Although he had accepted the mission to hunt down Obito Uchiha, Uchiha Ensei had no intention of carrying it out. He had no trust whatsoever in Konoha's higher-ups.
Even though Konoha's greatest scapegoat was now dead, Uchiha Ensei still had every reason to suspect that if he left for even a short while, he might return to find the Uchiha Clan gone.
Or perhaps he would not return at all.
However, Uchiha Ensei had overlooked one person: Kakashi Hatake.
"Get out. The Uchiha Clan doesn't welcome you."
Looking at Kakashi Hatake, who had barged into his home without permission, a trace of irritation flashed through Uchiha Ensei's eyes.
He had no idea whether Kakashi Hatake had been instructed by Hiruzen Sarutobi, but lately, he had constantly been hovering around him like an impossible-to-remove bandage.
"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 Ensei, he began droning on about such things.
After slapping him away, Uchiha Ensei pulled a book from the table and began reading it intently.
Meanwhile, Kakashi Hatake, who had been sent flying by a chakra arm, silently recorded intelligence on Uchiha Ensei in his heart.
At the same time, Uchiha Ensei's Shadow Clone was carrying out work to clone Hashirama Cells.
That small piece of flesh taken from Danzo's arm had already been broken down, and the Hashirama Cells within had finished cultivating.
What truly interested Uchiha Ensei, however, was another kind of special cell.
These cells should have come from one of Orochimaru's test subjects, possessing a unique physique that could perfectly adapt to any bloodline.
Uchiha Ensei remembered that the man should be called Shin, and he ought to still be alive.
In the original plot, Shin had appeared after Naruto Uzumaki became Hokage, making a brief show of his presence.
He had awakened the Mangekyō Sharingan and called himself Shin Uchiha, yet he possessed no Uchiha Clan blood at all.
He was also a madman with something wrong in his head.
Setting aside all that nonsense, he was indeed excellent experimental material for a researcher.
Unfortunately, Uchiha Ensei had no desire to alter his own bloodline. He wanted more to study the principles behind this special physique, and that made things extremely difficult.
Though Uchiha Ensei had successfully cloned the Byakugan, this so-called cloning was merely replicating the cells' original developmental path. Uchiha Ensei had simply intervened in the process and reduced some unnecessary consumption.
In essence, all of Uchiha Ensei's cloning experiments were creating new life, though many things had been discarded.
With a different method, it could probably grow into a normal person with a limited lifespan?
Probably. Although Uchiha Ensei understood these things, he did not care about them.
So-called ethics and morality were merely shackles humanity had developed to protect its own species.
Uchiha Ensei had no sense of belonging in this world, so naturally he felt no guilt whatsoever.
After reading for a while, Kakashi Hatake limped back to Uchiha Ensei's side. This time, however, he merely waited and did not dare urge him again.
"If there's anything you want to ask, I can give you an answer."
"But once you have your answer, don't come bother me again."
Uchiha Ensei had always known what Kakashi wanted to do, but he had not been willing to pay attention to him. Now that Kakashi had become too bothersome, and Uchiha Ensei could not quite go completely overboard, he could only take the initiative to speak.
"Was Obito really the one who killed the Fourth Hokage?"
At this point, very few people in Konoha knew that Minato Namikaze was not dead.
At the very least, neither of the two people currently speaking knew that fact.
"Yes, it was him."
"Madara Uchiha brainwashed him. He believes in some beautiful, eternal illusion that can pull all humanity into it."
"What bullshit. If he only wanted to put himself under that kind of illusion, I'd be happy to support him. What the hell is he doing dragging the whole world into it?"
"Besides, all of it is just another conspiracy."
"Utterly idiotic."
Uchiha Ensei mocked him a few times, then looked at Kakashi Hatake and continued, "What else do you want to know?"
Kakashi Hatake's expression dimmed somewhat, but he steadied himself and asked on Hiruzen Sarutobi's behalf, "How will the Uchiha Clan develop? Will it replace Konoha?"
Hearing that question, Uchiha Ensei laughed in anger.
"How interesting. Konoha was founded jointly by the Senju Clan and the Uchiha Clan."
"If it were the Senju Clan, they would at least have the right to say something like that to the Uchiha Clan. Who the hell does Hiruzen Sarutobi think he is? Does he really think becoming Hokage makes his authority supreme?"
"The Sarutobi Clan was nothing back then, yet now they come swaggering around in front of me."
"Not to mention that I have no interest in being Hokage. Even if I did want it, what right 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?"
"Your brain..."
Uchiha Ensei ruthlessly mocked him, but Kakashi Hatake showed no reaction at all to those barbed words.
Even when Uchiha Ensei mentioned the former White Fang of the Leaf, Kakashi displayed no emotion.
From that alone, he was a qualified ninja.
After speaking with Kakashi Hatake, he finally stopped coming around. Uchiha Ensei did not know whether Hiruzen Sarutobi had formed a new judgment of him.
Uchiha Ensei continued to keep busy with all kinds of experiments while setting aside some time to study ninjutsu and other things that interested him.
After displaying his strength, Uchiha Ensei returned to his former way of life. It was only that the supplies transported into the Uchiha Clan by the Ninja Cat Clan each day became more numerous.
At first, Hiruzen Sarutobi thought they were strategic materials. When he discovered they were only large quantities of nutrient solution and experimental equipment, he simply let them pass.
Hiruzen Sarutobi even took the initiative to send the Uchiha Clan quite a bit of Root's experimental equipment in an attempt to ease their relationship.
For a time, the village appeared exceptionally peaceful.
Shisui Uchiha finally got to witness peace between the village and the clan.
Unfortunately, that superficial peace did not last long.
One month later, the Uchiha Clan received secret intelligence.
Shisui Uchiha had been ambushed and captured while carrying out a mission. He was not yet dead.
As for where he had been carrying out that mission... naturally, it was near Amegakure.
After learning this, Fugaku Uchiha prepared to dispatch a suppression squad, but Uchiha Ensei stopped him.
"Clearly, this is a trap aimed at me."
"There are only a handful of people in the Ninja World capable of capturing Shisui."
"I'll go. We cannot let Shisui's eyes fall into anyone else's hands."
Upon hearing Uchiha Ensei's words, Fugaku Uchiha immediately objected and firmly declared that he would personally lead the team.
But then, Uchiha Ensei said a single sentence that silenced Fugaku Uchiha's objections.
"Who said I was going in person? It's obviously a trap, so why would I step into it? Only some test subjects and a Shadow Clone will go."
After personally seeing Uchiha Ensei's test subjects, Fugaku Uchiha left without looking back.
He... was genuinely a little afraid.
The next day, Uchiha Ensei's Shadow Clone arrived at the village entrance and saw Kakashi Hatake already 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 try."
Before you continue