a word.

He took the remaining two portions of Okonomiyaki from his bag and handed one to Shisui.

"Eat. It's still warm."

Afterward, Uchiha Fugaku lay flat on the grass, letting Shisui continue the treatment.

He closed his eyes, but the scene of his heart being pierced by Yatsuhashi flashed through his mind repeatedly.

"Heh... forget it, let it be."

After a long while, Uchiha Fugaku finally opened his eyes again.

However, those originally pitch-black pupils had lost all color, leaving behind only a dull, grayish-white.

It was the result of overusing the Mangekyo Sharingan, leaving his eyes on the verge of blindness.

By the time he returned to his rented room, Yatsuhashi's mood had still not calmed down.

He looked at the bloodstains on his hands. "No, is he sick in the head?"

Yatsuhashi let out a deep sigh, his stereotypical impression of the Uchiha Clan deepening once more.

He took out the Susanoo from his pocket.

This was the only thing that could console him tonight.

"At least there was some gain."

Half an hour later, Yatsuhashi had gained a preliminary grasp of the Susanoo.

He took a deep breath. "Four Symbols Seal!"

The scroll belonging to Inuzuka Yuka appeared in his hands.

Back when he was at the archives, Yatsuhashi had already sensed that Inuzuka Yuka possessed something he wanted.

Now, he finally had the time to retrieve the experimental tools from within the scroll.

Looking at the various precision instruments, even Yatsuhashi, who had seen grand spectacles in the laboratory of Orochimaru, couldn't help but exclaim.

"She really is a wealthy woman..."

Although several key instruments for the cell extraction process were missing, Yatsuhashi was already intimately familiar with the experimental procedures and naturally had several alternative plans in mind.

Early morning, Hokage Office.

Minato Namikaze sat at his desk, holding two ninjutsu scrolls recently submitted by the archives.

He had originally intended to flip through them as a matter of routine, but he hadn't expected Yatsuhashi to have results after only a few short days.

He first opened the blue scroll, which recorded the C-rank ninjutsu Yatsuhashi had learned: the Summoning Technique.

Minato nodded; this was within reason.

"The Summoning Technique is not difficult; a few days is enough to master it."

But he immediately began to ponder, "Learning the Summoning Technique is fine, but it won't work without a contracted summon."

Minato calculated that it was time to make a trip to Mount Myoboku to ask the Great Toad Sage for his opinion and see if Yatsuhashi could also sign a contract with Mount Myoboku.

After all, within the Uchiha Clan, Aside from Shisui, Yatsuhashi is the only member of the Uchiha Clan who holds the village in his heart.

It is just a pity that Shisui's resolve is nowhere near as firm as Yatsuhashi's.

"Given time, if he can successfully enter the village's upper echelons..."

A flash of brilliance flickers in Minato's eyes.

He would be the best representative for the Uchiha Clan within the village's leadership.

By then, the conflict between the Uchiha Clan and the village would naturally be resolved.

This was originally the mission of Uchiha Obito.

If that Obito, who once dreamed of becoming Hokage, were still alive, he would surely be like Yatsuhashi by now, having become an outstanding Anbu ninja.

He would have shouldered the mission of being the bridge connecting the Uchiha and Konoha.

A trace of sorrow flashes through Minato's eyes, but he quickly pulls himself together.

It is precisely because of this long-term strategic consideration

that Minato is willing to exhaust resources to cultivate Yatsuhashi.

Thinking of this, Minato sets down the blue ninja scroll and inadvertently opens the golden one.

When his gaze falls upon that page, he freezes.

On the golden ninja scroll, it is clearly recorded: "Four Symbols Seal" — Mastered.

"This..."

Minato's eyes, which always carry a gentle smile, are now wide open.

One must know that even for him, it took a full half-month to learn this S-rank sealing jutsu.

"Kakashi!"

Minato slams his hand on the desk and stands up, his voice echoing through the office.

"Here, Sensei."

Almost instantly, Kakashi appears before him.

As the captain of Anbu Team 6, he is effectively the Hokage's closest bodyguard.

"Go notify Inoichi Yamanaka and have him come see me immediately!"

Minato must confirm the authenticity of this matter.

One must know that a Jinchuriki is a strategic weapon of the village, and talent capable of mastering the Four Symbols Seal to seal a Tailed Beast is an incredibly rare existence.

After all, for a ninjutsu of the level of the Four Symbols Seal, even for a genius, it is impossible to master without months or even years of arduous training.

Furthermore, when the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki Kushina gives birth, the seal will be at its most vulnerable moment.

At this critical juncture, if Yatsuhashi has truly mastered the Four Symbols Seal, it would truly be a great blessing for the village.

"Yes!"

Watching Kakashi depart, Minato sits back down in his chair.

He never expected that

what was originally just an unintentional act on his part

would actually bring such a significant gain to the village.