Discussing the Infiltration

The night wind of the Forest of Death carried the stench of rotting leaves.

Lin Feng leaned against a towering tree, his Three-Tomoe Sharingan slowly spinning as it caught every ripple of chakra in the surroundings.

His left eye was still faintly burning.

He raised a hand to cover the corner of his eye, forcing himself to focus on the flowing chakra traces in his vision. The contents of the library scroll were seared into his mind like a branding iron—Sharingan could catalyze physical mutations, and when paired with certain drugs, they could forcibly stimulate the evolution of ocular power. The price, however, was the irreversible collapse of bodily functions.

The bitter medicinal scent within the lingering chakra.

The mission scroll taken from the Root sentry.

The experiment records that had been rifled through in the restricted archive.

All the clues repeatedly came together in his mind, gradually locking into a conclusion chilling enough to make his spine go cold.

Lin Feng drew a deep breath and suppressed the discomfort in his left eye.

Just then, he sensed chakra suddenly gathering three meters behind him.

His Sharingan caught it—that was the distinctive chakra residue of the Body Flicker Technique.

Lin Feng did not turn around.

"Shisui, you're two minutes late."

A soft chuckle came from behind him.

Uchiha Shisui stepped out from behind the tree, a hint of satisfaction flashing through his eyes. "Your sensory range has expanded again. I deliberately appeared ten meters away just now, yet you managed to lock onto me within three meters."

"My left eye is uncomfortable, but it's made my chakra perception more sensitive instead."

Lin Feng turned around and lowered the hand covering the corner of his eye.

The smile on Shisui's face instantly vanished, and his brows drew together. "It acted up again?"

"Tell me the intelligence first."

Lin Feng cut him off, keeping his voice low.

"You were in the library for so long. What did you find?"

Shisui stepped forward two paces, his Mangekyo Sharingan giving off a dark red gleam beneath the moonlight.

Lin Feng leaned against the trunk, his voice turning cold. "A scroll about the Sharingan and human experiments in the restricted archive had been tampered with. The lingering chakra was mixed with a bitter medicinal scent, very similar to the drug components the sentry mentioned last time."

Shisui's pupils contracted sharply.

"You're certain?"

"I saw it with my own eyes." Lin Feng stared at him. "What the scroll recorded was even more terrifying—the drug used the Sharingan as a catalyst to forcibly enhance ocular power, but the price was..."

"What was it?"

"The body would completely collapse within three years."

Shisui's breathing visibly stalled for a beat.

Lin Feng was about to continue when Shisui suddenly raised a hand to stop him.

His Mangekyo Sharingan swept across the area. Only after confirming there were no unusual chakra fluctuations did he lower his voice.

"Root is preparing to transport a batch of drugs into their stronghold within the next few days. The officials responsible for the handover will also hold a secret meeting inside."

Lin Feng's gaze instantly sharpened.

He straightened up, speaking faster. "Then it all fits—drug experiments, a secret meeting among officials. The one pulling the strings isn't anyone else. It's Shimura Danzo, and furthermore..."

He paused for a second.

"An experiment using the Sharingan as a catalyst is not something Konoha could carry out internally. He's colluding with the Akatsuki."

Shisui's expression changed drastically.

"You're saying Danzo and the Akatsuki... If that's true, then the village is in danger."

"Not just the village."

Lin Feng pressed a hand over his still-burning left eye, suppressed fury seeping into his voice.

"The Akatsuki have their sights on the Sharingan. Danzo wants to use drug experiments to create controllable ocular-jutsu weapons. Their goals align completely—the Uchiha Clan."

Shisui fell silent.

The night wind passed through the Forest of Death, stirring the dry leaves into a rustling whisper.

After a long while, Shisui crouched down, picked up a branch, and began drawing in the mud.

"But I know one weakness in the barrier around the Root stronghold. Every Wednesday, at the third quarter of the Hour of the Ox, the chakra adjustment creates a five-second gap. The Anbu changing shifts only use the eastern path."

He sketched a rough map of the terrain on the ground.

Lin Feng immediately crouched down, his Sharingan rapidly scanning every line Shisui had drawn.

"Five seconds is enough for us to cross the barrier. We can also figure out the shift-change schedule. We enter from the east, take the samples, and withdraw."

As he spoke, he added markers for scouting positions from his own memories.

The two quickly mapped out a complete route for infiltration and retreat.

Shisui's branch stopped at the edge of the map.

He looked up, concern flashing in his eyes. "But Lord Fugaku has recently stationed people around the clan compound to watch it. If you keep going out so often, he may notice something is wrong."

The fingers gripping Lin Feng's branch suddenly tightened.

"I've already noticed."

His voice was low, carrying a restrained resolve.

"But we have to act this time. We can only suppress Fugaku's suspicions for now. I'll be ready in three days. Help cover for me—say you're assisting me with Sharingan stabilization training."

Shisui stared at him for three seconds.

"Three days from now is Wednesday. We'll act during the Hour of the Ox." Shisui finally spoke, his tone heavy with resolve. "I'll circle through the forest and meet you on the eastern side. I'll be responsible for erasing your chakra traces."

"Fine. I'll handle the breach. You mark the retreat route. Once we succeed, we do not linger."

Lin Feng raised his eyes, his Three-Tomoe Sharingan meeting Shisui's Mangekyo Sharingan.

"Between us, failure does not exist."

The corner of Shisui's mouth lifted slightly, but the smile lasted only an instant.

Lin Feng caught it.

A fleeting trace of avoidance flashed through Shisui's eyes.

It was the hesitation of someone who wanted to speak but stopped himself.

Lin Feng's heart sank sharply.

When he spoke, his voice was colder than he had expected. "If we get the samples this time, we can completely prove that Danzo betrayed the village. But if Fugaku notices anything, the clan may restrain me first."

Shisui raised his head.

"If it comes to that, I'll stand with you."

His tone was firm.

"We aren't fighting alone."

Lin Feng looked at him.

The Sharingan clearly caught the complex emotion that flashed through Shisui's pupils when he said those words.

It was not loyalty to Fugaku.

It was more like... avoidance born from some kind of pressure placed upon him.

Lin Feng did not expose it.

He extended his fist.

"Three days from now, the Hour of the Ox."

Without hesitation, Shisui bumped fists with him.

"The eastern path. See you there."

The two released their hands.

Shisui stood and vanished from the spot with the Body Flicker Technique, going to prepare the infiltration equipment.

Lin Feng remained where he was alone.

He pressed his left eye as the burning sensation surged again, but this time, he did not let it distract him.

His cold gaze turned toward the clan compound.

Fugaku had people watching him.

Shisui's hesitation just now was no coincidence.

If the clan elders already suspected him, then before the operation, he had to eliminate this hidden danger.

In three days, he would infiltrate Root.

Within those three days, he had to deal with the threat from within the clan.

Lin Feng withdrew his gaze and pressed the receiver in his ear.

The night swallowed his figure.