Launching the Experiment Plan

Only after getting ten miles away did Uchiha Yuan cautiously release his Mangekyō Sharingan's control. He immediately heard the Nine-Tails' furious roar, accompanied by repeated explosions from the mountainside.

"Tsk, tsk. You can still hear it from this far away. What a hot-tempered little fox~"

Although the Mangekyō Sharingan made controlling Tailed Beasts more convenient, the intensity of their resistance determined how much ocular power it consumed.

Uchiha Yuan had yet to solve the problem of the Mangekyō Sharingan's ocular power consumption, so he used it as little as possible. You never know how expensive daily necessities are until you are the one paying for them~.

Just look at Madara and Izuna, who awakened their Mangekyō Sharingan at the same time. Yet by the time Izuna died, Madara's eyes were nearly blind, while Izuna's ocular power had not declined much at all.

The reason Madara went blind so quickly was that every time he activated Susanoo, he made it as massive as possible. But that was not entirely Madara's fault—after all, his opponent was just as absurdly overpowered.

Hashirama Senju possessed more Chakra than even the Uzumaki Clan and had practically invented the term "Chakra ton." His physical recovery speed was even more outrageous; he could heal in the blink of an eye. If you bandaged him too slowly, you would not even be able to find the wound.

Most importantly, he possessed the Shinobi World's one and only Wood Release. Madara was already impressive for being able to fight that monster on equal footing.

With a large scroll on his back, Uchiha Yuan returned to the Clan Land without resting. He brought along the five-person group, who had mostly recovered, and immediately headed for the laboratory.

At the border of the Land of Wind, the newly built five-thousand-square-meter underground market had opened for business. This had also been Uchiha Yuan's idea; after modifying the framework a little, it was perfectly suited to become an underground trading venue.

When Uchiha Yuan and the others arrived, they saw a sea of people. Pedestrians and carriages streamed through without end, with the people of the Land of Wind—wearing headscarves and resembling Indians—making up the largest group.

"Wow! This is my first time seeing so many people!"

Like a country bumpkin, Uzumaki Shibaki lay directly on the valley ridge and looked down.

The other four had never seen such a scene either and all wore curious expressions.

"Nothing much to see. You can come browse around when you have time."

Uchiha Yuan spoke casually, but to the others, his words sounded unbelievable.

"You... aren't afraid we'll run away?"

"Well, if you dare run, I'll just catch you again. But if that happens, your treatment will be different."

Uzumaki Shibaki swallowed. He could sense Uchiha Yuan's considerable malice; apparently, he was not joking.

The group then set off again and arrived at the laboratory.

The laboratory had been built beneath a mountain and concealed by countless rocks. A forest lay outside, making its location extremely hidden.

Uchiha Yuan took the lead in moving aside a huge boulder and walked in. The interior was pitch-black, but that was no problem under the Sharingan.

He found the electrical switchboard and flipped it, and the cave immediately lit up.

Everything outside was merely camouflage. Inside, the equipment was all modern. There were electric lights and all kinds of appliances, while the tables, chairs, and furniture all looked quite expensive.

Uchiha Yuan first inspected each room by himself. The laboratory area and residential area combined seemed to exceed five hundred square meters. It appeared that the hired man had hollowed out the entire mountain.

"You can each find a room to live in. Do not leave this cave unless necessary."

"Yes." *5

"From now on, call me Lord Yuan."

Having said that, Uchiha Yuan gave them room to adapt while he entered the experimental area.

The experimental area was enormous. There were six nutrient tanks, each three meters tall, along with all sorts of containers such as glass bottles, test tubes, and beakers.

Against the other wall stood numerous high-tech instruments: microscopes of various models, as well as tweezers, clamps, slides, and other tools.

The equipment appeared quite comprehensive, and naturally it had cost a great deal of money. According to the hired man, this place had cost a total of fifty million ryo.

"This one laboratory cost so much, and the future expenses will be a huge number too. How much must Orochimaru's laboratories around the world have cost altogether in the later days?"

You never realize how frightening the numbers are until you do the math. Thinking about it now, Orochimaru's reason for betraying Akatsuki might not have simply been that he attacked his companions. He had embezzled the organization's funds—and such an enormous sum at that. He had probably wanted to run away for a long time, and then Itachi Uchiha happened to show up and hand Orochimaru an excuse on a silver platter.

If Sister Konan had had that much more money for explosive tags, then perhaps it would have been more than six hundred billion. Thinking about it now, Naruto really had a ridiculous number of hidden clues.

He walked back and forth around the laboratory, checking the equipment. Everything was brand-new, fresh from the factory. Uchiha Yuan also saw a calendar hanging on the wall, tore off most of its pages, and set it to today's date.

"Time flies. This world that worships bloodlines will eventually drop its pants before me."

Within the Uchiha Clan, the busiest person had gone out. Izuna and Madara had become the new pillars of the clan, but with Uchiha Yuan's Shadow Clone Technique around, there was not much to do aside from major matters.

The new ninjutsu Uchiha Yuan had developed had long since been placed in the scroll archive. Clan members could exchange mission merits for them: an A-rank ninjutsu required five A-rank missions, while an S-rank one required three missions of the same rank.

As those in power, Izuna and Madara naturally did not need to follow the normal process. They could read them whenever they wanted. Madara only learned a few that interested him, finding those Water Country techniques rather boring.

Izuna had no plans to learn them either, because he despised everything related to Senju Tobirama from the bottom of his heart.

However, the techniques Uchiha Yuan had created included things like the Bringer of Darkness Technique, Mutually Multiplying Explosive Tags, and Lightning Release Chakra Mode. Each was more difficult than the last, and many had strict requirements. Just reading the principles was enough to make Izuna tear his hair out.

"Izuna, how is your Lightning Release training going?"

Inside the room, Izuna and Madara were having lunch together.

"Big Brother, I think my physique is twice as strong as before! I could kill a cow with one punch."

"Oh? Without using Chakra?"

"Pure strength!"

More than half of a roasted suckling pig on the table had already disappeared. Judging by the size of several nearby plates, although only scraps remained, they had clearly contained hearty dishes as well.

Such meals had been unimaginable in the past, but they had become commonplace in the Uchiha Clan. These ingredients could be purchased easily, and to ensure freshness, special purchases were made every week. These were all channels Uchiha Yuan had found.

The brothers clinked glasses and drained them in one gulp. The fiery baijiu made both men exhale hot breaths.

"Big Brother, our third brother is the most capable manager I have ever seen. Even Father could not compare to him."

Madara nodded. That was indeed impossible to deny.

"Oh, right. A few days ago, the Daimyo sent word that he wanted to discuss something with the Uchiha Clan. Yuan said I might need to make a trip there."

"The Daimyo? Our ninja clan and the samurai of the Land of Fire have always stayed out of each other's affairs. It is also an unspoken rule that ninja clans do not interfere in ordinary people's wars."

"I know, but an invitation from a country's Daimyo is not something our clan alone can refuse."

After all, the Daimyo was the nominal ruler of the Land of Fire. Since the Uchiha Clan lived on his territory, they had to show him some respect no matter what.

Izuna wiped the grease from his hands on his pant leg and said:

"Then I'll go with you. I've never seen a Daimyo in my life."

"You can't go. You need to stay home."