Chapter 19

Four Shadow Clones popped out in unison and transformed into adult forms.

Each of them hoisted a Root ninja onto his shoulder.

Before setting off, they first added a layer of Sealing Jutsu to each man, completely locking down their Chakra.

Then, with their captives on their backs, they vanished from the spot after several swift flashes.

Whoosh—

Yan's original body remained where he was and formed another hand seal.

"Wind Release: Gentle Breeze on the Face."

A soft breeze spread outward from him, sweeping away every lingering trace on the ground and every scent in the air.

After finishing, he clasped his hands behind his head, hummed a cheerful little tune, and turned to continue toward the Uchiha Compound.

Inside the underground laboratory.

The lights were bright, and all kinds of equipment had been arranged neatly.

"Who are these people?"

Uchiha Senichi, who had been helping organize the laboratory, looked up and frowned at the four bodies that had just been carried inside.

Every one of them carried the aura of a Jōnin.

One Shadow Clone casually responded, "Danzo's Root ninjas. They came looking for trouble with the original body and got dealt with. From now on, they're our test subjects."

"What?!"

Senichi's expression changed instantly.

His face darkened like the bottom of a pot, fury shooting straight to his head as his teeth ground together. "That old bastard Danzo! We haven't even settled the score with him, and he dared to make the first move? He even dared target you? What is he trying to do?"

At that moment, he wanted nothing more than to charge over and chop that old bastard to pieces.

"Don't rush."

Yan's original body walked in and pressed a hand down toward his father. His tone was as relaxed as if they were discussing what to eat that day. "It's not time to deal with him yet. The timing isn't right, so wait a little longer. We'll take care of him sooner or later."

He walked over to the four Root ninjas lying there, glanced down at them, and snorted.

"There's no need to guess what that old bastard is thinking. He wants to capture me, drag me into Root, slap a cursed seal on me, and turn me into his tool."

"Or, when my Mangekyō Sharingan awakens, he'll just gouge out my eyes."

"That's all the ambition he has."

Yan's eye twitched violently. Veins bulged on his forehead as he gritted his teeth and cursed, "That beast deserves to be cut into a thousand pieces! Son, you have to leave this bastard for me to kill with my own hands!"

"If I don't kill him, I won't be able to swallow this anger."

Anyone who dared touch his child was courting death.

Especially when that child was Yan.

Uchiha Hao: "...???"

So love could disappear?

If I were the one being targeted, you wouldn't be this angry?

"Fine!"

Yan smiled, touched, and accepted this protection from his father.

Then he stepped forward and reinforced the seals on the four Root ninjas once more.

Afterward, he locked three of them in separate dark rooms.

Finally, he used genjutsu to wake the remaining Root ninja.

Controlling him to open his mouth and stick out his tongue, Yan heated it with Chakra, revealing the complete Formula of the Cursed Tongue Eradication Jutsu before him.

"So this is the Cursed Tongue Eradication Jutsu you mentioned, the one Danzo uses to control his subordinates?"

Uchiha Senichi also leaned closer, staring curiously at the Formula as he asked.

"Mm."

Yan stared at it with complete focus. As he used his spiritual power to examine the Formula's full internal structure, he nodded. "I've wanted to study it properly for a long time. This is the perfect opportunity."

The Uchiha Clan's hidden archives also contained quite a few Sealing Jutsu.

With Yan's authority, he could access most of them.

Over the past two years, he had gradually learned quite a few.

Previously, he had never used them because he had no Chakra.

Over the last three months or so, Yan had been assigning several Shadow Clones to research and learn these ninjutsu and Sealing Jutsu.

His only regret was discovering that Shadow Clones could not share his absurd talent for comprehension.

Otherwise, his learning progress would have been far greater than it was now.

Senichi's expression darkened as he nodded. "Be careful yourself. This thing doesn't look right."

"It would be best if you can find a way to **, but don't force it if you can't."

"By the way, you captured four of Danzo's Jōnin. You didn't leave behind any evidence, did you?"

"That old fox definitely won't let this go!"

Those were four Jōnin. He believed that even Danzo would be heartbroken over such a loss.

They had to guard against Danzo's retaliation.

He was already considering secretly assigning several trusted Uchiha Jōnin to protect Yan for a while.

Although he knew his son's strength probably did not fall far short of an Elite Jōnin's, he could not help worrying.

"Don't worry. He can't stir up much trouble."

Yan waved dismissively and continued studying with his head lowered. "With my strength, I can take down four Jōnin without breaking a sweat. No matter how many more come, they'll just be delivering themselves to me."

"I've also learned most of the Medical Ninjutsu. For the next while, I plan to stay in the compound, so there won't be any safety issues."

But simply hiding was not a solution. After thinking it over, Yan added, "Dad, we should also make things difficult for that old bastard Danzo. We can't let him spend every day jumping around with nothing better to do."

"Send a few trustworthy people to use the Transformation Technique and disguise themselves as ordinary villagers. Quietly spread some rumors through the village—say Danzo dug up the First Hokage's grave and used villagers for Wood Release experiments. Don't make too much noise. Spread it a little, then stop. Can you do that?"

He knew this little trick would not bring down Danzo, but it would at least disgust him and make him behave for a while. That alone made it worthwhile.

"It can be done!"

Uchiha Senichi nodded, then looked at his son with curiosity. "Son, is what you said about Danzo digging up the First Hokage's grave for experiments true?"

He felt that Danzo really was capable of doing something so immoral.

"Of course it's true."

Yan's tone was certain. "And this isn't even the first time."

"The Third Hokage was probably involved in the past too."

"Later, when the experiments failed, the Third Hokage shut the whole thing down and forbade them from continuing."

"But Danzo never gave up. He's been secretly continuing them behind everyone's back."

"He wants to obtain the First Hokage's Wood Release to satisfy his ambitions, just like he wants to steal our Uchiha Clan's Sharingan."

If Yan had not been around, that old bastard might really have succeeded.

"Huh?"

Uchiha Senichi froze on the spot. "The Third Hokage was involved too? Those people really are devoted descendants! Their skill at betraying their teacher and dishonoring their ancestors has clearly been passed down in one line. As expected of students taught by the same master."

It was clear that Senichi harbored considerable resentment toward the Second Hokage.

After all, Konoha's suppression of the Uchiha Clan had begun with the Second Hokage.

Senichi had experienced those days firsthand. He had probably suffered plenty of humiliation back then.

"Leave this to me! I'll make sure it's handled perfectly!"

"When it comes to manipulating public opinion, we Uchiha are experts!"

Uchiha Senichi patted his chest and gave his assurance.

"Mm."

Yan nodded and added another reminder. "Tell the people doing it to watch out for the Third Hokage's Telescope Technique. That old man loves using it to spy on the village whenever he has nothing to do. Don't let him catch any evidence."

Though most of the time, he used that thing to spy on bathhouses.

Uchiha Senichi nodded in agreement, his tone crisp. "We can't delay any longer. I'll handle it now, before Danzo frees up his hands and bites down on us." With that, he turned and strode away.

That very afternoon, Konoha was thrown into an uproar. Someone spread word that Danzo had secretly dug up the First Hokage's grave and used ** to conduct Forbidden Techniques experiments. The rumors grew more outrageous as they spread, claiming that he was researching Wood Release because he wanted to seize the Hokage position from the Third Hokage. They also said he had always held a grudge over the Third Hokage taking office and had never accepted it in his heart.

The rumors were detailed and convincing. Even the identity of Danzo, that one-eyed rat, was exposed from top to bottom, and a pile of his personal secrets was dug up and spread around. The entire village immediately churned with undercurrents, and everyone was filled with unease.