After spending quite some time searching, Zou Hyuga finally met Uchiha Shin near the Fugaku Residence.
Unlike the generally attractive Uchiha, calling Uchiha Shin plain would have been generous. At least he was vaguely human-shaped. Judging by his appearance alone, he looked like a vicious villain.
Surrounded by so many Jonin, Uchiha Shin showed little fear. Instead, Itachi's arrival seemed to excite him, like a fan meeting his idol.
After having Itachi say a few words to persuade him, Zou Hyuga and the others took Shin to an Abandoned Laboratory outside the village.
The sharp-eyed Itachi spotted the emblem of Root, but said nothing and followed silently behind them.
Having once been targeted by Danzo and later taken part in an operation against him, Itachi understood that the village's recently deceased Hokage Advisor had actually been Senior Zou's pawn.
Senior Zou clearly possessed strength beyond Oto's, yet he had always remained in the shadows, eliminating any enemy who might threaten the village and protecting the peace beneath the sunlight from within the darkness.
That was also the kind of ninja Itachi aspired to be.
They reached the depths of the laboratory, and as the equipment that had gathered dust for so long started up again, Itachi looked at Zou Hyuga, who was examining Uchiha Shin, and could not help asking, "Zou, why did you take an interest in Shin and bring him here?"
Zou Hyuga smiled. Rather than answering directly, he turned to Shin and said, "Tell Itachi what work you were responsible for at the Root Base."
Shin gave Zou Hyuga a few curious looks before saying, "At Root, I was mainly responsible for being studied..."
After listening to his explanation, Itachi gradually frowned, and his gaze grew more solemn as he looked at Shin.
Shin was not merely