Shisui's Disappearance

Although he had accepted the mission to hunt down Obito Uchiha, Uchiha Yansheng had no intention of carrying it out. He had no trust whatsoever in Konoha Village's higher-ups.

Even though Konoha Village's biggest scapegoat was now dead, Uchiha Yansheng still had every reason to suspect that if he went out for a while, he might return to find that the Uchiha Clan no longer existed.

Or perhaps he would not return at all.

However, Uchiha Yansheng had overlooked one person: Kakashi Hatake.

"Get out. The Uchiha Clan does not welcome you."

Seeing Kakashi Hatake barge into his home without permission, a flash of irritation passed through Uchiha Yansheng's eyes.

He had no idea whether Kakashi Hatake had been instructed by Hiruzen Sarutobi, but lately, he had always been following him around like a stubborn piece of gum.

"I'm waiting for you to carry out the mission with me. Although you're still young, according to the ninja code..."

The moment Kakashi saw Uchiha Yansheng, he began rambling on about such things.

After slapping him away, Uchiha Yansheng pulled out a book from the table and began reading it seriously.

Meanwhile, Kakashi Hatake, who had been sent flying by a chakra arm, silently recorded information about Uchiha Yansheng in his heart.

At the same time, Uchiha Yansheng's Shadow Clone was conducting cloning work on Hashirama Cells.

The small piece of flesh taken from Danzo's arm had already been broken down, and the cultivation of the Hashirama Cells within it had been completed.

What truly concerned Uchiha Yansheng, however, was another kind of special cell.

The source of those cells should have been one of Orochimaru's test subjects, possessing a special constitution capable of perfectly adapting to any bloodline.

Uchiha Yansheng remembered that fellow should be called Shin, and he should still be alive.

In the original plot, he had emerged after Naruto Uzumaki became Hokage to make a brief appearance.

He had awakened the Mangekyo Sharingan and called himself Shin Uchiha, yet he did not possess Uchiha Clan blood at all.

He was also a somewhat deranged madman.

Putting aside all that nonsense, for a researcher, he was indeed excellent experimental material.

Unfortunately, Uchiha Yansheng had no desire to alter his own bloodline. He wanted more to study the principles behind that special constitution, which made things very difficult.

Although Uchiha Yansheng had successfully cloned the Byakugan, so-called cloning was actually just replicating the cells' original developmental path. He had merely intervened in the process and reduced some unnecessary consumption.

Fundamentally, all of Uchiha Yansheng's cloning experiments were creating new life, though many things had been discarded in the process.

If he used a different method, perhaps they could grow into normal people with limited lifespans?

Probably. Although Uchiha Yansheng understood such things, he did not care.

So-called ethics and morality were merely shackles humanity had developed to protect its own species.

Uchiha Yansheng had no sense of belonging to this world, so naturally, he felt no guilt whatsoever.

After reading for a while, Kakashi Hatake limped back to Uchiha Yansheng's side. This time, however, he merely waited and did not dare urge him again.

"If there's something you want to ask, I can give you an answer."

"But once you have your answer, you're not allowed to bother me again."

Uchiha Yansheng had always known what Kakashi wanted to do, but he had not wanted to pay him any attention. Now that Kakashi had become too much of a nuisance, and he could not truly take things too far, he could only take the initiative to speak.

"Was Obito really the one who killed the Fourth Hokage?"

At this moment, very few people in Konoha Village knew that Minato Namikaze was not yet dead.

At the very least, neither of the two currently speaking knew that news.

"Yes, it was him."

"He was brainwashed by Madara Uchiha. He believed in some nonsense about putting all humanity into a beautiful, eternal illusion."

"What utter bullshit. If he wanted to be put under that kind of illusion himself, I'd be happy to support him. What was the point of dragging the entire world into it?"

"Besides, all of it was merely another conspiracy."

"He was utterly foolish."

Uchiha Yansheng mocked him a few times, then looked at Kakashi Hatake and continued, "What else do you want to know?"

Kakashi Hatake looked somewhat dejected, but he still calmed himself and asked on Hiruzen Sarutobi's behalf, "How will the Uchiha Clan develop? Will it replace Konoha?"

Hearing that question, Uchiha Yansheng was so angry that he laughed.

"How interesting. Konoha Village was founded jointly by the Senju Clan and the Uchiha Clan."

"If it were the Senju Clan, then they would have the right to say such things to the Uchiha Clan. But who the hell does Hiruzen Sarutobi think he is? Does he really think that becoming Hokage makes his authority supreme?"

"The Sarutobi Clan was nothing back then, yet now they come swaggering up to me."

"Not to mention that I have no interest in becoming Hokage. Even if I did want to do it, what reason would you have to stop me?"

"Or is it that, in Hiruzen Sarutobi's eyes, the Uchiha Clan no longer counts as part of Konoha?"

"With that brain of yours..."

Uchiha Yansheng viciously mocked him, but Kakashi Hatake showed no reaction at all to those taunts.

Even when Uchiha Yansheng mentioned the White Fang of the Leaf, Kakashi Hatake displayed no emotion.

From that perspective, he was a qualified ninja.

After speaking with Kakashi Hatake, he finally stopped coming. Perhaps Hiruzen Sarutobi's side had made a new judgment about him.

Uchiha Yansheng continued to keep busy with all kinds of experiments while setting aside some time to learn ninjutsu that interested him.

After displaying his strength, Uchiha Yansheng returned to his former life. The only difference was that the supplies the Ninja Cat Clan transported into the Uchiha Clan each day became more abundant.

At first, Hiruzen Sarutobi thought they were strategic supplies. When he discovered that they were merely large quantities of nutrient solution and experimental equipment, he simply let it be.

Hiruzen Sarutobi even took the initiative to send the Uchiha Clan quite a bit of Root's experimental equipment in order to ease their relationship.

For a time, the village appeared exceptionally peaceful.

Uchiha Shisui had finally seen a scene of peace between the village and the clan.

Unfortunately, that superficial peace did not last long.

A month later, the Uchiha Clan received a secret piece of intelligence.

Uchiha Shisui had been ambushed and captured while carrying out a mission. He had not yet died.

As for the location where he had been carrying out his mission... naturally, it was near Rain Village.

After learning the news, Fugaku Uchiha prepared to send out a cleanup squad, but Uchiha Yansheng stopped him.

"Obviously, this is a trap aimed at me."

"There are only a handful of people in the ninja world who could capture Shisui."

"I'll go. We cannot let Shisui's eyes fall into anyone else's hands."

Upon hearing Uchiha Yansheng's words, Fugaku Uchiha immediately objected and firmly declared that he would personally lead the team.

But with a single sentence, Uchiha Yansheng silenced Fugaku Uchiha's objections.

"Who said I was going personally? It's obviously a trap. Why would I step into it? Only some test subjects and a Shadow Clone will go."

After Fugaku Uchiha saw Uchiha Yansheng's test subjects with his own eyes, he left without looking back.

He... was truly a little frightened.

The next day, Uchiha Yansheng's Shadow Clone arrived at the village entrance and saw Kakashi Hatake, who had already been waiting there.

"Looks like you really can't wait to see Obito Uchiha."

"But unfortunately, he doesn't want to see you."

Kakashi Hatake spoke with a complicated expression. "I know. I just... want to give it a try."